Page 31 of Dead Fall (The Quantico Files 2)

16

Alex’s breath caught in her throat. “What ... How can you know that?” she asked Kaely.

“This UNSUB knows too much, Alex, and we concluded that he likes to show his superiority to us. Getting next to us, having a minion watch us ... It fits his profile.”

She tried to process what that meant. “So he ... he could be someone in the Bureau? I guess we’d decided he could be getting information from someone on the inside, but you think it’s more than that? That he’s ... physically close by?”

Kaely nodded, then dropped her gaze to the folder again. “And we’re right about thinking our UNSUB is specifically targeting people who work for the BAU.”

They’d already decided that. This information wasn’t new. “The BAU has five different units,” Alex said. “Is he going after all of them? Or just ours?”

Kaely stared quietly at the empty chair across from her. After a long pause, she said, “I believe he’s got a specific target in mind. An endgame, if you will. He’s already chosen each victim.” She sighed and looked at Alex. “He chose Monty because he wanted us to see him. To watch him work. Honestly, I think it’s because someone in our unit is next. That’s just a guess, but I can’t think of any other reason for him to target Monty. Jeff must have suspected this same thing, or he wouldn’t have moved our unit here.” Kaely yawned. “Look, it’s late. We need some sleep. Maybe this will seem clearer tomorrow. My brain’s too tired to do much good tonight.”

Alex was tired too, so sleep sounded good. But she was turning everything Kaely said over in her mind, trying to digest it.

“Like I said before, go ahead and shower first,” Kaely said.

“No, you go.” Alex pulled her laptop out of her bag and put it on the table. “I want to contact Logan.”

“I wouldn’t do that, Alex,” Kaely said sharply, making Alex jump. “We can’t be sure our email accounts are safe.”

Of course. What was she thinking? “You’re right. Guess I’m sleepier than I realized.” She put the laptop back. Better safe than sorry. “Before you take a shower, though, one thing is bothering me.”

Kaely smiled. “Just one thing? This whole case bothers me.”

Alex nodded in agreement. “You mentioned our UNSUB wanted to make sure we saw him when he called Monty. He wanted our personal attention. Why? Why not do something that would attract the attention of everyone in BAU 4?”

Kaely stared at her, her eyes wide. “You’re right. I should have seen it. He’s figured out every step methodically. He went after Monty because he knew we would all be together.” She shook her head slowly. “It’s us. Logan, Monty, you, and me.”

“But what if Jeff had assigned a different team?” Alex said. “How could he know the four of us would be assigned to this?”

“Are you saying Jeff had something to do with it?”

Alex shook her head. “Absolutely not. It was probably the luck of the draw. This could have happened to any team he put together.”

“He went after Monty because he needed someone quickly, and Monty was the most vulnerable,” Kaely said thoughtfully. “If the team had been a different group, he would have chosen someone else easy to get to.” She sighed. “Monty’s grandmother was what stuck out. An easy kill. I still believe he wanted to show us he could get to us, and that’s why his MO changed. It finally makes sense.” She looked at Alex. “And now he has us. He knows who I am. And he knows who you are. That only leaves Logan.”

“Should we call him now?” Alex asked.

“I don’t know. It’s late, and I’m sure he’s tired.” She lightly slapped her forehead. “I just remembered I promised Noah I’d contact him when I got here.” She shoved her hand into the pocket of her jeans, then quickly drew it out, her hand empty. “Shoot. I don’t have a phone.”

“They have landlines downstairs. They should be safe. Check with someone first, though.”

“Right. I’d forgotten.” Kaely sighed again. “I’d better call him, or he’ll start to worry.”

“Where does he work?”

“He’s an instructor in the Practical Applications Unit.”

“Wow. He’s got to be proficient in several areas to teach that class.” That unit offered training exercises, firearms expertise, interviewing and investigative techniques, and arrest training.

“He is.” Kaely smiled. “I worked with him in St. Louis before we both came here. I did everything wrong, but somehow he fell in love with me anyway.” She stood. “You know what? I’ll go ahead and stop by Logan and Monty’s room after I talk to Noah. I don’t want to upset Logan by keeping this until tomorrow. I think I’ve offended him a time or two, and I’d rather not do it again. I’ll tell him what we suspect. I’ll be back in a bit.”

She hurried out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

Alex was left to ponder what they’d discussed. Was it true? Was the UNSUB planning to go after one of them? Why? Was it Kaely? She and Logan weren’t important or well-known. Yes, she got some attention a couple of times, but those stories had faded. The Bureau didn’t like their agents to be in the spotlight, so no more occasions for the press to talk to her had been provided after the most recent article. She was angry to realize that Monty was just a convenience. The easiest one to get to. No wonder the UNSUB changed his MO. She should have seen it. He always seemed to be one step ahead of them.

She waited a couple of minutes, making sure Kaely didn’t come back right away. Then she got up from the bed and sat down at the table. She opened the file Kaely brought with her. She’d seen Kaely do this twice now. Could she do it herself? She wanted to find out.

---