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She sighed, “No, I don’t know. I’ve written letters and made calls, but nobody I’ve contacted can tell me why, especially when we need more camps, notfewer. I chased every possibility I could, but it was no good.”
Ronan nodded. “That was the sentiment of our people. People who work with the entities that man these camps.”
“Is that related to Miller or whoever’s targeting the population?”
“Unknown. We have operators looking into everything, but my people agree with you. It shouldn’t be shuttered unless there’s a need for the land it sits on.”
“A need?” Fleur frowned and shook her head, and then she remembered. “What … Oh, wait, about a year and a half ago, there was a natural gas scare. Could that be …”
“Natural gas or what’s under that.” He shrugged. “It could be. Right now, our people are tracking down everything, trying to find the reason this shit is going on. In the meantime, it’s our directive to get these people moved to a place they will be safe.”
“The convoys.” She nodded. “I was going to contact the other camps and see how many they can take. I have to go to the communication tent to do that. Do you want me to arrange supplies for the return trips, too?”
“Yes. My brother and his team will be heretomorrow afternoon. Set the first convoy up for Tuesday.”
“Tuesday? If you think the person responsible is off on Tuesday, they’ll inform on you. You could be in danger. The staff driving could be in danger.” She shook her head. She wasn’t willing to lose anyone else,especiallyRonan. “That’s setting us up for an attack, right?”
Ronan shook his head. “All staff will stay in camp. We’ll have two teams and do both—drive and guard the convoy. I’m not worried about an ISIL attack.”
“Okay, but how will you prove it’s Miller?”
“Our operators are working it, but since we suspect Miller, I’d like you to keep your eyes on him. Nothing obvious, just know where he’s at and what he’s doing.”
“I can do that, but what am I looking for?”
“Anything out of the normal for him. We also discovered that the person working with the ISIL has a drop-off point at the capstone ruins near the gate. We’re going to put out a camera and monitor the area.”
“I can watch him without making it look suspicious.” She nodded. “I’ll do it, but only to prove Millerisn’tinvolved.”
“I hope you’re right.” Ronan put his hands on her shoulders. “My gut tells me you aren’t.”
She shook her head. “No offense, but I hope your gut is wrong.” She couldn’t imagine Miller being responsible for trafficking people. For the murders … “Why … how … we’ve spent the last four years caring for these people. What would be the reason he’d do something like that?”
“Money,” Wraith said.
She shook her head. “He has money. He told me he’s very comfortable.”
Ronan sighed. “We won’t know for sure until we have evidence.” He squeezed her shoulders. “And you have to promise me, all of us, that you won’t approach him or do anything that would put yourself in danger.”
She snorted. “Believe me, I’m not too stupid to live.”
Ronan’s hands froze. “What?”
“Oh, that’s a saying, you know, when the people in a really bad movie do something epically stupid so the bad guy can get to them. They’re too stupid to live.”
Wolf laughed. “I’m going to use that.”
“Same,” Wraith agreed.
Jug cleared his throat before saying, “Skipper,Shelly could help Fleur keep an eye on Miller.”
Ronan turned around. “I have no doubt she could, Jug, but I don’t want to put her in the middle of this. Fleur has been our point of contact all along. Miller knows it, which is dangerous enough if he is, in fact, guilty. Involving more people only puts more people at risk.”
She should thank Ronan for still maintaining hope that Miller was innocent, but the pain she felt just imagining her friend could be guilty hurt. “I have one question. I asked Miller this earlier. Why did the IDPs leave without making a fuss? If someone were trying to take me away from the camp, I’d scream bloody murder.”
Ronan glanced at her. “I’m assuming the person taking them had a weapon.”
Fleur considered it before nodding. “Yeah, that could be it.” But something told her it was something else. She would have to talk to the little girl under the truck again. Since she and her sister were scheduled to be on the truck tomorrow morning, it would be a good time to ask a few questions.