Page 12 of Mastermind

I read through the list of names again and immediately see two problems with it.

I realize that Gerald has better things to do than deal with me now, but we need to discuss this list.

CHAPTER SEVEN

SUSPECT ZERO

Gerald is talking to the head of IDR, a broad-shouldered woman in a business suit who has the presence of someone who’s spent time in war zones carrying a machine gun. From the way she stands firm, like a concrete barricade, to the way she grabs Gerald’s elbow—something you pick up on the battlefield to ensure you’re hearing everything your troops tell you—clearly, this woman’s an ex-soldier.

“Jessica,” says Gerald as I approach. “Please meet Vivian Kieren, the director of IDR.”

She firmly shakes my hand. “Blackwood. Pleasure.”

She’s brief and to the point. Why waste time on sentences when a couple of nouns will do?

Gerald sees the list in my hands. “I see you’ve got your assignment.”

“Yes . . . and I’m a little surprised,” I reply, not sure how much I want to say in front of Kieren.

“I had you on a short list before this even came down. It was lucky you were in the area. Well, except for the helicopter. Are you okay?”

“Fine. The pilots did a great job.” I’m about to ask why Gerald put me back in the field, but I catch a glance, more of a flicker of his eyes, in Kieren’s direction. It could be a tic or a symptom of not enough sleep, but I decide to go with my hunch. “I just wanted to say I’m glad to be aboard with you again.”

“Me too,” says Gerald, and his posture relaxes. I wasn’t imagining it. There’s tension here, and I almost said the wrong thing.

“Kieren,” I say to the woman with a nod, then return up the aisle to where Sheppard is texting.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. You?”

“They’re sending some barrels back to the lab at Quantico. Also a truck,” he replies. “That could be interesting.”

“We’ll see.”

I take my seat next to him and text my co-instructors, Simmons and Antonio, telling them I need them to cover for me until I’m done with this. Also, to check if Cortland got out of the handcuffs. A regulation handcuff key won’t work. You really do have to pick them with the pen.

“Jessica, got a second?” Suddenly, Gerald’s standing beside me. “Hey, Sheppard, I’m glad you could bring a team out. Vaslov’s been very helpful. And even happier you survived the chopper ride.”

“Glad to be here, and thanks.” Sheppard sounds like he just got a compliment from the pope.

I can’t tell if Gerald is becoming a more commanding presence or if Sheppard feels he’s been benched too soon. This kind of task force would be under Sheppard’s control if he were really running my old division like Robert Ailes did. God knows what politics are going on behind the scenes.

“See you soon,” I say to Sheppard as I stand to follow Gerald wherever he’s going next.

“Need me to hold the plane?” asks Sheppard.

“She’s got other transportation,” says Gerald as he walks ahead of me out of the auditorium and into a small side room. Inside, he takes a chair on the other side of the table and motions for me to sit.

I hold up the papers I’ve been given.

“What’s going on here?”

“I’m sorry about pulling you back into the field. The situation is complicated.”

“Not that. I don’t know how good I’ll be for you, but I don’t need to see another lesson plan anytime soon.” I raise the list again. “I’m talking about this.”

“What about it?”