Dead in a Week
Page 29
A corner of his mouth lifted and he continued to chew. “I’ve been told by the best that I’m brilliant. That’s all I have to say.”
“By the best, do you mean Aidan?” Casey asked.
“C’mon, boss. You know you’re the best.” Another bite of muffin, chewed slowly, then swallowed. “Too bad I missed the great weather Emma soaked up. I had to brave the New York winter and miss out on Cali by working long distance. Sucks for me. But no complaints. Life is good.”
Casey rolled her eyes, turning to her last—and most unlikely— source. “Marc?”
“Nope.” He barely lifted his lips from his coffee cup to utter the word. “Nothing to say,” he finally added.
“Really.” Casey put down her coffee cup, interlacing her fingers on the table and giving Marc a penetrating stare. “I’ve been watching this weekend’s breaking news. Specifically, that industrial espionage story involving NanoUSA—you know, that mega-giant in Silicon Valley where Emma did her Bluejacking—and Jítuán in Shenzhen. Both CEOs are implicated. And, apparently, it goes deeper than that. Phrases like Albanian organized crime and overseas kidnapping of a NanoUSA executive’s daughter are gathering speed.”
“Are they.” Marc didn’t blink.
“Funny thing,” Casey continued. “I did a lot of digging—on my own, since Ryan seemed reluctant to help—and there doesn’t seem to be a shred of information on how that young woman was safely rescued. It’s almost as if a ghost SWAT team blew in and out, leaving no trace of themselves behind.”
Marc kept his same look without reply.
Casey arched a brow. “Thanks for the confirmation. Your silence says it all.”
“I did a little poking around of my own—on the inside,” Patrick added. As a retired FBI agent, he had many contacts still with the Bureau. “It seems there’s a former FBI agent, now living and working in the Big Apple, who’s been acting as a go-between between the Bureau and a confidential informant who was privy to details of the rescue. A field operative with those kind of resources—pretty amazing, huh? Having someone of that caliber right here in the city? Maybe we should hire him.”
At that, Marc’s lips twitched. “Maybe we should. I bet he’s worth double what they’re paying him wherever he works.”
“So are the other pros who assisted him,” Ryan said.
“Aha, now we’re getting somewhere.” Claire gave Ryan a sweet smile. “Any pros you want to name? Like Ryan McKay, perhaps?”
Ryan averted his gaze, clearly annoyed at himself for speaking up.
Emma had no such reservations. “Also a pro who can use her awesome pickpocketing skills to Bluejack a phone that yields mission-critical information to… well, to her temporary employer.”
Casey was about to burst out laughing. “And here I thought I was your employer.”
“You are,” Emma added hastily. “You know what I mean. Aidan said he’d called you to brag about me.”
“Actually, he called to commend you and to warn me that you’d be bragging about you.” Satisfied, she sat back in her chair, tucking a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. “I think we’ve tortured the three of you enough. You gave Aidan your word. We’ll honor that—to a point. If the questions from the Bureau start to penetrate FI’s walls, then we’re involved. Fair enough?”
“Yup.” Marc pushed aside his empty coffee cup. “More than fair.”
“Not to sound patronizing, but I’m very proud of the three of you,” Casey said. “Just don’t get any ideas of leaving FI to go work for Aidan.”
“Not to worry,” Marc replied. “Aidan is doing just fine on his own. And so are we.”
“But you’d like to work with him again,” Casey astutely deduced. “Well, so would I. The couple of times he helped us out on cases, he was extraordinary. And that was just him. I now realize he has his own team—unnamed but stellar in capabilities. Imagine what our two teams could do together.”
“Yeah, just imagine.” Marc smiled. “There’d be no stopping us.”
* * *
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Angela Bell, FBI Office of Public Affairs—always my first and foremost. Angela, you’re the glue who holds it all together—including me!
James McNamara, FBI Supervisory Special Agent (retired), FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, and former Captain of Marines—Jim, you’re my quintessential source, my true go-to guy. If there is a Superman, you’re it.
FBI Unit Chief Joseph Gillespie, Balkan/Eurasian Operations Unit, BU Criminal Division—my deep appreciation for your time and detailed explanations. This was a whole new and exciting realm for me.
Amy L. Shuman, FBI Legal Attaché – Vienna—Amy, I don’t know where to begin. You literally brought Croatia to me, introduced me to the country, its law enforcement, its traditions, and its wonderful people. To say you went above and beyond would be a gross understatement. I can’t thank you enough.
The following list of professionals and people of Croatia, who gave of their time, their expertise, and their food and drink! I can’t wait for my next taste of kulen!:
Toni Škrinjar
General Police Directorate
Criminal Police Department
International Police Cooperation
Rudolf Kolarić
Chief of Police
Đakovo, Croatia
Branko and Marija Kolak – dairy farm owners and producers of artisanal kulen
Krešimir Kovačićek
General Police Directorate
Criminal Police Department
Police Liaison Officer
Anita Kovačićek
General Police Directorate
Criminal Police Department
International Police Cooperation
Ladislav Bece
Commander
Osijek, Croatia
A few addition personal acknowledgements:
Sally Dedecker—my longstanding friend, cheerleader, and advisor. You are deeply missed.
Jerry the Jeweler—thank you for allowing me a “tour” of your space. It helped me bring an important scene to life.
Ted Polakowski—nothing gets by your analytical eagle-eye!
LP a.k.a. MOE—you’re, in a word, indispensable.
My family—you’re the reason I get up each morning. You fill my heart and my life, always!
We hope you enjoyed this book from Bonnie Meadow Publishing.
Connect with us on BonnieMeadowPublishing.com for more information on our new releases!
Other ways to keep in touch with Andrea Kane:
andreakane.com
facebook.com/AuthorAndreaKane/
@andrea_kane
goodreads.com/AKane