“Hey!” the sergeant shouted. He jumped from his seat, reaching for his gun.
Ignoring him, Laura continued inside, holding her InterSec badge high enough for the surrounding officers to see. Behind her, a Danann gestured and ball of white essence sprang from his palm toward the desk sergeant. The light wrapped itself around the gun. The sergeant swore as the gun became too hot to handle, and he dropped it on the floor.
The Dananns followed Laura as she marched through the open desk area into the hallway at the back. Their body shields hardened as police officers drew their weapons. Two patrol officers blocked the hall.
“InterSec, stand down,” Laura said. The perimeter of her shield hit them from five feet away and thrust them to the side, pressing them against the walls as she passed.
Foyle stood at the door to his office, hands on his hips. “What seems to be the problem, Agent Tate?”
“We need to talk,” she said, backing him toward his desk.
No one comes in, she sent to the Dananns, and, with a gust of essence, she slammed the door shut. Foyle stepped back until his thighs bumped against the desk. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he said.
“Salvatore Gianni. Where is he?” she asked.
“He didn’t show for roll call this morning,” said Foyle.
“That doesn’t answer my question,” she said.
“I don’t know where he is. This is my office, Tate. Cut the bullshit before I have to explain why I had an entire squad room open fire on you,” he said.
Truth resonated in his voice. He didn’t know where Gianni was. “Let’s sit then,” she said, taking the guest chair. She released her body shield.
Foyle looked confused as he moved behind his desk. “What’s going on?”
Relaxed, Laura crossed her legs. “Gianni is wanted by InterSec in connection with an attempt on the life of Agent Janice Crawford. We’re considering him armed and dangerous and will take him down without hesitation if he resists arrest.”
“What’s your evidence?”
Laura shook her head. “Need-to-know. You’re not on that list. I want some answers from you, though. You had an undercover agent on your team. Who knew and when?”
Foyle grabbed his phone. “This conversation is over.”
Without moving, Laura sent a burst of essence at the phone and knocked it across the room. “I asked you a question, Captain. We can do this here or I can take you in under suspicion of aiding and abetting.”
Foyle went slack-jawed. “Are you crazy?”
Laura gave him a cold smile. “Don’t make this difficult.”
Fear finally started to register with him. “You’re serious.”
“Dead serious. Answer my question,” she said.
“I received information that Janice Crawford was sent to infiltrate my team,” he said.
“You requested her,” Laura said.
He nodded. “I received the information after Sanchez died.”
“From?”
He stared and compressed his lips.
“I am not playing with you, Foyle. Answer the question.”
“Gianni had an informant,” he said.
“Who was the informant?”
“A fairy named Simon Alfrey,” said Foyle.
“Also wanted by InterSec. You believed the word of the worst member of your team?” she said.
“I confirmed it through another channel,” he said.
Laura nodded. “Hornbeck’s office.”
It was a logical conclusion, but Foyle seemed surprised she knew. “Yes.”
“We know you have a professional relationship with the senator. Did Gianni?” she asked.
Foyle shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“Did Gianni work with you on the Archives ceremony?”
“No. I am a liaison for the senator. Tylo Blume’s people handled everything with the Capitol police.”
“What about Simon Alfrey?”
Foyle’s clenched his jaw. “He’s a consultant to the senator.”
“Details, Captain Foyle, I want details,” she said.
“Why don’t you ask the senator?” he asked.
Laura tilted her chin down. “Captain Foyle, I and the two agents with me have broad legal authority. You can answer my questions here and now, or they will drag you down to the InterSec facilities at the D.C. Guildhouse. Once there, you may have one phone call. Do not think that if you call the senator, you will enjoy sleeping in your own bed tonight, or tomorrow, or the foreseeable future. I can and will make your life absolutely miserable within the confines of my authority. This is your final warning. Now, what is Alfrey consulting on?”
“I don’t know. The senator meets with him occasionally,” he said.
“What was Alfrey doing at the house fire in Anacostia?”
Foyle looked genuinely startled. “How do you know he was there?”
Laura smiled. “You were sloppy, Foyle. We picked up an open video feed from the site.”
Laura stared at him while he considered his answer. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “He volunteered to search the house,” he said.
“You didn’t find that odd?” she asked.
Foyle shrugged. “Not until this moment. I was at a meeting with the senator when the call came in. Alfrey was there. He offered to help.”
“Why the secrecy?”
Foyle frowned. “I needed help I couldn’t get. He had security clearance through the senator. I made the call.”
“And you didn’t find it odd that Janice Crawford and Jonathan Sinclair almost died in an explosion?” she asked.
Foyle ran his hand over his head. “Alfrey said the place was clear. Afterward, he told me Crawford must have created the explosion.”
“Has Alfrey been involved with anything related to the upcoming Archives ceremony?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Not that I know. He used to work with Blume, but not anymore.”
Relief swept over Laura. The Archives ceremony security, at least, wasn’t compromised. She decided to muddy the water for Foyle. “What about Sinclair? We know he acts as your driver. Have you ever seen him with Alfrey or Gianni?”
“Obviously, he works with Gianni here. They do detail work together at Blume’s club. Sinclair didn’t show up for roll call today either.”
“We know where he is,” said Laura. She stood. “You’ve been played for a fool, Captain. Count yourself lucky that that is my belief at the moment. Simon Alfrey is now considered a terrorist. If Gianni or Alfrey contacts you in any way, I want to know ten seconds later.”
Foyle glared at her. “You know I’ll be on the phone as soon as you leave here.”
Laura opened the door. “I said ten seconds later, Foyle. Do not make me come back,” she said without turning.
She stalked back through the station house, with the Dananns in her wake. Officers lined the hallways or took position behind desks and cabinets. Most had their guns drawn. When she reached the lobby, over a dozen more officers blocked the door, guns trained on her.
Shields only, unless they fire, she sent to her escorts.
She didn’t break her stride as she approached. “My name is Mariel Tate of InterSec. My appointment with Captain Foyle is over. I’m leaving.”
She heard clicks as a few officers cocked their weapons. Like a ship breaking through waves, the hardened body shields pressed them back in confusion until the way to the exit was clear. No one fired.
In the bright sunlight outside, squad cars and police vans blocked the street and sidewalk. Laura stopped. “Danu’s blood,” she muttered. More officers scrambled into view at the end of the block. She cocked her head at the Dananns. “Looks like someone blocked my car in. Would you guys mind giving me a lift?”
She heard the distinctly hollow sound of someone chuckling inside a metal helmet. “Anytime, Agent Tate.”
Her security escort grasped the reinforced straps on her jumpsuit sewn in over her shoulder blades. They
leaned forward, shifted the position of their wings, and drew essence from the air. With no effort, they shot into the sky.
Despite the enormous rush, Laura kept the grin off her face. It had been ages since anyone had taken her for a flight. The Anacostia neighborhood fell away. The seemingly fragile Danann’s wings hummed with energy as they shifted on currents of essence, not so high as to trigger government defense measures but high enough to give a glorious view of the seat of government. With the wide vista below her, she remembered why she had come to the city.
As they approached the Guildhouse, they swooped in lower, and the downside to staying in the city so long became visible. Too many cars and too many people. Lost hopes and dreams were evident in the surrounding neighborhoods that clustered around the Capitol like desperate moths to an indifferent flame. The Dananns set her gently on the sidewalk in front of the Guildhouse. No one paid attention. Fairies landing passengers in front of the Guildhouse were hardly a unique sight. She entered the building, hoping Terryn had had better luck finding Gianni.
CHAPTER 31
TERRYN GLARED AT Laura from behind his desk. The voice on the other end of his phone was audible.
“I thought Mariel Tate was supposed to be a diplomat,” Sinclair whispered loud enough for Terryn to hear.
Laura gazed at him from under her brow. “Not helping, Jono.”
“I understand,” Terryn said for the fourth or fifth time. “I’ll talk to her… yes, thank you.”
He hung up. “What got into you?”
Laura tried to look contrite. “I’m sorry, Terryn. I walked in with my black suit and two Dananns and… got a little carried away.”
“Carried away? They mobilized practically an entire battalion,” said Terryn.
“I had to know that the Archives ceremony wasn’t compromised.”
“Foyle says you threatened him,” he said.
She shrugged dismissively. “Oh, please. It was a veiled threat at best.”
Sinclair twisted his lips to keep from smiling. A series of emotions crossed Terryn’s face-uncertainty and frustration. Laura couldn’t blame him. She liked to exert authority as Mariel once in a while to get results. It worked. It was nice to have an ID that let her stomp her feet anywhere she wanted sometimes. Admittedly, though, she didn’t usually cause a police response. Waking up angry hadn’t helped.
By the expression on his face, Terryn knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere berating her. “We’ll deal with this later. Gianni was not at home or at the Vault,” he said.
While she went to Anacostia, an auxiliary team had hit Gianni’s apartment and another had gone with Terryn to the Vault. “Did you talk to Blume?” she asked.
Terryn nodded. “We had no problems. Once he learned that Alfrey had been in the building, he let us search the premises.”
“The entire place?” Sinclair said. “I practically couldn’t go to the bathroom without an escort.”
“Just a few offices and public areas,” said Terryn. “His cooperation did not extend to risking his offices being searched unattended.”
“What did Alfrey want with him the other day?” Laura asked.
“He wasn’t specific. They were partners in various business ventures but had a falling-out,” Terryn said.
“Can we confirm that?” asked Laura.
Terryn nodded. “Already in motion. Preliminary results confirm they went their separate ways two years ago. Alfrey had decided to take his politics in a more radical direction.”
“Are you comfortable taking Blume off the table?” asked Laura.
Terryn spread his hands. “No, but he’s cooperated. We’re not finding any connections that are unusual for someone of his level of influence. And he broke off connections with a partner when the guy went radical. I don’t see anything to pin on him.”
Laura paced around the side of the office. “I don’t like Blume. He was afraid of something last night. There’s a connection.”
“When we find it, we will deal with it,” Terryn said.
Laura sat again and leaned forward. “We have another problem. InterSec has a leak. Gianni knew Janice Crawford was a plant, and so did Hornbeck.”
Terryn nodded. “Nothing is one hundred percent secure, not even the Guild.”
She looked away from Terryn. “Do you think it was Liam?”
“Who’s Liam?” asked Sinclair.
Laura ignored him. Terryn paused, his eyes shifting to Sinclair. “It’s possible. Other possibilities exist.”
Sinclair jutted his jaw out in annoyance. “It wasn’t me. I’ve had more than one opportunity to put her down, flut terboy.”
“Jono!” Laura said.
He glared at her. “He can imply that I’m trying to kill you, and you get mad I called him a name?”
“It’s not that, it’s…” She fumbled for words. “It’s not very nice.”
Sinclair laughed. “Good. I got my point across.”
“Anyway,” Terryn interrupted, “the good news, if we can call it that, is that only a low-level agent was exposed. I’ll have Cress start pulling files to check on everyone you interacted with as Janice Crawford inside and out. We may find someone who knows too much about her.”
“I’m retiring her,” said Laura.
“You know I wanted that, and now she’s too compromised to keep in play any longer,” Terryn agreed.
“Retire? For good?” asked Sinclair.
Laura leaned back with a mixture of disappointment and resignation. “I’ve done it before. When a persona has outlived its usefulness, there’s no point in keeping it.”
“Does this mean we can’t live together anymore?” Sinclair asked in mock sadness.
Laura glowered but didn’t answer him. “Do we have anything new on the drug-raid data?” Laura asked Terryn.
He slid a folder across the desk. “The raid did, in fact, disrupt a drug operation. There’s been chatter about its being a front. It looks like you were right. The evidence and underground chatter strongly point to an assassination plot, with Senator Hornbeck or the president as the likely targets.”
Laura shook her head. “Who will both be at the Archives tomorrow. That puts the ceremony back in play as a target. We have to get it canceled, Terryn.”
Terryn frowned and nodded. “We’ve informed both offices of the information and received the standard reply.”
Laura knew what that meant. “Dammit! Someone needs to tell those idiots they won’t need to bow down to terrorists if they get their legs shot out from under them,” she snapped.
“They have full confidence in our ability to protect them,” said Terryn.
Laura scoffed. “And if something goes wrong, we’ll get hung out to dry because they didn’t listen to us.”
Terryn sighed. “This is Washington.”
“I have an idea,” said Sinclair. They both stared at him as if they had forgotten he was in the room. “What? I can’t have an idea? I thought you wanted me on the team?”
Laura glanced at Terryn. “Go on,” he said.
“We flush them out. You said you weren’t going to use Crawford anymore. They’re trying to kill her because they think she knows something. Use her to flush them out,” Sinclair said.
Terryn shook his head. “Too risky.”
“I like it,” said Laura. Sinclair nodded a flattered smile at her.
“Laura, you’ve done enough. I’m putting other agents on this. You and I will focus on Archives security,” Terryn said.
“Agreed. Tomorrow. Today, I want Alfrey or Gianni or both.”
“No.”
She tapped a finger on his desktop. “I’m demanding the right to do this, Terryn. They’ve tried to kill Janice three times. I deserve the chance to get them before this goes any further.”
“What do you have in mind?” he asked.
With a sly look, Laura leaned back in her chair. “I’m going to be terrorist bait.”
CHAPTER 32
LAURA STOOD OUTSIDE Sin
clair’s apartment, running their plan over in her mind one last time. The wards inside the apartment remained active, and it was time to make Alfrey think, whatever his greater plans were, that they were in true danger. She hoped he would take the bait. With a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
Sinclair opened it immediately. “What happened?”
She rushed in and stopped short of the dampening field near the armchair. “I had to talk to you.”
Sinclair closed the door. “They told me you were in protective custody.”
“I was. I had to talk to you. I remembered something, Jono, and I don’t know what to do.”
He stepped close and brought his hands up to hold her. She slipped away, remaining outside the field and giving him a warning look. “First, tell me what happened. I got a call last night that you needed me outside the Vault. When I went out, four guys jumped me and took me to a house outside the city. They wouldn’t tell me anything, then let me go about an hour ago.”
“Someone tried to kill me last night,” she said.
“What!” he said.
They stepped into the dampening field. Laura spread sheets of paper on Sinclair’s coffee table with large text and plenty of white space. “That’s a good start,” she said.
Identical sheets were on the dining-room table and another set on the kitchen counter. Laura had written dialogue as well as movement directions, a flow designed to weave in and out of the fields of the listening wards throughout the apartment.
Sinclair sat next to her. Sinclair’s knee touched the side of her thigh, grazing it, not firmly enough for her to call him on it. It took several heartbeats before Laura noticed she hadn’t automatically moved away. “You think this will work?” he asked.
She pursed her lips, tilting her head from side to side. “It was your idea.”
Sinclair sighed. “I know. If they were trying to kill us before, they’ll definitely try after this.”
She turned an intentionally enthusiastic smile at him. “Isn’t knowing it’s going to happen better than wondering?”
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