CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The FBI field office was bustling with an energy Miles had never experienced before.When he and Vic entered the building, he could feel it right away before he even saw it.When they reached the second floor, agents were moving through corridors with urgent purpose, phones rang constantly, and conversations overlapped in a symphony of controlled chaos.As soon as they stepped off the elevators, a junior agent intercepted them.
“Agent Stone?Dr.Sterling?AD Hayes wants to see you immediately.”
Miles fought to keep up.The field office had transformed into something resembling a war room.Agents he didn't recognize hurried past carrying files and laptop computers.The energy was infectious and terrifying at the same time.This latest murder had changed everything, apparently.
Hayes appeared at the end of the corridor, his military bearing more pronounced than usual.“Stone, Sterling.Conference room three.Now.”
They followed him through the maze of cubicles and offices to the largest conference room in the building.Miles had only been inside it once before, when helping with evidence from a sabotaged small plane incident a few years ago.The space could easily accommodate eighty people, with a massive oval table surrounded by ergonomic chairs.Whiteboards covered three walls, already filled with crime scene photos, timelines, and victim profiles.A dozen flat-screen monitors displayed various databases and surveillance feeds.
"Gentlemen, ladies," Hayes addressed the room as they entered, his voice booming but still also somehow calm."This case is now the Bureau's number one priority.Every available agent in the D.C.Metro area has been assigned to assist.We have three victims in less than three days, and the pace is accelerating.We also have no way of knowing if the killer has already planted more of these devices around the city.And as awful as it sounds, we are currently working with city officials to draft up a public health warning, recommending that everyone check their AC units."
Miles counted at least twenty-five agents in the room, some seated at the main table, others standing near the whiteboards.The scale of the response was overwhelming.He'd never been part of an investigation that commanded this level of resources.
“Agent Stone and Dr.Sterling have been leading the investigation,” Hayes continued.“They've identified this as potentially connected to a larger pattern of element-based murders across the country.Dr.Sterling, bring everyone up to speed on your latest theory.”
Holy shit,Miles thought.Hayes had just not only mentioned the credibility of his idea that these murders were connected to other elemental murders across the country… but he had done it in front of multiple other agents.He wished he could appreciate the moment for what it meant, but there just wasn’t enough time.
Miles stood, suddenly conscious of every eye in the room focused on him.He cleared his throat and moved toward the whiteboards where crime scene photos were displayed.
“Based on our investigation so far, I believe we're looking for someone with chemistry training who has grievances against employers, the government, or society in general.”His voice grew stronger as he found his rhythm.“The sophistication of the fluorine delivery systems suggests advanced knowledge, but the target selection indicates someone driven by personal anger rather than random violence.”
An agent near the back raised her hand.“What makes you think it's job-related?”
“The pattern matches what we saw in San Francisco with Diana Hartwell and the gold-related murders.She was a museum curator with deep resentment toward the corporate interests that destroyed her family's business.If I'm right about a larger organization or mastermind behind all of these murders, it seems that they are recruiting people who already have reasons to hate the system.”
Hayes nodded approvingly.“What's your next step?”
“We need to look for chemistry professionals who were fired, rejected, or otherwise mistreated by their employers.People who might have gone quiet after their career setbacks.”Even as he said this, he once again had a sense that Dr.Lawson didn’t quite fit this part of the profile.He had remained among his old communities rather than shunning them and turning away.
“Good approach,” Hayes said.“Meanwhile, we have twelve agents reviewing surveillance footage from the floral shop.Two additional teams are interviewing family and friends of all victims.Agent Mitchum is coordinating background checks on anyone with access to the school's ventilation system.”
Miles felt both energized and overwhelmed by the scope of the operation.This was federal law enforcement at full capacity, and he was somehow at the center of it.A small part of him wished Elena could see it.
“I want constant communication,” Hayes continued.“If you need anything, anything at all, you contact me immediately.We're not letting this killer claim a fourth victim.”
The room began to disperse as agents returned to their assignments.Hayes pulled Miles and Vic aside in the chaos of it all.
“I'm trusting your instincts on this, Sterling.Your periodic table theory seems to have legs and….well, this fluorine connection is too specific to ignore.But we need results fast.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Agent Stone, you and Dr.Sterling have full autonomy to pursue whatever leads you develop.Don't wait for approval.Just keep me informed.”
Vic nodded.“We'll find him.”
As the conference room emptied, Miles and Vic made their way to her office.Miles had never seen Vic's workspace before, and he was struck by its spartan simplicity.A single desk held a computer, phone, and neat stack of case files.No personal photos, no decorations, no indication that anyone actually spent time here.The walls were bare except for a single FBI organizational chart.Even the bookshelf contained only procedural manuals and legal references.
“This is where you work?”Miles asked, settling into one of two basic chairs that faced her desk.
“I'm rarely here long enough to personalize it.”Vic powered up her computer.“All that stuff’s a distraction.And distraction doesn’t solve cases.”
Vic grabbed an iPad from her desk and logged it into the database.She handed it over to Miles before sitting down behind her laptop.“Let's start with fired chemists in the DC area over the past five years,” she said, already typing to search parameters.
They worked in focused silence, each following different threads through employment records, news articles, and professional databases.The scope of their search was daunting.The Washington metro area employed thousands of people with chemistry backgrounds in government agencies, private companies, universities, and research institutions.Miles scrolled through termination records from pharmaceutical companies, finding dozens of scientists who'd been let go for various reasons.Budget cuts, performance issues, corporate restructuring.Most seemed routine, but a few terminations involved disciplinary actions or whistleblower complaints.
“Nothing interesting yet?”Vic asked without looking up from her screen.
