The Wolf Code

Chapter 5

They had just gotten on the road when Senora’s phone rang from its perch on the dash.  Senora looked at the caller ID, then cast a sidelong glance at Ty.

“That’s my boss,” she said.

He nodded.

“Not a peep,” he promised, settling back into his seat and stretching his long legs out. 

Senora pressed the green button on the screen and put him on speakerphone as she drove down the road, glancing at the map on the upper half of the wide screen as the GPS on her phone guided the tiny dot that was her rental car through the streets and onto the highway.

“Edwards,” she said.

“Senora.  Any news?”

“Her body was found this morning,” Senora reported, trying to keep her voice neutral.  She didn’t want J to sense that she was emotionally invested in this case, even if it was just a little.  “She was violently murdered, and I’m not sure that she was a single target.”

“Do you think it’s possible that the murderer could still pose a danger?”

“I do.  I know that violent murders are usually personal, but the way the body was dumped showed no remorse and no care.  She was disposed of without any thought, and I wouldn’t be surprised if more women disappear.”

“Do you have any proof of that, or just a hunch?”

“No proof yet, but I’ve only just begun talking to her family and friends.”

“Did the file help?”

“Not much.  There’s a lot more missing than just her juvenile record.  Sir, I don’t want to be dramatic, but I have a feeling that this case is bigger than just one woman.”

“You rarely lean toward the dramatic,” J said warmly.  “I don’t have anything for you on my desk, so if you want to stay in Glenview-”

“Glen Rose,” she corrected before she could stop herself.

“My apologies; Glen Rose.  If you want to stay there and run the murder investigation until you have another case, I don’t have an issue with it.  We don’t want another case like Miss Thompson’s, and the area relies almost one hundred percent on tourism; they can’t risk losing that revenue.  Take all the time you need, and I’ll contact you if I have anything more pressing come across my desk.”

“Thank you, Sir,” she said.

J disconnected before she could finish, and Senora let out a long breath.

“Did you think that he was going to deny your request?”

“It was a possibility.  At times, J thinks I’m too emotional about the cases, even though that makes me more driven than many investigators.  I work tirelessly because I feel for these people.  There’s nothing worse on a family than not knowing if their loved one is dead or living somewhere in captivity.”

“Or living another life entirely after creating a fresh start.”

“There’s that option, too.  You would be surprised by the number of missing that have simply walked away from a life that no longer served them.  It happens more than I ever imagined before I started this job.”

Ty nodded, opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it, looking pensive.  He was silent for a few more blocks, but Senora could feel his eyes on her as he tried to form his next question.  Senora could guess what it was.

“What’s up with the computer-generated voice?” he finally asked.  “I could hear him typing on a keyboard as you guys spoke.  Isn’t that a little weird?”

“J’s job is about anonymity.  His calls come through a secure line that is routed through so many different countries that even the most adept hacker that the FBI has to offer can’t pinpoint the origin of his call.”

“He’s not calling from an FBI field office?”

“No.  He’s higher up than that.  He works from his home, and he has several agents that work remotely and report solely to him.  I’m one of the few that have my own office in D.C., but I’m listed as a consultant of sorts.  I don’t report to anyone that’s physically in the office, and aside from the occasional request for support from the SSA, I work on cold cases and I check up on my old cases, even if they were solved.”

“SSA?”

“Supervisory Special Agent.  That’s the rank of the highest ranked agent in the office that I work out of.”

“But you don’t report to him?”

“Her,” Senora corrected.  “And no, I don’t report to her.  I’m not ranked higher or lower than she is.  I’m just ranked as the only agent in my division at that location.”

“How does that work?”

Senora shrugged.

“I’ve never done it any other way, so I couldn’t even begin to tell you how it compares to how other agents work.  This is how I was recruited, and as long as I get paid, I’m not really worried about someone who wants to use the keyboard to stay anonymous.  I stay busy, and I’m salaried, so if I have downtime, I take a vacation.  In fact, I’m encouraged to take as much personal time as I can because personal time is so hard to come by.”

“So, you don’t even need to go into the office?”

“Not at all.  Having a space in the field office was my request.  I need the structure and the camaraderie of people who see the same things that I’ve seen and have the same security clearance.  I can’t share the specifics of my cases with just anyone, and that can be very isolating.  Other agents work together, then hash out the details and decompress over a beer.  Working alone, I have no way to blow off steam.”

“And harboring that kind of secret can eat away at you,” Ty finished.

“Exactly.  I’m doing it for my mental well-being and to avoid burnout.  J was resistant at first, but he eventually saw the wisdom in it.”

“Your destination is on the right,” the GPS called out, cutting off their conversation.

Senora was somewhat relieved.  It was nice to talk about her work with someone who understood, but Ty was practically a stranger, and she didn’t know how much information she could trust him with.  His easy demeanor and his sexy, southern drawl had her divulging more than she usually did, and she needed to rein herself in before she went too far.

Went too far with what? Senora thought with an internal eye roll.  She didn’t have many secrets, and the ones that she did have were lame at best.  There wasn’t anything she could share with Ty that would shock him or likely even amuse him.  But Senora was, by nature, a private person, and their chat between Mabel’s house and the therapist’s office had unsettled her.  She hadn’t meant to share quite so much.