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Metcalf abruptly turned and stepped away. He raised his phone to his ear.
“You were right,” Cassalas said to Kendra. “That phone call saved his life.”
The shovel came down again. There was a white flash, a burst of static, and…
Nothing. The recording was over.
The agents huddled around the monitor were silent.
“Impressions?” Griffin finally said.
After a long moment, Kendra finally spoke. “Barrett didn’t put that bomb there. That charge was set during the last few days.”
The agents turned and just stared at her.
“What makes you say that?” Griffin asked.
She leaned toward the tech supervisor. “Rewind this to where Barrett is pointing out the site.”
He scanned back the video and let it play from the spot she indicated.
“Watch Barrett here,” Kendra pointed out. “It’s been a couple of years, so he may not remember everything exactly. But something’s not right. You can see it on his face. And watch him when the first shovel comes down and seems to hit something metallic. I’m guessing it’s the bomb’s strike plate. He’s more surprised than anyone. Barrett isn’t expecting that.”
“Maybe,” Cassalas said.
Kendra leaned toward the tech supervisor again. “Show from when everyone leaves their cars.”
He scanned back and played the scene.
Kendra pointed toward several places in the overgrown brush. “Look here. Several broken bush branches. The brush has been disturbed. These are all fresh breaks. There are no hiking trails around here. No hunting. Whoever came out here had only one thing in mind: setting this bomb to go off when Barrett brought the police and FBI out here. This bomb was set in the last few days.”
Griffin slowly nodded. “It’s certainly something to consider.”
“You’ll need to do more than consider it,” Kendra said flatly. “I hate to destroy the neat little picture you were going to present to the media of Barrett killing himself and taking all those agents with him. But I’m afraid there’s still a mass murderer out there, Griffin.”
***
It was almost dark when Cassalas walked Kendra back to the parking lot to retrieve her Toyota. “I believe we covered the entire area, and we didn’t find out that much,” Cassalas said ruefully. “I guess we’ll have to wait for lab results and then put it all together.”
“Perhaps not,” Kendra said. “Maybe we’ll manage to do it ourselves. Once we put what we saw and sensed and felt together.” She shrugged. “Andthenwe might have to go to the lab. It could go either way.”
“You seemed to be very certain when you were talking to Griffin earlier. I know he shut you down right away, but he never likes to be told what to do.” His eyes were narrowed on her face. “But that wasn’t the first time today you were very intense while you were looking over the scene. Are you shutting me out, Kendra?”
“No, I’m trying to make sure you’re going to keep your job. Griffin isn’t very fond of me, and I don’t really know anything at the moment. He wouldn’t be pleased if we came up with anything that might be controversial without being able to substantiate it. I’ll have to think about everything we saw and researched and let it come to me.” She had reached her car and she turned to face him. “But when it does, I promise I’ll share it. Now go away and find a buddy to drink with tonight. Lift a glass to all those men and women who nearly broke our hearts while we were down in that crater today.”
“Want to come along? You might qualify as a buddy.”
“Thanks, but I’ve got to do a little more research. It’s obvious Griffin is going to take some convincing. I believe I can do it, but I need to look over those shots of the terrain and maybe bring in a tracking expert or two.”
He was still lingering. “Controversial? You’re the one who made it controversial. Griffin and several other agents were convinced it was an open-and-shut case when Barrett blew himself and our people to kingdom come.”
“Which is why Griffin was edgy about exposing the Bureau to criticism today. We’ll just have to be a little careful.”
“Yeah? Like you were right before you left him this morning, or later when we looked over those videos?” He was grinning as he lifted his hand. “Not that I object. He’s not my favorite person. But I wouldn’t have done it.”
Kendra watched him as he strolled across the parking lot and started back down the hill. Cassalas was a good guy and he had been very helpful easing the way for her with all the detectives and forensics techs today. It had made her even more eager to keep him out of Griffin’s bad books. She hated corporate politics in any form, and she was lucky enough not to have to pay any attention to it either in her role as a music therapist, or when she dealt occasionally with the FBI. But people like Cassalas and Metcalf had to handle it constantly and risk not only their lives but their livelihoods on a daily basis. It was too bad that they didn’t have the freedom to—
“Your car or mine?”
