Page 74 of Devil
“And Tina Lam?” she pressed.
Highborn’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.
“It won’t matter much, not in the long run,” she said. “But I’d like to know why? Why would you choose to do something like this? You have a job you’re good at, you don’t hurt for money. Maybe you had some life trauma along the way, but even if you did, that hardly seems like a good reason to assassinate the Chinese president.”
His eyes once again flickered with surprise. Behind him, Crawford took another step back. Devil’s attention jumped between the two. Highborn was splitting his attention among her, Darius, and Chad. But Crawford’s gaze remained fixed on Devil.
Interesting.
Several seconds of silence clicked by. Devil held her tongue, wanting to see how this moment played out. Heat now poured out of the vents, adding physical discomfort to the rising tension. Sweat gathered between her breasts. Highborn lifted an arm and swiped his forehead with his jacket sleeve. She didn’t think the plane could heat to the full ninety degrees Dr. Patel had recommended, but it couldn’t hurt to try.
Devil settled her attention on Highborn. His gaze was no longer jumping around, and he looked to be contemplating something. Perhaps how to get away—which he had to know he couldn’t—or perhaps he was simply trying to figure out how much they knew.
Crawford made a small move to her left and Devil’s interest jumped back to her. Something flashed in the agent’s eye, but Devil couldn’t identify or put a name to it. Although it was enough to raise her suspicions. In rapid fire, she sorted through every piece of information she could remember.
And suddenly it clicked. In a flash, she had her weapon drawn. Darius and Chad followed, as did Highborn and Crawford. Only Devil’s and Highborn’s were pointed at Crawford.
“Lily?” Darius said.
“It wasn’t Highborn, it was Crawford,” she said. Both Darius and Chad hesitated, then turned their weapons on Crawford, who held hers steady on Devil.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Alex, what are you doing?” Crawford asked.
“Given all the subterfuge, I expected more from you, Sandra,” Devil said. The woman said nothing but held her gaze steady. “It was you who called Tina, purporting to be a friend of Highborn’s. It was you who encouraged her to reach out to Sonia and Nadia. And it was you who arranged for the deposits into Highborn’s account and then posed as him for the withdrawals.”
“What deposits?” Highborn asked. Devil shot him a look. “I’ve been investigating her for four months,” he said. “I didn’t know what she was up to, but I knew she was up to something. Then I followed her to Jennifer’s farm on Monday. It’s humbling to say that Istilldon’t know what she’s up to, but Jennifer was adamant that she needed to be stopped. I don’t know anything about any deposits.”
“Jesus,” Crawford said. “You have so little care for money that you didn’t even notice it moving in and out of your account.”
“So it was you,” Devil said. Crawford hadn’t admitted to anything, but it was a start.
The agent snapped her mouth shut.
“Where is the virus?” Devil said.
Crawford smiled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, hell. Don’t tell me that the virus that killed Jen is now in her hands?” Highborn said, more than asked.
Devil slid him a look but then quickly focused her attention back on Crawford. “I did try to warn you,” she pointed out. “But we can discuss that later,” she added. “Where is the virus?” she repeated.
Crawford shrugged.
“Agent Highborn, I suggest you escort Sandra Crawford to your offices. We will provide you with all the intel we have, but you’ll need to hold her and issue the warrant for her arrest,” Devil said. She didn’t love the idea of turning Crawford over to Highborn, but she had no authority to arrest the woman, and neither did Darius or Chad.
“I have one better,” he said. “You have her covered?”
“I’d feel better if she dropped her weapon, but yes, we have her covered,” Devil answered.
Slipping his gun back into his holster, he touched the communication device tucked into his ear. A short while later, his other agents, two men and a woman, walked in. “Take Agent Crawford to the detention facilities. Do not engage with her and do not, under any circumstances, question her. Keep her cuffed and watch your backs,” Highborn ordered. The agents all stared back, shock written all over their faces. “Do it,” he snapped. Then, turning to Crawford, he walked up to her, ignoring the fact that she still had her gun in her hand.
“I don’t know the entire story, Sandra, but be assured, I will uncover it and I will bury you.”
She spun, but he was ready for it and easily grabbed her wrist, wrenching it until she dropped the gun. “Whatever you’ve done, it killed my friend. Jennifer Pritchard was a good person and an excellent scientist. You destroyed that. And Tina? She may not be the love of my life, but she’s a good, kind person. If you dragged her into something as ugly as I think you have, you’ll be lucky if we don’t hand you over to the Chinese.”
Crawford’s jaw tensed, but again, she remained silent as her former colleagues cuffed her and led her out. When they were out the door, Highborn walked to the window beside Chad and the two stared out at the scene below them. Knowing her cousin would arrive soon, Devil didn’t join them. Not two minutes later, he appeared in the doorway.
Devil’s gaze lingered on Highborn, who closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then opening them, he turned to her. “Everything you told me yesterday is the truth and somehow, Sandra Crawford is behind it,” he said. But before she could respond, he continued. “As I said, I’d been suspicious of her for a few months, but I didn’t see this coming. Not even after I followed her to Jen’s farm on Monday.” He paused, then shook his head. “The hows and whys will all be important later, but right now, if your intel is right, which it’s proven to be, there’s a deadly virus somewhere on this plane, isn’t there? The same virus that killed Jennifer?”
