If I Should Die_ A Novel of Suspense - Allison Brennan [61]
“Why didn’t the FBI pull her in earlier?” asked Lucy.
“Her parents said that she canceled her trip, that she was working a big case and couldn’t get away. They didn’t know anything was wrong until the FBI contacted them in January.”
“But her last communication was January second?”
“She sent her boss an email that said the meeting was canceled and she’d let him know when it was rescheduled, that she needed to lay low because her contact was suspicious.”
“What the hell were these people thinking?” Sean said, shaking his head. He didn’t look at Lucy, and while she sensed he was irritated, she hadn’t expected him to react so strongly.
“Because she was on vacation, no one considered—”
Sean cut Noah off. “It just seems to me that you either have a rogue agent or an incompetent office.”
Lucy bristled. “We don’t have enough information—”
“They want you to brief them in Albany, but they’re not sharing what they know. You’re going in blind.”
Noah spoke up. “We’ll have a full briefing. I agree, there are some apparent abnormalities in this investigation, but we’re assessing it with limited information. Candela isn’t going to reveal sensitive information over an unsecured line.”
Lucy changed the subject back to Sheffield’s disappearance. “Does the FBI think the January second message was fake?”
“They didn’t say, but that’s my read on the situation. Her contact is missing, presumed dead, or in hiding.”
“White-collar criminals don’t tend to be violent,” Lucy said.
“That’s in the past. Financial crimes now top $400 billion annually. That’s a lot of money to kill for.”
“Then how did she end up in the middle of nowhere at the bottom of a mine?” Lucy said.
“That’s the million-dollar question.”
“Or the 400-billion-dollar question,” Sean interjected.
Lucy glanced at Sean. He was staring out the window, but every muscle was rigid. “When are we going to Albany?” she asked Noah.
“Tomorrow morning. Patrick will be on a commuter flight that gets in at seven-fifty a.m. It turns around and goes back to Albany at eight-twenty a.m. I’d like you on it. I’ll pick you up at the airport.”
“Of course,” she said. “Whatever I can do to help.”
“In the meantime, both of you be careful. If they’ll kill a Fed, they’ll kill anyone. Patrick told me someone already took shots at you.”
Sean said from across the room, “It was basically a message to get out of town.”
“You tend to have that effect on people,” Noah said, a modicum of humor in his voice.
Sean didn’t smile, however. “I gathered up the shell casings and shipped them to RCK in California. I’ll let you know if Duke uncovers anything.”
The tension returned, Lucy could practically feel Noah’s frustration through the phone. She quickly added, “I collected a few insects in the cave. I’ll bring them with me to Albany.”
“Thank you,” Noah said. “Watch your back, both of you. I’ll see you in Albany, Lucy.” He hung up.
Lucy watched Sean as he continued to look out the window toward the lake and colorful sky as the sun sank on the horizon. “We’ll find out everything Albany knows about the case,” Lucy said. She wished she understood what was bothering Sean. He was usually up front about everything, especially with her.
“Maybe it’s better to get you out of town for a day or two,” Sean said.
“Excuse me?”
“It’s heating up here, and—”
“And you don’t think I can handle the pressure? Yes, it’s dangerous, but we’ve both been in dangerous situations.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Lucy wondered what Sean really thought. He was always more than willing to explain what he meant, but he didn’t elaborate now. “You can understand why the Albany office would want to ask me questions, but—”
“It’s fine.” He turned to face her, but she couldn’t read him. “A sniper shot at us today and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. I’d rather you were away from here, at least until I can figure out what the hell is going on.”
She was stunned. He was talking about her as if she were a hindrance to his job, as if he couldn’t work the case if he had to worry about her. She didn’t know how to respond, whether to be