Page 44 of Flynn

“Not yet, but we’re working on that,” Travis said. “We have to go through some red tape to get the access we need.”

Of course, they did, he thought with a sigh. Nothing was ever easy. “Will you let us know if you find something?” Sensing a lack of enthusiasm to share information from the pair of agents, he added, “Maybe Taylor will remember some snippet of conversation if you find something specific.”

Travis Goldberg scratched his chin. “Okay, sure. We’ll keep you in the loop.”

“We’ll need your contact information,” Sally said.

“No, you can reach us through Brady Finnegan,” Cassidy said, joining the conversation for the first time. “I’m sure you can understand the need to keep Ms. Templeton off-grid.”

Travis’s face flushed. “Despite what happened outside, we are not the bad guys here. We did not leak any information about this interview. We didn’t even know anything about this case until a few hours ago.”

Flynn held the agent’s gaze. “I understand your perspective, but what would you think in our shoes?” He leaned forward. “There have been multiple attacks against Ms. Templeton in the past few hours. We just met you. You can’t expect instant trust.”

Sally grimaced and nodded. “Okay, okay. Let’s call a truce. As Travis said, we’re not the bad guys. But you have a right to be wary. If we need to speak with Ms. Templeton again, or if we uncover additional information, we will go through Finnegan to reach you.”

“Thanks,” Cassidy said.

“Yes, thanks.” Flynn decided it would be best to smooth things over. “We appreciate everything you’re doing on this.”

Mollified, Travis rose and offered his hand. Flynn accepted the handshake peace offering, as did Taylor and Cassidy. After they all bid their goodbyes, the two agents and Ian the tech expert all left the room.

Brady appeared a moment later. “How did it go?”

“Surprisingly well,” Flynn had to admit. He was finding it difficult to imagine Travis and Sally as dirty cops. Maybe he was being naïve, but they came across as earnest and anxious to get to the bottom of this nightmare. “They’re heading out to Peabody Lake to see if anyone is at the residence.”

“And to talk to the neighbors,” Cassidy said. “I have a feeling that will be their best way to get information.” She grinned. “You know how nosy some neighbors are.”

Brady laughed. “True.” Then his expression turned somber. “Rhy, Doug, and I have a plan to get you out of here.”

“Glad to hear it.” Flynn was relieved to have support from the Finnegan family. Doug Bridges was also a great guy to have on their side. Bridges had been instrumental in helping Roscoe protect Libby a few months ago.

He trusted these men and women with his life and, more importantly, with Taylor’s too.

“We’ll take my car out of here,” Brady said, leading them through the building. Flynn noticed they were not heading out the main doors where they’d come in. “We’ll leave the vehicle you arrived in out front. Doug has his vehicle, too, and he’ll leave ahead of us.” He frowned, then added, “I thought for now we’d rendezvous with Rhy at the City Central Hotel. I’ve asked Bax Scala to reserve the suite through the DA’s office.”

Flynn glanced at Taylor who eyed him curiously. “Is that the same City Central Hotel we stayed in with Sienna, Bailey, and Zeke?”

“Yeah, it is.” Flynn had been grazed by a bullet there too. “I know the plan was to avoid going back there, and they wouldn’t likely want us back either, but with the room being registered by the DA’s office, we should have the anonymity we need.”

“Bax is our brother-in-law,” Brady explained. “He’s also the assistant district attorney. They use the City Central for witnesses all the time.”

“From there, we’ll find somewhere else to go,” Flynn added, when Taylor still looked concerned. “We just need a temporary meeting place.”

Brady hesitated outside a door that appeared to have an alarm built in. “Ready?” He used his ID badge to disarm the security system. “Doug is outside waiting for us.”

Flynn nodded, his gut tightening as Brady pushed through the door. Cassidy went next. He nudged Taylor to follow Cass, sticking close behind her.

Doug was indeed standing outside in the cold. He gestured to the two vehicles parked within a short distance of the door. “Let’s go.”

A few minutes later, they were out on the street, leaving the Bureau via the back exit. Flynn and Taylor were in the back seat, and he scanned the area as Brady drove.

There was nothing to see. No surprise the shooter had vanished as quickly as he’d popped up.

“Do you really think agents Travis and Sally will let us know what they find out?” Taylor asked. “I always heard the feds weren’t good about cooperating with local cops.”

“Hey, I always cooperate with the locals,” Brady said defensively. “We get a bad rap because of a few TV shows.”

Taylor flushed. “Yeah, sorry. I have to admit that until today I’ve never met a federal agent in person.”

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