“That's our guy,” Miles said.
“Maybe.We need to look into him more.I can—”
“I'm coming with you.”
Vic shook her head and set her biscuit down.“Miles, you need to stay here.Grieve.Be with family and friends.This is too soon.”
“I'll grieve when this fucker is caught.”
The words came out harder than he'd intended.The rage he heard in his own voice made him uneasy.Vic seemed shocked, too.A flicker of surprise passed across her face.
“Hayes will lose his mind if he knows you're working the case.Especially this soon.”
“Then we don't tell Hayes.”
Vic studied his face for a long moment.Miles could see her weighing options, calculating risks.He hated to put her in this situation, but he couldn’t just let this go.
“Vic… please.”
Finally, she nodded.“Okay.But we keep it quiet.As far as anyone knows, you're home grieving and I'm working Elena's connections alone.”She sighed and looked as if she regretted it immediately.
Miles felt something shift inside him.Purpose, maybe.Or just the need for revenge dressed up as justice.“Deal.”
“But first, finish that breakfast and get the rest of that coffee down.You look like hell.”
He did what she asked, not because he was hungry anymore, but because he knew he’d need fuel for what was coming.“What else do you know about Crawford?”he asked, in between mouthfuls of food.“Is there anything?”
“Not much.”She consulted her notes while eating.“Thirty-three years old.PhD in biochemistry from Georgetown.That’s all I’ve got.But… hold on…” She started tapping around on her phone, frowning and then letting out a little growl.“Hold on a second.I’m trying to log on to the database but it’s a pain in the ass on my phone.”
He nodded and let her work.He managed to finish the biscuit and though it had served to wake him up, his stomach was still trying to decide if it had been ready for it.He sipped on his coffee for a minute or so before Vic managed to find what she was looking for.
“Okay, it says here… yeah.Thirty-three.Georgetown.Looks like he worked at three different pharmaceutical companies over the past eight years.No criminal record, but...”
“But what?”
“There was a call to the police from his previous employer.He was getting very agitated during a conversation about safety policies concerning chemicals and certain pollutions.He said he couldn’t work for a company that was so willing to kill the planet.”
Miles was already reaching for his jacket.It wasn’t exactly a bullseye, but it fit everything they were looking for.And, to top it all off, Crawford had worked closely with Elena.For the first time since Elena's death, he felt like he could breathe again.
They had a lead.A real suspect.And if he was right, then this same person was responsible for Elena’s death.He looked to Vic with tears brimming in his eyes and said, “Let's go catch this son of a bitch.”
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
The drive to Crawford's address took them through increasingly sparse neighborhoods until suburban developments gave way to patches of rural land on the outskirts of DC.Vic navigated the winding roads while Miles stared out the passenger window, watching modest houses spread farther apart as they moved away from the city center.
“It's the next left,” Vic said, checking her GPS.
Crawford's house sat at the end of a gravel driveway, surrounded by overgrown grass and scattered oak trees.The single-story structure looked unremarkable from the outside.White siding, black shutters, a small front porch with two plastic chairs.It was actually quite picturesque.A dusty sedan was parked in the driveway, but the scene was otherwise unbroken.
Vic pulled up behind the sedan and killed the engine.“Remember, we don't have a warrant.We're just here to talk.”
Miles was already getting out of the car.“Fine.Let's talk.”
He didn’t like the way Vic was looking at him—like she didn’t trust him, like she thought this was maybe a mistake.And maybe itwasa mistake.Only time would tell, Miles supposed.
They approached the front door together.The morning was quiet, and the porch groaned slightly under their feet.Vic knocked firmly and called out, “Daniel Crawford?FBI.We'd like to speak with you.”
No response.Just a few birds singing out in the trees around the house.It was such an isolated location that Miles couldn’t even hear the engines of cars passing by on the road they’d just turned off from.
