Page 58 of Philly
“What else?” Philly asked. “Any update on the iPad?”
Leo chuckled. “For being in law enforcement, Liza didn’t do a great job of protecting her device. Her password was her mother’s birthday.”
Callie sat up. “Was it paired to her phone? Have you found anything? Anything about her informant?”
“It was paired to her phone,” Leo confirmed. “But we’re still going through the texts and calls. There were forty-four people she texted with during the six months prior to her death. We’ve identified nine of those as FBI colleagues and ten as other law enforcement. We’re working on the rest.”
“And the calls?” Callie demanded.
“Regular calls to you and the other colleagues, but there are eighteen numbers we’re tracking down. So far, we’ve ID’d seven: three are restaurants with extensive take-out menus, and four are to burner phones. And before you ask, no, we can’t track them, but we can triangulate where the calls were made from, which we’re working on.”
Callie considered this, then nodded and relaxed back against her pillows. “I had some amazing colleagues at the agency, but they were nowhere near as fast as you all. I’m going to like being at HICC.”
His heart did a little skip at those unexpected words—not that she felt them, but that she’d said them. Sure, her stint in the Mystery Lake location was supposed to be temporary, and she was supposed to go back to DC when the office renovations finished. But a little voice inside his head wondered if she’d ever want to stay. She’d be a team of one if she did. As far as he knew, the crew based in Mystery Lake consisted of operators and cyber experts, whereas DC probably had a team of investigators like her.
He didn’t ask himself if he’dwanther to stay. That question was far too big to contemplate on an empty stomach.
“We like having you,” Sabina said. “What’s next on your agenda? Paragliding? Skydiving?”
“Trail run for me in the morning while Callie and Joe head out on another hike. We’re all rock climbing tomorrow afternoon,” he answered.
“If it comes up, can you ask Joe a question for me?” Leo asked.
Callie’s gaze flickered to him in question. He shrugged. “Of course.”
“Can you see if he knows anything about Thailand?” Leo asked.
“In general, or something specific?” Philly clarified.
“Six years ago, Aiden made four trips there, and we’ve traced some of the funds from Nolan Enterprises to that country. There was chatter about a potential attack, but nothing materialized.”
Philly frowned. “Unfortunately, Thailand has had its fair share of terrorist activity. What are you thinking?”
“They’re thinking there might have been something in the works that either Aiden or his Thai counterpart pulled back from,” Callie said.
He glanced over at her. She’d changed into a pair of fitted jeans and a ribbed turtleneck sweater. She’d left her hair down,and the black locks contrasted with the off-white of the sweater. And she smelled damn nice. Some product she must have brought, because it wasn’t the soap he’d used in the shower.
“If the negotiations weren’t going well, though, isn’t Aiden’s MO tomakesomething happen that encourages the negotiations to move forward?” he asked, looking away from the temptation of Callie.
“We do think that’s his MO,” Sabina said. “But there’s something about those trips and that chatter that caught our attention. It’s off in a way I can’t explain. Not yet.”
“Sure, we’ll see if we can fit it into the conversation tomorrow,” Callie said. “Anything else?”
“Not on our end. We’ll keep you two posted,” Leo said.
“And stay safe!” Sabina demanded before ending the call.
They sat in silence, then Philly rolled his head and looked at Callie. “You up for another prickly pear margarita? I have a feeling we’ll see Joe there.”
32
“We’re thinking of Thailand for our honeymoon, you ever been?” Gabriel asked Joe. Callie was ten feet into a thirty-foot ascent up a rock, but she was sure he heard her eye roll.
“Yeah, it’s awesome. But don’t go to Phuket or Krabi. There are smaller places that are even more beautiful and quieter. I like them because of the diving, but they’d be a good place for a honeymoon, too,” he answered.
She reached for a fingerhold, tested it, then pushed herself up, the carabiner attached to her harness bumping against her body.
“Hey, do you guys supply their military uniforms? Callie and I were researching the country last night and a couple images of a military celebration popped up. Maybe some royal event? The uniforms were kind of awesome. I’m glad we didn’t have to wear them, but they looked cool,” Gabriel continued.
