"I know. No unofficial investigation."
"I said, I know."
"Then say it clearly."
Raymond picked up his watch and fastened it around his wrist. "I am not an FBI agent. I am not conducting an investigation."
Lena studied him for a moment. "Good."
After she left, Maya remained seated. "You never told me public corruption was your specialty."
"You never asked."
"That answer works better when the information isn't directly relevant to my life."
"It wasn't relevant yesterday morning."
Maya looked at him. "It is now."
Raymond did not disagree.
Her phone vibrated on the table. The message came from an unknown number. Maya opened it: Keller was not the person who gave the order. A second message arrived with the name of a public cafe near Union Station and a proposed meeting time. No signature.
Maya showed the screen to Raymond. He read it once.
"Could be a trap," she said.
"Yes."
"You think we should ignore it?"
"No."
Maya studied his face. "That sounded very FBI."
"It sounded like a father who wants to know why three officers tried to steal something from his daughter."
She picked up her coat. "Then we go."
Raymond reached for his keys.
As they left WDI, Maya thought about the diner again, but this time she focused on one officer who had behaved differently from the others: Cole Barrett had watched Keller's hand instead of watching her. Now someone wanted her to know Keller had been following orders.
The cafe near Union Station was busy enough to make a private conversation difficult to overhear, and ordinary enough that nobody would remember three people sitting at a corner table.
Maya arrived with Raymond a few minutes early. She chose a seat facing the main room. Raymond took the chair beside her rather than across from her, giving him a clear view of the entrance without making the choice obvious.
Maya noticed. "You always do that."
"Do what?"
"Pick the seat that lets you see who comes in."
Raymond looked toward the front door. "Habit. Federal habit. Old habit."
A server brought water and menus. Maya ordered coffee; Raymond did the same. Neither touched the menus.
Cole Barrett arrived several minutes later, wearing jeans, a dark jacket, and a plain shirt. Without the uniform, he looked younger than he had at Harrison Street. He scanned the room before approaching the table. Raymond noticed that, too.
Cole stopped beside them. "Miss Williams."
Maya did not offer her hand. "Sit."
Cole took the chair across from her. For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Maya began: "You stood there."
Cole held her gaze. "Yes."
"You watched Keller put his hand in my bag."
"Yes."
"You watched Trent grab me."
"Yes."
"And you did nothing."
Cole looked down at the table for a moment, then back at her. "I didn't do enough."
"That wasn't my question."
"No."
Maya waited.
Cole understood. "I didn't stop it."
Raymond said, "Why?"
Cole looked at him. "I've been working inside a public integrity investigation for several months."
Maya's expression remained controlled. "You expect me to believe you're undercover?"
"I expect you to decide after you see what I brought." He reached into his jacket slowly and placed a small encrypted recorder on the table.
Raymond's eyes followed the movement. Cole noticed. "You really were FBI."
Raymond did not answer.
Cole continued, "Keller and Trent have been taking outside work—not ordinary security jobs. They've been receiving payments through intermediaries to handle specific tasks for people connected to evidence control operations."
Maya asked, "Connected to Sloan?"
"I'm not saying that yet."
"Because you don't know, or because you won't tell me?"
"Because I don't have enough to prove it."
That answer mattered to Maya more than a direct accusation would have.
Cole activated the recorder. A man's voice spoke first: Keller. The recording was clear enough to understand: Keller was told to create confusion around a woman who would be carrying a small storage device. The instructions were specific about what not to take—no wallet, no phone, no jewelry; the objective was a compact data device inside her bag. The voice giving instructions was distorted and identified no names.
The recording ended. Maya stared at the recorder. "When was this made?"
"Before the diner."
"How long before?"
"Earlier that evening."
"You knew they were going after me."
Cole shook his head. "I knew there was a job. I didn't know the target was you until we were already moving."
Raymond asked, "When did you realize?"
"When Keller described the diner and showed us where we were supposed to position."
"And you still went inside."
"Yes." Cole did not add an excuse.
Raymond leaned back slightly. "That explains your decision. It doesn't excuse it."
"I know."
Maya looked at Cole for several seconds. "What were you supposed to do once Keller got the device?"