Page 266 of Silent Target

Unofficially, he continued attending classified briefings that had nothing to do with retired government officials.

I knew because his name had appeared in three of my active cases.

It wasn’t supposed to.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“To save your career.”

“My career isn’t in danger.”

“Not yet.”

The corner of his mouth lifted, but it wasn’t a smile.

Vale glanced at the nearest security camera. Its indicator light had gone dark.

He’d chosen his position carefully.

So had I.

I remained inside the stairwell, where the camera above the door could still see me.

If that one was operating.

“You’ve been requesting access to emergency-response files,” he said.

Those files were supposed to be sealed.

“How do you know that?”

“I know everything that passes through the offices I once supervised.”

“Then retirement must leave you a lot of free time.”

His expression didn’t change.

Men like Vale rarely became angry when insulted. Anger required them to consider another person important.

“I’m offering you professional advice, Agent Collins. Stop looking for a connection between those cases.”

“Which cases?”

“You know which ones.”

I did.

A family found dead inside their SUV in Atlanta after receiving an emergency evacuation warning.

Thirty-two tourists who abandoned a hotel in San Diego because of a gas-leak alert that local authorities had never issued. Four were killed when they ran into traffic.

A church congregation in Denver that locked itself inside the basement after a message warned of an active shooter outside. Someone pumped smoke into the ventilation system.

Different cities. Different methods. No apparent connection between the victims.

But every event had one thing in common.

The people had obeyed instructions that appeared to come from someone they trusted.