“How so?” Troy asked.
“His clothes were dirty, his hair matted, and his eyes were sunken in with dark circles. When he spoke, it was as if he wasn’t there.”
“What do you mean?” Sin said.
“It was weird. He didn’t so much look at me, but through me, if you know what I mean.”
“Like he was on drugs?” Troy said.
“Sort of. God knows, when I was with the news station, I interviewed my share of drug addicts, but he showed no outward signs of drug use. No paraphernalia in the room. I even asked to use the bathroom. There was nothing there. He wasn’t scratching or fidgeting like he needed a fix. Nothing like that. He just acted distant. When I asked him if he knew where I could find Pia, he just shook his head.
“Before I left, I asked him for his cell number; I was surprised when he gave it to me. When I left, I mentioned being worried about Pia. He mumbled something I didn’t understand, but at the end, he said she was safe. That surprised me, and I asked him how he knew. He acted like he never said it. He just said goodbye and shut the door.”
Tiffany pulled out her phone before continuing. “I waited a little while because I wanted to follow him, but he never left the room. I snuck back and peered in his window between the curtains. He was lying on his bed as if he was taking a nap, but his eyes were wide open. Here, look. I snapped a few pictures.” Tiffany flipped to the photos on her phone.
“Always the reporter,” Sin said.
Tiffany rubbed the goosebumps on her arm as she viewed the pictures. “The whole thing gave me the creeps,” she said as she handed the phone to Sin. “The scene was so weird.”
“I’m going to send these to my phone, so I can enhance them,” Sin said. “Between the sun’s reflection off the glass and room being dark, it’s hard to get a good look at him.” Sin showed the photos to Troy, who nodded his agreement. “Text me his phone number,” Sin said, handing the phone back to Tiffany. “I’ll have Frank put a trace on it. Tiff, I want you to head back to the hotel and try to keep an eye on him. He’s our best lead right now.” As Tiffany stood, Sin squeezed her hand, “Next time, if you’re going to be late, text me or something. I don’t want to have to worry about you.”
After Tiffany left, Sin and Troy talked about what to do next. While strategizing, her phone buzzed. “It’s Lancaster,” she said looking at the screen.
“You better answer it.”
“No.”
Troy shook his head. “You’re going to piss him off.”
“Story of my life.”
“Sin, he’s the president of the United States.”
“I’m well aware of who he is. He can either have me trying to recover his daughter—alive, or I can coddle him. I can’t do both, so I’m choosing for him.”
“He could be calling with important information,” Troy said.
“If he was, he would have told Frank. I haven’t received a call from him in the past couple of hours, so I don’t think it’s that. I’ll call Lancaster when we’re finished.”
Twenty minutes later, she and Troy had a plan for the day. Troy was going to stay close to the reggae club and see if he could spot anything suspicious. She was headed to the kava joint.
Back in the parking lot, she pulled her leather jacket from one of her saddle bags. “Is that a good idea?” Troy asked, as she donned her Outlaws leather jacket.
“They have their calling card, I have mine. No gang likes it when another shows up on their turf. I’m hoping to draw them out.”
“I’m going with you.”
“I need you down by the reggae club. And if it’s possible, I need you to get some of your guys to check as many of the plates on as many bikes as possible. Find out if they’re legal. We need as much ammo against these guys as we can dredge up. If we can press some of the weaker members, maybe we can get someone to talk.”
She checked the magazines in her semiautomatics before placing them back in their holsters.
“You have no jurisdiction,” Troy said as he looked on. “Not since Frank switched your creds. What you’re doing is reckless.”
“If I have to show my new creds and anyone decides to trace them, the request will end up on Frank’s personal computer; besides, I have two missing girls, one who is the president’s daughter. I have no time for caution.”
“Speaking of Becca, have the kidnappers called or made any demands?”
“Not that I can tell. But I don’t trust Lancaster.”
“How so?”
“He’s too slick. Frank mentioned that he communicated with Becca through throwaways. I’ve cloned his phone and the throwaway he received messages on, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have contacted the kidnappers on another.”
“What about Sawyer. Have you been in contact?”
“Shit. With everything happening so fast since last night, I forgot. No time like the present.”
She pulled Sawyer’s card from her pocket and dialed the number on the back. He picked up after one ring. “Agent Sawyer,” she said, “I want to thank you for meeting with me yesterday. After considering your offer, I’ve decided it’s best for you to head back to Washington with the rest of your team.”
Sawyer yelled profanities into the phone. She held the phone away from her ear and put it on speaker, so Troy could hear.
“After I gave you that information? You bitch. You have no goddamn right pulling me off this case!”
“Watch your mouth, Agent,” she said. “This is my case, and I have every
