Furious, he got in his car and called her. Beth and her team were backing him up, and could have at least given him the courtesy of a text message saying they were pulling out. Her voice mail picked up.
“Where the hell are you?” he asked.
Chapter 22
The message had said to come alone.
Daniels saw the exit signs for Tampa International Airport and flipped on her blinker. The expressway was quiet, and she’d spent the drive wondering what she was about to walk into. To be forewarned was to be forearmed. To be in the dark was to be helpless.
There were two dedicated lanes leading into the airport. She stayed in the right-hand lane and reduced her speed. At the exit for cargo, she got off and drove up to the gate. The female security guard was all business, and didn’t seem impressed by her credentials. Handing them back, the guard said, “You been here before?”
“First time,” Daniels replied.
She emerged from her booth and knelt down next to the driver’s window. “This is a big place, and it’s easy to get lost. Here’s what you need to do.”
Daniels memorized the guard’s instructions and thanked her. The gate was raised, and she entered the cargo area, drove around several buildings, and crossed an empty tarmac to an unmarked hangar. A Gulfstream G550 private jet was parked in front and was being serviced by a maintenance crew. A handsome pilot stood a few yards away, talking on his cell phone. The FBI owned a fleet of G550s, which were housed at Dulles International Airport and were at the disposal of the bureau’s directors.
She parked and got out. She expected someone to greet her, and explain what was going on, but there was no one. She didn’t think the pilot or maintenance people knew the score, so she climbed up the portable stairs and stepped into the small aircraft.
The interior was plush, with facing leather chairs and HDTVs on the walls, as well as computers built into several small desks. The G550s were often used as command centers in remote areas, and had every modern convenience.
“Anybody home?” she said.
“Back here,” a familiar voice replied.
She followed the voice to the rear of the plane. Joe Hacker sat by himself in the last row. His eyes were ringed from lack of sleep, and gray stubble dotted his chin. The remains of a meal sat on a plastic tray in the seat beside him. He acknowledged her with a weary nod and pointed at the empty seat across from his.
Daniels sat down. “Hello, J. T.”
“Hello, Beth.” He sounded exhausted. “How’s the investigation going?”
“I think we’re close to apprehending one of the members of the gang. I was at a stakeout when I got your message. Is something wrong?”
“You and I have a problem.”
“We do?”
“Yes, and his name is Jon Lancaster.”
Daniels stiffened. She wanted to think she’d been keeping Lancaster on a short leash, and was conducting her investigation by the book.
“I learned about an incident involving Lancaster that took place outside the Jayhawk Motel in Tampa,” Hacker said. “Do you know what I’m referring to?”
Learned from who? she nearly asked.
“You mean the shooting,” she said instead.
“Correct. According to the report I was given, a man named Dexter Hudson shot and killed Lancaster’s brother outside the Jayhawk last night. Lancaster chased Hudson, and fired his handgun into a moving vehicle. The driver of the vehicle later turned up dead. Does this sound right?”
She nodded stiffly. She had typed up a report of the shooting with the intention of including it in her final report when the investigation was complete. For J. T. to have this information meant that a member of her team had secretly made a copy off her computer and emailed it to him. She had been betrayed.
But by whom? Was it Gary or Otto? Or had another member stuck the knife in her back? It really didn’t matter. J. T. had the report, and she needed to deal with it.
“I also got my hands on the police report,” Hacker said. “The Tampa police don’t have a problem with Lancaster, and aren’t going to charge him with shooting the driver. Well, I do have a problem, and so should you.”
“He was chasing down a suspect,” she said defensively.
Hacker grew in his seat. “He fired his gun in the middle of a busy street, and put innocent lives at risk. He could have missed and hit a bystander.”
“But he didn’t,” she said.
“You think this is correct behavior?”
“The Tampa police didn’t have a problem with Jon’s actions, and neither do I.”
“You’re missing the point,” he said.
“Which is what?”
“He’s a liability. Or are you too blinded by your feelings to see that?”
The words stung like a slap in the face. She counted to three, and collected her thoughts before replying. “Jon is helping move the investigation forward. We were spinning our wheels until he showed up,” she said.
“But what if this happens again?” Hacker said. “What if Lancaster shoots his gun, and an innocent person gets wounded or killed? If the media finds out that he’s assisting the FBI, we could both lose our jobs, not to mention the shit storm it would create.”
“That’s a lot of ifs,” she said.
Hacker was not used to being challenged. His face turned red, and he started coughing. She hurried into the rear of the plane and found a bottled water.
He downed the water in one long gulp. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said.
There were times when she wished she’d never been promoted to run a division within the FBI. If she’d learned anything, it was that the higher she rose in the bureau, the more the job centered around good PR, while battling crime took a back seat. “How long have we known each other?” he asked.
“Since I graduated from the academy,” she said.
“Do you feel you know me pretty well?”
“Yes, J. T., I do.”
“Then read my mind. What am I thinking?”
“You want me to cut Jon loose.”
“That’s right. Think you’re up to it?”
“I’ll do whatever you feel is best.”
“Good answer. Wrap things up with him tonight. After that, there will be no more communications. If you wish to see him when the case is over, that’s your call. But if I find out that you’re talking to him while the investigation is proceeding, I’ll ask for your resignation. Am I making myself clear?”
“Loud and clear.”
“Please don’t disappoint me, Beth.”
He sounded just like her father, who had been a domineering asshole. It made her want to strangle him, and she rose from her seat.
“I’ll try not to,” she said.
“One last thing. You are not to enact any payback within your team.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Sir?”
“You know what I’m talking about. The agent who shared your report with me wasn’t being vindictive. He was simply doing what was best for your team.”
Hacker had just narrowed the list of suspects to the other male agents on her team. She would find out which one was responsible, and have a word with him.
“No payback. Got it, sir,” she said.
“Glad we’re on the same page. Good night, Beth.”
Back in her car, Daniels pulled out her phone. Jon had called, and left a voice message. She had bruised his feelings when they were dating, and she could only imagine what this new development would do to their relationship.
As she called him back, she realized her hand was trembling.
Chapter 23
“I’m sorry,” he heard Beth say.
His face was burning up. Beth had just explained why he was being yanked off the investigation. Like so many government law enforcement agencies he’d dealt with, the FBI was placing its own well-being above the people it was sworn to protect.