“With all due respect,” Agent Ross spoke up, “maybe before we put an agent and our HRT guys in harm’s way, we should try a hostage negotiator.”
“No way,” Kessler said. “Abigail knows every trick in the book. She did some negotiating herself. It would be a waste of time. She would toy with us. Let’s quit arguing and get to work.”
After the other agents left, Maya approached Kessler.“You have a minute? I need to tell you about what Josh found out in Wyoming. Just between us and Pops.”
“Sure,” Kessler said.
Pops went and closed the door and then Maya filled him in, finishing with, “Do you think you could find out more about Nick’s partner, Aaron?”
“I can try,” Kessler said. “That’s starting to get above my pay grade since it’s another agency. But when I talk to my supervisor about this plan with Bernardo, I’ll ask and see what I can do.”
“Thanks,” Maya said. Pops added in his thanks too. She thought about their plan. Would it work? Or were they all getting desperate and tired?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Once Maya finished talking with Kessler, she headed back out to her vehicle. They were all leaving in about ten minutes to start the drive over to Stone Creek Falls and the visitor center. They’d checked with the fire command and would be able to use some roads that were closed. The fire was contained on that side of the forest where the prescribed burn had helped stop the flames. Closer to the visitor center was another story. The fire command wasn’t thrilled that they were heading into that area since winds had shifted and what was once a voluntary evacuation was now mandatory.
Maya had overheard Kessler arguing with whoever was in charge. Kessler had finally said that they would accept the risk and hung up. Maya had to agree. They couldn’t stay away when Hope was being held in a building where she was in danger from both Abigail and the fire. Maya didn’t know which one was more lethal, but she was leaning toward Abigail.
Josh and Deputy Wilson arrived as Maya was getting Juniper out to let her run around and take care of business before they headed out. Josh parked and came over to Maya. He wrapped her in his armsand then gave her a gentle kiss. What she wouldn’t give to be away with him right now, just the two of them. That would mean this was all over, Hope would be safe and Maya could find out why Josh was nervous. She had to think that everything would turn out okay. Although, she was also realistic that things might not turn out well. With Abigail you never knew, and deep down, that scared her.
Pushing that thought aside, Maya updated him on the plan with Agent Bernardo pretending to be Eric and trying to distract Abigail so the HRT could get to Hope.
“Did you tell Kessler what I found out?” he asked.
“I did,” Maya said. “I’m worried he’s going to share the information with his guys since he now thinks Abigail’s partner is a marshal.”
“You don’t think he should?”
“I don’t know,” Maya said. She paused and then continued, “When I was in Afghanistan, I would get funny feelings. Sometimes it was that a mission was going to go well. Other times it was that it wasn’t. Intuition. Maybe that’s what it was. Whatever it was though, it always seemed like I was right. The night I lost Zinger, I had a really bad feeling. I have that same feeling right now. I know what Andrea told you this morning, but I still don’t trust anyone. I think all personal files should be looked at before we share information outside of our core group.”
“Then tell Kessler,” Josh encouraged. “He respects you.”
“I know,” Maya said. “I’ll try to get him alone andtalk to him. He feels confident that his guys are trustworthy.”
“It looks like everyone is leaving,” Josh said, nodding toward Kessler’s black SUV pulling out of the lot. “Let’s follow and see if we can get Kessler alone before this op starts.”
“I’ll be behind you,” Maya said, pulling him down for one more kiss. What would she do without him?
Maya followed the others toward the Stone Creek Falls visitor center. Who could they trust? What if Bernardo was Abigail’s partner and using this as an excuse to get inside and give her information? But Bernardo seemed genuine when it came to wanting to help find Hope. If it was Aaron who wanted to go in, Maya would put her foot down with Kessler. She wanted to find out more information about him.
Juniper had her head sticking through the compartment door into the cab. She could always feel Maya’s emotions—sometimes better than Maya herself. Right now, the Mal had a serious expression and every now and then gave a whine in anticipation.
The wind was light and luckily, at the moment, pushing the fire away from the visitor center. The drive seemed slow, the clock ticking, and every second Hope was in more danger. Nick and Aaron were in front of her. Aaron had stayed quiet while she was trying to figure out where Hope was being kept. Maybe Nick had talked with him.
Then there was Hope’s dad. He had continued to hang around, but he also was distant, although he’ddecided to join Nick and Aaron. Maya really didn’t like him, but other than being a jerk, he hadn’t done anything suspicious. But he was still on the list of suspects in Maya’s mind. Would he turn on his own daughter with Abigail? She didn’t want to believe that, but had to keep it open as a possibility. But if the woman Josh talked to this morning was to be believed, then Abigail’s partner was a marshal. Officers switched agencies all the time, though. And sometimes they were deputized by other agencies for jurisdictional reasons. She really wanted to find out more about all these guys, including Kessler’s agents.
Maya tried to slow her thoughts and focus on the task at hand—to see if they could find Hope and get her to safety. Then they could tackle arresting Abigail and figuring out her partner’s identity.
They all drove into a parking lot that was about a quarter mile away from the visitor center and hopefully out of sight of Abigail. The parking lot was a trailhead that would normally be full this time of year, but thanks to the fire, there wasn’t a single person. For Maya it was eerie and her stomach flip-flopped again. This whole idea didn’t feel right.
She gave Juniper a scratch behind her ears and then stepped out of her vehicle to join the group. Her feet were heavy. Heart pounding. The smell of smoke was strong and even though the wind was pushing the fire away from them for now, there was still a layer of air that was almost gray. The haze made visibility difficult and Maya’s eyes stung.
The other agents had formed a circle as they discussed the plan. Agent Kessler had somehow managed to get blueprints of the building and had them spread out on the hood of his vehicle. Maya hung back, observing them. Looking for anything unusual or even usual like someone on their phone. Assuming Abigail’s partner wasn’t Bernardo, then he would be in danger. If her partner alerted her to the plan, he would be walking into a trap.
“Thompson,” Kessler said, jolting her from her thoughts. She joined him and he said, “Which room has the painting and probably Hope?”
Maya worked to visualize the building. It was funny how you could have been somewhere many times, but when you needed specific details, the brain was as hazy as the air outside. She studied the blueprints for a minute, orienting herself. “There. It’s the break room. It’s in the back, not open to visitors, and is an interior room with no windows. It’s a smart place to keep her.”
