“That’s doesn’t even make sense.” I stare, horrified. “No matter, no story is worth all those dead people.”
“Easy for you to say. You have a doctorate. A guy with a degree in fine arts? It’s hard enough to find a job, let alone the story of a lifetime.”
Mike is delusional, maybe manic, but seems to have some ability to reason. Using a gentle, non-threatening tone I implant a better scenario into his warped mine. “I have a different idea. When Philip arrives, we’ll help you force him to tell you the username and password so you can look at the files.”
He frowns but at least his gun is no longer pointing at my midsection. “I don’t know… It’s nowhere near as good as finding four people dead.”
Jack says, “But it’s a hell of a lot less risky.”
“I don’t know, don’t know, don’t know. I really need a good story.”
A car pulls into the drive, someone fiddles with the lock, and curses. Then, the door to the living room opens.
After taking us all in, Lance’s eyes veer to his college buddy. “Mike? What the hell is going on here?”
“Sit and open your laptop.” Mike hands him the flash drive. “Unlock this for me.”
“Those files are top secret. No one can see them but the President of the United States.”
Me and Jack exchange glances. Lance sounds a little looney, too, but I go with it. “It’s okay, we have top security clearance.”
Jack flashes his fake badge. “Undercover. FBI. Special Agent Diamond.”
The badge was meant for Lance, but Mike pales. “Shit.”
Jack bluffs, “The rest of my team is listening in and will be here in just a few seconds.”
For a second, I wonder if Jack has sealed our fate. Will Mike shoot us all before running? Instead, he grabs the USB stick, turns on his heel and takes off.
As I watch Mike make his way down the street, I ask Jack, “How did you know he wouldn’t shoot?”
“I had a gut feeling.” He’s still smirking when I call 911, Slate, Grayson, the FBI, the evening news, and just about everyone else with a stake in the game.
The first ones to our crime scene are detectives from Trenton. They recognize Jack and cuff him immediately. I point out my gun and suggest they might want to run some tests as I believe it was used for Yan’s murder. After that, it gets pretty nuts and I’m taken to the police station for questioning.
