“I do.” She clamped her lips into a hard line and swiveled to face Mack, the anger building inside and itching for release.
He gave a firm nod. “We have your back, kiddo.”
Okay, fine. No fight here.That was really what she wanted, right? The three of them working together to hunt down Firuzeh’s killer? She’d have to find another outlet for her anger and frustration, or just internalize it as she’d done for years.
She turned back to Sean, thoughts of how to proceed now pinging through her brain. “I need to grab a quick shower and change. While I do, will you locate the address for Firuzeh’s parents? They own a mailbox store in Tysons. I figure they live nearby. And call Lancaster to tell him I’ll take care of notifying the Abeds about Firuzeh. They need to hear the difficult news from someone who knew her.”
“Sure thing,” Sean said.
She tried not to picture the upcoming conversation and move ahead. No point in looking ahead to something that would be nearly as difficult as seeing the life vanish from Firuzeh’s eyes.
She caught Mack’s focus again. “Can you keep looking into WITSEC for the family? Besides Firuzeh’s parents, she had two sisters, a brother, and sister-in-law. We’ll bring them into protection tonight for the short term, then decide on a long-term plan once we know what we’re up against.”
Mack gave a crisp and confident nod. “No problem. I almost had it arranged anyway.”
“Thanks,” she said, then bit her tongue, as they’d told her to stop thanking them. She was so grateful for her teammates that it was hard to remember not to express it. “There’s somethingI didn’t tell Detective Lancaster. Before Firuzeh died, she got out a few words. Port, coma, and Box 342.”
“She probably meant a mailbox at her family’s business, but the other words?” Sean frowned. “Odd.”
“I know, right? I’ll ask her family about the box number, but I have no idea what she meant bycomaandport. Still, it’s a place to start the investigation. Be thinking about it, and I’ll get Cam looking for any intel referencing these terms.” If the information existed on the internet, their team’s analyst would find it.
She reached for the door handle and glanced between her teammates. “Any questions before we go?”
“No, but I like this new bossy Kiley.” Mack grinned, his wide jaw covered in red whiskers lifting.
She managed to eke out a smile, his intent she was sure. They exited the SUV, the air tinged with the fresh scent of rain that was falling now at a hard rate, and strode together into their building. The fifth floor was dedicated to their team and support staff, and the minute they entered the bullpen area filled with desks, the few workers present went quiet. The silence, more than anything, made Kiley want to sit down and cry.
Before a tear could form, Barry Eisenhower marched out of his office, and his pointed look ended all thoughts of crying. In his fifties, he was fit and lean, and she’d never seen him dressed in anything except a tailored suit that didn’t seem to wrinkle, not even during his very long workdays.
He towered over her, and she looked up at him. His gaze softened for a fraction of a second, but then his hard-set expression quickly returned. “Sorry about the loss of your CI, Agent Dawson.”
“Thank you, sir.” She swallowed and plunged ahead before she lost her courage, which was already trying to make a run for the hills. “I’d like to take charge of her murder investigation.”
He ran a hand over black hair buzzed close to his scalp. “We don’t do homicides. The locals will handle the investigation.”
Kiley didn’t like his response and pulled her shoulders back. “This isn’t a simple homicide. Finding her killer could lead to the biggest terrorist threat our nation has faced in years.”
“Inside. Now.” He tipped his head toward his corner office. “All three of you.”
He spun and charged for his office at his usual supersonic speed. Feeling like she’d somehow let him down and was headed for a firing squad, she marched after him.
No matter. He could fire away. She would find Firuzeh’s killer with or without his permission. And she knew her teammates would support her in her quest.
He dropped into a chair at a round table and motioned for them to join him. She sat across from him so she could read every nuance of his expressions. Mack straddled the chair to her right and rested his arms on the back. Sean sat on her other side, his posture rigid. Not surprising. He was pretty much always on guard at work.
Eisenhower locked gazes with her. “Tell me what you know about this threat.”
She relayed her conversations with Firuzeh. “She was a straight shooter, sir, and wouldn’t be blowing smoke. I may not know the details yet, but the threat is credible. You can bank on it.”
He didn’t speak. Didn’t move.
She felt like wilting under his study. Instead, she hardened her resolve and sat up straighter. “If you don’t want to take over the murder investigation, let us at least look for additional intel to confirm her claim. If we find something, we can assume jurisdiction.”
He placed his perfectly manicured hands on the table. “I’m not inclined to mess with the locals at any point, but I do support you wanting to run this intel to ground.”
“To take lead in running the intel to ground,” she amended and lifted her chin.
He tipped his head and watched her for a long moment before swinging his focus to Sean. “You agree with this?”
