The conference room looked like a war room. There were stacks of files everywhere. Surveillance photos were hung on the wall next to a chart showing the relationships of all the targets.
“Wow, what an operation!” Lexie exclaimed.
“Our team has been working around the clock the past few days trying to fend off the vultures,” Adam stated.
Lexie wandered around the room examining the photos and charts.
“Between keeping HQ happy and trying to prepare the evidence for indictment, we’ve been busy,” Kate said.
“This is impressive.”
“AUSA Griffin is coming over in a couple of hours to meet with you and look at the evidence,” Adam told Lexie.
“Great. I’ve heard so much about her.”
“She’s fantastic,” Adam said. “We’re lucky to have her prosecuting this case.”
Lexie spent the rest of the morning pouring through reports. Denise Griffin arrived, and Adam escorted her to the conference room. Her personality was much larger than her five-foot, two-inch frame.
“Ms. Griffin,” Adam said, “this is Alexis Montgomery, our undercover agent.”
Lexie extended her hand to the attorney.
“Hello, Alexis. I’ve heard good things about you from Adam and Kate.”
Lexie grinned as she shook Denise’s hand. “I can say the same thing about you, Ms. Griffin.”
“Please, call me Denise. How about we sit down and you tell me what happened at the meeting last night?”
Lexie sat across from Denise and laid out the previous night’s events. They discussed the case at length and after a couple of hours, Denise left carrying a sizable file folder filled with FD-302s and other reports.
Adam had one of the analysts pick up sandwiches so they could work through lunch. Late in the afternoon, Adam’s Blackberry rang. He walked off to answer it. He returned a few minutes later. “Good news, ladies.”
“What?” Lexie asked.
“We got notified that a private investigator in town just ran Lexie’s alias and date of birth.”
“That’s a good sign, right?” Lexie asked.
“Definitely,” Kate said. “It appears the group is vetting you for participation in criminal acts.”
“I hope they contact me before HQ closes us down.”
“I can use the hit on your alias as leverage,” Adam said. “Tim didn’t waste any time getting your information to their PI.”
“Thank goodness,” Lexie said.
She looked at her watch; it was nearly eight o’clock. No wonder she was hungry.
Adam must have noticed that his team was running out of steam, because he said, “Okay guys, wrap it up for the day.”
Everyone gathered their belongings and left.
“Thanks for coming in and helping out, Lexie.”
“Sure, Adam, anytime. It was nice to meet Ms. Griffin.”
“These guys aren’t going to know what hit them when she gets ahold of them,” Adam said with a smirk.
“Is there anything else that you need from me?” Lexie asked.
“No, go home and get some rest. When are you going to meet with Savannah?”
“Tomorrow. I want to get it over with.”
“Let me know how that conversation goes. I’ll keep fighting to keep our case going. I’m not sure how long I can keep us afloat; so don’t pass up any opportunity to gather information. And be careful. You’re playing in a whole different league now.”
Kate walked Lexie out to her car, which was hidden in the garage.
“Adam looks beat,” Lexie said.
“He’s tired. I’m not sure how much more pressure that guy can handle. He seems to be near the breaking point every day. He’s bombarded by headquarters from morning to night.”
* * * * *
Early the next morning, Lexie waited for Savannah. I could get used to this view, Lexie thought as she watched the sun peek over the horizon, casting a pink hue on the deserted beach. She heard a car door slam.
“So, what’s so important that you dragged me out of bed at this hour?” Savannah asked.
Savannah’s sloppy sweatshirt looked like she pulled it out of the dirty clothes hamper. Her uncombed hair stuck out wildly from under a Pawley’s Island baseball cap.
“Good morning to you too.”
“Sorry. I’m not a morning person.”
“Me neither.”
“It must be something bad if it couldn’t wait until after my morning class.”
“It is.” Lexie took a deep breath. “Savannah, the equipment we gave you failed and the conversation from the other night wasn’t recorded.”
Savannah’s eyes shot open wide. She plopped down on the beach and sat with her face in her hands. Lexie sat down beside her.
“There must be a mistake. I did exactly what you told me to do.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. Our equipment isn’t perfect. I’ve had it happen to me before.”
“I can’t do that again. Nick and Haley were furious when I brought up the subject. I can’t bring it up again.”
“We’ll figure out something,” Lexie said.
“I think I’m going to be sick.”
Lexie put her arm around Savannah’s shoulders. “Take a deep breath.”
Savannah shook violently. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“What now? I trusted you people, and look where it’s got me.”
“Nothing’s changed. We still have time. We need to figure out how to get Nick and Haley to discuss the fire again.”
“We? There’s no we; there’s only me. And I can’t do it again. I almost had a nervous breakdown the first time.”
“Savannah, you’re stronger than you realize. You can do this.”
“No, I’m not. I’m not strong. You have no idea how much working with the FBI has affected my life. I’m sick all the time. I can’t concentrate on my classes. Forget it, I’m done with you people.” Savannah shoved Lexie’s arm away.
Lexie stared at the sunrise, allowing Savannah time to compose herself. She repositioned herself on her knees in front of Savannah. “Look at me. You can’t quit on me now. I’ve put myself on the line for you. You have to do this to save yourself.”
“I can’t. I don’t know how.”
“You and I will figure it out together. The opportunity will present itself, and you have to be ready.”
“I’m scared. Nick was so angry. I’m afraid he might hurt me if I bring it up again.”
“Then you don’t bring it up to him. Keep the key fob recorder with you and if the opportunity presents itself, you’ll get it.”
“What if that never happens?”
Lexie grabbed Savannah and hugged her.
“It will. Trust me.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Savannah
Savannah returned from class, tossed her backpack on the bed, and flopped next to it. Across the room she noticed her dresser drawer wasn’t completely closed. That’s weird, she thought. Savannah was slightly compulsive when it came to drawers. She never left a drawer open. She got up from her bed and looked around the room. Some of the stuff on her dresser had been moved around. Savannah opened the drawer that was left askew and noticed some of her clothes had been moved around in the drawer. Someone had gone through her stuff. She checked her closet. She was fairly sure someone had searched her closet as well. She didn’t know if she should confront Haley or pretend she hadn’t noticed. She wanted this whole ordeal to be over. She decided to text Lexie. Someone’s gone through my stuff. Should I ask Haley about it?
As soon as Savannah hit send she realized something horrible. She sent the text to Haley instead of Lexie.
Fuck! What have I done? Oh God . . . oh God, what do I do now? She dialed Lexie.
“Hey Savannah, what’s up?”
“I fucked up! I fucked up bad. I sent a text to Haley that was meant for you. I don’t know what to do.”
“What did the text say?” Lexie asked.
“I came home and someone had gone through my stuff, so I texted you to tell you and then I asked if I should ask Haley about it.”
“Are you sure someone tossed your stuff?”
“Yes. I’m a little neurotic about closing drawers. One of them was left open. Stuff was moved around on my dresser too.”
Savannah’s phone beeped. She read her text message from Haley. What are you talking about and who was that message supposed to be sent to?
Savannah read the message to Lexie.
“Lexie, I have to get out of here. I can’t believe that I sent that message to Haley. What do I tell her? I think I’m going to throw up.”
“Take a breath, Savannah. I’ll think of something. Do you have a recorder?”
“Yes, I have the one on my key ring that you gave me.”
“I think you should confront Haley. Make sure you record it. You might get her to admit to something.”
“I’m nervous. How do I explain the text?”
“Stand your ground and tell her you were trying to send the message to Nick.”
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Remember to erase this phone call from your call log when you get off the phone.”
“I will.”
“You’ll do fine. Text me when you can. Do you want me to come over?”
“No. If it goes bad, I’ll leave and call you.”
“Sounds good. Are you okay?”
“No, not really. Living this lie is killing me. I’m sick all the time. I don’t know how you do it, Lexie.”
“Remember why you’re doing it. It will save you in the long run,” Lexie said.
“That doesn’t help.”
* * * * *
Savannah waited for Haley to return from class, becoming more nervous with each passing minute.
Haley barged through the door and threw her backpack on her bed.
Savannah activated the recorder and quietly placed the keychain on her dresser.
“What the fuck was up with that text message?” Haley demanded.
Remember what Lexie said. Stand your ground.
“Why don’t you tell me, Haley?”
Haley gave a Lexie a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”
“How about you tell me why you tossed my room?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Someone went through my drawers and my closet. Are you telling me it wasn’t you?”
“Oh course it wasn’t me,” Haley said. “Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m fucking asking.”
“You’re losing your mind. I didn’t go through your stuff. I have no reason to do that.”
Haley stood up to leave. Savannah jumped between Haley and the door and stood eye to eye with her.
“No, you don’t have a reason. You also have no right to rummage through my stuff. I thought we were friends. I thought we trusted one another.”
“Speaking of trust,” Haley said. “Who was that text message intended for?”
Savannah picked at her cuticle. “I was trying to send it to Nick and accidentally sent it to you. I wanted his advice, but then I decided it was better to keep things between us. So, I’ll ask you again, why did you go through my stuff?”
“Savannah, for the last time, I didn’t go through your shit. If someone went through your stuff, it wasn’t me. How do you even know someone went through your stuff?”
“Never mind how I know. I just know.”
“Maybe I’d better check my closet,” Haley said.
Haley walked over to her closet, which was a mess.
Savannah sat down on Haley’s bed and sobbed. “Why did you do it? Why did you go through my stuff? I’m not hiding anything from you.”
Haley sat down on the bed next to Savannah. “Why do you think it was me?”
“Who else could it be? No one else has access to our place. Just tell me why you did it.”
Haley stared at the floor as if studying something on the carpet.
“Why!” Savannah screamed.
Haley jumped at the sound. She stared at Savannah like she was trying to see through to her soul. “Because you’re acting weird, Savannah. Ever since the fire, you’ve been freaked out. Nick and I are worried about you.”
“Did Nick know about this?”
“No. I did it on my own.”
“What were you looking for, anyway?”
“I don’t know. I was worried you might be working for the cops. I went through your drawers looking for answers.”
“And what did you find?”
Haley was quiet.
“What?” Savannah screamed again.
“Nothing, Savannah. I didn’t find anything.”
“Fuck you, Haley. After all we’ve been through together. Fuck you!”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I’d do it again.”
“Don’t you think if I was going to go to the cops, I would have already done it? I’m loyal to you and Nick. I told you that I would never tell anyone about the fire, and I haven’t. Why don’t you trust me?”
“You’ve been so wigged out lately. I’m worried about you.”
“I explained my feelings to you in the car after our meeting. A man died. All four of us have his death on our hands. We can’t change that. I’m learning to live with it. It’s taken me longer than it took you and Nick. I’m not as strong as you.”
Haley put her arm around Savannah, who had started to sob again. “You are strong. You’re just more sensitive than the rest of us. That’s what makes you special, but it can also cause you to break.”
“That’s why I needed to talk about it. After our talk the other night, I was much better. I still get furious when I think about Badger, but I’m getting better.”
“Fuck Badger. He’s an idiot.”
Savannah looked at Haley and laughed. “He is an idiot. He almost killed you and Nick. I will never forgive him. He was the cause of all this mess.”
Haley hesitated. “What mess?”
Savannah’s heart skipped. “You know. This . . . you and me fighting. Me freaking out every other day. You not trusting me. If it makes you feel better, Haley, you can go through all my stuff right now. I don’t care. I want to go back to being friends and trusting one another.”
Haley gave Savannah’s shoulder a little squeeze. “You’re a neat freak, Savannah.”
“You’re a pig, Haley.”
They laughed.
“Does Nick think I’m working for the cops?”
Haley shook her head and didn’t speak for a moment. “No, but he is worried about you. He regrets getting you involved. We both do.”
“I wanted to help. You didn’t twist my arm.”
“I know, but we should’ve been more upfront with you about what could happen.”
“Neither one of you knew that Badger was a pyromaniac. You couldn’t predict he was going to lose his fucking mind and try to burn down the whole lab.”
“That’s true. But we should have talked to you more about legal consequences. We allowed you to jump in too quickly.”
“Have you ever been involved in anything else that went this bad?”
Haley removed her arm from around Savannah. She clasped her hands together in her lap. “Once. A few years ago, but no one died.”
Savannah didn’t expect Haley to reveal that information. “What happened? Did anyone go to jail?”
“We set a small fire inside a store to make a statement. The building was old and the fire spread out of control. We end
ed up burning down an apartment building next door to the store. No one was killed, but people who had nothing to do with the animal torture lost their homes.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“Since that action, I’ve been careful. I never wanted to end up in a situation where innocent people were hurt.”
“So all that talk of casualties of war was just talk?”
“Of course. I’m not a coldhearted bitch. I said all that to make you feel better.”
“This talk made me feel better, Haley. Just knowing that you’ve been in this kind of situation in the past and everything turned out okay makes me feel better.”
Haley looked up at Savannah and smiled. “Let’s make a deal. I won’t go through your stuff anymore, as long as you promise to talk to me anytime you get freaked.”
“That’s a deal.”
Savannah hugged Haley, her heart breaking. She knew she had just sealed the deal on the government’s case against Haley.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Alexis
Lexie was sitting in front of the TV eating a microwaved vegan meal. Her phone beeped, alerting her to a text message. She snatched the phone from the coffee table.
I’m okay. Let’s meet tomorrow.
Where and when? Lexie texted back.
Ten at Coffee Bean, SM. Savannah responded.
Lexie called Kate. “I just received a text from Savannah. We’re meeting tomorrow at ten o’clock.”
“Where?”
“The Coffee Bean in Santa Monica.”
“Great. I’ll be in the area. Did she tell you anything?”
“Nope. Just that she’s okay and we need to meet.”
“I wonder if she was able to get Haley to talk,” Kate said. “Guess we’ll know tomorrow.”
“Guess so.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Lexie.”
* * * * *
Lexie was waiting at an outside table at the Coffee Bean when Savannah arrived. Two cups were sitting in front of her.
“Bought you a latte,” Lexie said.
“Got anything stronger than coffee?” Savannah asked.
“Not at ten in the morning.”
“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” Savannah said.
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