“I want you two to go to Brooklyn and talk to her, take a look around the place. See what you can turn over.”
He looked at their faces. “No, Mike, Nicholas, you’re not going to Bayway for evidence recovery. I’ve already sent Jernigan and a team out to work with the fire department and the bomb squad to determine the point of origin.”
“But the tapes, sir,” Mike said. “Really, it’s possible to do facial recognition on a partial face of a woman who appears in all three of them.”
Zachery held up his hand. “I’ve got a feeling about this fire and the murdered man in Brooklyn.” He waved toward the conference room. “I need you more in Brooklyn than in there. Go, find out what this all means.”
Mike knew Zachery hadn’t become the head of the Criminal Investigative Division in the New York Field Office because he was a good politician, which he was, a bonus. No, he was sharp, had been one of the most skilled field agents in the FBI. He knew his stuff. Mike had learned to trust his instincts.
Zachery saw Nicholas was about to argue and sighed.
“Listen, this isn’t a throwaway assignment. I’m not looking to get rid of you to cut down on the distraction because of what the two of you did last night. No, this is for real. I know in my gut this is something important.”
Nicholas nodded. “We’re on our way, sir. We’ll call in with anything we find.”
“Good. Now make yourselves scarce before people start asking questions. And Agent Caine, do try to keep Agent Drummond out of trouble.”
Mike went back to her desk, gathered her bag, unlocked her weapon. Nicholas was next to her, doing the same thing.
“A moment, Nicholas,” Mike said, and waved down Agent Ben Houston.
“Hey, Ben, I need you to run some film footage for me.”
“Sure, Mike. What do you need?”
“The video feed from the Bayway cameras shows a woman in a baseball cap. In one she’s looking at the camera. Can you upload her into the NGA database, see if we get a hit?”
“I’ll let you know the minute I’ve got something.”
“Thanks, Ben. We’ll be on the radio if you need us.”
In the elevator, Nicholas said, “What else is on the to-do list?”
“A big-time examination of the video feeds, the bomb analysis, and figuring out who killed our agents and Mr. Hodges.”
“Yet Zachery wants us in Brooklyn to interview a witness.”
Mike pulled her hair out of the ponytail holder, shook it out. It was giving her a headache. “If Zachery thinks there’s something here, I’ll bet my best biker boots there is.”
Ten minutes later they crossed the Brooklyn Bridge and Mike began winding the Crown Vic through the Brooklyn neighborhoods. When her GPS sang out, she stopped at the curb in front of a Laundromat sandwiched between a Chinese takeout and a small bodega.
Nicholas asked, “And the name of this tremendously critical witness is?”
“Mrs. Vida Antonio. She owns this Laundromat. Oh, yes, before I forget, you didn’t mention Adam Pearce’s assignment to Zachery, did you?”
Nicholas grinned at her. “When Adam finds a line into COE, we’ll take it to Zachery immediately. If he doesn’t, as you say, no harm, no foul.”
As they climbed out of the Crown Vic, Mike looked him up and down. “Nicholas, I think you should Brit it up for our laundress. That posh accent of yours plus your French cuffs might make Mrs. Antonio talk more.”
“If she has anything to say,” he said, without much hope.
“Have some faith,” Mike said, and punched his arm.
28
QUEEN TO B6
George Washington University Hospital
Washington, D.C.