That was… too much coincidence in one night. A murder and an arson? Had to be a coordinated attack. Jesse wasn’t behind it. Bryce knew that all the way through. He’d been too shaken last night after seeing his burning apartment, and despite everything he’d weaseled his way into, he hadn’t done so with malice.
“Jesse didn’t have anything to do with the hit on Lawson. He was with us all night,” Bryce replied.
“He could have told someone where the building was and they could have followed our vehicle out of the city and struck Lawson on the road to the facility,” Bonnell said.
Bryce shook his head. “The DWO took over our current building in 2000, long after Ephraim Dawes finished meddling in our cases. He couldn’t have passed the information to Jesse, so Jesse didn’t know. Besides, the team with Lawson would have followed standard procedures to drop potential tails until they hit the interstate. The only way for someone to—shit. The only way for someone to murder Lawson en route to Nevada was if they knew the route.”
“That’s the same conclusion I reached last night.”
“We need to lock up Lawson’s journal,” Bryce said.
“I have it in a secure location. I plan on scanning it today and sending you a copy to analyze. I need you to make a list of what you need from your house so Alex and David can make a run over there. Add anything else you might need for a long stay.”
“You’re not going to reassign me?” Bryce asked.
“You want the case, you want to be stuck here with him, you’ve got it. I’m short on people I can trust.”
“But you trust Walker.”
“Because she and her team were out until this morning. So, it’s you or her watching him. If he does anything suspicious—”
“He won’t,” Bryce said firmly.
“If he does—”
“I’ll report it.”
Bonnell nodded. “And until I can figure out where the leak is, you and Jesse aren’t going anywhere.”
Each team had their own set of rotating safe houses, just in case of a situation with a DWO agent going rogue. Bryce always worried that someone would be corrupted by an eldritch being, but that usually had some kind of outward sign. Either someone at the office was good at hiding, or they were motivated by something other than worship, corruption, or delusion.
But someone had turned, and they had assisted in one murder so far. Jesse was in more danger than Bryce had guessed.
“Any idea how long until we root out the double agent?” Bryce asked.
“Get cozy, Reynolds. I have a feeling you and Dawes are going to have the chance to get to know each other really well.”
