Page 34 of Devlin

She drew in a deep breath, blinking away the tears burning the edges of her eyes. Clearing her throat, she continued, “This camp contains too many people for me to vouch for who is or isn’t trustworthy. Even good people can be susceptible to bribery. Margarethe believes someone in leadership might be involved. She is going to express these concerns to Dr. München. I’ve worked with, laughed with, and shared meals with these people. I just… I just don’t know.”

Exhaustion threatened to drag her under, and it wasn’t even noon. And then, there was still tonight when she’d agreed to meet with Devlin, who wanted to talk.

Cole checked his watch. “I’ll call headquarters and see if there’s any update for us.”

“Hey, Mia!”

She turned as Charlie pulled up in a Jeep, waving wildly with his signature grin. She shook her head, unable to suppress a chuckle.

He parked and gestured toward the van pulling up behind him. “Some mission volunteers wanted to see how food distribution is handled. They’re assigned to me. Some are journalism majors, so they’re here to see how we make miracles happen. You know, the whole ‘fishes and loaves’ routine.”

Mia laughed, glad for the levity. “Some days, that’s exactly what it feels like.” She nodded toward the warehouse. “They can observe. If they want to help, that’s fine too.”

Charlie turned to his assistant, who guided the visitors inside, then sauntered over. “You’re smart to have your powwow under a tree. Shade and a breeze? Genius.”

“Charlie, have you met these gentlemen? This is Devlin, Cole, and Todd. And this is Charlie Anderson, our information reporting officer.”

After a round of handshakes, Devlin asked, “What exactly does your office do?”

Charlie threw his arm around Mia's shoulders and grinned. “Well, my passion is finding beautiful women to hang out with.”

At times, Mia loved Charlie's easygoing attitude, but right now, she hated how he appeared unprofessional and didn't seem to mind involving her at the same time.

Mia heard the growl rumbling deep inside Devlin's chest and quickly stepped away from Charlie's arm to maintain a professional distance. “Cut the crap, Charlie.”

Charlie clutched his chest dramatically. “Aw, you wound me. Always breaking my heart.”

The joke fell flat. Devlin, Todd, and Cole simply stared, unimpressed. Charlie cleared his throat. “Okay, okay. I know my humor gets away from me. It’s just… it’s tough here, and I try to make people laugh.”

Mia, hoping to salvage the awkward situation, smiled at him. “And most of the time, it’s appreciated.”

Charlie smirked. “See? That’s why you’re the best. You always make people feel better.”

Devlin cut in. “So what does your job entail?”

Charlie sighed. “All the leadership heads send information to me, and I collate it for reports. Information like camp numbers, the demographics of the refugees, resource needs, and just about everything you can think of. Then I prepare the reports on our camp that are sent off to our funding organizations,such as UNHCR, Red Cross, WHO, WSB, and all the NGO… nongovernment organizations.”

“Charlie likes to act like his job isn’t important,” Mia said, “but of course it is. His reports help us get funding. Lets the officials know if we get too crowded. Lets Dr. München know the state of our resources so he can ask for more." She turned to Charlie and shook her head. "So don't sell yourself short.”

Charlie shrugged. “What can I say? I crunch numbers and drive a Jeep.”

Someone called his name, and he turned. “Looks like I’m needed. Nice to meet you.”

As he jogged away, Mia’s phone vibrated. She checked the message, then looked up. “We need to go to the admin building. Margarethe is getting ready to leave.”

The four of them climbed into the Jeep and headed back to camp. Inside Dr. München’s office, they found Margarethe waiting.

Not skipping a beat, Margarethe said, “I'm heading back to Germany first thing tomorrow. Two nights were all the time allotted for this trip. After reviewing the records, I have assured Dr. München that I can attest that you are correct. Systematic thefts are occurring of the food sources.”

“Do you have any insight as to who might be instigating it?” Mia asked.

“I didn't do any investigating, my dear. I leave that to the professionals,” she said as she inclined her head toward the men.

Dr. München interjected, “As much as it pains me to think that it's one of my heads, I have listened to Margarethe’s suggestions and want you to continue to turn over every stone until you find who is perpetuating the organized stealing and smuggling.”

Margarethe nodded. “But I also know that as soon as you plug one hole, others will pop up.”

Mia's heart ached at hearing the experienced woman's words. “So we do nothing?”

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