Kiley held up her ID and identified herself and Evan, acting relaxed to try to put the woman at ease.
“ICE?” She lifted her hand to her chest and clutched her blouse. “I don’t understand. I’m a U.S. citizen.”
“Yes, ma’am, we know.” Evan gave her a potent smile Kiley thought would disarm any woman.
At least it would do so for Kiley, but that could be because she had feelings for him. “We’re here about another matter. May we come in and talk for a moment?”
Yasdi bit her lip and looked over her shoulder. “I ... now’s not a good time.”
“It’s a perfect time for us,” Evan said, pressing on the door.
She held firm.
“Is there something you don’t want us to see, Ms. Yasdi?” Kiley asked, getting a bad feeling from the woman.
“My place. It’s a mess...”
Kiley forced a smile. “We’re okay with that.”
She looked over her shoulder again and, after a deep breath, pushed the door closed to release the chain. She stepped back, and Kiley brushed past the thin woman before she changed her mind. She was a few inches shorter than Kiley, and her black slacks and long blouse in vibrant purple spoke to a vivacious personality. A beige contemporary hijab covered her head and neck. Her clothing looked high quality and expensive. Not the sort of woman Kiley imagined down in the trenches as an ISIS fighter.
As Kiley moved deeper into the apartment, she took a quick look at the furnishings—serviceable items, nothing fancy but in good condition. A beige sofa. Two gleaming glass end tables. A kitchen abutted the family room with a small dining area. All neat and tidy.
Kiley assessed Yasdi. They hadn’t even gotten into the place and the woman had lied to them.
She gestured at the round dining table. “Please have a seat.”
Kiley stepped to a padded gray chair and sat while Evan leaned his shoulder against the nearby wall and got out his phone. She was glad he was hovering over Yasdi, as she was taking furtive looks at the hallway, and Kiley believed she might be hiding something. Or someone.
Yasdi settled on the edge of her chair and folded her handson the polished glass table, a slight tremor giving away her nervousness. “What is this about?”
Kiley shifted her chair so she had a clear view of Yasdi and the hall. “In the course of our investigation, we learned two men visited you here on Thursday night.”
She shook her head hard, her expression baffled. “I did not have any men in my apartment that evening.”
“You might know them by the names of Ehsan Rostami and Kahram Darzi.”
“No!” Her head swung even wider. “I don’t know them.”
“Are you sure?” Evan asked. “Think carefully. They would have been here about eleven that night.”
She looked around her apartment. “I was not here then. I was with my friend at ... um, a meeting.”
“What kind of meeting?” Kiley asked as Evan tapped on his phone.
“Just a meeting. You know. A meeting.” She twisted her hands together. “It started at eight and ended around ten. Then we grabbed some dinner.”
“We?”
“Um ... well, a friend.”
“Will your friend verify this?” Kiley asked.
Yasdi clasped her hands tighter and stared at them. “I ... he—”
A noise sounded down the hallway. Yasdi jumped up, and Evan’s hand shot to his sidearm.
“Is there someone here with you?” Kiley kept an eye on Yasdi and her hand on her weapon.
