“We prefer, of course, that he act with discretion.”

“I can’t stop him from talking to the press, if that’s what you mean.”

“Of course not. But we hope he might be discouraged from making unjustified allegations against the FBI.”

Rain was dropping in earnest. Williams kept talking.

“If the case is reopened, the bureau will cooperate fully. But I’ll be straight with you, Dr. Brennan. We don’t know if Cindi Gamble and Cale Lovette are alive or dead.”

“Thank you for your honesty.”

“We know it will be reciprocated.” Again, Williams might have smiled.

“Should the case be reopened, would the medical examiner and the CMPD have access to information gathered by the bureau back in ’ninety-eight?” I asked.

Williams and Randall exchanged glances.

“I don’t want to dishearten you, Dr. Brennan. But I can’t guarantee that the FBI will turn over all its files and internal notes to anyone. Please trust me when I say we have no idea what happened to Gamble and Lovette. They simply vanished.”

I looked Williams straight in the eye. “You’ve spoken with members of that task force. What do you think happened to them?”

“I believe they left to join fellow extremists out West.”

“Why?”

Williams hesitated. Debating whether to pony up some of that reciprocal honesty?

“The sieges at Ruby Ridge in ’ninety-two and Waco in ’ninety-three shot militia outrage sky-high. When Gamble and Lovette disappeared, the airways were full of anti-government chatter.”

Williams referred to incidents in which U.S. agents stormed compounds occupied by fringe groups. In each case, people were killed, and those contesting the legitimacy of government were irate.

“From everything I’ve learned, Lovette was a virulent young man, and Gamble was very young, in love with him, and under his thumb,” Williams said.

“So the two just slipped underground.”

“That’s the only theory that makes sense.”

“Is that really so easy to do?”

“Rural Michigan, Montana, Idaho,” Williams said. “These crackpots go so far off the grid, no one can find them.”

One thing bothered me.

“The investigation lasted only six weeks,” I said.

“Which is why Gamble thinks it was a sham. But his sister and Lovette vanished so completely from the outset, it was thought they’d probably gone underground. When the trail went cold, the FBI decided to disband the task force and rely on intel.”

I remembered Slidell’s comment. “You hoped Lovette might lead you to a bigger catch. Like Eric Rudolph.”

“We considered that.”

I hiked my purse back onto my shoulder. Which was soaked.

“Please go in out of the rain, Dr. Brennan.” Williams flicked the maybe-smile. “And thank you for talking with us. Believe it or not, the bureau is as anxious to find out what happened as you are.”

With that, Williams and Randall hurried to their car and drove off.