Dont take this the wrong way, Stanhope said, but you two are FBI. I mean, you know how impossible its going to be to get that sort of information about people currently on a transplant list, right?

Rachel nodded but would not be sidelined so easily. Shed been working with the bureau long enough to know that getting medical records for the living were often much harder than acquiring medical records for the recently deceased. Shed worked cases where it had taken her upwards of five days to get medical records to help with a case. And she did not have that sort of time to waste on this one.

They were sitting around the cubicle space that had essentially become the hub of operations for the case. As they tried to talk things out, Rachel noticed yet another thing she liked about Stanhope; it was clear that he hated sitting around and talking. He was the type of officer that wanted to be out on the streets, trying to do something no matter how much of a waste of time it seemed to be. She identified with it and respected it.

Wed need another warrant, for starters, Jack said, sounding slightly chagrinned. And something like this is going to probably require the approval of a judge.

That wouldnt be an issue for us, Stanhope said. The judge that would be in charge of it is a huge supporter of the local police. But still…another warrant means another two days at least.

And we dont have that sort of time, Rachel said.

And on that note, Stanhope said, let me go ahead and give you a bit more bad news.

Ah Jesus, more? Jack asked.

Yeah. Weve got eight people on the list that have refused the police protection and custody. They feel like its an overreaction. There were two that seemed downright scared when we told them what was going on but didnt want to deal with the added hassle of a police presence while theyre also dealing with health issues.

Rachel looked to the printed list in front of herspecifically to the names that had been crossed out. Do you think theyd be okay with an additional visit…maybe from the FBI this time?

Cant know for sure. Why? What are you thinking?

Im thinking that even though it would feel like a colossal waste of time, we need to speak to everyone remaining on this list. We need to figure out who might be in the worst shape. I know that sounds awful, but

No, I agree, Jack said. It might be a waste of the rest of our day, but it would be faster than getting the warrant cleared.

I can get a few officers on that to help, Stanhope said. To this point, all but a few of our contacts with them have been over the phone. We can get in on some of the face-to-faces, too.