4
Cooper Grange glared at Logan and came back to his seat, Logan thinking: What did I do?
‘Have you been holding back any other information?’ Grange asked Cahill.
‘Were you not listening?’ Logan replied. ‘We only just found out.’
‘That’s what you say.’
‘What? You think there’s some conspiracy of silence?’
Grange leaned forward to speak again but Webb held up a hand, cutting him off.
‘The important thing,’ Webb said, ‘is that we have the information now. We’ve got an opportunity to break up an international operation so we need to make sure we’re all on the same page as to where we go from here. If one of us goes too soon it might tip them off.’
Logan nodded.
‘Can you call over there now?’ Webb asked. ‘So we can make some kind of contact.’
Logan picked up his mobile to dial.
‘No,’ Webb said, pushing the conference phone on the table over to Logan. ‘Use that. The speaker will be much better than on your cell.’
‘Hello?’ Irvine’s voice sounded hesitant when she answered the call.
‘Becky, it’s me again,’ Logan said.
‘Hi, listen—’
‘I’m with the police and FBI agents here in Denver.’
‘Detective Irvine, this is Special Agent Randall Webb of the FBI. I head up the Denver field office.’
‘What can I do for you, Agent Webb?’
‘Mr Finch has explained the connection between our investigations and I thought it would be appropriate if we co-ordinated our activities.’
‘I agree. But the drug investigation isn’t my thing. I mean, I’m just helping out over here.’
‘I see. What do you suggest, then?’
‘I’m going to head into the office now. My boss, Liam Moore, wants me to brief him and then we’ll talk to the SCDEA. The drug squad.’
‘I should probably speak with Detective Moore.’
‘Detective Superintendent. Yes.’
Webb looked at his watch.
‘It’s early for you, Detective Irvine. When should we arrange to speak?’
‘If it’s early for me, it’s late for you.’
‘We work as long as we have to. As I’m sure you do.’
‘Of course. I’m going to get ready and go see my boss. Can I speak to him first and call you back to set something up? We need the SCDEA to be in on the call as well.’
‘Of course. We’ve got, ah, other things to occupy ourselves with in the meantime. Speak soon, Detective.’
The room was quiet after the call. Webb sat back in his seat and looked at Hunter and Collins and then across the table at Logan and Cahill.
‘I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask both of you to leave again,’ he said, fixing his gaze on Cahill. ‘You understand.’
Logan knew for sure that Cahill would not understand. He waited for his friend’s retort.
‘I mean,’ Webb continued, ‘we have an operation to plan for first thing tomorrow morning and we don’t have much time.’
Cahill stood and Logan thought that, for the first time, his friend was going to go quietly. He started to get up and felt Cahill’s hand on his shoulder pressing him back down into his seat.
So much for that thought.
‘You’re going after a soldier, am I right?’ Cahill asked Webb.
‘Correct.’
‘Do any of you have military training or experience?’
No one answered.
‘That’s what I thought.’
‘We don’t need military training to plan an arrest operation in town,’ Grange said. ‘We do this all the time.’
‘I’m sure you do. I wasn’t offering tactical advice.’
‘Then what?’
‘I can tell you how he thinks. What he’ll be looking out for. What he might do if he thinks something is up. So that it goes down as smooth as possible. I mean, that’s what we all want, isn’t it?’
‘What exactly are you saying, Mr Cahill?’ Webb asked.
‘Keep me in the loop on this. I’ll help you get inside this guy’s brain.’
‘Sort of like a consultant?’
‘Whatever you want to call it.’
‘I can see how that might be useful.’
Cahill grinned.