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“Stupid pretty FBI agent,” Keith grumbled, which earned him a second glance from Flora.
The waitress appeared with his egg-white omelet and D.D.’s Hungry Man.
D.D. took in her overflowing plate and hummed in approval. She hadn’t been this happy in days.
“So,” she continued, picking up her fork, diving in. “You’re still computer dude. Just don’t worry about Jacob’s laptop, at least not yet. And remember, there are two things we’re looking for.”
“Bones,” Flora spoke up, moving on to the yogurt.
“And Jacob’s cabin where you were first held. Now, are any of us particularly qualified to locate skeletal remains?”
They both shook their heads.
“I think you and Keith should go around with the picture of Jacob’s rig and quiz the locals. You”—she stabbed her fork at Flora—“can see if they recognize his truck. While Keith can look for signs that someone recognizes you.”
“You think someone in Niche might know me.” Now Flora had given up on her food completely.
“There must be a reason Jacob came to the mountains. This isn’t on any trucking route, we haven’t found any houses in his name. Which brings us back to...”
“He had help,” Keith provided. “An accomplice, or at least a friend.”
D.D. nodded. “That’s a theory worth pursuing, especially now that the police have discovered another body linked to Jacob’s MO.”
“He’s not from here,” Flora said slowly. “All his family ties are in Florida. Yet he brought me to the mountains, and probably Lilah Abenito, too. So why northern Georgia? Why this town, this place?”
“And who can answer these questions for us?” Keith concluded.
“Strategy,” D.D. announced, around a mouthful of biscuit. “The trick to surviving a taskforce is to pick your path, play to your strengths, and no matter how much the committee gets in your way, accomplish real work. We didn’t come here to play well with the feds. We came here to learn anything and everything about Jacob Ness. Are we clear?”
Flora and Keith nodded at her.
“I still want to go into the woods tomorrow,” Flora said quietly.
“Why?”
“I just... I need to see. I need to know.”
“Torturing yourself doesn’t accomplish our mission, Flora.”
“I know. But I keep thinking about what Dr. Jackson said. All children just want to go home. If I could find anything, even a single rib, bring that piece of her home...” Flora stared at the table. “I need this.”
“Okay. Tomorrow we play with the taskforce. Then—”
“We go rogue!” Keith burst out.
D.D. stared at him. “You are entirely too excited about that.”
He smiled. “It’s the company I keep.” Then he flickered another glance at Flora that made D.D. shake her head.
