A Different Dawn by Isabella Maldonado

Author:Isabella Maldonado [Maldonado, Isabella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: 2021-08-10T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

The Boardroom, FBI Academy

Quantico, Virginia

An hour later, Nina sat with her team at a corner table in the FBI’s internal lounge and pub, dubbed the Boardroom, which was deserted on a late-Sunday morning. After standing in line for a tray of brunch food in the facility’s dining hall, they had retreated to a quiet place to discuss the case. Buxton had texted to say he would join them as soon as he received a critique of the team’s performance from the training instructors.

The internal debate continued to rage in Nina’s mind about what to share with the others. She kept her silence, giving herself a bit more time to come up with a way to broach the subject. Or to avoid it altogether.

She had stayed awake most of the previous night, mulling over the situation. How would it have been possible, given her career in law enforcement involving two different agencies, for this not to have come to light before now?

Every successful FBI applicant had to qualify for a Top Secret clearance, and an extensive background investigation was part of the process. Nina had been no different.

She recalled that the applicant process for both the Fairfax County police and the Bureau had included running her through the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System and the National Crime Information Center. The NCIC, which was a massive criminal database, was maintained separately from the FBI’s DNA index. A search of IAFIS would only match prints already on file, and NCIC would only reveal involvement in illegal activity.

Neither background check had included a DNA test.

Even if her DNA had been entered into the system, the blood samples collected at the scene of the Llorona case were never submitted for DNA analysis. The case had been closed years before such technology was available. Besides, the police had concluded the culprit was deceased. No need to investigate further.

“That shit show at the Bank of Hogan didn’t help our cause,” Kent said, interrupting her reverie.

“I thought it went okay,” Breck said.

Kent frowned. “Let’s just say there were some issues with teamwork.”

She felt the weight of everyone’s gaze. This was her problem. She had spent too many years relying on herself. And wasn’t that what she was doing now?

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet for Guerrera that we have her back,” Kent said.

Her head snapped up. “What are you talking about?”

“Maybe a real-life illustration will help,” he said. “On one of my overseas SEAL deployments, I got pinned down by gunfire during a classified operation. I’d been separated from the rest of my unit when I dropped back to check our six. Sure enough, there were unfriendlies lying in wait, ready to ambush us from behind. I had no way out. Whichever way I moved, hostiles would cut me down.”

He had her full attention. “What did you do?”

“We were all on a com system. We’d been trained to give a distress code if we got trapped behind enemy lines. I had to trust them to assess the situation and lay down suppressive fire,” he said.

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