She eyed the image. “This must be some sort of sick joke.”
“It’s real,” Bianca said, tapping an icon to play a short video clip. “There’s the proof.”
Nina stood and stalked to the coffee table in the tiny living room. She snatched up her phone and pressed the first speed-dial number.
“Wade here.”
She wasted no time on pleasantries. “I’m sending you a link.”
“What’s going on?”
“You know how we were wondering why we didn’t find a clue from the unsub in Boston with a puzzle leading us to another city?”
“I’m listening.” Wariness put an edge in Wade’s tone.
“Some moron made a video showing where he found an envelope under a trash can about a quarter mile off the Freedom Trail. He listed it for auction on eBay. The bidding opened at twenty-five thousand. It’s already past sixty grand.”
Chapter 31
Traffic was a nightmare the next morning, and Nina had barely managed to get through security at both the Marine Corps and FBI Quantico checkpoints before the briefing was scheduled to begin. She had rushed to the largest meeting space in the sprawling facility, the nerve center of the growing task force.
Sliding into a chair between Wade and Kent, she sent Breck a brief smile across the long rectangular table. She deliberately trained her gaze toward the head of the table, pretending she hadn’t noticed the surreptitious glances in her direction from agents and analysts she didn’t know. Her colleagues, like millions of others, had obviously seen the video.
“All right, people,” Buxton said, abruptly quelling all sidebar conversations. “We have a lot of ground to cover. I want to make this quick so we can get back to our respective assignments. Let’s start with last night’s eBay fiasco.” He turned to Nina. “Agent Guerrera, can you start by telling us how you learned about the auction?”
“My next-door neighbor is fostering a seventeen-year-old girl who’s finishing up her undergraduate degree at GW.” A wry grin lifted the edge of her mouth. “She’s got a scary-high IQ and a serious social media addiction. She showed me the link someone posted to an eBay auction.”
Breck spoke up. “Our team spotted it at the same time your neighbor did.” She gave her head a bewildered shake. “That girl should work for the Bureau when she graduates.”
Nina grinned. “She’d end up running the place.”
Apparently satisfied with her explanation, Buxton gestured toward a slender man in a slightly rumpled suit sitting a few seats down from him. “This is Supervisory Special Agent Jay Yakamura from the Boston field office. His team followed up on the clue that was listed for sale on eBay.”
Nina was surprised to see him at the meeting instead of on a video call. His personal attendance spoke volumes about the emphasis the FBI had placed on the investigation.
Yakamura put down a Styrofoam cup brimming with black coffee and rubbed his eyes. “We contacted eBay as soon as we received notification from the task force about the envelope up for bid. They have a strict policy against selling illegal merchandise or any items that might encourage people to commit a crime. Once we explained that the envelope was material evidence in a murder investigation, they immediately removed the listing and provided the seller’s contact information.”
“Nice,” Breck said.
“Turns out the seller lives in Lynn, not too far from Boston,” Yakamura said. “We paid him a visit at home last night.”
Kent raised his signature ceramic US Navy mug in a mock toast. “I’ll bet he dropped a load in his boxers when he opened the door to two federal agents.”
Yakamura tried to hide his smile without success.
“What’s his story anyway?” Kent asked.
“Says he followed the case on social media all week. When he saw the Brew Crew post the solution, he drove to the nearest T station.”
Nina had heard Detective Delaney refer to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s rapid-transit system as “the T” when he told her that one of the stops came out a short walk from the beginning of the Freedom Trail.
“He got off at the Park Street station,” Yakamura went on. “Then he decides to stop for a blueberry muffin at one of the local bakeries on his way to the Trail. He eats his muffin, then strolls to the nearest trash can to toss the wrapper. He drops it on the ground because he’s a putz but stoops to pick it up because he’s an environmentally conscious putz. That’s when he sees the envelope taped to the bottom of the receptacle. Says it was dangling down, so the bright blue lettering jumped out at him.”
Along with everyone else in the room, Nina was riveted. Listening to this story was like watching a train wreck.
“He figures it’s one of the Cipher’s clues,” Yakamura said. “So naturally, he snaps it up and stashes it in his pocket, taking care no one sees him. Then he follows the story on the news. Once he hears the Cipher escaped, he hightails it back to his place in Lynn rather than contacting the police.”
A few groans could be heard around the table.
“He opens the envelope and spends the next twenty-four hours trying to get his few functioning brain cells to kick in. He finally realizes he has no hope of solving the clue, so he comes up with plan B.”
Nina stole a glance at Buxton, who looked even more exhausted than Yakamura. He was pressing a finger against his left eye to stop it from twitching.
“Our guy figures he can’t win the million bucks Zarran is offering up for solving clues,” Yakamura said. “But he can still cash in by selling it to someone who thinks they can.”
Wade gave his head a disgusted shake. “So he lists it on eBay.” He cut his eyes to Nina. “I guess there’s no risk of your neighbor’s foster daughter bumping into him at her next Mensa meeting.”
“What was his demeanor during the interview?” Buxton wanted to know.
“He did what came naturally,” Yakamura said. “He played dumb. When that didn’t work, he started asking about a finder’s fee.”
Nina grimaced. “Not the sharpest tack on the corkboard, is he?”
Yakamura gave her a sidelong glance. “He’s the tack that misses the corkboard altogether and gets stuck in the drywall.” He took another swig of coffee. “After discussing the amenities available in federal prison, our guy decides to turn over the envelope . . . without a reward.”
“What was in the envelope?” Kent asked.
“The message inside was another deviation from the unsub’s previous pattern.” Yakamura pointed to the oversize screen on the wall, which flickered briefly before a close-up of a four-by-six white index card popped up. “This time, he wants people to solve a riddle to locate the actual clue.”
FIND THE CLUE.
This was followed by four lines printed in boldface.
IN SILENCE SHE WAITS, DAY AND NIGHT.
LIVING WITH THE KEEPER OF THE LIGHT.
SHE SEES THEM COME, SEES THEM GO.
WHAT LIES IN HER HEART, NO ONE CAN KNOW.
The words at the very bottom of the card laid out his timetable.
THE NEXT ONE DIES IN FOUR DAYS.
A pall descended on the room as everyone concentrated on the message. Nina’s fists clenched. Another deadline. Another girl in imminent danger. And they were no closer to stopping the Cipher.