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“Mahalo,” Marcus said, then he looked at Tamilya. “Anything else?”
She shook her head. “This gives us a little bit of info. Again, as Marcus said, let us know if you hear anything else.”
“No problem, sista.”
They didn’t talk as they walked back to the vehicle. Marcus didn’t know what it all meant. Golubev seemed to be a regular idiot, too much money, and the kind of mouth that ended up getting him killed. Marcus hoped that was all there was to it.
They were halfway back to the office when Tamilya finally said something. “There’s something there that’s bothering me.”
“What?”
“First, the mention of Virginia Star Mall bombing. That’s odd.”
He nodded. “I agree with that,” he said as they ground to a halt thanks to traffic.
Friday afternoon was a crap time to make a trip back into Honolulu, or anywhere else on the island for that matter. People on the mainland said Happy Aloha Friday, and Hawaiians lived it.
“What does his death have to do with any of this?” Tamilya asked out loud. It wasn’t a question for him, he knew that. He’d worked with her in the past, and he knew the way she processed information. She brooded for a bit.
She pulled out her phone and began scrolling.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m looking for the background on Golubev. There was something on there about civilian targets.”
He sighed with relief when the traffic started moving again, giving him enough room to take the Pali Highway exit.
“Yeah, here it is. His parents died in a terrorist attack, by a Chechen. He supports terrorist attacks against federal and state facilities but will not help anyone who wants to attack civilians.”
“Then linking his name to the Virginia Star Mall bombing makes no sense. That targeted civilians.”
She grunted and it made Marcus smile. He knew that most people would look at a woman like Tamilya with her fine bone structure and beauty and think she would never do anything like grunt when irritated.
“It was a fine line. Adrien Popov left notes that said he picked it because the large number of military families that used the mall. It was the closest mall to Belvoir.”
“True,” he said, turning onto the street that led to their headquarters. Popov had been considered the planner and sole perpetrator. “I’ll do a little hunting around for connections between the two of them.”
“Okay. Let me get hold of Autumn and call off our night out together.”
“Nah, let me take care of it. First, I think this is just a scam.”
“A scam?”
“Yeah. Sure, he was here, but he wouldn’t show up where he’s going to do a job. He’s not the type to get his hands dirty. He’s the kind that would hire people and then sit back and enjoy the pain he inflicted.”
“You’re right. Damn.”
“No, it might mean we are off the hook. If there is no terrorism involved, maybe he was just stupid enough to get himself caught in some kind of scam. He’s the kind of guy who would get catfished.”
She snorted. “True. So, I’m still going to do my dinner, but if something comes up, I want you to text me. I don’t want to shirk my duties.”
He pulled to a stop at a light. “No worries, Tammy. Go out and have fun. Hopefully, I can put this to bed tonight. If it is an old-fashioned murder case, we’ll be done with it in no time. In fact, we can lob it back to the FBI to handle.”
She offered him a smile, and he felt like he’d won the lottery. For a smile. Not a grin or a laugh. But a freaking smile that she probably offered other people, but rarely gave him one. Not these days, at least. He realized that he was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles ached. He used to be a player. He’d have women lined up begging for a date. Then…it changed.
Tamilya. They were sitting at a light and he glanced over at her. She noticed and looked up.
“What?”
