Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Finding Harding Fellows turned out to be more difficult than Jane would have thought. The police had no luck rounding him up, and Diego’s search didn’t yield any answers.
The day after that interesting meeting with Rapp’s tattoo friend, while they all sat around the conference table in the office, Diego tried using some new software he’d been fiddling around with the night before. He typed some other details of Fellows into the computer.
Not five minutes later, an address popped up. The residence belonged to Fellows’ sister, who had since moved. Her forwarded mail led them nowhere, so Diego worked some magic with an algorithm he’d developed to find stubborn people.
That led to a home in Kent.
Jane figured the woman would be hesitant to say anything. And she probably would have been on a normal day. Today, though, her brother owed her money, so she gave them a location before they’d had to ask twice. The phone call had lasted maybe two minutes.
“I know where that is,” Jane said, familiar with the area one of her CIs frequented.
“So do I,” Gina said.
“I thought you were new to the area.”
“I’m originally from here. I’ve just moved around a lot. I’ll go with you to grab him.” Oddly, Gina had been acting friendlier than she had in the entire time Jane had known her. Perhaps the woman had finally thawed toward Jane’s presence.
Rapp shook his head. “We’ll have the police pick him up and sit on him. Then you two can have a crack at interrogating him.” He looked from Gina to Jane. “Like I’ve already said, we go around in pairs. Got it?”
“What about you?” Jane asked, annoyed to have a partner. Especially Gina. She much preferred working alone when she could. “Taking Diego with you?”
Rapp nodded and stood, looking down at her. “As a matter of fact, I am.”
Diego looked less than thrilled at the news. “Seriously? Why do I have to go? Where are we going? Will there be food?”
“We’re going to talk to the officers at the station that lost Fellows. I didn’t like their answers yesterday. Maybe today they’ll remember something more. And you didn’t find anything on our end, but maybe in person you’ll see something that makes sense about their jacked-up computers.”
“I hate cops. They have the worst coffee.” Diego continued to complain as Rapp led him out of the room.
Gina stared at Jane. “The eye looks better.”
Jane swallowed a groan. “Does everyone know?”
“I saw it the other day, but I didn’t want to pry.” As always, Gina looked perfectly buttoned up, this time in a dark blue pantsuit. The woman had a grudge against jeans.
Gina added, as if in afterthought, “I’m not sure I like you.”
“Back at you.”
They nodded to each other.
“But we’re on the same team, so we’ll work together,” Gina announced, as if giving Jane no alternative.
Jane appreciated blunt honesty. “What exactly is your problem with me?”
“Other than the fact we were doing just fine before you arrived? You keep annoying Rapp. I like the way he runs things. Don’t screw it up for the rest of us.”
“Rest of who? You and Diego? He seems just fine as long as you keep him full of energy drinks, good coffee, and donuts.”
Gina crossed her arms over her chest. “Your need to be admired and catered to is sad, but I’m chalking it up to your youth and inexperience. Still, you got results, so that’s something.”
Seriously? We’re probably the same age. Jane shook her head. “No, no. Be honest. You’re upset because I found something you didn’t and that bothers you. You’re also irritated with me because you were the only woman here and now you’re not.”
“I’m not intimidated by other women.”
“And you have a thing for Rapp, which now feels threatened. Don’t be. I don’t play where I work. But hey, you do you.”
Gina’s eyes widened, and she flushed. “That’s ridiculous.”
Jane called it like she saw it, and though she hated to stereotype the office romance, she’d seen the way Gina eyed Rapp when he wasn’t looking. “Hey, you’re both good-looking, intelligent people. I’m sure you’d fit well together. I’m only here to help out before I’m back at the main office.”
“Your comments are offensive. I respect Agent Rapp. I’m not in love with the guy.” Gina vibrated with embarrassment, glaring at Jane.
“Tomato, tom-ah-to. I don’t really care. It’s your business.”
“You’re making a mistake. I don’t like you because you’re only out for yourself, taking all the credit while the rest of us do all the work.”
“Look, if you want, I can cheer you on when you find leads and make arrests. Makes no difference to me who finds information as long as we stop this guy from killing again.”
Gina swore under her breath, but Jane heard her all the same. “You’re taking things out of context. I’m a professional.”
“I’m not saying you aren’t. But fixating on me isn’t helping us get the job done. Are we going to find Fellows or not?”
“Oh, we’re going to. Because apparently, I have to babysit the new girl. Cannon, just admit what your power plays are really about. You think you’re better than the rest of us.”
I am better than the rest of you.
Jane surprised herself by not responding.
But she didn’t fight people out of their depth.
Jane had been raised and trained by people who tracked criminals and often killed for a living.
She doubted Gina had had the same coaching, as accomplished as she might be.
Though trying to knock her out might be fun.
After a pause, Jane asked, “Were you in the military prior to the Agency?”
Gina regarded her with caution. “Yes. Air Force.”
“Officer or enlisted?”
With Gina’s attitude, Jane would bet officer.
“I was a captain in Air Force Intelligence.”
“Interesting.”
“And you?”
“Marine captain, Intel as well.” Which in Jane’s mind, despite their similar ranks and specialties, put her several steps above Gina. But she refrained from saying so since the other, more inferior services, had issues with the obviously superior Marine Corps.
“Ah, now I get it.” Gina gave a short laugh. “Knuckle dragger.”
“Air Farce.”
“Jarhead.”
“Chair Force.”
They paused to study each other, and Jane mentally transposed Gina’s business suit with Air Force dress blues and imagined her lounging at work while drinking gourmet coffee and snacking on imported beignets.
She had a feeling Gina was doing the same, envisioning Jane in camouflage utilities digging in the dirt and eating decade-old MREs.
“It would seem we have more in common than not.” Gina spoke calmly, ice frosting her words.
“Like the fact that we don’t want to wait for Harding Fellows to be picked up by someone else. And for the record, I don’t need a babysitter.”
Gina scoffed. “Oh, I know. I heard all about how you took down our suspect with just your pinkie finger to save the day. Superhuman strength in addition to that giant brain, huh, Cannon?”
“Just smart is all. And highly capable in hand-to-hand.” Jane wondered how fast she could take Gina down, maybe choke her out in a neck hold. The idea held more and more appeal the longer Gina talked.
Gina eyed her warily. “Look. Just do your job without being a glory hound and you won’t have to worry about me.”
Jane hadn’t looked forward to working with anyone on this task force, but Gina made it difficult to be enthused about even tracking down Fellows. “Great. Perfect. You’re awesome, and I wish I could be you. Happy now?”
Gina’s thunderous expression told Jane they weren’t mending any fences, so Jane added without caring, “Now how about you call the precinct tracking Fellows while I talk to my CIs about him? They might have new info we can use. Unless you’d prefer I not call useful contacts, in case I actually get information that would help us solve the case, and, you know, make your bestie Rapp happy. ”
“I really don’t like you.” Gina stormed out of the conference room to her desk.
Planning to spend as little time with Gina as she had to, Jane checked in with her CIs and found out the police were out in force looking for Fellows, who appeared to be on the run.
With any luck, they’d grab him soon. Because spending more time with Gina worried Jane. At this rate, she’d turn into her cousin and punch the woman in the face.
For once, Jane envied her cousin’s ability to say to hell with the rules and go with her gut. But she doubted Rapp would be too happy to come back and find Gina passed out on the floor, her fancy suit all messed up.
As Jane left the conference room, she ignored Gina’s glare. She went back to her notes on the victims, and prayed they got word on Fellows before Gina ended up jumping on her last nerve.