Deadly Echoes by Philip Donlay Page B

hole appeared in John’s forehead. His head sagged forward and he was still. Moments afterward, the image went black.
    Donovan closed his computer.
He died exactly as Meredith had.
Donovan looked at the picture of her as an eighteen-year-old, and all he could think about was the singular event that ended her life. She didn’t know that she was going to meet and fall in love with Robert Huntington, the heir to the Huntington Oil Fortune, the man she wanted to marry. She didn’t know that despite all of her hopes and plans, the wedding wasn’t ever going to take place. She didn’t know that when she was twenty-eight years old, she would be kidnapped and murdered.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    The phone woke Donovan. He groaned as he pulled his stiff and sore body up from the chair, noting that it was light outside. Reaching for the phone, he saw it was five forty-five in the morning.
    â€œNash,” he said as he rubbed his eyes.
    â€œMr. Nash. It’s Agent Hudson. We found the helicopter.”
    â€œWhere?” Donovan snapped fully awake.
    â€œIn a hangar at Honolulu International airport. Island Aviation is the name of the facility. They’re a Bell Helicopter service center.”
    â€œWhen did it arrive? There should be plenty of surveillance of these guys as they passed through an airport facility. Hell, there’s probably footage of them going through security at the main terminal. I mean, why else fly to an airport if you’re not catching a flight out?”
    â€œWe talked to the service manager, and he remembers the pilot. The guy was in a hurry, had passengers, but gave the manager a list of things to do to the helicopter and then used a Stratton Partners credit card to open the work order. The service manager thought nothing of it because a Stratton Partners Falcon 900 was waiting on the ramp. Everyone got aboard, and the plane departed for Orange County.”
    â€œOh, no, not Beverly’s plane.”
    â€œI’m sorry. She was found in her car at the parking lot at the Orange County airport, the flight crew as well. They’re all dead. The people who murdered them are on the loose in California, and they’ve got a twelve-hour head start.”
    â€œYou’re telling me the bad guys somehow convinced Beverlyto fly from Kauai to Honolulu so they could board there? What kind of leverage did they have that she would leave the company of the FBI, then fly to Honolulu and pick up the people who murdered her husband and fly to the mainland?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Hudson replied. “But we’re going to find out.”
    Donovan made an instant decision and quickly calculated how soon they could be airborne. “Is there anything else? We’re going to leave for Orange County as soon as we can.”
    â€œSlow down. I’m on my way to your hotel. There are some pictures I need you to see. I’m about thirty minutes away. Have some coffee ready. It’s been a long night.”
    Donovan called Buck and quickly brought him up to speed on the events surrounding Beverly Stratton.
    â€œWe should all meet with Hudson when he arrives, Michael included,” Buck said. “Do you want to tell William about Mrs. Stratton or should we let Hudson?”
    â€œI’ll do it. Can you make sure Michael is up and that he knows we want to be wheels up for Orange County as soon as possible?”
    â€œHe’s been up for hours. I ran into him down in the fitness center, but I’ll make sure he knows.”
    â€œCheck in with Peggy. After we finish with Hudson, I’ll want a full status report on Eco-Watch’s security around the globe, but it’s for our ears only. For the moment, I want to leave Hudson out of our internal affairs.”
    â€œYes, sir.”
    â€œI’m going to go talk to William. I’ll see you shortly.” Donovan found Meredith’s picture on the floor between the chair and the table, slid it