Page 81 of Philly
“But?”
“We have no verifiable connection between Aiden and Liza’s death. What we do have is proof that Aiden sent money to the Operation Nationalists and that they used it to set the bomb. And we believe that Liza was lured to the bar that night, that the ON intended for her to be there.” She paused, idly tapping a finger on a piece of paper on the table.
Sabina nodded. “Which means they either learned about her from the informant?—”
“Or through the FBI,” Chad said.
Callie inclined her head. “We’ve been assuming Maraud and the ON found out through the informant. That she either told them, or something about her behavior gave her away.”
“But?” Chad prompted.
“Looking through Aiden Nolan’s credit card statements for the past ten years, nearly every third Thursday of the month, he has lunch at the same restaurant in DC. Different times of day, but always the same restaurant and always during lunch hours.”
“And?” Sabina asked.
“It’s a popular spot for the higher-ups in the agency. I’ve been a few times and spotted several deputy directors each time. Aiden’s bills don’t indicate he ate with anyone—or, more precisely, that he paid for more than one meal.”
“But you have to wonder,” Sabina said.
“I don’t want to, but yeah, I do,” she admitted.
“If Aiden learned about Liza’s investigation, it would have had to come from someone who knew what she was looking into,” Leo said. “Any ideas?”
She fingered another piece of paper, then picked it up and handed it to Leo. “Here’s the list I came up with. Liza didn’t tell a lot of people what she was working on, but she told a few. She had to when she asked for permission to go to Paris to meet with her informant.”
“Which they refused,” Sabina said.
Callie nodded. “In order to justify the trip, she would have had to lay out her suspicions, including the evidence she’d gathered so far and the existence of her informant.” She paused. “The hitch in that theory, though, is that they denied her request. If someone in the FBI is in league with Aiden Nolan, knew about Liza’s investigation, and wanted to stop her, sending her to Paris, to ON territory, makes more sense than denying her.”
“Not if they were worried about covering their tracks,” Chad said. She looked at him, silently asking him to continue. “If he or she approved the trip and then Liza was killed in the blast, the FBI wouldn’t let that lie. They couldn’t because everything would be on record—the evidence Liza presented, the formal approval for her to go, everything.”
“Was Liza the type of person who was more likely than not to pick up and go on her own if the agency didn’t agree?” Leo asked.
Callie frowned. “You mean, do I think that someone in the chain of command with authority to grant or deny her request knew her well enough to count on her going regardless of whether they gave her the official green light?” Leo nodded. Callie considered this. “Possibly. She had a strong sense of justice, and if she was certain her work was leading down the right path, shewasthe sort of person who wouldn’t always toe the line.” She paused, another thought occurring to her. “And I have no proof of this, but if she thought her informant was in trouble or in danger, then she’ddefinitelygo.”
“Easy enough to orchestrate that if ON knew or was told about the informant,” Leo pointed out.
With that question, she flipped through a stack of papers until she found what she wanted. “I think this victim, Annette Bain, was Liza’s informant,” she said, handing the paper to Chad, who stood closest to her. On it, she’d documented everything she’d found on the young woman.
“Why her?” Chad asked.
“She fits the profile Leo gave me with respect to her age?—”
“That’s not much,” Sabina said, taking the paper from her husband.
“It’s not, but did you notice this little image on the files Lyda and I decrypted and translated?” She handed another paper to Chad.
“I did,” Sabina said when Chad passed the paper to her. She handed it to Leo, who nodded.
“It looks like a typo or maybe a slip of the finger,” Leo said.
“It’s a mouse,” Callie said.
All three leaned over the paper.
“Huh,” Leo said. “Done with just keyboard symbols. I see it now.”
“Liza loved to see what art she could make with her keyboard. Many of her trials were completely unrecognizable, but?—”
