Silence.
All eyes on him.
“That’s going to ruffle some feathers,” said the Director.
Not my problem.
“Let my assistant know on your way out.” The Director stood signaling the end of the meeting. “Carrera, your cousin is Luciano Santini. He cannot know what you and Sin are doing.”
“Why would I tell my cousin about a top-secret organization that doesn’t even exist?” Carrera replied.
The Director smiled. “Good answer. I like this man.”
Slash
Slash entered the apartment building,walked up the stairs, and exited on the second floor. She’d worn her brown wig, non-prescription glasses, and a dark blue pantsuit. She had her FBI badge—one of many ALPHA-provided three-letter agency IDs—along with her Glock, concealed in its shoulder holster, and her switchblade tucked in the sheath strapped to her ankle.
She stopped in front of an apartment, knocked. Not long after, a woman opened the door.
Slash flashed her FBI badge. “Mrs. Billiawitz, I’m Agent O’Reilly.”
“Agent O’Reilly, come in.” The woman welcomed Slash into her home.
“I wanted to ask you about your daughters, Terri and Kim.”
Mrs. Billiawitz led the way into the kitchen, sat at the table. Slash pulled out a chair, eased down. She set her small pad and pen on the table.
“I’m following up on the missing person reports you filed on your daughters. I know a detective spoke to you, but I’m giving the case another look.”
“They just vanished,” the mom said. “First, Terri, then a month later, Kim.” Tears filled her eyes. “I feel so helpless, not knowing where to look, or what could have happened to them.”
“Did your daughters live with you?”
“No, it’s just me and my husband here. The girls share an apartment in Arlington.”
“Is it possible they left town?”
Mrs. Billiawitz looked surprised. “No. Neither of them would ever just leave. That’s not like them.”
“What about boyfriends?”
“Terri had one, but he ended it last year.”
“Did they keep in touch?”
“He moved away and she doesn’t talk about him. It was hard on her at first, but she wouldn’t have moved with him. Herfriends are here. Her dad and me are here. She and Kim are close.”
“Did they talk to you about their job?”
“I knew they worked at The Blue Suit club. Terri didn’t say much. Kim is my chatterbox. She told me about the tips and some of the men she’d meet. She was going to cosmetology school and she was trying to make as much money as she could to pay for school.”
“I read the police report,” Slash said. “You’d mentioned that Kim got offered a lot of money from a customer. Can you tell me about that?”
“She was all excited because a club member had tipped her $500. She told me she ran into him at the grocery store. They got to talking and he asked her to dinner.” The mom wiped her eyes with a tissue. “That was the last time I talked to her.”
“Did she tell you his name?”
“She never told me anyone’s name from the club.”
