“But you lost a woman who was more than a CI to you, and you feel like you should’ve been able to protect her.”
Kiley nodded. “I should never have formed a personal attachment. Maybe I’d become too relaxed around her—let my guard down—and would’ve been more objective if I didn’t have that attachment.”
“How could you have predicted a shooter waiting a half mile away?” he asked. “You couldn’t, and continuing to second-guess yourself won’t help find her killer.”
He had a point. “Our supervisor doesn’t even want me to be looking into it.”
He grabbed his sandwich with red onion slices dangling from the sides. “Why not, when her death seems to be connected to this investigation?”
“We rarely handle homicides, and he’s pretty adamant about letting D.C. homicide handle the investigation. They’re more than capable of doing a good job, and my focus needs to be on whoever arrived in the container.”
He stared at his sandwich for a moment before setting it back down. “You might’ve changed over the years, but it seems like your greatest fear is still losing people you care about. I know you. You’re planning to work both investigations.”
She’d forgotten she’d told him about losing her dad and living with her mother’s paranoia, drilling the fear of getting hurt into her so frequently Kiley had once lived with the constant terror of losing others. This had even informed her career choice. Computers were controllable. She told them what to do, and they did it. Sure, there were always kinks to work out, butthatshe could control.
When the network she administered was hacked, she didn’t like the loss of control and had signed up to become an agent. She didn’t want others to feel the same anxiety and didn’t want the hackers to get away with the hack. So she’d spent the last six years as an agent ferreting out every kind of criminal and making them pay. All the while trying to move beyond the anxiety her mother’s warnings brought.
Would they go away for good if she ever got up enough courage to confront her mother? To hash out their differences? Did she even want to do that?
He bent closer until she let go of her wayward thoughts and looked at him.
“Which means you plan to work the murder when you should be sleeping,” he added.
“So?”
“I can help you.”
“You need to sleep.”
“So do you, but you won’t do it. If I help, maybe you’ll at least get a couple of hours a night.”
She searched his face for any hidden motives. Found nothing in his expression other than concern and caring.
“To find Firuzeh’s killer, I will accept your help. Thank you. We’ll have to work out of our hotel. Maybe you should arrange to stay at the same place as the team.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Give me your phone number, and I’ll text you the details.”
He shared his number, and she quickly sent him a text. For some reason she felt like this action was cementing something between them. What, she didn’t know, but a bit of her anger over Olin evaporated, and she didn’t like the hole it left behind. She’d been holding on to her anger for years, and it had become a part of her—a driving force.
If I let it go, God, then what?
She balled up her sandwich wrapper and heaved it at the trash can. Evan watched her every move as she grabbed the Dr Pepper and marched to the door. She didn’t wait to see if he followed, but she heard his firm footsteps behind her.
“I’ll get started on reviewing the CCTV footage from the port,” he said as they stepped back into the conference room. “Unless you want me to do something else.”
“Do the videos. Thanks.” She handed the flash drive across the table to him and dropped into the chair next to Mack.
He gestured at the computer left for her use. “I emailed the form to you, and it’s ready for your input.”
“Judge Moreland is on standby.” Sean slid a piece of paper down to her. “His email.”
Evan looked up. “Good choice. Moreland’s flexible and easy to please.”
“We have Stadler to thank for the recommendation,” Sean said.
Kiley made a mental note to thank the SSA next time she saw him. She logged into her email and opened the form to fill in the details, making sure she clearly stated the probable cause for her requests. She entered the judge’s email address, wrote him a quick message, included a thank-you for his assistance on a Sunday, and sent the email.
