I couldn’t read her expression as she blew smoke from the corner of her mouth. “One thing still bugs me, though. That video of Nick that appeared on the Darknet—it goes against everything you’ve told me about them.”
“There was no such thing as the internet when I was there, so maybe they were reckless. It could be that one of their members has posted it.”
“Hmm.” She stubbed out the cigarette and crossed her arms. “I don’t have a way to dig into that. The internet was just picking up speed before I left the FBI. Let’s leave it as a question mark in this investigation.”
“This isnotan investigation. Investigations are slow—this is a rescue mission. I’ve done the investigating part, and it has led me to that motel.”
She cocked her head. “About that. You didn’t explainhowyou got Eliot to help you find the motel. You just mentioned it had something to do with his brother, The Director.”
I shifted in my seat. “It doesn’t matter.”
“If you want my help—”
“You’ll help me regardless because this is your nephew—unless you’re a cold, heartless bitch.”
Her nostrils flared, and I prepared myself for a fight, but she ended up asking, “Are you hungry?”
“I… what? Yes, I think so.”
“Still vegetarian?”
“Hayden told you that?”
“Might’ve mentioned it.”
“I still am.”
“My condolences. A salad and an omelet, then.”
“You don’t have to cook.”
She rose to her feet. “It’s not a five-course meal.”
I watched as she opened her old fridge and took out some vegetables. She placed them on the counter and started cutting. With her back to me, she asked, “Did Hayden talk about his family?”
“A bit. I know he has issues with his father.”
She snorted. “I guess you can put it like that. Mark’s the last man on earth who’d be okay with having a gay son. He was always as straight as an arrow, while I was the opposite. My parents used to hate that about me. They thought I was a dykefor a while, as if that could explain my behavior. When Mark had Hayden, I kept my distance. It was clear he’d raise the boy to be his spitting image, and I wasn’t going to waste my time watching it happen. By the time Hayden finished high school, I was already with the FBI. He came to visit me in LA, which gave us a chance to talk. It turned out my nephew wasn’t a reflection of his dreadful father.”
“Did he want to be a cop back then?”
Tammy started the stove and took out eggs from the fridge. “He wanted to help others, but his grades weren’t good enough for medical school. Maybe if he hadn’t been pushed into football by Mark, he would’ve had more opportunities to use his brain.”
She placed a bowl of salad on the table. I was glad to see she used avocado.
“Tell me more about your plan for that motel.”
I opened my mouth and quickly shut it. I didn’t have much of a plan, and a former FBI agent would easily realize that. I cleared my throat. “The place is called Delight’s Hot Springs Resort, out in Tecopa. I want to rent a room there for a few days to gather information. Once I find out when they’re picking up the employees, I’ll follow them as far as I can, hopefully to The Society’s current estate.”
She remained quiet for a few moments, then placed two plates with an omelet on the table and sat back down. “Their estate is likely somewhere in the desert,” she said. “It won't be hard to catch you tracking them. But assuming you end up finding the place, then what?”
“I’ll call the Chief, or whichever local police they have there. They’ll search inside and find Hayden and whoever else they have locked in there.”
“You’ll need a warrant for anyone to search inside, which might give them enough time to get rid of anyone they’ve been keeping there. Not much of a plan.”
I gripped my fork tighter. “Ithoughtthat getting help from a former FBI agent would help me with the planning part.”
She shrugged. “Never said I was good at my job. Eat.”
