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CHAPTER 19
The two men stopped walking when they saw a gun aimed at them. “I hope you don’t intend to use that,” Agent Wells said, frowning.
“Any reason I shouldn’t?”
“We’re here on official business and have more of a right to be here than you do,” Agent Wells said. “We’re still the FBI.”
If he thought reminding her that she was no longer with the Bureau would get her to lower her gun, he was wrong. “And who is your friend?” she asked.
“This is Special Agent Baldwin Harris.”
She nodded as she studied the man. He was about the same age as Wells, and she figured both had been with the agency long enough to retire. Since they were both senior agents, they shouldn’t have any problem with her sticking to protocol and saying, “Show me your credentials, please, Agent Harris.”
Evidently, Harris did have a problem with it. The glare he gave her said as much as he opened his jacket, pulled out the leather credential case, and then flashed his badge. She recalled how, in Karl’s statement, he said the two fake agents who talked to him had what looked like authentic credentials. She wouldn’t lower Charlie just yet.
“And the reason you two are here?”
“We’re conducting a federal inquiry,” Wells said.
Hollis nodded, lowering Charlie. “You just started the inquiry?”
“We don’t have to answer that, and we won’t,” Agent Harris said.
She wasn’t born yesterday. Hollis figured that the only reason they were here was that she had shown up at the FBI office the other day asking questions they couldn’t answer. Had doing so lit a fire under them to do their job? Or…it could be they were here for another reason. Not to find evidence, but to cover it up.
“And why are you here, Ms. Calloway?” Agent Wells asked.
“As I told you that day, I’m working on behalf of the defense. And this was the crime scene, so I thought I would look around.”
“Did you come across anything interesting?” Agent Harris asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
“I don’t have to answer that, and so I won’t,” she said, forcing a smile and proving she could deal it right back to him. “Have a nice evening, gentlemen.” She then walked off.
Hollis could feel the heat of their stares as it burned into her spine.
***
“Sorry, I’m returning your call so late, Locke. I’m just returning home from Malik’s place. He’s taking a red-eye at midnight for that two-week safari in the Serengeti that I told you about.”
“It’s not late. Not even nine o’clock yet. I want to thank you for having the police department send me the Roker’s interview. I intend to go over it tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? You’re not taking the weekend off?”
“No. I still have a number of reports I want to get through before next weekend. I’m going to Terrence’s father’s birthday bash in Atlanta then.”
“Oh.”
“I have an idea,” Locke said, as he slid down on his sofa.
“What?”
“How about going with me as my plus-one?”
She paused, and he knew that she was trying to make sure she had heard him correctly. He had told her the day she was hired that one of his policies was not to get involved with anyone connected to the case he was handling. “You’re inviting me to go to Atlanta with you?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that a violation of one of your policies?”
