Page 86 of Ride the Lightning

“I’m trying to figure out which guy at the bureau hates me more than Trexler.”

“Did you ever consider it could be a woman?” Avery asked. “Slashing your tires and clubbing you upside the head doesn’t require a lot of strength. So far, your nemesis is cunning and has stayed one step ahead of you. There’s no physical evidence pointing to a man as the perpetrator.”

“You’re right,” Jonah said. “I’ve been making too many assumptions. Maybe I should stick with analyzing data and writing code instead of investigating crimes.”

“Stop being so hard on yourself. You’ve obviously touched a nerve with your work so far.”

Jonah chuckled. “And got my brains scrambled as a result.”

Avery winced. “So, what do we do next?”

Jonah looked at the time and grimaced. “I need to call Rocky and Felix and bring them up to speed.”

“At midnight?” Avery asked.

Jonah didn’t really want to call them so late, but he knew they’d be upset if he didn’t apprise them of the latest information. The person was stepping up their attacks to avoid getting caught, and Marla… He couldn’t finish the thought. Jonah’s phone rang on his nightstand, and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Fuck,” Avery said, covering his heart. “That scared me to death.”

Jonah squeezed his hand to reassure him, then picked up his phone. “It’s Rocky and Felix on FaceTime,” he told Avery, who tugged the sheet up higher. “Audio only.” He accepted the call, and said, “You must be psychic. I was just talking about you.”

“That’s the reason for the sudden pain in my ass. Do you have a voodoo doll and a stick pin?” Rocky asked.

“Try washing your ass once in a while, and you won’t get pimples, you big nasty,” Felix said.

Jonah snickered. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”

“We have a break in the case,” Felix said.

“We?” Rocky asked him.

“Fine.Majorhas a break in the case,” Felix amended.

“You’re such an asshole. Why do I like you?” Rocky asked Felix.

“I’m irresistible,” Felix replied.

“Guys, I have big news too,” Jonah said. Avery cleared his throat. “Averyhas big news.”

“We,” Avery amended.

Jonah put his phone on speaker. “Okay,wehave news too.”

“See how teamwork goes, Felix?” Rocky asked.

Felix snickered. “Fuck you, Major.”

Jonah knew from experience the two men could bicker forever, so he cleared his throat. “Someone is framing Trexler to take the fall.”

“Whoa,” Felix and Rocky said at the same time.

Jonah caught them up on what Avery had found.

“It aligns with my news,” Rocky said. “I can’t connect Trexler to anyone at the state prison, but I discovered Bird’s real name is Vincent Malcolm.”

Jonah felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. “Malcolm? As in related to Charles Malcolm, a deputy director with the GBI?” The man Jonah respected and admired?

“Vinnie is his older cousin,” Rocky said. “He’s retired now and living in Boca Raton.”