Code Name: Diesel (K19 Shadow Operations Book 2), page 3
“You must have something better to do than sit around here with me. You can leave. I’ll be fine,” I said to Diesel.
“Who says we’re sitting around? We have work to do.”
I raised my pounding head and glared at him, only to realize he was teasing me.
“I do need to check in with Ranger and see if Admiral wants to meet.”
“It’s so weird to hear you call him that.”
“Why? No one does at the office?”
“Ha, ha. Very funny. No one who wants to keep their job.”
“He’s a good guy. I’m sure he wouldn’t fire someone over something like that.”
“I really wouldn’t know.”
“I guess you’ll soon find out. That’s if you’re still planning on going home.”
“I suppose that will be up to him. I doubt he’ll want to expend Bureau resources to keep me here if I’m not able to perform my duties. On the other hand, since Ryan had to leave, maybe he changed his mind.”
Was it my imagination, or had Diesel just sneered? His cell vibrated, and he pulled it from his pocket. “I need to take this,” he said, stepping into the hallway.
I was just as glad not to have to keep talking. It felt like the pain in my head was getting worse.
When the door reopened, I expected to see him returning. Instead, it was the nurse who’d just left. “Good news. The doctor said to give you something for your headache, and he approved you for a soft diet. If you can tolerate it, you might be able to go home this afternoon.”
Home. I knew what she meant, but that’s not where I wanted to go. However, it would be beyond weird to stay with Diesel. If I wanted to remain on the case, though, it might be the only option. Unless I could stay at the lodge. He’d shaken his head when I mentioned it, but what had he meant?
Thinking this hard hurt too much, so I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, Diesel was seated in the chair he’d slept in and had his laptop.
“Any better?” he asked.
“My headache?”
He nodded.
“I think it’s worse.”
He frowned as he studied something on his computer screen.
“Did something else happen?”
“What? Uh, no. I’m just doing some research.”
“For the investigation?”
“Indirectly.”
I huffed and closed my eyes. Why bother struggling to keep them open when he was back to being the guy who only told me what he thought I needed to know?
“It’s about Fasano.”
“What about her?”
When he didn’t answer, I raised my head.
“According to her employment records, she attended NYU, but I can’t find any proof she actually did.”
“Why would she work here if she went to NYU?” I realized as soon as I said it how condescending that sounded. “Sorry,” I muttered. “That came out a lot worse than it did in my head.”
“She said her parents have a place on the channel.”
“What’s that?”
“You know the bridge that goes from Kasson Drive down to Sherman’s?”
I nodded.
“The lake is on one side, the channel on the other.”
“That still doesn’t explain why she’d take a job at a small regional hospital.” I hoped that sounded somewhat better.
“It doesn’t.”
I’d grown accustomed to Diesel’s facial expressions while on this investigation, usually because I was staring at him, waiting for him to finish whatever thought he’d started to tell me before getting distracted. Now was one of those times. If I felt up to it, I’d prod him, but I didn’t.
“Here you go,” said the nurse, walking in with a tray covered with various sizes of silver domes, along with a syringe. “I guess if you’re hungry enough, this looks like a feast,” she said after injecting the pain meds into the port on my IV.
What it looked like was all one color. I read the menu. Cream of chicken soup, a piece of white bread, mashed potatoes—with white gravy—and vanilla ice cream.
“If you tolerate this, the doctor said you can try a full diet later.”
“Oh, goody,” I muttered when she walked out.
Diesel raised his head. “What’s wrong?”
This was another thing I’d gotten used to. He’d get so absorbed in whatever he was reading that he was able to tune out conversations taking place around him. Especially if I was talking.
“The nurse brought food.”
He sat up straighter. “Food? Is that what they’re calling it?”
I laughed, which was a mistake. For the time being anyway, I had to remember to hold a pillow to my stomach when I did that. When I cringed, Diesel set the laptop down and stood.
He approached the bed. “Can I do anything to help?”
“Don’t make me laugh.”
“I don’t usually. Does getting mad at me make your stomach hurt? I seem to do that more often.”
This time, the pillow was in position when I failed to stifle my chuckle.
“Sorry.” He reached out to rub my shoulder.
I pulled away from him. “What are you doing?” Again, I regretted my words as soon as I spoke them. “That came out wrong,” I mumbled when he snatched his hand away from me and returned to his chair.
He looked up at the clock. “Forgot you’re still ten minutes away from your next round of pain pills.”
“They aren’t pills, and while you weren’t paying attention, the nurse administered it. What does that mean, anyway?”
Diesel half laughed and shook his head. “It means you aren’t quite as uptight after they’ve had a chance to start working.”
I wanted to ask what he meant a second time, but stopped myself. I had a feeling I didn’t want to know.
When the door opened a few minutes later, I didn’t know who to expect to see come in. Even if I had, I never would’ve anticipated it would be the man Diesel called Admiral.
“Hello, sir,” I said at the same time Diesel got up to greet him.
“Agent Davies,” Agent Kane said before the two men embraced, patting each other on the back.
“You’re looking good,” said Diesel.
“You, on the other hand, look like shit. What’ve you been doing, keeping round-the-clock watch?” My boss’ boss turned to me. “Sorry, we’re old friends who haven’t seen each other in a while.”
“No need to apologize. Diesel said you were college roommates.”
The two men turned to each other and laughed. “Those were the days, right, Jacks?”
“We definitely raised some hell.”
Agent Kane pulled a chair near the bed and sat. “How are you doing? Have they given you any idea of when you’ll be released?”
“They’re waiting to see if she can keep food down,” Diesel answered before I could.
“What he said,” I stammered when Agent Kane looked from me to him.
“Is that right?”
Both Diesel and I nodded, and the man laughed.
“Got it. I’d like to discuss your plans for when they give you the all clear.”
“Yes, sir.” I hesitated to tell him about Diesel’s offer, particularly since he seemed to be taking on the role of my…um…what? Caregiver? I hugged the pillow hard when I laughed.
“Bryar?”
“Sorry, sir. Pain meds are messing with me.”
He smiled. “In that case, why don’t we address your plans when you’re not under the influence, so to speak?”
I looked over at Diesel, surprised he hadn’t chimed in with his offer of having me stay with him. Maybe he was having second thoughts, and that would be completely fine. He probably got caught up in the moment, and as soon as he’d said it, regretted doing so.
“Get some rest, and I’ll be back later.”
“Thanks, sir.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Diesel offered.
I closed my eyes before the two men left the room.
5
DIESEL
“Bring me up to speed,” said Admiral once we left her room and walked a few feet down the hallway to a place where we could talk privately.
“About?”
“You and Agent Davies.”
“I offered to let her stay with me.”
He raised a brow.
“Where else is she going to go?”
“I’ll admit I planned to ask you to mentor her, but this goes beyond that, my friend. Maybe a little too far.”
I shook my head. “It isn’t like that. Where’d you stay last night? If it was at the forestry lodge, you know why she can’t stay there.”
“The Pleasant Lake Inn.”
I hadn’t thought of that as a place where Bryar could go when she was released, but it was a possibility. Not my first choice, but if she felt too uncomfortable to accept my offer, it was better than her previous accommodations.
“The cabin she was in isn’t suited for someone recovering from surgery.”
“She could go home as I suggested.”
“You better check with her boss on that.”
“Fill me in.”
“Fitzsimmons was here earlier and said he had to leave town.”
Admiral’s forehead furrowed. “He did? Where was he headed?”
“He didn’t elaborate.”
“What’s Fitzsimmons assigned to?” he barked at whoever he took out his phone to call. “Find out and get back to me.”
“Sore subject?”
“He acts outside the chain of command too often.”
I wanted to ask in what way, but that wasn’t my business.
“Anyway, she’s a good agent, and I’d like you to keep her on the investigation.” When my friend studied me, I held up both hands. “That’s it. I swear.”
Admiral looked around as if to make sure no one could overhear us. “She’s young and easily influenced, Diesel. Don’t take advantage of that.”
“I’m insulted.”
He laughed. “And I was your college roommate, remember?”
“I do remember, and your exploits were worse than mine.”
“I’d say it was more of a tie.” His expression changed. “What I’m about to tell you stays in this room.”
“Copy that.”
“I’m looking into the transport-detail leak.”
“I figured you would be.”
“The suggestion has been made that Agent Davies was responsible.”
“Wait. What? Responsible for the leak?”
Admiral studied me. “Yes.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. She almost died.”
“Could be things didn’t go as planned.”
I stood and walked over to the window. “Do you know her at all?”
“Not as well as you do, apparently.”
“Who came up with this horseshit?”
“Her boss.”
“Maybe he’s the one you should be taking a harder look at. He seems like a dick, if you want my opinion.”
“You feel pretty strongly about this.”
“I gotta trust my gut.”
“Always.”
“It’s telling me Agent Davies is clean.”
“I hope you’re right.”
I remained in the room even after Admiral left, thinking about what he’d said. First, there was no way she was responsible for the leak. I’d bet my life on it.
Second, he’d said she was easily influenced. The woman had certainly held her own with me enough times. Young? Yes. Green? That too. In need of mentoring? Maybe, but I doubted it would go over well if Admiral specifically suggested to her that I be the one to do it. I got the impression she didn’t have a whole lot of respect for me—as much as it rankled.
On my way to her room, a nurse stopped me in the hallway. “Sir, the doctor is in with Ms. Davies now. You’ll need to wait out here.”
I started to protest, but what right did I have? I hardly knew the woman. I waited just outside the door, and when the doctor came out, I went in. Bryar didn’t look happy.
I cut right to the chase. “What did he say?”
“I have to stay another night.”
“Why? Didn’t your food stay down?”
“I have a fever.”
“Oh.”
“Listen, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that you’ve been here today. Well, and last night. And yesterday. But—”
“You want me to leave.”
“Diesel, don’t say it like that. You don’t have to stay. That’s why they have nurses.”
“Gotcha.”
“Don’t do that. I’m not kicking you out; I’m giving you a hall pass. I’m sure you have better things to do than sit here with me. You know, like find a serial killer.”
“I could use a shower.”
“I’m not sure Agent Kane is going to approve my staying on this investigation, which means I’ll probably be returning to DC with him once I’m out of here.”
“Wrong.”
“Wrong what?”
“You’re staying on the investigation.”
She appeared confused.
“I told him you’d be staying with me until you were back to normal.”
Bryar clutched her pillow, but it didn’t look like she was about to laugh.
“What’s wrong?”
She closed her eyes and counted to ten. “You had no right to discuss me or where I’m staying with my boss. I don’t care if you were lovers in college.”
“First of all, we weren’t. And secondly, he asked me to mentor you.”
“Out!” she shouted, pointing at the door.
“What? I’ve mentored a few up-and-coming agents.”
Bryar took several deep breaths. The look on her face was one I’d seen so often. She was ready to tear into me about something.
“Look, I’ll leave, okay? Don’t hurt yourself yelling at me.”
Her eyes opened wide. “I’m not yelling at you.”
Laughing probably wasn’t the smartest thing for me to do, but it’s exactly what I did. I ducked when one of the domes the hospital had used to cover her food came hurling in my direction.
“That had to hurt,” I said, walking closer to the bed.
Her eyes were closed tight, and she had a death grip on the pillow. “Shut up.”
“Okay, I’m leaving. I’ll be back sometime later.”
I called Ranger once I was back in my SUV and headed to the lake. “Where are you?”
“Command center. Where are you?”
“On my way.”
Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the forestry service parking lot. I didn’t get out right away, though. I needed a minute before I transitioned from a guy who refused to think about a serial killer to the guy who was going to catch the motherfucker.
“What’s happening?” I bounded my way inside and over to where Ranger sat talking to our mutual boss, Onyx.
“I had one of the agency guys pull video from businesses in the area where the latest abductee was purportedly last seen,” Onyx answered.
“Is it officially a kidnapping yet?”
“Negative. Too early for law enforcement to even consider it a missing person case.”
“So why are we pursuing it?”
“The attorney representing the other three families who contracted us has convinced this family to anticipate a ransom call.”
“What about Fasano’s family? Does he represent them too?”
“He represents everybody,” Ranger interjected. “My family included.”
“How are we treating this, then?”
“Before we state definitively one way or another, at least until a ransom call comes in, I want to review area security-cam footage for anything out of the ordinary,” said Onyx.
“Got more?” I pulled my laptop out of its case.
“A lot more.”
After reviewing the initial reports, I logged onto the server, found the videos Onyx was talking about, and started watching. The ones I was looking at were from businesses on the east side of the main thoroughfare, facing the lake.
I was fifteen minutes in when something about a seemingly mundane exchange between two women on the far left of the frame bothered me. I scrolled several clicks back, picked up one of the photos included in the report, and studied it. The person on the right was definitely a similar height and build as the woman who may or may not be the fifth victim, but the image quality sucked, and part of her was obscured by a building.
There was something about the other woman, though, that nagged at me. I tried zooming in, but either she was bundled up enough to visit the arctic, or she was trying to prevent anyone from seeing enough of her to make an ID. I’d go with the latter.
Ranger stood and walked over to where I sat. “Find something?”
“Take a look at this.”
“Yeah?”
“That could be the fifth victim, right?”
Ranger leaned in. “Maybe. Have you tried zooming in?”
Rather than answer, I glared at him.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “Check the footage from other businesses and see if it pops up again with better image quality.”
“Roger that.” Two hours later, I’d gone through every recording from the east side looking out and didn’t spot another conversation between two women—the original two I’d been looking for or anyone else.
“Nothing?” Ranger asked when he saw me sit back in my chair and stretch my arms above my head.
“Nada.” That in itself was a red flag. If this was an abduction, the kidnapper knew enough about the businesses in the area and their security cameras to ensure she approached the woman in a blind spot. That we could see any part of either person in the first footage I reviewed could’ve been an error in calculation.
After rechecking the exchange himself, Ranger called Onyx over. He studied the footage in the same way we had. “File it under possibilities,” he said before returning to his computer.
“Does anything about it bother you?” I asked Ranger.
“A lot about it does.”
“I’m putting it under probabilities.”
