Skeletons in the Closet (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Chapter Nine

After a detour to visit Andy, Bobby parked in front of Tara's.

"We didn't leave the lights on, did we, luv?" he asked, pulling out his gun.

The door was unlocked. Bobby winced when he creaked.

"Drop the gun, bush boy," ordered Myles who was sitting on a chair facing the hallway.

"Myles! Do you have a death wish?" Bobby holstered his gun. "How did you get in?"

"Tara, you do need to invest in better locks," remarked the blond agent.

"Thanks, Myles, for breaking in." She threw her coat on the couch. "Did you get a copy of Dusty's prints?"

"Of course, Tara." Smiling enigmatically, he retrieved a sheet of paper from his pocket. "Julie, the nurse, was more than helpful."

While he sent her to make copies of Dany's medical files, he broke into Dusty's. Within minutes he had everything he needed.

They gathered into the computer room where Tara positively matched Nowen's fingerprints to Dusty Langley.

"Could you confirm he was undercover, mate?"

"Of course not, but how many agents are subjected to a full physical and psychological evaluation before being granted temporary leave of absence?" He smiled when his two colleagues exchanged a knowing look. "My thought exactly."

"I bet mom's timely departure sealed the undercover."

"Bobby! That's... that's..."

"Luv, I'm not saying the bureau expedited the poor lady. They probably had a few candidates and the circumstances more than favoured Langley."

"Mom dies. Son takes time off to mourn," said Myles. "No one suspects another agenda."

"Then they create Nowen. Give him a shady past and connection with the military. My guess is someone else besides us suspects we have a bad apple upon our mist, maybe from another a case we missed. But for whatever reason, they used Langley as a bait, dangling military secret at the end of the hook."

"Hold on here, Tom Clancy. Are you suggesting those gun blueprints are phoney, and the military is somewhat involved?" Myles asked, staring dubiously at Bobby.

"Not sure how the military got mixed up with it, but the blueprints are still in the evidence lockup. We stopped by Andy tonight," Tara said. "And he says if he had been inclined he would have them memorised by now."

"The military never retrieved them?" That surprised both men equally. "What are they? Amateur?" Myles sighed. "Nice way to blow a cover."

"They probably figured the cover was blown when Langley turned up dead anyway," pointed out Tara.

"I can see you two discussed that already," Myles said before they both nodded. "Are you going to tell me Jack and Sue were... are part of it?"

"See, mate, Jack had a solid alibi that night," Bobby informed him, recounting their meeting with Carl Maddox. "But Sparky still disappeared after he received a mysterious phone call."

"We think he was warned to stay away in order not to compromise the operation," said Tara.

"It seems to me their operation is more than compromised," Myles said, frustration building up. "Their operative is dead. Davis is dead. Jack is framed for murder by... whoever. You two don't think they are using Jack and Sue as bait to fish him out, do you?"

Myles stared in disbelief at Tara and Bobby when they exchanged a knowing look.

"There are three of us in cyber space, Myles. And I have the impression the chase is not over yet. I doubt the leak inside the bureau has been identified. Jack and Sue may be in protective custody."