Page 9 of Missing Pieces (Brantley Walker: Off the Books #12)

Archer was impressed.

Admittedly, he hadn’t been sure what to expect when he learned the task force worked out of an old barn.

His imagination had run wild. Everything from a horror flick complete with sharpened tools dangling precariously from the ceiling to the picturesque T.A.

Moulten Barn in Grand Teton National Park, noted to be the most photographed barn in America.

This was so not either of those. The exterior could probably use a little work, maybe a coat of paint, some nails. Then again, perhaps Brantley and Reese wanted it to look that way to keep people from creeping around it. Considering the high-tech gadgets inside, it made sense.

“What do you think?” Brantley prompted as Archer took it all in.

“When do I start?”

“If it’s up to Reese? Yesterday.”

Archer chuckled. “Looks to me like you’ve got a full house. You sure you’ve got room for one more?”

“They’ll make room. Trust me.”

A few affirmative murmurs sounded from the people spread throughout the space.

“Believe it or not, we could use ten more,” Brantley explained. “We continue to take on more cases passed to us by local PDs. All of them cold. Some by months, others by years. The longer they sit, the more stressed I get knowin’ we’ve gotten nowhere.”

Archer could see how that would be stressful. “What about hot cases? How often do you take those?”

“Since we’ve come under the umbrella of Sniper 1 Security, we’ve got more resources, so it allows us to get more information faster.

We’re rarely the first point of contact when someone goes missing, but if we learn of a tender age child within three hundred miles of here, we dispatch a team immediately.

All others, we handle case by case, depending on the circumstances surrounding it. ”

Archer nodded, letting that sink in.

Brantley cleared his throat, getting the attention of everyone in the room. Those who just realized there were others present chimed in with various greetings.

“Hey, boss.”

“What brings you by?”

Brantley waited until the room settled, and all eyes shifted their way. “I’d like to introduce you to Archer Halligan.”

A hush fell across the room.

“Hey.” Archer looked from one face to the next, not sure if Brantley expected him to launch into some sort of verbal résumé.

No one responded, and he could see the curiosity beginning to burn brighter and hotter in the eyes staring back at him.

Luckily, Brantley didn’t put him on the spot, forcing him to resort back to his high school days when he was cast as the Stage Manager in Our Town .

It had been a horrific ordeal, considering he never auditioned.

It was then he learned he suffered from debilitating stage fright.

“Let’s start with introductions.” Brantley pointed toward the man closest to the door. “Archer, meet Evan Vaughn. He’s a former police detective, originally in Florida, then with Round Rock PD for a beat. Next to him is his partner, Slade Elliott.”

Pretending not to recognize the name, Archer nodded in greeting. So that was Spencer’s brother?

“Slade’s a former bounty hunter. Next, we have Atticus James, who shares the same former occupation as Slade,” Brantley told him.

“That’s not all he shares with Slade,” someone muttered.

“Hey,” Atticus said, propping a hip on one of the desks. “You comin’ on board this train?”

“We haven’t talked nuts and bolts yet,” Brantley told him.

“I hope you do,” Atticus said, holding his stare. “I’m tired up to my eyeballs of lookin’ at applications.”

Archer chuckled.

“Atticus is our newest team member,” Brantley explained. “He was a bounty hunter we encountered when workin’ a case up in Dallas.”

Atticus smirked. “A glamorous job, I know. Why would I ever give it up? I’d probably still be doin’ it, but”—Atticus patted his hip where his weapon rested—“the big guy took one look at me and thought it’d be best to arm me and send me out into the world.”

“Don’t worry,” Brantley said. “We trained him to use it first.”

“Mostly,” Baz added with a smirk.

“That desk right there belongs to Holly Switzer,” Brantley continued. “She’s the one who walked you over. She came on as JJ’s assistant but shifted into an analyst role. She’s currently at the hospital keeping JJ company.”

“She’s gonna be so sad to’ve missed this,” Evan said with a laugh.

Brantley didn’t miss a beat. “But you probably remember the woman keepin’ her chair warm. Elana Buckley.”

“Hey, girl.” Archer tipped his chin in greeting. “Nice to see you again.”

“I love the podcast,” she said breathlessly.

“I think Simon deserves all the accolades for that one. He’s the brains. I’m the brawn.”

Her gaze shifted downward, and Archer pretended not to notice the approval glittering in her eyes.

“Elana’s technical title is JJ’s assistant, but don’t let that fool you. She handles pretty much anything these people throw her way. JJ, Elana, and Baz man the fort from up there.”

Archer glanced up at the loft that covered the back half of the barn.

“This is Jay Hernandez,” Brantley continued. “He works on special projects. He partners with Charlie Miller”—Brantley gestured toward an empty desk—“who’s not here right now. She’s takin’ care of some personal business.”

“Nice to meet you,” Archer told Jay.

“Likewise.”

“And the redhead back there … that’s Rebecca Richter. She goes by Becs. She’s one of our analysts, and she’s got some experience out in the field with us.”

“Jack of all trades, huh?” Archer said with a smile.

“Somethin’ like that,” Becs replied with a small wave.

“That guy back there is Darius Frost,” Brantley continued.

“He’s a former techie JJ pilfered from a corporate gig in Dallas.

He’s gonna be Baz’s right hand, in charge of cold cases and special projects.

We’ve hired four additional investigators to join Charlie and Jay on that team. They’ll be comin’ on board next week.”

“Darius’ll also be the go-to when I’m out on paternity leave,” Baz noted.

The door opened, and all eyes shifted in that direction.

“And last but not least…”

A man walked in, looking as though he was about to kneel before a firing squad, eyes wide, eyebrows cocked. “What’s up?”

“This is Luca Switzer,” Brantley acknowledged. “Luca, meet Archer Halligan. Luca can navigate the internet almost as good as JJ.”

“Better,” Luca corrected, walking toward them. “Just don’t tell her that. I’m lettin’ her hold onto the title for a little while longer.”

Archer shook his hand. “Didn’t I hear another Switzer a minute ago?”

“That’d be my pain in the ass little sister,” Luca stated, releasing his hand.

“She’s hangin’ with JJ,” Brantley reminded.

Ah. Right.

Not that Archer would know who was who. The overwhelming number, combined with his horrific ability to put a name with a face, meant he would no doubt flounder at their second meeting, but he appreciated Brantley making an effort.

“I know they’re not all here right now, but that’s the team,” Brantley said, turning to face him.

“We’ve got flexible hours because the job’s the job.

When we’re needed, it’s all hands on deck.

Otherwise, they take care of their business as they need to.

As long as the work gets done, I don’t have to put my boot in any asses. ”

“I take it one of these is your office?” Archer asked, gesturing toward the wall of glass.

“Reese and I work out of our offices at the house. Second floor. Reese’ll tell you we moved over there to free up space, but that’s a lie. We did it to hide from these people.”

A chorus of laughter sounded.

“That’s the conference room.” Baz pointed toward the long, narrow room, which was currently dark. “Behind it is the kitchen. Nothin’ fancy, but there’s coffee. Behind that, the restroom.”

“We’re in the process of rearrangin’ things,” Elana said, standing tall. “We got some new desks in today.”

“She says that like they haven’t rearranged this place a few dozen times in the past month,” Brantley said.

Atticus pointed at Brantley. “ Exactly . And the desks … they’re new to us. They’re actually ancient.”

Archer peered around, taking it all in again.

“So, when do you start?” Luca asked.

“He hasn’t taken the job yet,” Brantley responded before glancing at him again. “And I’m sure he’s got plenty of questions.”

“A few.”

“Let’s head back to the house, and we’ll get you some answers.”

“It was great to meet you all,” Archer told the room.

The rest of the team echoed the sentiments. Everyone except for Slade, who glared at him as though he’d just set fire to his car. Hmm. He wondered what that was about.

“You think you could see yourself workin’ here?” Brantley asked when they stepped outside.

Archer was nodding before he realized he was doing it. He couldn’t explain what it was about this place or the people, but he liked it. Far more than he’d liked anything in a long, long time.

“Yeah,” he said, smiling as he turned to Brantley. “I like the vibe.”

“They’re a great team. We’ve had some bumps in the road, but our closure rate is high. I can let you look at some case notes if you’d like to get an idea of how we do things.”

“That would be great.” Archer wouldn’t mind checking out the workload or seeing how the other investigators handle their cases. It’d tell him whether or not he would fit in.

After introducing Archer to the team, they returned to the house to find Simon and Reese shaking hands.

“That was fast,” Brantley said, watching both men. “Y’all hash it all out without us?”

“Not even close,” Simon answered. “But I think it’s best to meet up at Holt’s apartment. It’s where he’s got all his research. Not to mention, this’ll be a lengthy discussion, and it’s clear you’re both busy. I don’t want to overstay my welcome.” He flashed a grin. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Spoken like a true journalist,” Archer noted.

“Let me get your contact info,” Brantley told Archer. “I’ll get you access to some of our case notes. I think Becs has written up some process notes. I’ll make sure you get those, too.”