“This case is getting crazier by the second,” Sam said.

“The attorney general has named the associate deputy director, Gillian MacKenzie, the acting director,” Avery added. “We’ve got people at Jacoby’s house and talking to his family and friends, trying to track him down.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Sam said, “but it’s unusual for someone with Jacoby’s job to be off the grid for more than twenty-four hours, even on a weekend. Am I right?”

“You are,” Avery said, nodding. “He and Hamilton and their top management team are on call 24/7.”

“Are you thinking that something has happened to him too?” Malone asked.

“I don’t know what to think,” Avery said. “This entire situation is unprecedented. People within the Bureau are on edge, to put it mildly.”

“Have there been any threats against the Bureau in recent weeks?” Carlucci asked. “Anything out of the ordinary?”

“Nothing more than the routine stuff, and I would’ve heard if there was something more.” After a pause, Avery added, “Since we spoke to Courtney Hamilton last night, I’ve been thinking about the administrative assistant who worked with Hamilton and Jacoby in Knoxville. I did some digging, and I found that she still works in the Knoxville office. I’m thinking about going there to talk to her.”

“I’ll go with you,” Sam said.

Nick gave her a look of fierce annoyance that pissed her off.

“On my own dime and my own time, of course,” Sam added for the captain’s benefit.

“Of course,” Malone said drily.

“I’ll get my assistant to put us on the next flight,” Avery said, typing on his phone.

Sam could feel Nick’s eyes boring holes in her head and was afraid to glance in his direction. There’d be hell to pay for this, of that she had no doubt. But whatever. The trip to Knoxville would allow her to participate in the case while suspended. She wasn’t passing up that opportunity, no matter how angry it made her husband. “What else do we have?”

“We’re speaking to the witness who saw someone running from Hamilton’s house again today,” Dominguez said. “We’re hoping to get something more we can use.”

The front door opened to admit Lieutenant Archelotta. “Had a feeling I’d find y’all here,” he said with a grin.

Once again Sam was grateful that she’d never mentioned her brief fling years ago with the IT lieutenant to her husband. She could only imagine how that information would add to his current ire.

“What did you get from Hamilton’s phone?” Sam asked.

“A whole lot of nothing. No calls in or out after he issued the statement about his son being off his medication.”

“How is that possible?” Malone asked. “The MPD is looking for his son. He takes the time to issue a statement, and no one calls him about that?”