Chapter 29

Phone in hand,Avery dialed the familiar number. She was taking a huge risk, going against Mason’s direct orders to stay off the grid until the team returned. But she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling she was missing a giant piece of the puzzle.

She took a deep breath as the phone rang, trying to calm her nerves. She hadn’t spoken to Dima Mathison in years, not since they had graduated from the academy together. At NATS they had bonded over their struggles with the physical training, pushing each other to keep going when their bodies screamed for them to quit.

Dima had excelled at cybersecurity. Avery had always admired her determination, her refusal to give up no matter how tough things got. And now, as an agent in the Atlanta office, specializing in white-collar crime, Dima was exactly the person Avery needed to help her unravel the mystery of Rain Bay Trucking.

“Mathison,” the familiar voice answered, crisp and professional.

“Dima, it’s Avery,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I need your help.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. Avery could almost hear the gears turning in her friend’s head.

“Avery, it’s been a while,” she said finally, her voice warm but cautious. “What’s going on?”

Avery took a deep breath, trying to choose her words carefully. How to get the info she needed without alarming her friend. “I’m working on a case,” she said, keeping her tone light and casual. “I was hoping you could help me get some information on a local Seattle company, Rain Bay Trucking.”

Another pause, longer this time. Sweat slicked her palms. She knew she was asking a lot, making a request out of the blue and outside official channels.

“Of course,” Dima said finally, her voice still friendly but with an undercurrent of concern. “Just wondering why your tech crew in Seattle can’t handle that.”

Avery forced a laugh, trying to sound nonchalant. “I know, right?” she said, sighing heavily. “The truth is, my investigation’s been back-burnered.”

“Boy’s Club gets the resources first?” Dima guessed, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

“You know it,” Avery replied, feeling a surge of gratitude for her friend’s understanding. “Can we keep this on the QT? The higher-ups get bent out of shape if it looks like they’re not covering every base at all times.”

“I hear you,” Dima said, her voice softening. “You caught me at a good time. We just wrapped up a big case. What do you need?”

This was the tricky part.

“I’m trying to tease out any connections between Rain Bay Trucking and the Bureau. I have reason to suspect the company’s been trying to get info out of the Bureau, but my supervisors aren’t convinced. Unless I can offer up evidence, they’re shutting down my investigation. I was hoping you could look up a few quick things for me.”

She waited for the explosive response she was sure would come. But to her surprise, her friend seemed to take the request in stride, as if it were just another routine task.

“Sure thing,” Dima said, her voice brisk and businesslike. “I can do a departmental security audit, looking for any potential vulnerabilities or weak points in our systems or protocols that could be exploited by an outside entity.”

Yes! Her shoulders sagging as the tension drained out of her. “That would be great.”

“I can also analyze the department’s general communication logs,” Dima continued, her voice thoughtful. “Look for any unusual patterns or frequencies that might indicate unauthorized contact by outside parties.”

Avery nodded, her mind racing. “And maybe a review of the access logs for sensitive databases or restricted areas?” she suggested, trying to keep her tone casual.

“Good thinking,” Dima said, and Avery could hear the smile in her voice. “I’ll get right on it.”

A wave of exhaustion washed over her. She had been running on adrenaline for days, her mind and body pushed to the limit. But now, with Dima’s help, she finally felt like she had a chance, like she might be able to unravel the mystery before it was too late.

“Thank you, Dima,” she said, her voice soft and sincere. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Dima laughed, the sound warm and familiar. “No info is free, girl,” she teased, her voice light. “You owe me one.”

Avery grinned, feeling a rush of affection for her old friend. “More than one. Whatever you need, whenever you need it.”

“I’ll text you on your personal cell when I have something,” Dima said, her voice serious again. “It’ll take me a while to call up the data and comb through it. Might be a couple hours. Might be tomorrow.”

“No problem. I need to keep this under the radar for now,” Avery said, feeling a flutter of anxiety in her chest.

“I hear you, girl. Just like running the gauntlet out on the exercise yard. We women have to stick together.”

Avery ended the call, her hands shaking slightly as she set the phone down on the table. Nothing else she could do now but offer up a prayer for the team’s safety.

But even as she waited, her mind raced. She was missing something, some crucial piece of the puzzle that would make everything fall into place.