Simple Genius (Sean King & Michelle Maxwell 3)

“Len Rivest.”

“He’s only the head of security. Someone had to authorize him to hire your firm.”

“Well, did you think of asking him?”

“It doesn’t matter if I did or not now. He’s dead.”

“What!”

“He’s dead. I’m surprised the DDO failed to let that little tidbit slip.”

“I can’t believe it. Len was a good guy. We went way back.”

Sean said, “I’m sure you did; however, his status as a good guy has not been established in my mind.”

“What do you mean by that?” she said sharply.

“He was murdered, Joan. And in my experience people get murdered for one of two reasons. One, because someone didn’t like them. Two, because someone didn’t want them alive to talk.”

“You think Len was involved in Monk Turing’s death?”

“Murders so close together tend to be connected.”

“It hasn’t been established that Monk was murdered.”

“Technically, it hasn’t been established that Len was either, but I’m sure that he was. And by the way, someone took a couple of shots at me. I think they came from the vicinity of Camp Peary.”

“Good God, all this happened and you never called me?”

“I’ve been busy. So getting back to my original question: Who hired us?”

“I don’t know.”

“Joan, I’m tired and I’m totally pissed off at the world. So don’t play games with me. Len Rivest said ‘countries would go to war’ for whatever they’re doing here.”

“He said that?”

“And you didn’t know?”

“I didn’t. I swear, Sean. From the little I knew of the case, I figured you

’d pull a few days down there and it would be concluded that Turing killed himself on Camp Peary grounds. It’s happened before, you know.”

“Yeah, Ian Whitfield enlightened me on that point. But the dynamic has changed now with Rivest’s death.”

“If they are connected.”

“My gut tells me they are.”

“Then I’m sending down reinforcements.”

“I’ve already got someone.”

There was a long pause and then Joan hissed. “Are you telling me that she’s down there with you?”

“Who, Mildred?”

“Michelle effing Maxwell!” she screamed so loudly that Sean had to pull the cell phone away from his ear.