“But you will,” Maureen assured her as they all sat down. “I’ll pick up the ingredients locally and make tomorrow night’s dinner right here.”
“If that doesn’t lift our spirits, I don’t know what will,” Colin said, squeezing his wife’s shoulder.
Ryan was already reaching for the tray of sandwiches. “I’m eating,” he announced. “After all that drama, I’m starved.”
His mother’s brows rose. “Aren’t you always?”
Nolan helped himself to a sandwich, as well. “It runs in the family,” he announced, chuckling as Hero adhered himself to his side and waited until Nolan gave him a slice of fresh bread.
“This is Hero, by the way,” Ryan introduced him. “He’s a former FBI human scent evidence dog with the best olfactory sense ever. He’s an official member of the FI team.”
Kennedy approached shyly. “Is he friendly?”
“When he’s not on duty, he’s a big baby,” Ryan replied. “He loves belly rubs. So feel free to pet him.”
Kennedy went over and did just that. Within minutes, she and Hero were fast friends, and Ryan was grateful to divert her anxiety for a while.
They all ate and chatted, purposely avoiding any talk of the disaster they’d left behind.
Ryan was clearly restless. Even as he wolfed down food, he kept glancing at his watch, and shifting around in his chair.
“I hate to be rude,” Casey said to the entire room. “But may I borrow Ryan for a few minutes?”
Maureen didn’t look surprised. “As long as you return him, help yourself.”
Another shared laugh.
Casey led Ryan into the first-floor conference room. As Ryan crossed the threshold, his cell phone buzzed, and he looked down at it to see a Slack message from Casey to the entire team, calling for a midnight Zoom meeting.
He gazed at her quizzically, perching at the edge of a tub chair while Casey shut the door behind them.
“What’s going on? Something else is clearly wrong.”
Casey blew out a breath, then spilled out the whole situation.
“Shit,” Ryan said when she’d finished. “What do we do now? I have to take Kennedy down to my lair and let her talk to Caitlin. But if I do, I’ll be blatantly defying Hutch’s orders.”
“Technically not. Remember, you programmed the laptops and we made the drops before Hutch reined us in,” Casey responded.
“That’s true. But we’re not stopping now. There’s no fucking way I’m letting the Bureau know about the laptops, or worse, surrendering them—not after all I did to make this happen.” Ryan gave a defiant shake of his head. “We’re talking to Caitlin—hopefully on a regular basis—and solving this case, all of which is taking place after Hutch shut us down. So what do you suggest?”
Casey perched at the edge of the settee. “As you just saw, I set up a full-team Zoom meeting for midnight. We all need to get on the same page. But before that, you and I need to talk—and it’s got to be before you take Kennedy down to your lair to connect up with Caitlin.”
Ryan nodded. “I’m listening.”
“Bottom line? We have to get as much information out of Caitlin as we can, while warning her not to tell us her exact location. That way we still won’t know for certain where she’s hiding. So at least we’re not withholding that crucial piece of information from the FBI.”
“Nuances. I get it. Iffy, but okay.” Ryan’s mind was still racing. “Problem is, we’re not calling a halt to things. So we’ll still be keeping major investigative findings from Hutch.”
“So we have to make sure he doesn’t know that.” Casey paused. “We’re walking a fine line and I know it. One wrong move and we’re history. I’m calling our outside counsel in the morning. But, that aside, this puts you in the shittiest position. Because you’ll be the only one who actually speaks to Caitlin.”
Ryan waved that away. “Yeah, but the whole team will act on what she tells me—even if it is behind closed doors. So we’re all taking a huge risk.” He didn’t miss a beat. “If you’re asking, I’m willing if you are.”
“I’ll do whatever is necessary to solve this case,” Casey replied. “Personally, for you, and, professionally, for FI. We see the cases that are brought to us to a successful conclusion, and we don’t back down. Period.”
“I hear you.” Ryan still looked troubled. “But what about tonight’s call between Kennedy and Caitlin? Kennedy is going to have a million questions—and she’s going to beg to talk to her mom again. Caitlin will be smart about what she tells her. Still, there’s the FBI. How do we protect Kennedy from them?”
Casey had been prepared for this complication. “The FBI has already interviewed Kennedy. They won’t put her through that again. And we’re sure as hell not going to tip our hand. It’s up to you to make Kennedy understand the need for secrecy, and for keeping conversation with the agents vague and brief. Claire will help you find a way. You’ll keep her close to your mom and to you. She can’t be left alone with them at all, and their focus should be on protecting her, not questioning her.”
