“If he had tried to shoot me, he’d be dead,” said Reel. “I hope you know that.”
“I have no doubt,” said Lambert. “Anyway, they’re in their quarters now. Her knee will be fine. She’s got some ice on it.”
“Trust me when I say I wasn’t worried in the least about that,” said Reel.
Lambert cracked a smile. “I wish you two could be in the bunker when things go to hell.”
“If they go to hell,” corrected Robie. “Remember, let’s think positive.”
With a hurried good-bye, Lambert rose and left them.
“I think he might be regretting this whole thing,” said Robie.
“He made his bunker, now he has to sleep in it. Literally.”
“So what do we do while we’re waiting on the agency to see if they can access Lambert’s satellite?”
Reel took a last sip of her iced tea. “Let’s check Blue Man’s cabin one more time.”
“Why? There was nothing there.”
“Blue Man is one of the most resourceful people either of us knows. There was no sign of a struggle at the cabin, so I don’t think he was taken completely by surprise. He might have known they were coming. If so, he would also know that people from the Agency would be dispatched to find him.”
“So you’re saying he might have left a clue?” said Robie. “Something we missed earlier?”
“Let’s hope to God he did.”
Chapter
43
SOMEONE WAS WAITING for them when they came out.
Malloy was leaning on the front fender of her patrol car.
“What’s up?” asked Robie.
“What I was just about to ask you. After our little jaunt to the bunker, I figured you two would be heading out to do some investigating. So that’s where I’m going too.”
Reel said, “What we do is classified. We can’t have conversations with you around. We can’t examine information we have related to our investigation. So having you as a third wheel would pretty much make our work impossible.”
“I thought you wanted to find this guy,” said Malloy.
“We do,” said Robie.
“Then it seems to me that you would use any tool at your disposal. I can be one of those tools.”
Robie looked at Reel. She looked back at him with an expression akin to a fist coming right at him.
He turned back to Malloy and said, “We’re going to search Walton’s cabin again. If you want to follow us up there, fine.”
He took his seat in the truck and started it up.
Reel slowly turned to look at Malloy.
“Just so we’re clear—you die, it’s not my responsibility.” Then she climbed into the truck next to Robie.
Robie waited for Malloy to get in her cruiser and then pulled off down the road. They had driven for about five minutes before Reel broke the silence.
“You want to tell me what the hell is going on?”
Robie didn’t look at her. “She’s local law enforcement. She could be useful. And her sister’s dead and we know it but she doesn’t. I feel sorry for her.”
“Feeling sorry for her does not justify letting her screw up our search for Blue Man.”
“She’s not going to screw it up. She’s a trained professional.”
“So you’re really not going to tell me what’s going on?” said Reel.
“There is nothing going on!” barked Robie.
Reel turned to look out the windshield.
When Robie glanced over at her a few moments later, he did not like what he saw.
They drove on.
* * *
“Someone’s been here,” said Reel.
They were standing outside of Blue Man’s cabin. The door was still padlocked and the police tape was still up but there were fresh muddy boot prints on the porch. It had rained some the previous night.
Reel glanced at Malloy, who was looking at the prints. “I thought this was a crime scene. Shouldn’t it have been secured?”
“Like I told you before, Agent Reel, we don’t have the manpower for that,” retorted Malloy. “And the door is still locked.” She knelt down and studied the footprints. “They look familiar.”
“You know people by their shoes?” quipped Reel.
“Some of them, yes,” said Malloy, rising to her feet.
“So any idea who those belong to?” asked Robie.
“Working on it,” she said evasively, a worried look on her face.
“Can you get this open?” Reel said, pointing at the door.
Malloy unlocked the padlock and opened the door.
Reel passed by her and went inside.
When Robie started to follow Malloy gripped his arm.
“I want to see you again,” she said.
Robie shook his head. “Valerie, last night was a big mistake.”
“Not for me it wasn’t,” she said sharply, as Robie kept shaking his head. “Are you telling me you didn’t enjoy it?”
“That’s not the point. It was a mistake. We’re both working a case. We can’t be personally involved.”
She ran her hand down his arm and smiled. “I think that boat has sailed. We nearly broke the bed.”
Robie was about to say something else when the front door swung open, revealing Reel.
“Are you coming?” she demanded, looking at each of them in turn.
Robie brushed past her on the way into the house.
Reel looked at Malloy. “What were you two doing out here?”
“Just talking shop.”
“Right,” replied Reel. She moved aside to let Malloy pass.