His drink came and he tasted it.
“Just how you like it?” asked Vance.
He nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Good, we can drink to the world going to hell.”
“So what part of the world exactly is going to hell?”
“Pick any spot you want. No leads on Jacobs. Nothing on Gelder. The shit in Arkansas. And the ATF is going nuts too.”
“About what?”
“An explosion at a remote place on the Eastern Shore. Very sophisticated device used. And someone had even put accelerant in a pond on the property. There wasn’t much left in the way of evidence. I’m not on that case. We do have other FBI agents. The Bureau got called out on the Arkansas case too. This militia crap is getting really scary. There used to be just dozens of these groups. Now there are thousands of them. Maybe more.”
“So how did this Roy West guy die?”
“Don’t really know. Like I said, I’m not working it. And to top it off there was a shooting over near the federal court in Alexandria.”
“I didn’t hear about that,” replied Robie.
“Several cars involved. No one got a license plate, of course. Some gal in a sedan driving like Jeff Gordon. Shots fired from the vehicles. And the kicker is a federal judge just happened to be strolling down the street at the same time.”
“You think he was the target?”
“Don’t know. I sort of doubt it. It was in the report because he’s a judge. We have to cover that angle.”
“Which judge?”
“Samuel Kent.”
“Maybe it was just a street gang thing.”
“That part of Alexandria is very upscale. No gang activity there.”
“So no sign of the ‘gal’?”
“Nope. Nifty piece of driving by all accounts, and then she was gone.”
“And the shooters?”
“Gone too. Amazing how that can happen on a crowded street, but it did.” She finished her ginger ale. “You asked to meet and I’ve done all the talking. Now I’m shutting up and putting on my listening ears.”
Robie nodded, trying to assimilate all that she had told him and wondering if the “gal” was who he thought she was. It seemed both ridiculously impossible and extremely likely that it was Jessica Reel, particularly after Arkansas.
“It was good to see Julie,” said Robie.
“Really? I didn’t think it went all that well from my point of view.”
“She was upset,” replied Robie.
“And shouldn’t she be?”
“Yes, she should. But we talked on the drive to her house.”
“And?”
“And she was still upset.”
“Your personal skills must’ve been exceptional on that drive.”
“My goal is to keep her safe. You warned me too.”
“I know, Robie. But you don’t have to completely shut her out of your life. You two went through a lot together. Hell, she and I went through a lot together.”
“You and I went through a lot together,” noted Robie.
This comment caught Vance off guard. She sat back, her posture relaxed. “Yeah, we did. You saved my life and risked your life to do it.”
“I was the reason you were in danger in the first place. Which brings me back to my point about Julie. And you. Every time I meet with you I could be putting you back in danger. I don’t take that lightly, Nikki. It would probably have been better if I hadn’t called and asked you to meet tonight.”
“But you can’t protect everybody all the time, Robie. And I’m an FBI agent. I can take care of myself.’
“In normal circumstances, absolutely. I’m not normal.”
She snorted but caught his deeply serious expression and said, “I know what you mean, Will. I get that. I really do.”
“And what chance would Julie have? I’m involved in things right now.” He stopped talking and looked away.
She reached out tentatively and touched his hand, wrapping her long fingers around it and squeezing. “What things?”
He looked back at her as she removed her hand, looking embarrassed at having performed this intimate gesture. “In order to cover my back, I have to look in all directions at the same time,” he said.
She blinked, obviously trying to decipher this. “Meaning you can’t trust anyone?”
“Meaning there are things going on that no one can explain.” He paused. “Did you hear about Janet DiCarlo?”
“A vague story about something at her house.”
“I was there. It wasn’t vague. It was actually pretty straightforward on certain levels.”
“What the hell happened?”
Now Robie gripped her hand, hard. It was not an intimate gesture. “If I tell you, it can go no further. I’m not talking about professional courtesy. I’m talking about you staying alive.”
Vance’s mouth opened slightly and her eyes widened. “Okay, it goes no further.”
Robie took a sip of his drink and set the glass back down. “DiCarlo was attacked. Her guards were killed. She was wounded. I got her out. DHS took her for safekeeping.”
“Why couldn’t her own agency protect—” Vance stopped.
Robie nodded. “Exactly.”
“Are you talking rogue or systemic?”
“It’s not one traitor running around.”
“So systemic?”
“Could be.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I’m thinking about going off the grid.”
Vance sucked in a breath. “Are you sure about that?”
“You went off the grid for me.”
“I’m FBI, Robie. You going off the grid is a whole other thing.”
“I think it’s the only way I’m going to get to the truth.”
“Or get killed.”
“That could easily happen if I stay where I am.” He slowly raised his right arm. “It’s already nearly happened twice in the last few days.”
She glanced at Robie’s arm and then looked back at him. The strain was etched on her face. And that same level of strain was clear on Robie’s features.
“What can I do?” she asked.
“You’ve done plenty already.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.”
“I may contact you at some point.”
“Robie, isn’t there any other way to handle this? You can come in to the FBI. We can protect you and maybe...” Her voice trailed off.
“I appreciate that. But I think my way is better.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ve got some leads to follow up on.”
“Can you even get off the grid with all this crap going on?”
“I can try. That’s all I can do.” He rose. “Thanks for meeting with me.”
“Why did you want to meet? Not just to tell me you’re going off the grid?”
Robie started to say something but then couldn’t get it out.