her again just under an hour later.
“An email showed up on my computer. It was from Ray Talbot, dated almost two days ago. It had been delayed because of a server glitch...”
“Our system?”
“Unfortunately. Ray’s message got snarled up so it’s only just come through.”
“That leaves us at a disadvantage.”
“Don’t remind me.”
Duncan held back from telling Mitchell that he had delayed informing her until he had contacted Matt Cooper. Talbot had already been dead and Duncan wanted more feet on the ground. And he was still nervous concerning the possible leaks. Hence his call to the unofficial Matt Cooper.
“Is his message going to help, sir?”
“I’m downloading it to your cell, Agent Mitchell. I’ll let you make a decision. Your call on this, Sarah. But keep me in the loop.”
Mitchell sat back. A simple technical delay had held back Talbot’s email and now he was dead.
Had the delay been the reason he hadn’t survived? Unable to have his message picked up quickly. Had it been that simple?
Had Talbot died waiting for his FBI response?
A response that hadn’t come.
The thought sickened her, made her determined to find out what Talbot had been trying to pass along.
Her cell phone pinged. She opened the downloaded message and scanned Talbot’s email.
Info panned out. Have located Hegre base. North of town of Treebone. Am about to check it out. GPS location attached to this message. Talbot.
* * *
“Ray sent a location. He was going to check it out.”
“Just him and Bermann?” Brewster snapped. “Damn stupid move. He should have—”
“Christ, Joe, if you mention procedure again I’ll scream. Ray is dead. Jake is missing. I don’t give a rat’s ass about the rule book right now.”
“I—”
“Just drive, Joe. No talking. Just goddamn well drive.”
She threw her cell phone onto the dash in frustration, then tapped the GPS coordinates into the vehicle’s navigation system.
Her emotions were a mess. The Hegre investigation, missing agents and now Ray Talbot’s death. She knew her FBI training had taught her to maintain objectivity, but how could she not be affected by such things? The day she became that hardened she would hand in her badge and gun and walk away.
She stared out through the windshield, the road curving away in front of the speeding car. Tall trees edged the route on both sides and in the far distance the were hazy outlines of mountains under the blue sky. Mitchell felt the sting of tears, angry at her emotions, but just as sad at the loss of a young life.
They reached Treebone an hour later, Brewster driving through the isolated community.
“We’ll bring the locals in after we check out this location,” Mitchell stated. “See if we can locate Jake without sirens screaming and lights flashing.”
Twelve miles on the northern side of the town, the GPS informed them they were a half mile from their destination. The display on the screen indicated a right turn ahead.
“Keep going,” Mitchell said. They drove by the dirt road. After a quarter mile Mitchell told Brewster to pull off the road.
He pulled the Crown Victoria onto a fire road and nosed it into the timber, undergrowth rattling against the side of the car until Mitchell told him to stop.
She pulled out her Glock pistol, checked it and kept it in her hand as she opened her door.
“Sarah...don’t...”
Mitchell glanced across at her partner. He was staring at her, face taut with anger.
“What the hell, Joe?”
“You know we can’t do this. Not without proper sanction. It’s too risky.”
“Not your damned procedures again. Agent Brewster, I am up to here with you and your rules. Ray is dead. Jake is still missing. He could be dead too by now. Ray left us a message directing us here, offering us a chance to catch up with this Hegre group. And you want to play the protocol rule. Well, the hell with your uptight games. I can’t wait.”
Brewster stiffened. “I can’t stop you, Sarah. You’re my senior agent. But I won’t follow until I have clearance. This is wrong. We need to call it in. Get Duncan’s authority. Call in backup. Too risky otherwise.”
Mitchell stepped out of the car, turning to look back at her partner.
“Those people could be moving out. They may have already. I can’t let that go unchecked.”
“Not until we have Duncan’s say-so.”
“Duncan said it was my call.”
“He didn’t mean this action.”
“Then stay put. I’m not sitting around here.”
Mitchell moved away from the car, into the thick foliage, feeling the close-ranked trees crowd around her.
She knew it was her impulsive nature making her go ahead. But there was the loyalty she had to Ray Talbot. That hot-blooded combination made her push through the forest, back toward the location Talbot had sent before he died.
The thick mulch underfoot deadened any sound she might have made. The close branches overhead broke the daylight into ragged patches. Undergrowth tugged at her FBI windbreaker. She held her Glock close to her chest as she traveled. She scoured the way ahead, moving steadily, but with caution. Her eyes probed the tall trees, the tangled undergrowth. This wild country was new to her. Sarah Mitchell would admit to being a city girl. Tall buildings and concrete she knew. The sights and sounds, the smells of urban life were her familiars, not greenery and timber. The forest with its own scents offered unknown challenges. She had been on the move for roughly twenty minutes when she glimpsed her target directly ahead, its dark bulk showing through the trees. She advanced, taking a slower pace until she could see the full outline of the structure.
A four foot stone wall ran around the property. Mitchell moved up to it so she could see the building clearly. An unpaved road led up to the house, and a pair of high-end SUVs were parked at the front entrance. She could see a number of wood-framed windows, but from her position she was unable to see inside. The whole place reeked of decrepitude. Mitchell crouched, trying to formulate her approach and aware that once she cleared the wall she would be pretty well exposed if she made for the house.
Mitchell heard a faint sound then and realized she was not alone. She gripped
