Director Cory Bradshaw wasn’t pleased with the path his investigation was taking. The murder of one of his agents could not go unsolved. But the overlap with the Arlington police, the involvement of an FBI agent, and the persistent meddling of Ethel Crestwater, who was herself a force to be reckoned with, created unwanted complications that he viewed as impediments.

The Secret Service clearly needed to be the agency in charge, especially given the uncertainty of what might be a security breach and an unexplained connection to the counterfeit currency.

The brazen attack on Jesse Cooper represented a desperate attempt to conceal the bogus money’s link to his department. He was irritated that Ethel hadn’t immediately told him of its existence, even if an Arlington detective had been present at the time. But she had asked for his support to withhold evidence from the police, and he had given it.

To no avail. Frank Mancini had discovered the bills and now would see Bradshaw as an impediment to his search for the truth. Aware of the simmering hostility, Ethel had interjected herself into their turf battle with a simple statement—“We’re meeting at seven tonight, and we’ll find common ground.”

So, with two extra chairs brought from the dining room, Ethel, Jesse, Bradshaw, Mancini, Lisa Draper, and Douglas Gray gathered in the living room. A silver coffee set with six cups sat untouched on the table in front of the sofa. On either side was a plate of cookies, one chocolate chip and the other oatmeal raisin. Bradshaw and Mancini smiled, remembering how Ethel had always kept those cookies on hand when the men had been her boarders.

“Don’t be shy,” Ethel said. “We can talk and nibble.” She sat on the sofa beside Bradshaw, leaned forward, and began pouring the coffee. Jesse distributed the filled cups and then passed the cookies.

When everyone had been served, Ethel set her cup on the end table next to her and looked at the semicircle of faces. “You all have something in common. You’ve shared or are sharing this house with me. From my perspective, that creates a special bond. Regardless of how long ago, or where your career has taken you, I consider you to be part of my family. Today, that family was attacked twice, and our home invaded. Circumstances and jurisdictional protocols complicate things. I understand that. Director Bradshaw has his responsibilities, and Detective Mancini has his. But I hope we agree we have a common goal—to get justice for Jonathan, his family, and for Jesse. And to uncover those who have betrayed their oath as federal law enforcement officers. It’s clear to me someone inside the Secret Service had a hand in removing those bills from their secure location.”

“We think that might be the case,” Bradshaw interjected.