Deadlock (FBI Thriller #24)(18)
To everyone’s surprise, a woman’s voice called out, “Yes, I do. It’s my hometown, St. Lumis, Maryland, on the Delmarva Peninsula, south of Mayo in Anne Arundel County, right on the Chesapeake.” At the blank looks, she added, “Just south of Annapolis. Yes, I’m sure. Growing up, I fished off that pier with my mom for striped bass and red drum.” She paused, added, “But I don’t remember any dead seagulls on the pier or human bones on the sidewalk.”
Everyone in the conference stared at Agent Pippa Cinelli. She was newly assigned to the CID, the Criminal Investigative Division, one of the recent stars to graduate Quantico. Most everyone was aware of who she was, even if they hadn’t been introduced. She was tall with long blond hair worn in a French braid, green eyes, a looker, no doubt about that. And at the moment, she was munching on a bagel, a dot of cream cheese on her upper lip. She popped the last bit of bagel into her mouth, patted her upper lip with a paper napkin, pulled out her cell, and scrolled through her photos. “Here we go, way back in my archives.” She handed her cell to Savich. “St. Lumis is a destination for weekenders who know the area, mostly. There are nice beaches, good fishing, and it’s rarely too hot in the summer. It’s a cute town, with a few tourist shops. At least that was true seven years ago, the last time I visited.” She smiled. “My family moved to Boston, so no, I don’t have any relatives left in town. Now? I’ll bet it’s probably triple the size.” She stuck out her hand. “We haven’t met, Agent Savich. I’m Agent Pippa Cinelli, Financial Crimes.”
Savich shook her hand, smiled really big. Did she realize she’d made his day?
Pippa was looking at the puzzle again. “Everything looks the same. Almost. The person who sent this is seriously disturbed.”
Agent Davis Sullivan said, “Or crazy like a fox. Why would this wack job send Savich puzzle pieces to put together of your hometown, Cinelli? And with the bones and dead birds? Did something horrific happen there? Something that might have involved Savich personally? Is the puzzle announcing some sort of weird payback?”
Everyone thought about this. Pippa said, “I can’t remember hearing about anything really bad happening, nothing violent, only what you’d expect—domestic violence, pilfering from local stores, some vagrancy, but no murders. We were neighbors with the chief of police, Barnabas Cosby.” She turned to Savich. “You want me to call, see if he’s still there? See if he can help us?”
Savich said slowly, “No, hold off. I think the person sending the red boxes doesn’t believe anyone will recognize the location until the puzzle’s complete. This might give us an edge.” He smiled at Sherlock, who’d told him about Cinelli. She’d said they’d sweated together a couple of times in the gym at Quantico, practicing martial arts. She’d told him Cinelli was smart, focused, and as fit as, maybe even stronger than, Sherlock was. She was, Savich thought, just the ticket.
“Let me give your chief a call, see if I can spring you from Financial Crimes for a couple of days. You interested?”
“Yes, sir, I’m very interested. I finished up a case only two days ago, so maybe—” She was nearly dancing in place, her eyes sparkling.
Savich held up a hand. “Everyone, I’m sure we’ll meet here again when the third red box arrives, probably on Monday. Agent Cinelli, come with me. Happy Halloween tomorrow night, everyone.”
Sherlock gave a little wave as Pippa followed Dillon into his glass-fronted office. Savich pointed Cinelli to a seat, sat behind his desk, and called her unit chief, Jessie Tenley, a hard-nosed veteran, and proceeded to negotiate the quid pro quo for lending Cinelli to the CAU.
A deal was struck and it wouldn’t cost Savich a thing, but Agent Griffin Hammersmith probably wouldn’t be too happy to hear about it. Savich grinned. He would tell Griffin to suck it up and take himself to a surprise birthday party for Jessie’s nearly eighteen-year-old daughter, Paige. She’d seen Griffin and begged her mother to introduce her. Well, Griffin could deal with a smitten eighteen-year-old, a whole roomful of eighteen-year-olds. He’d be the highlight of Paige’s birthday party Sunday afternoon. At least Griffin liked cake.
Savich turned back, studied Cinelli a moment, then stuck out his hand and shook hers. “Agent Cinelli, you’re now a temporary member of the CAU.”
Pippa’s cell sang out the Black Keys’ “Lo/Hi.” “It’s Agent Tenley.”
“She’s calling to give you a pep talk. Go ahead and speak to her, and I’ll check on the chief of police to see if he’s still there. Barnabas Cosby, right?” He called the police station in St. Lumis. When he punched off his cell, Pippa had already slipped hers back into the breast pocket of her white shirt.
Savich said, “Did Jessie give you the gung ho speech?”
“She told me I was representing her and the unit and suggested I shine bright. The ‘or else’ was unspoken, but understood. Even when Jessie doesn’t say it out loud, she’s still very clear.”
He grinned. “Here’s the deal in St. Lumis. Chief of Police Cosby retired three years ago. The new chief is Matthew Wilde. Now, Agent Cinelli—”
“Please, call me Pippa.”
“Call me either Dillon or Savich.”
Pippa cocked her head to the side, sending her thick French braid swinging over her shoulder. “Dillon, if that’s okay. It’s what Sherlock calls you. Now, I’ve never heard of a local family called Wilde. He must be an import from outside, new to St. Lumis.”