Smoke and Mirrors

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When Brad arrived, Winter and Alexa went out to talk to him.

“My father found an entry wound in the left side of Jacob’s head. He excised the section of scalp,” Brad said.

“Alexa spoke to her boss,” Winter told Brad.

“Well, he is and he isn’t my boss,” Alexa said. “He is a deputy FBI director, but not for my branch. He’s counterterrorism.”

She filled Brad in on her conversation with Hatcher.

“So,” Brad said, “what does that mean? Klein is important to our nation’s counterterrorism efforts?”

“Klein has serious sway,” Alexa said. “We go after him, and hell will look like heaven.”

“This is a little unsettling,” Brad said. “So if he’s in on this, I can’t arrest him?”

“You can do what you please, but they won’t hold Klein accountable,” Alexa said. “And certain people could make sure you regret arresting him, if you do.”

“It’s like that sometimes,” Winter said. “Nothing to do about it. But we don’t know that Klein’s aware of what Mulvane’s been up to. Men like Klein are accustomed to saying they want something to happen while men like Mulvane make sure it does.”

“So you’re telling me that nobody pays for killing Sherry Adams?”

“No,” Winter said, looking out at the spot where the young woman had fallen on the cold hard stones. “Somebody is definitely going to pay for that.”