Page 218 of State of Suspense

Vernon had insisted on coming in to drive her, accompanied by Agent Quigley, the one who was so young he still had acne. Jimmy was away for the weekend with his wife, attending his nephew’s second birthday party in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Sam and Vernon would be riding in the Emergency Response truck while Quigley followed in the SUV.

“You told him to park a few blocks away, right?” Sam asked Vernon as he held the car door for her at HQ.

“He knows exactly where to leave the vehicle and where he needs to be while this is going down. We’ll have eyes on you, but you won’t see us.”

“Thank you, Vernon. I know this is a stretch for you guys, but I won’t be anywhere near the front lines.”

“And for that, I’m thankful. Best of luck with everything today.”

“Appreciate it. We need all the luck we can get.”

“I have no doubt you’ve planned this down to the last second, and it’ll execute as flawlessly as it was planned.”

“You’re good for my ego.”

“I do what I can?—”

“Trademarked!”

She left him laughing as she went into the building, passing the morgue, which was dark at that hour. The ME staff would be in later, as they’d been working seven days a week to identify the bodies coming from Stahl’s house of horrors.

By seven ten, the full team had gathered in the conference room, most of them with coffee and breakfast in hand.

Sam wouldn’t be able to eat anything until this was done.

They went through the entire plan, point by point, one last time.

Standing at the head of the conference table, she scanned the room. “Questions?”

Seeing none, she glanced at Ruiz. “Let’s get everyone wired and ready to roll.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ruiz said in a condescending tone.

Sam ignored her. She had no time for manufactured drama when people’s lives were at stake. “Thank you, everyone.”

Malone followed Sam into her office and closed the door.

“What’s the deal with Ruiz?” Sam asked. “Does she really have time to be passive-aggressive today?”

“Captains don’t like taking orders from lieutenants.”

“That wasn’t an order for her. It was an order for everyone else.”

“I know that.”

“It’s disappointing when other women on the job act like that. Like we don’t have enough to deal with fending off the misogyny?”

“I hear you.” He sat in front of the desk and took a sip from a tall coffee. “Are you still feeling good about the plan?”

“Hell no. I’ve never felt good about it, but I haven’t heard a better idea.”

“There hasn’t been a single sighting of Peckham since his campsite was found, even with our people and multiple other agencies searching for him.”

“He knows how to stay off the radar.”

A knock sounded at the door.

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