Page 75 of Fear of Flames
“Technically, my specialty is writing fiction—crime thrillers. I do research to create the most believable stories.”
Olivia lifted her eyebrows. “Oh, this will be similar. First, I’d like you to sit here.”
After Michelle removed her coat and laid it over another chair, she sat.
“I have a list of prompts,” Olivia said, pointing to a piece of paper. “Let your mind and your fingers wander. One answer usually leads to ten questions. That’s a good thing. My team and I have fallen down rabbit holes and found answers to questions that hadn’t yet been asked.”
“How do you grade me? Do you want me to save the information?”
“You’re not being graded. I can see on the back side everything you do. I’m curious where your thoughts and actions go.” Olivia smiled. “I’ll be back in an hour and see how you’re doing.” She took a step back. “Oh, there’s a poor excuse for a lounge down the hall to the left. We have coffee. It’s actually decent. I finally convinced Peterson to upgrade the coffee maker.” She grinned. “It makes espresso. And there’s a restroom the other way by where you came in.” Olivia opened her hazel eyes wider. “Do you need anything?”
Michelle read over the prompts and shook her head. “I’ll just wander.”
“Perfect.”
Michelle followed the prompts, searching for information. The computers at the agency were equipped in ways her personal computer hadn’t been. Not only was this faster but with it, she had access to systems she’d never before been able to reach. She infiltrated traffic cams, searching for a silver Chevy Tahoe in the Minneapolis city limits.
One prompt reminded her of her alibi.
Olivia said to wander, Michelle justified.
She tried to infiltrate the airline’s reservation system. Each time she made it past a firewall, she shook her head in amazement and wonder.
While she couldn’t recall the flight number that had been on the ticket, she recalled the date of her supposed flight. Next, she searched for flights from Boston to Indianapolis, finding there were three that day. She pulled up the manifest of the early morning flight. She wasn’t listed. The midday flight was next. Again, there was no sign of her name.
Michelle was getting nervous about the alibi when she pulled up the evening flight. To her amazement, her name was listed. According to their records, she was seated in seat 3D. “Unbelievable,” she murmured.
Chapter
Thirty-Six
After escorting Michelle for testing, Arrow made his way to headquarters. It was only a little after eight on Monday morning, yet the building was electric with activity. As he walked the hallways, he saw and acknowledged fellow agents he hadn’t seen in a while. He was almost to Peterson’s office when Leo caught up with him.
“Arrow,” Leo called. “Good to see you. I heard you were back.”
Fletch turned around and met Leo’s stare. His associate was six feet, three inches of solid muscle as shown by the bulging biceps beneath his short-sleeved black t-shirt. Fletch didn’t know Leo’s birth name. His friend adopted the name Leo because of his lethal fighting skills—like those of a lion.
Leo looked as if he’d already been to the gym and showered. His blond hair was cut in a short military style. After all that had happened over the last week, the friendly face was a sight for sore eyes.
“Thanks for your help back in Iron Falls,” Fletch said, offering him his hand.
Leo took it in a firm handshake. “About that. I didn’t want to say anything to you until you made it back, but the shed…”
Leo’s pause set off alarms in Fletch’s nervous system. “What about it?”
“When I got there, one of Denny’s high blacked-out windows was broken.”
Fletch wrinkled his forehead. “Blast from the house?”
“I don’t think so. Prints in the snow indicated boots, a man’s boots.”
“Fuck, the sheriff?”
“My guess. Whoever it was, looked inside but didn’t get in. I got it cleaned out before they could make it back.”
“We all appreciate that, man. Perkins is too stupid to have figured out what Denny had going on, but that doesn’t mean the people he answers to couldn’t have done it.”
Leo reached for Fletch’s shoulder. “Before we go in there with Peterson, I looked into Sarah Holdcraft.”
