Page 44 of Shattered Truth (Off The Grid: FBI #15)

"I can't make any promises about your sister," Matt said.

"After we talk to you, we'll speak to Jill.

If she's willing to turn against her fellow conspirators, then she'll be in a better position to make a deal.

" Matt motioned to Andi, who got up from her seat and joined them at the table.

"This is Agent Hart. Another agent is waiting outside.

They'll escort you to our office," Matt said. "Haley and I will be right behind you."

Trent looked at them, then at Agent Hart. "This feels like I'm being arrested."

"You're not," Matt assured him. "You're helping us catch the people who killed Landon and who want to frame you for it. The sooner we get all the information you have, the sooner we can stop them."

"And the sooner you'll be safe, Trent," she added. "This is the right thing to do."

Trent nodded reluctantly, then stood up with Agent Hart. "My car?—"

"We'll have someone bring it to you later," Matt said. "Right now, we need to move quickly. Your phone?"

Trent hesitated one last time, then turned over his phone and gave them his password. Then Agent Hart led him outside to the waiting vehicle. Haley felt both relief and anxiety. They finally had someone willing to talk, but did he know enough to make a difference?

Haley was surprised that Matt's office building looked like any other office complex in Santa Monica.

She'd expected more official signage, but there was nothing out front.

However, the entrance to the parking garage included a palm print scan and a security code, the same as the elevator that swept them up to the third floor.

It was almost six, and there had been only a few cars in the garage, so she had the feeling the building was fairly empty.

She and Matt rode up in the elevator with the other two agents and Trent.

The agents exited the elevator first, entering a large office suite with a dozen or so desks and cubicles in a large room, with offices around the perimeter.

All the offices were dark, but the conference room was lit up, and that's where the agents took Trent.

Matt put a hand on her arm. "Haley, this is as far as you go."

"What?" she asked in surprise. "But I want to hear what he says."

"I understand that, but the interview has to be done according to protocol, in case we need to use it in court."

"I thought it was just an informal talk."

He shrugged. "I'm not sure where it's going to go. But I'm going to show you to the breakroom, where we have a TV, newspapers, snacks, drinks, and a couple of couches. You can wait there."

Through the glass walls of the conference room, she could see Trent sitting at a long table with Jason and Agent Hart.

Even from a distance, she could see the tension in Trent's shoulders, the way he kept running his hands through his hair, as if he didn't know if he was doing the right thing or not.

"I should be in there," she argued. "I might catch something you miss. I've spent a lot of years learning about Trent and the others."

Matt shook his head. "You're too close to this, Haley.

Your emotions about Landon could interfere with the questioning.

" He paused, giving her a sympathetic look.

"I know this is frustrating, but you asked me to trust you when you set up the meeting with Trent, and I did.

You got us this far, and we couldn't have gotten Trent here without you.

Now you have to trust me to get the information we need. "

She wanted to argue, but she knew he was right. Her anger at whoever had killed her brother could easily derail a delicate interrogation. "All right. But I want to know everything he says."

"You will," Matt promised. "Follow me."

He led her down a hallway to the breakroom, flipping on the lights as they entered. It was a very comfortable room, exactly as he'd described. "There's food in the fridge. Help yourself. When this is over, we'll get a late dinner."

"How long do you think it will take?"

"Judging by what he has said so far, probably not that long. Either I or one of the other agents will give you an update in an hour, if not before."

"Okay. Good luck."

She wandered around the breakroom, checking out the fridge, which was fully stocked, but she wasn't hungry.

She grabbed a soda and sat down at the table, and spent the next twenty minutes perusing the newspaper, which happened to be her newspaper.

It was amazing how little she had thought about work the past week.

Everything in her life had flipped upside down last Thursday when Sabrina had shown up.

She'd been forced back into the past and had learned so much more about the last days of her brother's life.

But she needed to know it all. She needed to know who had killed him so she could make them pay.

Matt wanted that, too, but he was also focused on what the group was going to do with her brother's algorithm, which was probably even more important than her finally getting answers.

She also wanted to stop whatever was coming, because she didn't want to see her brother's work used for an evil purpose, something that would hurt the very people he'd wanted to protect.

As her thoughts grew more frenetic and anxious, she got to her feet and paced around the room, hoping someone would be in soon with an update.

She hoped that the passing time meant that Trent was giving them valuable information.

But what if he didn't know enough? He'd said he was on the outside.

What if they were running out of time, and the plan was already being put in motion?

Were they making progress or wasting time?

She paused by the window, looking out at the city lights, wondering what was happening outside this building.

Were the co-conspirators at their own homes, enjoying their lives, or were they meeting somewhere, talking about Trent and the rumor that he might have been responsible for Landon's death?

The real murderer would know that wasn't true.

Would he or she feel more emboldened now with the finger pointing to Trent?

Or would that person realize that the truth would eventually come out, that Trent would try to save himself, and they needed to move up their timeline?

With an endless line of questions running around her head, she left the breakroom and went down the hall to use the restroom.

She killed a few more minutes in there, finally, splashing some cold water on her face before heading back.

As soon as she stepped into the hallway, the lights went out, and she froze, panic shooting through her body.

It was pitch black, with no windows illuminating anything.

She heard shouting. She thought Matt might have called her name. Then she felt a rush of cold air. It must have come from the stairwell. Before she could turn, she felt a figure behind her, and then something hard crashed down on her head.

Pain exploded through her skull, and she felt herself hit the ground as everything turned to black.