Page 40 of Flash Freeze

“Yeah—things I suck at. I couldn’t take her on one of those adventures,” Athena complained. “I’d end up riding home in an ambulance.”

“There’s this indoor rock-climbing place,” Cam said. “They have safety harnesses and instructors, beginner courses—and more advanced challenges. I’ll bet she’d love to show off for you, and she’d be so proud of you for trying it. Doesn’t she engage in activities you enjoy to please you?”

Athena thought for a moment. One day they’d rented bicycles and ridden the whole Buffalo Bayou Park Trail. Despite Flash setting a leisurely pace, Athena had needed to stop and rest several times. It had been a gorgeous day, and then they’d visited the Downtown Aquarium. The next day, Athena could hardly get out of bed, and her muscles had been sore for nearly a week. It’s because I’m out of shape, she thought. Flash didn’t mention it, but afterward always suggested more sedentary activities, like going to shows and concerts. She was always so eager to please Athena and operate within her comfort zone.

“Yeah. You know what I should do,” Athena proposed. “I should join a gym or a yoga class or something to get in better shape. I’m not that old, not ready for a walker. When I first joined the Bureau, I worked out all the time. It hasn’t been until this last promotion, when I spend most of my time in the office, that I’ve not had the need, or the time, to stay in shape. I should challenge myself to do things Flash likes. I’ve probably avoided it because I know I can’t keep up, much less compete. It’s time to swallow my ego and think about her. Indoor rock climbing? Safety harnesses?”

“Yep!”

She could feel Cam’s grin.

Waiting for her food to arrive, Athena thought about their conversation and her own desire to move in together with Flash. Would that place her in a kingpin’s crosshairs as much as marriage would? She’d just helped shut down a multimillion-dollar smuggling ring, locking up most of the operators. Would they have associates or relatives looking for payback? Am I more of a danger to Flash than the fires she fights? The thought bounced around inside her like a lone cue ball off every bumper on the table.

Chapter 19

Tuesday, February 10

“Good morning, Agent Paulson, Howard,” Athena greeted in a measured tone as she glided into the situation room. She felt like shouting, “Hallelujah!” but it wouldn’t fit the persona she’d spent years cultivating. She wore a lightweight skirt-suit with a paisley blouse because it had been unseasonably hot when she woke up.

Winter storm, she inwardly grumbled. Snow and ice. She’d seen the radar as the cold front pushed across Arizona and New Mexico, headed southeast behind the fleeing high-pressure system. She resigned herself to the inevitability of what was about to transpire.

“Good morning, boss!” John Paulson smiled up at her from his wheelchair at his station. CEO Whitmore might be stingy with technology, but the FBI gave Paulson every device and gadget known to man, and he knew how to use them. “Counterfeiters are now wrapped up with a bow, and the DA says it’s a slam dunk. Which felons do I need to pursue today?”

Athena laid a folder in front of him. “Deep financial dives into all these players in our current investigation and then head down to the tech department. They have some charred computer fragments and the remains of a book that I’m hoping you can pull data from. Gulf Allied Chemicals’ CEO, the first name on your list, doesn’t believe in investing money in cloud accounts.”

“Jeez,” Paulson groaned. “I thought you were investigating eco-terrorist groups.”

“We’re going where the breadcrumbs take us.”

Paulson nodded. “If any part of a drive is recoverable, I’ll get something.”

Athena turned to the room, now populated by her entire team—except Agent Shoops and her joint investigation detective, Elyan Bach. Her jaw clenched.

“Ice, Hernandez, reinterview this list of employees,” she said, crossing the room to hand Agent Ice a page that included purchasing manager Elena Ortega. “You know the new focus. There had to be an inside man or woman, and somebody was embezzling from the company. Find out who. Howard and Campbell, go check in with the fire marshal’s office and see if you can get back in the building. Search every inch of every floor, every employee’s locker, every trash can.” She handed him a warrant.

Athena glanced up and blinked when Bach and Shoops walked in. Karen was giggling over her coffee-to-go cup. Ignoring the behavior, Athena directed, “Agent Shoops, get onto reviewing and monitoring Keaton Walsh’s phone. The warrant has been in force since six o’clock last evening. I need to know what he and Buchanan have been talking about. The carrier should have routed the data to the FBI monitoring station.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She hurried to her desk and booted up her computer.

Athena tilted her head at Bach. “My office. I need whatever HPD has turned up.” With a guilty glance at Karen, he followed her … at a distance.

Everyone spent the morning focused on their tasks. Shoops reported that Walsh had spoken briefly with Buchanan twice, once last night and again this morning. Neither said anything incriminating. Walsh sounded scared and upset, while his lawyer aunt assured him everything would be fine. “Who cares what we talk about at family BBQs?” Buchanan charged. “You haven’t broken the law, and Amanda had nothing to do with the bombing or fire. The FBI might breathe down your neck for a day or two, but they’ll move on. They just want to catch the people responsible for the bomb and the subsequent deaths.” When Walsh expressed concern about getting fired, Buchanan said, “Don’t worry about it. That plant will be forced to close within the year, Keaton. We’ll find you a better situation.”

Ice and Hernandez called around lunchtime to check in, and Campbell and Howard returned.

“We dropped off some evidence bags with the lab,” Campbell said. “We found a few wrenches in the janitor’s closet in the basement. They weren’t bloody, but maybe the lab guys will pull some DNA.”

“The fire marshal’s office said they’ve consulted with the city and a structural engineer,” Howard said as he poured a cup of coffee from the station in the corner. “They’ve determined there’s no further risk of collapse, and the company is cleared to make repairs. They’ve given them a green light to resume production, but no one is allowed back in the damaged office building until the repairs are complete and an inspector has signed off on it.”

Athena’s stomach complained. She hadn’t slept well last night; she seldom did when Flash wasn’t beside her. And she’d only had coffee and a bagel this morning—hardly a breakfast of champions. She was about to send Shoops on a lunch run when Paulson spun his chair with a triumphant expression.

“I’ve got something.”

Curiosity and hope spurred Athena on, and she walked over to him while he elaborated.

“CEO Charles Whitmore is in much better financial shape than his company,” he reported. “He’s got all the offshore bank accounts you’d expect, takes a big cut of Gulf Allied’s profits. His wealth could be inflated from kickbacks and skimming, but, if so, it isn’t obvious. He’s paid out hundreds of thousands in fines, which is but a pittance. Most of his wealth comes from inherited land, gold bars, domestic and foreign properties, and profits from his newer production plants. Still, if his Houston facility got shut down, it would hurt his reputation as well as his pocketbook.”

Athena frowned. She was hoping for a smoking gun. “What about recent money transfers? Anything big that might point to hiring an arsonist? His plant is insured for the fire damage.”