The look she got from the other agent told her he wasn’t happy she relayed that bit of info. She ignored him. Or pretended to. There was a slight wince after she realized what she said. Revealing the FBI was fucking things up wasn’t always the smartest thing to do. They liked to pretend they were invincible.
From Rome’s study, Masters was older than Callahan. Probably sent to supervise, and that wouldn’t go over well with a go-getter like Callahan. Masters, for his part, didn’t look happy about being there.
“So, you move in to investigate, he vanishes?” he asked, already getting a sour feeling in his stomach.
She nodded once. The gesture was familiar. There had been an agent, one of the first profilers who hunted serial killers. John Callahan. The eyes should have told him. Almost luminous blue, just like her father’s.
“That can mean only one thing.”
Yeah, and Rome didn’t like it one bit. “He’s one of you or one of us. Or someone connected to us. Someone with access to this kind of info.”
Her eyebrows arched in surprise, and Rome tried not to get pissed. He failed. The fact that she thought he wasn’t smart enough to figure that out irritated him. He expected it, had dealt with it before, but for some reason it made him mad.
She moved her hands on her lap. He noticed that she didn’t wear any rings, and for some odd reason, he was relieved by that. If he hadn’t been that intrigued by that, he wouldn’t have noticed the way her thumb tapped her leg. The movement was so slight, he would have missed it if he hadn’t been paying attention. She was nervous.
“If we come in here and take over, he’ll know. He has some kind of connection, whether it’s through him or someone he’s close to, someone he knows. Since I’m new to the case, he won’t know me, won’t pick up on me being here for it. But we can’t let anyone know I’m with the FBI.”
He studied the two of them and shook his head. “Then you better do something about the way you’re dressed. Did anyone see you come in?”
She glanced at Masters then down at her own suit. When she looked up, she grimaced. “Dammit, you’re probably right.”
He shouldn’t want to help Callahan, but something in him wanted to make sure she stayed. “We’ll fix it. We can say that there was an old case from Seattle when I worked homicide there. Then you two need to assimilate.”
“What does that mean?” Masters asked, but his partner was smarter.
She sighed. Rome could barely hear it, but he picked up on her irritation. “Look around, Masters. People don’t wear suits here. I should have thought of it, but we came straight from the airport.”
At least she was smart enough not to get pissed at him for pointing it out. Which in his book made her smarter than the average agent. “Where are you staying?”
She didn’t even allow her partner to speak. The older agent might have been sent to babysit Callahan, but she definitely saw herself in charge. “Right now, the Hilton Hawaiian Village. But we’re looking for something more permanent.”
Masters made a face. It was easy to see the agent didn’t want to be here. Of course, it was probably more to do with who he was with. No one, not even Rome, would want to come to Hawaii with a woman who didn’t know how to have fun.
“Okay. I’ll meet you for drinks in the lounge right by the big pool at the Hilton.”
She said nothing for a second but studied him as if he were a bug of some sort. Then, she nodded. “Time?”
“Seven.”
She sighed. “Okay. Let’s go, Masters.”
Both of them stood, and Rome couldn’t help but admire her height. He glanced at her shoes and saw that she wore low heels. She was as tall as Masters. The agents walked out the door, and it shut with an almost silent snick.
For a moment, the captain said nothing. Then he chuckled. “That was very friendly of you, Carino.”
He watched Callahan and Masters walk through the squad room until they disappeared through the door. Rome shot a smile over his shoulder at his boss. “Considering who her father is, I figured I’d play nice.”
“Was. Big John died about eighteen months ago. Did you know him?”
He nodded, thinking of the giant man he’d heard talk. “Went to a few of his lectures years ago when I was stationed in the DC area.”
“Make sure you continue to make nice. The FBI might want to take this over, but I want to make sure that when we catch this son of a bitch, Honolulu PD gets some credit.”
Rome offered his boss an angelic smile. “I promise to be a good boy.”
“I didn’t tell them your connection to the club, but I think you better tell her. She’s pretty sharp, and if you aren’t careful, you’ll find yourself off the case.”