“But a child? You really think we’d do that?” Joe asked in a defensive tone as if trying to excuse himself for his behavior after the Eatons were killed and he’d blamed Cain.

“What’s hard to believe? That you’d stoop that low after all the shots I’ve taken because of your organization?” Cain asked, and for once she let some heat bleed into her voice. “It’s up to you to figure out which one of your people would use my child. If I don’t get a reasonable answer, then I’m going to take care of it, and Annabel isn’t going to like the way I do it. And before you accuse me of threatening any of you, fighting my battles in the arena of public opinion is more of a promise than a threat.”

“We can’t take care of something if we have no idea what you’re talking about,” Shelby said. These circular conversations were aggravating as hell.

“Like I said,” Cain echoed Joe’s words, “you’re the FBI. It shouldn’t be that hard to figure out, but come after my children again, especially Hannah, and you’ll be sorry.”

“That does sound threatening,” Shelby said softly. “We can’t be blamed for something we don’t know, and I give you my word on that. I know better than anyone we’re on opposite sides most of the time, but I’ve never lied to you.”

Cain’s gaze was probing as she stared at them for a long moment before she nodded abruptly. “I believe you two, but that’s as far as my faith goes.” Cain took a bite of her pie and glanced at her phone on the table. “Enjoy your hot coffee while you can, and remind Annabel that the clock is ticking. If you’ll excuse me, my father-in-law is done.”

“How about one hint before you go? You sound like you know a little about the people responsible for what happened to Hannah,” Joe said.

“You want me to deprive you of the pleasure of doing your job? You’re supposedly the best investigators on the planet—figure it out.”

Cain got up and handed the waitress some folded bills, and the woman kissed her cheek. There were probably more bizarre situations in the world, but Shelby couldn’t think of any that would top the last twenty minutes. Cain Casey was a multifaceted enigma who had a way of confusing them beyond what she accomplished on a daily basis.

“Do you have any clue as to what the fuck she was talking about?” Joe asked.