“Maybe he has a bolt hole? Somewhere he stores all his computer gear?” Shane scratched the back of his neck and looked outside to see the Evidence Response Team preparing to come in.

“Probably. I’ll get people to start searching records. Where are you now?”

“About to leave his house and let ERT do their stuff.”

The TacOps guys were incredibly efficient and were about finished. They picked up the bags of electronics they’d stacked at the door.

Dexter spoke. “Tell whoever is on the phone there is no detectable hidden surveillance. We’ll give you a ride back to the FO if you want.”

Shane nodded. Something didn’t feel right but he couldn’t pin it down. Maybe he was being paranoid.

“I heard,” Ashley told him. “Have them drop by Pierce’s place of work first, will you? They might see something the other agents missed. I’ll have them hold the aircraft for you.”

“I’ll ask them.” The TacOps agents eyed him as they all headed past the ERTs with nods. “And as much as I would love to be on that flight, don’t make the guys wait around for me.”

The thing he hated most in the world was the incessant waiting in between the excitement.

“That’s not your call,” Ashley said quickly. “Blame me if you need a scapegoat, but I want those electronics in Quantico tonight.”

She rang off and Shane was left staring at the phone.

“Where to next?” Dexter asked with a wry grin after they’d stowed the evidence securely in the van.

“She wants you to check Pierce’s workspace in case the other agents missed anything,” Shane said, climbing inside the surveillance vehicle and closing the door.

The bald guy nodded and put the van in gear. Dexter started looking up directions to the office on his cell. The notes of some Latin American song rang loudly through the air in a surreal soundtrack that made Shane ache for the quiet peacefulness of working with Yael, or the boisterous camaraderie of the team. The fact he was more excited about seeing a woman again than working a case was a first. Scotty would have been proud of him.

21

A few hours later, Shane trudged off the transport plane at Andrews Air Force Base. Novak slapped him on the shoulder as the others jumped into vehicles. “Great job getting an ID by the way.”

Shane pulled a face. “Wasn’t me. Yael Brooks is the person who identified Pierce.”

“Tell her from me she did good next time you see her. If Pierce survives and is convicted, that fucker’s headed straight to death-row.”

In this case, Shane would bring party poppers to the sentencing. “I’ll let her know…next time I see her.”

Novak gave him a knowing look that Shane refused to acknowledge.

“You coming to the bar later to raise a toast to Scotty and Kurt?”