Chapter Five #3
“No,” he confirmed. “But her brother-in-law is dead, and her sister is missing. She’s looking for answers.
” Camden tossed and caught the football.
“You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t walk through hell to find information about your family.
” He already knew Amanda had lived through a wild ride of her own more than once and had done a few things that some might see as illogical.
But she’d had her reasons. Camden wasn’t sure about Shah but would bet he would do the same.
He dropped into a swivel chair. “I don’t blame her. ”
The three of them sat with their thoughts. The only sound that broke the silence was the hum of the technology that surrounded them and the repetitive clap of Camden toying with the football.
“She had no idea?” Shah asked.
“Of her family’s involvement in the CIA?” He scoffed. “Didn’t sound like it.”
“That’s one hell of a way to find out.”
Camden clapped the football between his hands. “I want to know more about what happened in Arlington.”
Amanda moved to a computer terminal adjacent to Shah. “We could poke around and see what there is to see.”
“I already tried,” Camden admitted.
Both Shah and Amanda grinned like his effort was adorable but Camden shouldn’t question the experts at work. “I don’t want to get you guys in trouble.”
“It’s just research,” Amanda said.
“And here I thought I was the impulsive one.”
“This isn’t your impulsivity.” Amanda’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “It’s scratching a professional itch.”
Shah scooted to his computer. “I’m curious too. Let’s see what there is to see.”
Camden’s curiosity was multiplying to a level beyond what he would admit. He rolled his chair behind Shah.
The man looked back over his shoulder and said, “Give me room to work.”
Amanda leaned back from her keyboard. “There’s something about the Dumonts’ handler that’s been redacted. There’s another point of contact, but I’m not sure how long they’ve been connected.”
“Do you recognize the name?” Shah asked.
“No.” She clicked her mouse a few times and typed again. “Nothing but a profile of an up-and-coming socialite who—” Amanda scrolled. “Get this. Beth Tourne seems to love ritzy, glitzy parties and expensive things.” She turned toward them. “Like art.”
Camden’s eyebrows inched up. “Seems like that would be a good connection for an art history professor and her auction-house husband to know.”
“Seems like,” Amanda agreed.
As the door opened, Jared Westin strode in, trailed by his bulldog. Their boss didn’t look pleased. Then again, he never did. “Thelma, sit.” Thelma plopped at his boots. “What are you three getting into?”
“We got a call yesterday—”
“Yeah. I know. What are you getting into now?”
There was a good chance that Boss Man already knew exactly what they were doing, not because he listened in on their conversations or spied on their devices but because he had a scarily uncanny ability to know everything all the time. It never worked out in Camden’s favor.
“Snooping around,” Shah explained with a casualness that Camden wished would disappear.
At the very least, Shah could have made their snooping sound like research.
Boss Man snorted.
“Do you know Beth Tourne?” Amanda asked.
His molars ground. Camden wished both she and Shah would shut their traps.
“Why?”
She clucked. “That wasn’t an answer, Boss Man.”
Jared’s scowl softened the slightest degree.
He wasn’t that much older than they were, but he managed to have an old-soul air about him.
He also managed to look pissed off most of the time, which made it hard to decipher when he was really irritated.
As far as Camden could guess, Jared was actually that irritated all the time.
But he didn’t like to be around to find out.
“Beth Tourne?” Jared’s square jaw ticked. “CIA?”
Amanda nodded.
“What do you know?” Jared asked. “Why are you asking?”
Camden noted that he hadn’t given an answer as to whether he knew Beth Tourne. Anyone could have guessed they were speaking of someone on the CIA’s payroll.
“She hasn’t been with them long,” Amanda shared. “Likely establishing a cover.”
“A cover as what?”
“Something froufrou with DC movers and shakers.”
Jared grimaced. “Yeah, no. We haven’t crossed paths.
” He turned his attention to Camden, who readied himself for a lecture in which the moral of the story would tell him to focus on work and ignore anything else shouting for his attention.
Instead, Jared narrowed his eyes. “If the lady calls again, don’t hang up on her on my account. ”
With that, Jared left.
The group waited a minute after the door shut behind him before anyone spoke.
“He knows more than he’s letting on,” Shah said.
“Always does,” Amanda agreed.
Maybe that was true, but that wasn’t what was making energy gather in Camden’s chest. She might call again. His phone buzzed with a notification from Parker Black. Camden swiped the message open and read. His jaw fell open.
“What?” Shah inched closer. “Your face says about a hundred things, and I’m too nosy to wait for you to share.”
He lifted his screen. “Parker sent Amelia Stone’s contact information.”