“And Juan, don’t worry. This is probably nothing, but just in case it isn’t, that’s why the company has security resources. We take care of our own.”

Juan’s phone beeped. “Dr. Winslow, one second, I’m getting a second call.” He pressed a button on the earpiece and the second call connected.

“Dr. Gutierrez, this is Carl Weatherby with AgriMed security. I’m turning in to your apartment complex now. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be at the base of the stairs.”

“Wow, that was quick! I’ll talk to the cops and see how much longer I’m needed. They’ve already taken my statement.”

“Roger that.”

Juan pressed the button on his earpiece and reconnected his prior call. “Dr. Winslow, Carl’s here. I think everything is under control now, thank you.”

“Good. Tomorrow morning, come to my office first thing. We’ll talk to the FBI together and see what they have to say. Goodnight, Juan.”

“Goodnight.”

Juan hung up and panned his gaze across what was left of his apartment. Even his brand-new king-sized mattress had been ripped to shreds, metal coils exposed. He couldn’t bring himself to believe this was a simple burglary. To destroy so much, and take so little…

What the hell were they looking for?

Chapter Fourteen

Nate pursed his lips as Juan Gutierrez gave his sworn testimony about the burglary. The man was clearly shaken by the event, but Nate pressed him for every last detail. He’d already read the preliminary police report and visited the man’s apartment. And he agreed with the victim’s speculation about motive.

Someone had been looking for something specific.

They sat in a private conference room at AgriMed. The fifteen-foot-long wooden table and the plush leather chairs spoke of money. However, Dr. Gutierrez didn’t have the look of a corporate type. He was younger, probably in his mid-thirties, and Hispanic. His disheveled appearance and mussed hair fit the description of someone who’d just been displaced from his home.

The thing that bothered Nate the most about everything he’d read in the police report was the note about the witness stating that FBI had been at the scene and left.

“Dr. Gutierrez,” Nate said, “did the FBI agents give you their names?”

The doctor shook his head. “No. One of them waved a badge, but I didn’t really get a chance to see it. It was late, and the lights in the parking lot weren’t working.”

In the report, the cops had noted that the lights in the parking lot had been shot out with some type of pellet gun. They’d found broken glass at the base of the light poles.

“Did you notice anything unusual about the three agents who entered your apartment? Were they wearing gloves? Were their guns drawn? What was their demeanor?”