Page 155 of False Flag

He released her, and next, she hugged Jake’s teammates—Solis, Kramer, and Meyers—followed by Xavier and even Luke, who she hadn’t met before this moment.

After introductions were made to Dahlia, Staci realized who was missing. “Where’s Teague?”

“Don’t know,” Jake said. “He was with us at the park, then disappeared as we rounded up Truthers.”

“He went after Osborne, didn’t he?”

Jake gave a vague shrug. “Possible. But he wasn’t there when the FBI showed up. He arrived separately from the team and has his own rental car. He’s also not officially on duty, so as long as he’s back at Virginia Beach when ordered to return, he’s in the clear. Xavier thinks he headed to the Coupeville-Port Townsend ferry to visit Olympic National Park.”

“That’s where he was shot.”

“Yes. It’s also where the three men on his Fire Team were killed.”

“Think he got what he wanted from Osborne?”

“If he did, I doubt we’ll ever know.”

Staci wondered if Vicki could find out, or if she even wanted to.

Chapter Fifty-Seven

They spent that night on Rosalie, anchored in a sheltered bay near Nanaimo. Tomorrow, they would face more questions from Canadian authorities, followed by Jake returning to Whidbey for another round of questioning there.

Beau was still at large, but the island was filled with law enforcement and under satellite surveillance. The only way he might escape was by swimming, which was unlikely given the cold and distance, plus, according to Staci, he wasn’t a strong swimmer.

After all the questioning was complete, probably the day after tomorrow, Jake planned an informal memorial for Lloyd on the beach where they grew up. Everyone who’d provided support over the last weeks would attend, with the exception of Xavier and his family, who were already en route to SeaTac airport for an early flight to DC for Chris and Diana’s marriage ceremony.

An hour ago, Teague had texted Jake to let him know he was camping in Olympic National Park but would return to Skagit County for the memorial.

Jake was thankful the Kalahwamish Tribe was willing to lend them Rosalie a little longer, and that NSWC had granted him extra leave to begin after the official questioning was completed. He and Staci would have a few days of peace before they returned to their lives, where nothing would be the same.

Staci, in particular, had a very different world to navigate after having live-streamed a confession from Gerard and then his killing at the hands of one of his most devoted followers.

Gerard had made a fortune as a purveyor of disinformation and lies. He’d weaponized and monetized a history that had been invented more than a century ago to promote white supremacy.

His violent rhetoric had caught up with him.

Now, Jake lay on his side on the bed in the small stateroom, with Staci tucked against him. They hadn’t made love yet. This was their first quiet, private moment after a long day, and right now, he needed nothing more than to hold her.

He stroked her hair. “Do you think Gerard’s followers will give up pseudoscience after this?”

“Some will, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they flock to someone else. Many of them have invested too much of themselves in identifying with the fandom. No one wants to admit to being duped. Gerard was a cult leader. It’s hard for a follower to just give up closely held beliefs.”

“Is this going to be in your dissertation?”

“It’s hard to think about it right now…but probably? Eventually, I’ll have to look at this through an academic lens. I did have research questions when embarking on this study, but it will take some time to figure out exactly what I learned.”

“Do you need to stay in DC for school?”

“No. My coursework is done. I also think the department is going to grant me leeway considering you managed to detain the man who attacked us on campus.”

“I hope it can be proven that Walt Costner murdered Drew.”

“He had no reason to hide his movements at the time. I bet his phone pinged at the tower closest to Drew’s apartment during the window of time that he was killed.”

“He probably felt extra secure considering he sat next to you at the fundraiser, and you didn’t even have a niggle of recognition.”

“If the spray cans really do have biotoxin mixed in, he and the other Truthers will also face conspiracy and attempted murder charges. No getting around that when they were all caught on film with the cans in their possession.”