Kiley took a photo of the envelope and carefully withdrew the letter. Seemingly thrown-together sentences filled paragraph after paragraph.
She laid the page on her desk to take a picture, then looked up at Harrison. “Could be written by someone with dementia, or as you suggested, it could contain code.” She slid the letter back in the envelope and handed it back. “Let’s get this to CRRU for examination. Make sure they have a sense of urgency about it.”
“CRRU?” Evan asked.
“Cryptanalysis and Racketeering Records Unit,” Harrison answered before Kiley could.
“Keep monitoring the mailbox, and let me know the secondDNA comes in.” Kiley started to look away but remembered her plans to give Harrison more responsibility and turned back. “I also need someone to check out the Capitol Café for security cameras. It’s in Tysons. Can you do that?”
“Glad to.”
“If theydohave cameras, we’ll want footage from Friday around noon until about three.”
Harrison glanced at her watch. “They’re probably closed, but I’ll be on their doorstep the minute they open in the morning.”
Kiley shared the information they’d learned on Firuzeh’s dance class. “I also need you to start interviewing the women in Firuzeh’s class. See if she confided anything. A boyfriend. Or had an argument with anyone. Had a falling-out. Things like that. I’ll email a copy of the names before I go.”
Harrison nodded. “Are you staying in D.C. now or heading back to Tacoma?”
“Catching the first flight west around six.”
“Have a good trip, and I’ll let you know what I find on the café and the interviews.” Harrison departed, a buoyancy in her steps.
Evan rubbed tired eyes. “Is she always that eager?”
“Rookie excitement,” Kiley said, trying to absorb some of the energy for the tasks ahead.
Evan leaned back in his chair. “What did you think about the ‘B. Amari’ on the envelope?”
“Could be our guy. Let’s take a look at that video from Quinn.” She located the email and started the convenience-store footage running, pausing on a clear shot of both men.
Evan leaned closer. “These guys are definitely the right build, but honestly, so are millions of other men.”
Kiley agreed but desperately wanted a lead. She memorized the men’s faces and grabbed a few still shots to send to her phone for future reference. “I’ll have Eisenhower assign an agent to track down the D.C. box this letter was addressed to.”
“Why not have Harrison do it?”
“I respect her work so far, but it’s too important of a task for a rookie.” Kiley fired off a text to her boss and looked at Evan again. “With Amari’s name on the envelope, I’m hoping the letter really is code and CRRU can crack it quickly.”
“Yeah, hopefully.”
She texted the photos of the envelope and letter to Cam, asking him to be watchful for the information in his searches. Her phone rang in her hand. “It’s Sean.”
“I just got a call from Vivian Vaughn,” Sean said without a hello or greeting.
“Hold on.” Kiley stood to look over her cubicle walls to make sure no one was within hearing distance. The team never discussed the Montgomery Three investigation in the office, and she wouldn’t risk anyone overhearing her conversation with Sean about the mother whose house the Montgomery teens disappeared from. “What did she want?”
“I updated her on the latest lead falling apart, and she’s spinning out of control. You have a way with her, and I thought you might be able to talk her down.”
Kiley pictured Vivian slumped at her worn kitchen table, her usual mug of coffee sitting in front of her, along with a cigarette burning in an ashtray, her face contorted with pain and guilt. Endless days of wondering. Worrying. Crying.
Kiley’s heart broke for the distraught mother, yet she wanted to give Vivian time to cool down or she would just blow Kiley off as she’d done with Sean. “I’ll give her a call in the morning.”
“Not from the office,” Sean warned.
Kiley didn’t take offense at his warning. Being reminded not to compromise their covert investigation would never be the wrong thing in her mind. “Of course not.”
“Let me know if there’s more I can do.”
