Page 96 of Long Past Deadly

“Harrison told me. I dumped that info on a good person to find out.”

“Excellent. We’re not going to need anything in depth. Our search will happen anyway. But a fuller picture will make the after action better.”

“Agreed.”

Mackey signaled to them, and they advanced on the group. It felt right to have Hunt at her back and Quaid and Mackey at her sides. Bailey joined them, shutting the door behind her.

Mackey swept a hand to the front. “We all know why we’re here. Let’s hammer out the details. Williams, the floor is yours.”

She walked to the front, finding her cop posture in the few steps and ignoring the boards she knew by heart. “Let’s get this done.”

She could see the steps clearly, but the trap eluded her. All she knew was her attempt to be sweet honey had to be flawless, and her gun better be loaded. He wouldn’t give second chances.

&&&&&&&&&&

Mackey listened carefully to Alanna’s brief to ensure he hadn’t missed anything. With what he affectionately called his wolf brain, he watched the other people in the room. The only ones he was sure of were Harrison, Quaid, Hunt, and Frank. Bailey and Remy could qualify, too.

The room went quiet. Everyone stared at him.

Mackey let the silence ride a minute. Only one question was left unanswered. “Does he know you’re FBI? Best guess.” He studied Alanna’s face. Sometimes she said more with her expressions than she did with her words.

She didn’t answer right off, which told Mackey several things. She considered her answers carefully. It would be the truth whether she liked it or not. And the personal side – this woman was a fitting match for his friend and business partner.

“Yes, he has to.”

Calm. Decisive. But this was too close to home. A problem for a private moment, not a room full of law enforcement professionals she had to work with.

He stepped forward. He could give Quaid a hard time for volunteering him, but it wasn’t the first time he’d coordinated a mass of people in a search. Afghanistan came to mind – Marines, Green Beret, Special Operations in a hunt for weapons to support the SEAL mission of finding IQS came to mind. Hunt’s mission. They’d succeeded on all counts.

They would succeed here, too. “Do not underestimate this man. He uses explosives, knives, and his sniper rifle to adapt to the killing moment. He may have paid assassin work, but he also tracks, rapes, and kills girls and women. His suspected murder list of service members is extensive, too. This isn’t only a San Diego problem. He’s been all over the world, served in the military as a camouflage for what he was doing. His list of kills might be called impressive by others, but they are an abomination to those of us who follow rules of engagement and the law. What Agent Williams sidestepped is that she is a target. We’ll be actively working to draw him out, but remember this. He won’t care if its Christmas and doesn’t care about collateral damage. He doesn’t care what weapon he uses. He thinks he’s smarter than you, that no one can stop him. If you get in the way, he will kill you no matter what plans you had with your kid after work.”

He’d debated long and quietly about this next, but it had to be stated. “We are not releasing this for public help for all these reasons. Keep engaged and make sure everyone who is searching understands. When in doubt, take him out. Report to the operational HQ with any sightings or negative updates. We want it all. Any questions?”

“Why are you handling this? Why not regular law enforcement channels?” The U.S. Marshall looked to Ryker.

Mackey answered for the lead groups. “Because we have the resources, and we’ve been in this from the initial assassination attempt. With the help of Sergeant Walker, we’ve been tearing apart this city. We only catch him by working together.”

Frank shifted from where he was standing against the wall. “We’ve started a new grid search downtown where we believe he’s frequently been. Let’s not overlap. Let’s talk about search areas.”

Some of the men were eyeing Hunt next to Frank, but Mackey had no intention of explaining the depth of interest involved. Let them assume Hunt worked for Frank. He, Quaid, and Harrison alone knew how good Hunt was at analyzing, gathering, and well, hunting.

Frank led the next part of the discussion. Mackey shifted to Hunt’s side. “Explain something to me.”

Hunt raised a brow. “That’s not how this works.”

Mackey stifled a swear word. “Don’t tell me the Navy doesn’t want him.”

“They do. I do. Rules?”

“We’re going to make our own.”

“This trap? Not real keen on putting Alanna and Quaid in the midst of this mess.”

“They’re already there. The man is actively trying to kill Alanna.”

“He’s missing a lot for somebody trying to hit a target.”

Mackey conceded the point without answering. ‘I’m the first to admit, even listening to the depth of what we’ve uncovered, we still don’t have everything. But if we wait for more pieces, we screw the pooch.”