Page 18 of Noble Hops

“From the search this morning?Duncan Vaughn, if I heard right?”

If he heard?Or if he knew?

“That’s right,” Aidan said.“But we’re actually doing some follow-up on the Kristic case, and we wanted to ask you some questions.”

“Oh, sure, whatever I can help answer,” the big kid said, relaxing in his chair.

“You asked to be put on that case?”

“I did.”

“Why was that?”

“I thought I could be useful, and I wanted to work with Agent Byrne.”

First Cam had heard of it, but with everything that’d been going on the past year, he hadn’t had a chance to get to know all the agents yet.“Why’s that?”he asked.

“I want to do kidnap and rescue,” Lorton answered without hesitation, then averting his gaze, picked at the fuzz on his sweater.“I lost a friend when I was younger.They never found her.”

It was a story Cam knew well, but in his case, it had been his sister, whose body they’d found twenty years later.“That why you joined the FBI?”

Lorton nodded.“Certainly wasn’t the money, living in this town.”

Cam could commiserate.If you weren’t born and raised in the Bay Area, the sticker shock never wore off.At least being from Boston, he was used to somewhat higher prices.But a kid from Oklahoma...that had to be even worse.

Aidan opened the folder and pulled out a bank record.He pushed it across the table toward Lorton.“Bet this fifteen-thousand-dollar deposit helped.”

Cam whistled low.“I’m the ASAC, and I didn’t get that big a bonus.”

All the big guy’s ease disappeared.“I’d rather not talk about that.”

“We need to know who the money came from, Rick.”

“Why’s that?”

Aidan rested his forearms on the table, looming even while seated.“Because when my agents receive mysterious deposits after they’ve specifically requested on to a case, one where agents’ lives were in jeopardy, I want to know why.”

“I’d never?—”

“He’s just doing his duty as SAC.”Playing the good cop, Cam tried to project ease in a room where the tension was ratcheting up.

Lorton bounced on the end of his chair, earnest and nervous.“It’s nothing that would put our cases or other agents in jeopardy.”

“Then why won’t you tell us?”Cam asked.

“It’s not strictly allowed.”

“Because it’s illegal,” Aidan said.

Wide green eyes shot to Aidan as Lorton waved his spread hands.“No, no, no, it’s legal.”

“Rick, you’re gonna have to tell us,” Cam coaxed.

He sighed, shoulders rolling forward.“I model.”

Not surprising.He was a good-looking kid if you liked the corn-fed sort.

Too pretty for Cam, but as a model, yeah, Cam bet he sold some photos.But fifteen-K worth?