Cam’s knee knocking against his under the table, together with Aidan’swho, me?face, dissolved his irritation.That and the first heady whiff of the legal kill that tickled his nose—Vaughn was finally on his way back.
“ETA?”he asked.
“Flight plan shows him landing at the private terminal at noon.”
Barring some forgery with his travel record, Vaughn had been abroad when Curtis died.He could have had people traveling in his place with his documentation—it was a private plane after all—but they had no evidence to support that sort of scheme.That said, even if Vaughn hadn’t pulled the proverbial trigger, if Nic and his team could prove he ordered the hit, then they had him.
“We’ll set up the welcoming committee,” Cam said.
A knock sounded on the door, and once Nic and Lauren had shut their laptops, Aidan called, “Come in.”
The door opened to the tall, massive form of Assistant Director Elton Moore.“Price,” he said with a simple nod of his bald head.“Caught the news this morning.Figured I might find you all here, and since I was in town this week, that I might help.”A San Francisco native who’d swiftly risen through the Bureau ranks, AD Moore was in charge of the FBI’s Northern California offices.
Nic wouldn’t say no to Moore’s help in this instance.He was a good agent and a skilled politician, for better or worse.He would know how to navigate this PR minefield better than anyone.“Thank you for coming, El.”
“Go on, please,” he said, sitting on the other side of Mel.
Once the computers were open again, Harris’s witness statement on-screen caught Nic’s attention.“Has anyone spoken to Harris since he found Curtis’s body?”
Aidan shook his head.“We took his initial statement at the scene, but he was pretty shaken up.”
“Probably ’cause he knows he could be next,” Lauren said.
“Speculation, Ms.Hall,” Nic chided.
She hid her wince behind a sip of coffee.“Sorry, still learning.”This case would be her first time testifying, and while they usually found her constant commentary endearing, the grand jury might not.
“He’s supposed to be in later this afternoon,” Aidan said.“Or make arrangements for us to meet him elsewhere if he thinks that’s safer.”
“I’d like to speak with him,” Nic said.
Aidan nodded.“I’ll text when the meet is finalized.”
“You need to serve all the warrants simultaneously,” Mel said.“Don’t give Vaughn a chance to hide, run, or destroy evidence.”
Nic agreed.“We have to time this exactly right.”
“If you two are at SFO,” Aidan said to him and Cam, “then I’ll go to HQ.As soon as you give me the green light, I’ll execute it there.”
“I’ll take the residence,” Moore said.“How broad are the warrants?”
“As broad as I could get them.”
“Weapons seizure included?”
Nic nodded.“We took illegal weapons off Vaughn’s associates last spring.”When they’d foolishly tried to jump Nic in Gravity’s parking lot.
“You collect more,” Mel said, “call the serial numbers in to me.If there’s at least a partial, I can track them.See where else they’ve been used.”
“Keep your eyes open for syringes as well,” Nic said, anticipating what the coroner might find upon further examination of Curtis’s body.
“Is the charge sheet ready for the grand jury?”Moore asked.
“Yes, though I’d be more than happy to add to it if you bring back any surprises.”
Chuckles echoed around the table until Nic leaned forward, serious again.“If you can get me what I need from these raids, I’ll bring everything before the grand jury by the end of the week.We can have an arrest warrant issued before the weekend.”
Cam knocked his knee again, and when Nic turned to him, he stared back with calm, confident eyes.“We’ll get you what you need.”
