Behind the Mask

by Dana Ridenour

  “That’s sweet. Thank you.”

  “No problem. I hope you feel better soon. I’ll call you if I find out any information on the fate of the lab animals,” Lexie added.

  “Thank you,” Savannah said. “And I’ll do the same if I hear anything.”

  Savannah slung her oversized backpack over one shoulder and took off out the door carrying her to-go bag. Lexie sat alone and ate her burrito and had a second acai berry tea. She paid the bill and stopped off at the restroom to turn off the body recorder.

  * * * * *

  Lexie called Kate on her way home. “Want to meet me at the apartment?” she asked.

  “Sounds good. I’ll give it a little time and then head over.”

  Kate waited about a half hour, and then she parked down the street from Lexie’s apartment and walked over. Lexie was waiting for her and quickly opened the door.

  “How’d it go?” Kate asked.

  “I didn’t get the smoking gun, but something is definitely not right with Savannah.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, she was visibly upset and looked like she hadn’t slept in a week. She couldn’t make it through lunch and had to get her food to go. She claimed she wasn’t feeling well, but it looked like a case of the nerves to me.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said she got a bad grade in chemistry and was upset about it. Then she said she was worried about the animals in the lab. When I first brought up the fire, I thought she was going to pass out. I swear, Kate, the girl was white as a sheet.”

  “Really? That’s interesting. What else?”

  “She didn’t seem like herself. She was nervous and jittery and had numbers written on her left forearm.”

  “What kind of numbers?” Kate asked.

  “I don’t know. It might have been a phone number, but I couldn’t get a good look at it. When I brought it up, she said it was nothing and pulled her sleeve back down. I hate to say it, but I think she was either involved or knows something. I have my footage ready for you to download.”

  “I’ll see if we can enhance the video and make out the numbers on her arm. I brought you a new recorder, just in case you have a meet before I get this one downloaded. You need to have a recorder with you whenever you are out and about. You never know when she may call you and want to talk. I think Savannah needs a friend right now, and hopefully she’ll confide in you.”

  “Jesus, Kate, I think that poor girl really knows something.”

  “You may have stumbled onto our group of arsonists, and Savannah is definitely the weak link. I’m not sure if it’s luck, or if you’re the best damn undercover agent in the FBI.”

  “I’ll go with the best damn undercover theory.”

  They both laughed as Kate packed up the body recorder and placed it in her purse. “Oh, I forgot to tell you something,” Kate said. “LAPD has been checking all the video cameras within a two-mile radius of the arson. They found a video from an alley where a female tossed what looks like some kind of equipment in a dumpster. She also tossed a pair of gloves. The FBI Evidence Response Team was dispatched to the dumpster to gather the evidence.”

  “Wow! That’s huge.”

  “I haven’t seen the video yet. I’ve been told it’s grainy, but you can definitely tell it’s a female tossing the items. The lab was still on fire when the video was taken, so it has to be one of the perpetrators in the video.”

  Lexie ran her hands through her hair. She was shaken and surprised by the news.

  “Stay by your phone, and I’ll call you with any updates,” Kate said.

  “I will. I’ll give Savannah a call later tonight to check on her.”

  “I’ll get out of your hair and let you have some peace.”

  “Actually, if you aren’t doing anything, would you like to stay for some tea?” Lexie asked. “I’m a little wound up, and it would be nice to have some company. That is, if you aren’t in the middle of something else.”

  “Sure, I’d love to stay. As your contact agent, you’re always my first priority, Lexie. Got any cookies to go with the tea?”

  Lexie laughed. “Of course I do. Two kinds, in fact.”

  Lexie fixed a pot of tea, and the two women enjoyed tea and cookies together. Neither brought up work for the next hour.

  * * * * *

  Before going to bed, Lexie tried calling Savannah. The call went straight to voice mail. “Hey girl, it’s Lexie. Hope you’re feeling better. I’ll check in on you tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Savannah

  Savannah sat on the bed, her textbook open. She had read the same paragraph several times and had no idea what it said. She examined her ragged fingernails and decided to go to Phillip and Jeannette’s house. She grabbed her purse and was nearly knocked over when Haley burst through the door. Savannah had never in her life been so glad to see another human being.

  “Oh my God! Are you okay?” she squealed.

  “Shhh, I’m fine,” Haley reassured her.

  “Where’s Nick?” Savannah asked.

  “He’s okay. Still hiding, but he’s fine. He’ll come see you tonight.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay? I was worried sick about you and the others. Tell me what happened.”

  “I shouldn’t tell you anything. The less you know, the better.”

  “That’s not fair, Haley. I’m just as involved as you and Nick. I was there too.”

  “You know the rules, Savannah. I can’t talk about it.”

  “Fuck the rules!” Savannah said, grabbing Haley. “I was there. You can’t cut me out of this. Not after what you’ve put me through. Tell me what happened.”

  “Okay. Okay. Lower your voice. Someone might hear us. We’ll talk about this once and only once. Understand?”

  “I do.”

  “Let’s go outside. I don’t want anyone to overhear us.”

  Haley looped her arm through Savannah’s arm, and the two walked to the open courtyard and sat down. Haley looked around to ensure that there were no people to overhear their conversation. “Why do you need to know? You’re better off not knowing the details.”

  “I need to know what happened after I left,” Savannah said.

  “Why? It’s better for all of us if you forget about it.”

  “I can’t forget about it, Haley. Someone died in the fire. I need to know what happened.”

  Haley took a deep breath and sighed loudly. “After we dropped you off at your lookout point, we met the other team at the rendezvous spot. Everything was going as planned. Our lab contact met us and got us into the lab. Once inside, the liberation team gathered the animals and placed them in containers. Nick, Badger, and I smashed the lab equipment and computers. I left to help the liberation team load up the animals. Nick was riled up, but Badger was calm as a cucumber. A little too calm, in my opinion. He and Nick were destroying the equipment in one of the other rooms when I heard someone yell, ‘We’re going to burn this bitch to the ground.’ I thought it was someone goofing around, but suddenly I smelled smoke. Nick came running in and made the other team get out with whatever animals they had in their containers. We had to run to get out of there alive. The fire alarm and sprinkler system went off, but the fire was already raging when we hit the door to the alley where the car was parked. Nick threw Badger in the backseat and drove us out of the area. We ditched the car and hid out until it was safe to return to town. Nick decided it was best for everyone involved if Badger left and went into hiding.”

  Savannah’s eyes were wide and she made several attempts to speak, but no words came out.

  “Are you all right?” Haley asked.

  Tears welled up in Savannah’s blue eyes. She could no longer control the rush of emotion. Her body convulsed, and she cried uncontrollably.

  “Holy shit
, Savannah, everything is going to be fine.” Haley grabbed Savannah and hugged her. “Take a breath girl; everything is going to be okay.”

  “I was so worried. The police haven’t said who died in the fire. I was thinking all kinds of horrible thoughts.”

  “It’s okay, Savannah. We’re all okay. I’m okay, Nick is okay, you’re okay. We just need to hold it together and stick to our stories. This will all blow over soon enough.”

  Savannah slowly caught her breath. Her mascara had run down her face, and she knew she probably looked like a raccoon. Haley dug a Kleenex out of her jacket pocket and wiped the mascara from Savannah’s cheeks.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “That’s okay. You’ve been sitting here all by yourself not knowing what happened. We should have figured out a way to get word to you sooner. I forgot this was your first mission.”

  “I’m so glad you and Nick weren’t injured. What on earth was Badger thinking when he decided to burn the lab down? Did Nick know he was going to do that?” Savannah asked.

  “No! Absolutely not. He was so mad at Badger. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Nick that mad as long as I’ve known him.”

  “If all of the activists made it out alive, who was killed in the action?” Savannah asked.

  “I don’t know,” Haley replied. “Nick has been trying to find out through some of his contacts but hasn’t had any luck. Guess we’ll have to find out from the TV news like everyone else.”

  * * * * *

  Savannah studied while Haley took a much-needed nap. Savannah’s cell rang. She quickly grabbed it, expecting to see Nick’s name, but was saddened to see Lexie’s name instead. She answered the phone and walked out of the dorm room so she wouldn’t wake Haley.

  “Hey, Lexie. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, how are you?” Lexie asked.

  “Oh, I’m doing much better.”

  “That’s good. I wanted to check on you, because you seemed pretty overwhelmed at lunch today.”

  “Thank you. I’m doing much better. I’ve been in bed most of the day, sipping soda and studying chemistry.”

  “Is there anything you need?” Lexie asked.

  “Oh, that’s nice of you, but I’m okay. I think I have a stomach bug. I’ll be fine in a day or so.”

  “All right, well I just wanted to check on you. Promise me you’ll call if you need anything at all.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  When Savannah re-entered the dorm room, Haley was standing in the middle of the room, her arms crossed, wearing an angry expression. “Who were you talking to?” she demanded.

  Savannah was shocked at Haley’s rudeness. “I was talking to Lexie. Why?”

  “What the hell did you tell her?” Haley seemed barely able to control her fury.

  “Nothing! Do you really think I would tell anyone about what happened?” Savannah was so angry that she felt the blood rush to her face. She did not want to cry and show any weakness to Haley.

  “Why did you walk out of the room to talk to her?” Haley demanded.

  “Because I was trying to be a good roommate and not wake you up. Why are you acting like such a bitch?”

  Savannah pushed past Haley and stormed over to her desk. She slammed her palms down on the desk, and then turned to face Haley.

  “While you and Nick were out playing hide-and-seek, I was stuck here trying to go about my everyday business, so as to not look suspicious. Part of my everyday business was going to class and chatting with friends. I couldn’t just ignore Lexie when she called me, not without her wondering what was up with me, so before you go accusing me of telling the world our business, maybe you should take a fucking minute and remember we’re in this together.”

  Haley uncrossed her arms, walked over to her bed, and took a seat. “I’m sorry, Savannah. I guess I’m a little on edge. Forgive me. It’s so hard to trust anyone in this movement. For a moment there, I forgot I was talking to you. I really am sorry.”

  Savannah sat down next to Haley. She draped her arm around her shoulder and leaned her head against Haley’s head. “It’s okay. No worries.”

  Haley reached around and hugged Savannah. As they were hugging, Nick walked in the door.

  “Are we going to have a sordid love triangle?” Nick joked.

  Savannah sprung off the bed and nearly knocked Nick over as she leaped into his arms.

  “Wow! Now that’s a greeting,” Nick exclaimed. “Maybe I should almost die every week.”

  He didn’t have time to make any more jokes, because Savannah was frantically kissing him. He kissed her back, almost to the point of pain.

  “Okay, enough!” Haley said. “I’m still in the room.”

  Nick and Savannah stopped kissing, and as if they read each other’s minds, they both jumped on top of Haley.

  “Threesome!” Nick yelled.

  All three were laughing like little children at Christmas. It was the first time that they had laughed in a long time.

  “How’d you get into our dorm?” Savannah asked.

  “The security here is not exactly Fort Knox,” Nick said, smiling.

  “Do you want something to eat or drink?” Haley asked, opening the tiny refrigerator.

  “I’m starving! Let me take you ladies out for dinner,” Nick said.

  Nick had already picked up his car from Phillip and Jeannette’s house, so he drove to the restaurant. They were careful not to discuss the fire or anything related to animal rights in public. Savannah barely touched her food because her stomach was in turmoil. She couldn’t stop thinking about that person in the body bag. Someone was dead because of them. The three engaged in polite small talk. It all seemed ridiculous in light of what they had just been through, but it filled the silence, and if anyone was listening to their conversation, they wouldn’t have heard anything suspicious.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Alexis

  Lexie’s cell phone woke her bright and early. Shit, she thought. Who would be calling me at this hour? She picked up the phone and saw Kate’s name. “Hello,” Lexie croaked.

  “Sorry to wake you, but the powers that be want to have a meeting this morning, and they want you present for it.”

  “They want me to come to the office? I thought that I was supposed to be limiting my time around FBI personnel.”

  “I know. They’re having the meeting at the JTTF. You can leave your car someplace away from the office, and I’ll swing by and pick you up. I’ll bring you in through the garage like we did the first day.”

  “What time?” Lexie asked.

  “Ten o’clock sharp. Don’t be late, because I think the special agent in charge is going to be there.”

  “Oh, great,” Lexie sighed. “Just what I need, some pompous ass putting his two cents into our investigation. Between the SAC being there and Adam blaming me for the fire, this should be a fun meeting.”

  “Wow, somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed.” Kate laughed.

  “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be taking it out on you. I’ll be there with bells on.”

  “Let’s do lunch after the meeting. Just the two of us,” Kate added.

  “Sounds good. I’ll hit the shower then come your way.”

  “Okay, see you a little before ten.”

  Lexie deleted the call from her call log, tossed the cell phone down, and covered her head with her pillow. This meeting was going to suck.

  * * * * *

  Lexie parked her car at a nearby grocery store and jumped in the passenger seat of Kate’s sedan. She reclined the seat so she was out of sight.

  “I have the feeling this is going to be one giant circle jerk,” Lexie said.

  “You’re probably correct with that assessment.”

  Kate parked the car in the garag
e, and the two entered the office from the back.

  “Try to behave yourself, Lexie.”

  “I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises.”

  Lexie whispered in Kate’s ear, “Someone needs to tell all these morons this is a covert offsite and they really shouldn’t look like a bunch of FBI agents when they come here.”

  Lexie noticed an older man making his way in her direction.

  “That’s the SAC coming this way,” Kate informed her.

  “Glad you told me so I don’t say anything stupid.”

  The SAC approached Lexie and extended his hand. “Hello, Alexis. We haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet. I’m Jeff Rhodes.”

  “Hello, sir,” Lexie responded.

  “I understand from Mike and Adam you’re doing a wonderful job. I want to personally thank you for coming out here and giving us a hand with this case.”

  “It’s my pleasure, sir. I appreciate the opportunity to work a full-time undercover operation. It’s been a great experience so far.”

  “That’s good to hear. Is there anything you need from me?”

  “No, sir, I have everything I need right now.”

  The SAC walked off, and Kate made her way back to Lexie.

  “You sure disappeared quickly,” quipped Lexie.

  “I make it my business to avoid the brass of any agency.”

  “Good policy.”

  “What did the SAC have to say?”

  “Nothing much. Typical upper management . . . promise the world, but deliver nothing.”

  Everyone took their seats. The SAC took control of the meeting and thanked everyone for coming. After a quick introduction, he turned the meeting over to Mike.

  “I think most of you know me, but in case we haven’t met, I’m Supervisory Special Agent Mike Gregory. I supervise the domestic terrorism squad here at the JTTF. The FBI, UCLA police, and LAPD are jointly working to solve this horrible arson that claimed the life of an innocent party.”

  It was obvious that Mike was accustomed to giving case presentations. He showed photos of the UCLA lab arson in his Powerpoint presentation and gave the known facts. Mike explained the accelerant used for the fire was gasoline. He described the arsonist as unsophisticated. He showed a grainy surveillance video of the back door area of the lab. Two vehicles, a van and a car, arrived within a minute of each other. Masked individuals exited both vehicles but the quality of the video was so bad it was impossible to tell much about the people. Lexie couldn’t tell if they were men or women in the video. The license plates on both vehicles were unreadable, but Lexie assumed they were probably stolen plates.