Page 112 of Grave Danger
He grabbed his phone and texted Andie. “Slight delay. On my way now.”
Chapter 40
Jack made it downtown to the Miami field office in less than fifteen minutes. Andie met him in the main lobby and took him up in the elevator. It was just the two of them.
“Have you tried reaching out to Zahra?” asked Andie.
“I thought you didn’t want to be in the middle of this.”
“I don’t. But I’m worried sick about that little girl.”
“Me too,” said Jack.
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out. The building wasn’t officially open on weekends, but the basic job description for FBI special agents was fifty-hour weeks, minimum, so the entire floor was active. Andie led him to the conference room but didn’t join the meeting. Jack took a seat at the table with Agent Logan and Andie’s boss, Todd Tidwell, the assistant special agent in charge. Tidwell began the meeting.
“Your client is a fugitive, Mr. Swyteck. We hope we will have your cooperation.”
“I’m as concerned as anyone about Yasmin,” said Jack. “But my client violated a state court order to transfer custody. That’s not the kind of abduction case that triggers FBI involvement. So I’ll ask you the same question I asked Agent Logan at the town house: What’s this really about, and why is the FBI all over it?”
“It’s a federal case,” said Tidwell. “We have reason to believe the child has been transferred across state lines.”
“They haven’t been gone long enough to even reach the Georgia border,” said Jack, stopping short of calling itbullshit.
Neither agent responded. Jack leaned closer, tightening his gaze across the table. “Look me in the eye and tell me this has nothing to do with Ava Bazzi.”
Again, there was no response, at least not immediately. When Tidwell finally did speak, his tone changed to the voice of reason.
“This is a dangerous situation, Jack. I’m looking for a path forward. One option is for you to make accusations about Ava Bazzi, in which case we can all sit here and listen to the A/C whistling through the overhead vents. Or we can make this productive and keep a child out of harm’s way.”
The common ground was compelling. “What do you have in mind?” asked Jack.
“Child abduction is a crime. A heinous crime.”
“Agreed.”
“As I’m sure you’re aware, a lawyer can be disbarred—or worse—for counseling or assisting a client in conduct that is criminal.”
“As I’m sureyou’reaware, this lawyer doesn’t need to be threatened to do the right thing.” Jack didn’t overdo the sarcasm, but Tidwell deserved it, having made a remark like that after his offer of an olive branch.
“I’ll accept that,” said Tidwell. “So far, our tech agents have been unable to detect a signal from Zahra Bazzi’s cell phone, much less pick up calls or texts. At some point she’ll have to contact someone. We believe it will likely be her lawyer.”
“I’ve heard nothing from her.”
“But when she does call, we want to be in a position to spring into action.”
Jack could read between the lines. “Are you asking me to consent to a wiretap?”
“Only until she calls you.”
“Which could be days or weeks,” said Jack. “The answer is no. I’m a criminal defense lawyer. Zahra Bazzi is not my only client.”
The ASAC sighed. “That’s what Andie said you would say.”
“Wait. You talked to my wife about a wiretap?”
“She does work here.”
“I’m aware,” said Jack.All too.