Jacob shook his head, but she could tell he wasn’t as annoyedas he was trying to appear. “If Zane puts in an appearance tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll be happy to talk to you. Otherwise, he’ll make himself available to you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you.” She hesitated.
Jacob eyed her from beneath eyebrows that really could use a few minutes with some tweezers. “Is there something else, Faith?”
“I was wondering about the arrangements, sir. For the families?”
Jacob dropped his head. “The bodies were sent to the, er, um, the medical examiner.”
Faith didn’t miss the way Jacob stumbled over the words.
“Michael’s autopsy was this morning. The findings were in keeping with what we expected from the dart that was found. All the toxicology results are being rushed, but it will be a few weeks before we have them. Jared’s...”
Luke shifted in the seat beside her, and Faith could feel the tension pouring off of him.
“Jared’s remains were sent to a medical examiner in DC who specializes in burn victims. We’re hoping for results by midweek, but it could be next week.” Agent Turner ran a hand over his head again. “Jared didn’t have family here. He was from Milwaukee, and his parents are taking care of everything there.”
Jacob stood and leaned over the table. The man couldn’t be still. “Michael didn’t have any family here either. He and Karen, his wife, are both from Illinois. The funeral might be there, might be here. Karen hasn’t made any decisions yet. The kids are—”
Jacob turned his back on them and stood facing the window to the outside. The anguish was palpable in the room.
Faith didn’t see any reason for Jacob to finish his thought, so she went with a slightly different topic. “I understand Jared Smith was divorced.”
“Yes. No kids. His ex-wife is . . .” Jacob turned and looked to Luke for help.
“The woman is a barracuda.” Luke made no effort to hide his disgust.
Lovely.
“Jared wasn’t a saint. No one will pretend he was. But he didn’t deserve the way she cleaned him out. She took everything and continued to bleed him dry. If she’s crying right now, it’s only because she won’t be getting that alimony check.”
“Was their divorce over a specific event or—”
“Irreconcilable differences. She hated his job. Hated his travel. Hated the hours.”
“How long were they married?” Faith was trying to make sense of what she was hearing.
“Ten years. She thought it was cool to be the wife of the guy guarding the president. Not so much being the wife of the guy who handled the electronic crimes cases in an RAIC in North Carolina. When he didn’t get sent to a big city for his Phase Three, she pushed for him to find a new job. But he enjoyed the investigative side even more than the protective side, and he wanted to stay in.”
Luke made eye contact with Jacob. Faith couldn’t be sure, but given the grief reflected in both of their eyes, she wondered if they were thinking the same thing she was.
Jared’s passion for his work may have gotten him killed.
LUKE’S PHONE VIBRATED, and he checked the message.
No coffee for any of you. Taking Zane to pick up prescriptions, then home. #notsorry See you tomorrow.
Both Faith and Jacob were watching him. He waved the phone. “Tessa. She’s not bringing coffee. She’s taking Zane home.”
Jacob didn’t seem nearly as relieved as he’d expected him to be. “I’m not sure he should be out yet.”
“He’ll be fine.” Jacob was right, but Luke couldn’t blame Zane for wanting out of there. “Faith, I’m at your service this week.” He glanced at his watch. How was it already 4:30? “Is there anything you want to work on now?”
“Yes.” She didn’t hesitate. “Since yesterday, we’ve been focused on the specifics of what happened. Gathering evidence. Studying the crime scenes. Pulling video surveillance from the areas in and around the attacks. I have agents tracking down bomb fragments and looking at tire tracks to give me a vehicle description.”
Luke realized she didn’t mention how frustrated she was with their lack of progress, which was not because they weren’t working around the clock but because whoever had done this had done a good job of covering his tracks.
“I can’t shake the feeling that this is connected to Thad Baker, and I want you to fill me in on what the Secret Service knows about his death.”
