“No. They didn’t use their real names, and the accounts disappeared in a day.”
She turned to Cam. “I want you to find these accounts and monitor the dark web too.”
Cam gave a crisp nod and handed a business card to Evan. “I’ll need the list you got from your MIT buddy, plus a list of the dark websites visited ASAP.”
Evan palmed the card. “I’ll email them both to you.”
Agent Cartwright bounded down the command center steps and started their way. Evan wished the guy would go back to Seattle, but maybe Kiley was already second-guessing adding Evan to the team and wanted someone in her agency who knew the local scene to stick around.
Kiley gestured at Cartwright. “Is he someone we need to keep involved?”
Evan wouldn’t bad mouth anyone and would stick to an honest evaluation. “He’s a solid agent but is more of a follower. So if that’s what you want...” He shrugged.
Cartwright stepped up to her, an admiring look in his eyes. “Hear you’re heading up the investigation, Agent Dawson.”
She nodded. “Thanks so much for your help so far. You can go back to Seattle. We’ll take it from here.”
He glanced at Evan. “But he—”
“Has been working a very interesting social-media angle, and we want to keep pursuing it,” she said.
“Well, I...”
“Again, thank you, Agent Cartwright.” She held out her hand and kept her gaze pinned on him. “If I have any questions after I read your report on last night’s op, I’ll be in touch.” She released his hand and turned away.
“Catch you later, man,” Cartwright said.
Evan watched the guy storm off. It wasn’t lost on Evan that he could just as easily be sent packing at any time and had to be sure he kept making serious contributions to the investigation to make sure that didn’t happen.
Kiley turned to Evan. “Did you get security footage for the dock yet?”
He shook his head. “The port’s head of security—a Jim Gadsden—insisted on a warrant. I’ve requested one for the video files and for details on the shipping company. Should have it soon.”
She clenched her hands. “Maybe then we can determine when these terrorists crept out of their hidey-hole and hopefully get a look at their faces to identify them and then put out an alert.”
Kiley stood outside the command truck where the team and Evan were waiting for her to finish her call to Eisenhower, but she wouldn’t rush things with their supervisor. She would need a small army to work this high profile of an investigation, and he was the key to gathering the necessary people and keeping the big wheel rolling.
“So the threat is real.” Eisenhower sucked in a sharp breath. “RED team will continue to take the lead, but you’ll need a cadre of analysts and agents working behind the scenes on this one. And forensics techs at your disposal twenty-four seven. I’ll get on the horn to HSI to secure additional manpower for the investigation, and we’ll form a task force back here to coordinate interagency workers.”
“Thank you,” Kiley said, glad to know Homeland Security would be backing them up with much-needed resources.
“As of now, I’ll clear my plate and run things from this end while you manage the upfront team. I’ll need twice daily written and verbal reports from you. In turn, I’ll provide you with the same thing. And if things move quickly, be prepared for even more frequent updates.”
“Understood.”
“Call me at the end of the day today, and we’ll go from there.”
“Will do.” She hung up and felt like she was being thrown into a fiery furnace. Yet she’d asked for this responsibility, so she would buckle down and rise to the challenge, starting with setting the immediate priorities.
She climbed into the truck, where Cam sat in a chair up front, his face buried in his laptop, likely working on his algorithm. Sean was on the phone to the local FBI office, arranging a war room. Mack was looking at his phone. And Evan was leaning against the console, watching her.
She should look away, but he had this confident way of standing that was totally relaxed yet fully alert at the same time and always captivated her. She found the dichotomy fascinating, as she’d never seen anything like it. Take Sean and Mack, for example. They were either hyper-alert or relaxed. Never had she seen them mix both in a single stance, while Evan brought them both together, and she could hardly look away.
Maybe it came from his former career as an EOD tech, embedding often with SEALs and Rangers. He had to train in manyareas to become certified in EOD. Explosive ordnance disposal skills, of course, but also water diving and skydiving. And then to support Special Forces he had to train in parachuting plus weapons and small units tactics. So he was well-rounded in his skills. And so rock-steady she’d never seen him startle or lose focus. Which was why it was such a shock when Olin lost his life on an op under Evan’s leadership.
Stop it. Just stop thinking about him. This job will be tough enough without wasting time on something so futile.
She cleared her throat to gain everyone’s attention. “Eisenhower’s calling HSI to gain additional manpower in D.C. so we’ll have analysts and forensics at our disposal. And he’ll coordinate the team there.” She faced Evan. “Barry Eisenhower is the ICE special agent in charge of the Cyber Crimes Center and our supervisor.”
