Faith frowned.She hadn’t thought about that.A few weeks ago, David had received an email with a list of names of people whose research was used in the 93rdTesting Brigade’s project, along with a warning that the Brigade was escalating, and they needed to move quickly to stop them.If the CIA was trying to trip David up, then feeding him false information and having him act on it was a good way to do that.
“Yeah,” Michael agreed, nodding.“Yeah, that’s a good point.They do that a lot in intelligence.If you suspect someone of feeding information to the enemy, you give them information to feed, either bad information or good information that’s inconsequential.If that information spreads, then you know the guy you gave it to is compromised.I’ll talk to some of my friends in the NSA and see if we can figure out who sent this email and if we can trust their information.”
Faith’s brow furrowed.She’d asked her former partner how he’d gained this knowledge of the intelligence community before and received only cryptic answers in return.Whatever it was, it had to be a recent development because she’d only left the Philadelphia Field Office a little over a year ago.
Jessica asked a more pertinent question.“If the NSA can find dirt on this project, can we just have them get us enough to prosecute?Not that I don’t enjoy the intrigue, but maybe they’re better equipped to handle something like the CIA than we are.”
“It’s not quite so simple,” Michael replied.“When you throw the term ‘national security’ around, the law starts getting really murky.There are reasons—or so the Intelligence Community would have us believe—why agencies like the CIA shouldn’t be constrained by the law.”
“Yeah, but come on,” Jessica said.“What possible national security interest could telepathic dogs serve?”
“Hell if I know,” Michael said.“That’s what I’m trying to find out too.”
Faith sighed.“Let’s just focus on one thing right now.We need the identity of our secret admirer.Either he’s on our side, or he’s not.We need to know which it is before we stick our necks out any further.”
“We can’t slow down, Faith,” David protested.“That’s all we do is slow down, wait, check, make sure.Meanwhile… Hell, I don’t even know if Sierra’s alive anymore.”
“I knowyoualmost weren’t,” Faith replied.“And Michael could have been dead with you.”
Michael had intervened and rescued David from the CIA agent who tried to murder him.In the process, he’d killed that agent.No one had come after him, and it appeared that the CIA didn’t know he was the one responsible.
But could she really be sure?They had to know someone was responsible.David couldn’t have made it out of there on his own, not with his car destroyed.And she loved David, but he wasn’t a fighter.Certainly not the kind of fighter who could have pulled himself out of a car wreck and killed a trained CIA agent.
If they didn’t know now, they would find out.And they probably wouldn’t go after Michael.If Michael’s wife, Ellie, was killed over this…
David leaned back and rubbed his face with both hands.“Yeah, I know.It just sucks.These guys think they can get away with anything.It’s not fair.”
“Theycanget away with anything,” Michael said.“It’s important that you understand that.What we’re up against here is much bigger and stronger than we are.”
“Yeah, I know, I know,” David said.He sighed and dropped his hands.“Okay.I’m going to see what I can learn about Pharaoh.The fact that the CIA sent an agent to David’s office is concerning.I need to know more about this guy so I can have an idea what the CIA’s next play will be.”
David sank into his chair, looking utterly miserable.Faith laid a hand on his arm.“Be patient.We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
He replied with the same question that plagued Faith every time she hunted a killer.“How many more will have to die before we do?”
Faith didn’t have an answer for that.
Her phone buzzed.She sighed when she saw the number.“It’s Smythe.I have to take this.”
She got to her feet, accepting the murmured reassurances from the others that it was perfectly acceptable to allow the Director of the FBI to interrupt their conversation.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Faith.I have a case I’d like you to investigate.”
Shit.“Yes, sir?”
“There’s a suspicious death at the home of a TSA supervisor in Baltimore.The situation’s developing, but we’d like you and Special Agent Torres present as the FBI’s representatives.”
Faith blinked.“Adevelopingsituation, sir?A suspicious death?”
Faith was often called in to investigate cases of rather dubious jurisdiction.Usually, the locals smelled something rotten and wanted to pass the buck.Occasionally, the case was personal to the director for some reason, and he wanted them involved.But it was always a developed situation.It was always an obvious, official, clear murder.Why was she being asked to snoop around something that might not be FBI business at all?
She guessed at the reason.“Is this situation taking place at an airport?”Airports were federal property and therefore federal jurisdiction, although again, the TSA usually held initial primacy and had to ask for FBI assistance to receive it.
“No, this is at his home in Baltimore.”
Which meant it was absolutely the jurisdiction of the Baltimore Police Department.