Evan looked at her. “Maybe the Waleeds reallyarea distraction.”
“We don’t have time to waste on a distraction.” She focused her thoughts and formed a plan. “If the pictures from Jamison are innocuous, we’ll get a boat and agents out there to keep an eye on him. Then we’ll head back to Sacramento where we can check in with Cam and work other leads.”
Her phone chimed. Expecting the pictures, she was surprised to see a text from Harrison.
“Harrison says the DNA on the letter sent to B. Amari matched the DNA on Nasim’s drink cup.”
“Another solid connection between them,” Evan said.
“And with having Nasim’s DNA now, I can ask Veronica Jennings to compare it to the slugs and casings from Firuzeh’s murder.” Kiley replied to the text, giving Harrison contact info for Jennings and instructing her to have the comparison made.
Kiley just finished the text when the pictures arrived from Jamison. She grabbed her iPad so she could display larger photos.
She held the device and flipped through photos of Ibrahim and the man operating the boat, sitting and looking up at the helicopter. She zoomed in on each photo to search every visible inch of the boat. “I don’t see any weapons or a bomb, but they could be hiding things in the cabin.”
“It needs to be searched, yet we don’t have probable cause for a warrant, and Ibrahim would know that.”
Kiley called Jamison. “Can you keep up surveillance until we get a boat out there?”
“Can do so long as our fuel holds out.”
“Which is how long?”
“Too many factors to predict. Especially if we have to hover for a long time. But I can give you a heads-up if we have to leave.”
“Thanks,” she said and disconnected.
“Now what?” Evan asked.
“Now we sit tight until Eisenhower arranges for a boat and agents to watch Ibrahim. Then we do something,anythingto move this investigation forward for once.”
CHAPTER 26
IN THESACRAMENTO OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM,Kiley set down her backpack, her stomach swimming with acid. She and Evan had just returned, and she felt like she was failing big-time—missing something obvious. Something that was just within reach, but like in a nightmare, she couldn’t grasp it.
She’d checked in with Cam. He’d ruled out all the cars from the motel, had gotten the rental agreements for the Waleeds’ driver, and he was on target with the hack. She’d had agents dispatched to watch these addresses in case the Waleeds showed up and to take over watching Nasim, as he too was just sitting out in the lake. Mack and Sean were far too valuable to be bobbing in a boat and were on their way back now.
Her phone rang, announcing a video call from Eisenhower, something rare, speaking to the importance of whatever he had to say. She ran her fingers through her windblown hair, twisted it up in a bun, and stabbed in a pencil. After taking a deep breath, she accepted the call. “Sir.”
He had on one of his many gray suits and crisp white shirts. He sat behind his neat desk, looking fresh and professional as usual. “The team with you yet?”
“Just Agent Bowers.” She explained that Mack and Sean were on the way but didn’t mention Cam.
He gave a sharp nod. “Go ahead and get Bowers on this call. I’d like him to weigh in here.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. Not when Evan’s experiencewith explosives was the likely area of expertise Eisenhower might want an opinion on.
She attached her phone to the TV and made sure she and Evan were both in the video frame from their end. “Go ahead, sir.”
Eisenhower laced his fingers together on the desk, looking calm and unflappable. “First, I received Barzani’s customer information. Ibrahim Waleed ordered the container shipment.”
Kiley’s mouth dropped open and she glanced at Evan, who looked equally surprised.
“So, the Waleedsareinvolved,” she said once she recovered, “and we have a proven connection between them and Nabi and Shah.”
Eisenhower pursed his lips and didn’t speak for a long, uncomfortable moment. “Okay, now the big news. Tooele Army Depot in Idaho reported the theft of an extremely large quantity of RDX.”
“RDX!” Kiley cried out, and Eisenhower flinched at her tone. “But that’s a crazy powerful explosive and should’ve been guarded.”
