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“It came in yesterday morning.”

“Was it reviewed?”

I nod quickly.

“Credible?”

I stick by my boss’s side as he strides toward the tree’s star. Or what’s left of it anyway. What was once nine feet is now little glass shards scattered all around.

“It was ranked low,” I answer.

He nods so slowly it scares me, just a little. “Did it warrant immediate investigation?” he asks.

“Sir, it says tomorrow in the threat, which is today,” I rush out. “The tip was documented but no one took it seriously.”

“And you did.”

“Right.”

“Why?”

I swallow. “I had a feeling.”

I know how this sounds, and I know how he’s going to take it. Last time I had a hunch, it cost us a case. I’m no longer allowed to have feelings.

Barrel stops in front of the railing overlooking the ice rink. “So let me get this straight. You called out sick and followed up on a low-credible threat while off duty without letting anyone know where you were because of a feeling,” he recaps, blinking sharply. Even his blinks are intense.

“It was clearly credible,” I say, gesturing toward the wreckage.

“You’re supposed to be on desk duty. You’re not supposed to be out in the field. When you pull stunts like this, when you open investigations without approval, it’s my neck on the line.”

“I know, and I’m sorry for going rogue, but I couldn’t sit by and do nothing,” I say a little too forcefully. “Sir.”

“You’re treading a very fine line here, Payne.”

This time, I keep my mouth shut.

After a long moment and an irritated sigh, Barrel says, “Walk me through it. How you figured out this was the place.”

I don’t wait for him to ask twice. I smooth the riddle against the railing and point to the third line. “The halls I took to mean Radio City Music Hall. When I saw gold, I thought of the Prometheus statue. The Mrs. Claus thing is weird… and he refers to her as Santa’s wife. Like, she’s more than that, and she has a name. Probably. Don’t ask me what it is.”

“Payne.”

“Sorry, right,” I continue. “The clock was a tricky one. At first, I thought about the Atlas statue holding the heavens but turns out it was the star. Stars have been used to tell time, which makes sense now that it’s what exploded. Ooh! Like a supernova, but I don’t know if whoever wrote this meant it that way. This tip had a few clear clues, but it took me all night because riddles aren’t my strong suit—”

“Payne!”

“Yes?”

“Stop talking for a second.” Barrel closes his eyes. “We need to check all the cameras, see who might’ve done this.”

“I’ve already spoken to Agent Murphy,” I inform him.

“We have to talk to eyewitnesses—”

“I’ve also checked in with Rock Center’s guards.” It was nice that they came over to check on me after the incident. It was the perfect time to find out if they saw anything suspicious. “I also got the names of the crew that put up the tree and the team that handled the lighting ceremony. They should be calling me back. It’s possible whoever rigged the star had access to it before the tree even got here.”

I don’t know if I should be insulted when Barrel looks at me like he’s surprised. I’m one of the best agents at FBI New York. Every undercover operation that I’ve worked has been a success. Well, except for one. I get the bad guys and enough evidence to put them away for a very long time. My reports are thorough, polished, and timely. I’m dedicated to my job. I do what I must to make this world safer, but it’s not lost on me that as a woman, and as one of the few mixed-race Chinese American special agents, I have to work twice as hard to get noticed. To work triple that to make up for one mistake.