Page 63 of Devil
“And because he mentioned that he’dheardthey were good agents, rather than say heknewthey were good agents, that tipped you off?”
She couldn’t blame him for the disbelief she heard, but as she’d said, she’d known Franklin long enough to know what he’d intended to convey when he’d answered her question. Which also meant two additional things they needed to think about.
“We need to go back through everything. The only reason those two came to our attention is because you happened to see them. There has to be a connection we haven’t seen yet.”
“Something else that would have called them to our attention if I hadn’t seen them tonight,” he said.
She nodded. “It also probably means that he suspects one or both of them of being involved in the plot. In case you hadn’t figured that part out yet,” she added with a rueful grin.
He shot her a wry look. “Yeah, I got that much. But if so, why not bring them in?” She started to answer, but he held up his hand to stop her. She could all but see the pieces of the puzzle falling into place in his mind. “Because there’s not enough evidence, maybe only rumors at this point, and he’s counting on you to find what DSS needs to make a determination either way.”
She nodded. “There may also be reasons DSS can’t run their own internal investigation, so they need an outsider.”
He frowned, then took a sip of his whiskey. “Your investigation kicked in when Sonia and Nadia broke into Lab 14. What if it had been some other lab? What if you’d never become aware of their movements? This feels a little haphazard and disconnected to me.” He paused, then shook his head. “Unless there were rumblings of it before I was even assigned to this op, and they put me in this role to make sure that I made sure you knew.”
Devil tipped her head in agreement. “Welcome to the world of Franklin. It’s rarely straightforward and often hair-pullingly frustrating. But in the end, there’s usually a method to his madness. And the scenario you suggested would be my best guess as to how this all played out. Without you in that role, I never would have been made aware of the break-ins.”
“And it’s too fucking hard to pick up the phone and tell you the chatter?” he grumbled, making her smile.
“Not too hard, no. But he plays a big game, much bigger than the role I play. I don’t pretend to know what goes on in his mind, nor do I even know the full scope of what he does. But he’s been playing chess master for nearly fifty years. Whatever it is he does, he’s damn good at it.”
“And so we should keep pulling the thread he’s dangling?”
She nodded.
He sighed. “Happy hour’s over, I guess,” he said, taking both their empty tumblers to the sink. “I’ll go grab my computer and meet you in the sitting room.”
* * *
“The club came through,” Darius said, looking up from his computer.
Devil smiled. “They always do. Do you want to take Highborn or Crawford?” she asked. They were sitting on either end of the couch, each with their feet up on the coffee table and their laptops on their laps. Darius had offered to use his FBI access to pull the files, but they’d agreed that gaining accessunofficiallywas probably a better option. And it hadn’t taken her friends long to come through.
“I’ll take Highborn. There was something about him that caught my attention, other than his condescension, and it’s bugging me,” he responded.
“He’s all yours,” she said, clicking open Sandra Crawford’s file. Thirty minutes into their research, Chad returned. He carried a file that he promptly handed to her. Setting her computer aside, she took it.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“The roster for the president’s DSS security team. Thought you might want to have it. I assume you have the names of his own team,” Chad responded.
“Anything interesting?” Darius asked, looking up from his own research.
“Several things. This is Highborn’s first time as a team lead. He also has two ex-girlfriends on the detail, which in some ways is nice that he’s not holding them back—”
“But on the other hand, if either woman holds a grudge, it might be a vulnerability in the team,” Darius said.
“If someone has made it that far up the ranks to be assigned to a detail like this,” she said, holding up the file, “I have a hard time believing that they’d allow their love life to put it all at risk. What else?”
“One new member who moved over from the Secret Service and eight veterans with a long history of working with Highborn.”
“And Crawford?” Devil asked. “Which bucket does she fall into?”
“One of the exes,” Chad responded. “Although rumor has it, it was very short-lived.”
“Any rumors why?” Devil asked with a grin. She loved rumors and gossip. There was usually a least a grain of truth in them, and that grain usually came wrapped up in bizarre and entertaining packages.
“She broke it off. Didn’t like his family. Or I guess didn’t like his family’s money,” Chad answered.
