Domino Effect (2019 Edition)

might be the first time the real thing is better than the legend.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said. “Now about that file.”
“Yes?” Lancaster said, leaning towards the screen.
His voice rang true, so she continued, “Sawyer either sucks at dictation and gathering facts, or he’s holding something back.”
“What makes you say that?” Lancaster said.
“Look, I hate filing reports more than anyone, but that file is full of holes. Either way I look at it, he’s a liability. I want him off the case along with the rest of S.S.”
“That’s preposterous. You can’t possibly plan on conducting this investigation and finding my daughter all alone.”
“I don’t,” she said. “I’ll need some help.”
“What help?” Frank said. “I’m not authorizing you to work with your old team. Killing half of Key West isn’t going to help bring Becca back alive.”
“Agreed,” she said.
“Then where do you plan on getting your help?” the president asked.
“I have a friend in the Lower Keys. He’s well known down there, and nobody will think twice seeing him around Key West. He and another friend have agreed to help.”
“Troy?” Frank said, the surprise noticeable in his voice.
She nodded. “We have no idea who the kidnappers are or what we’re dealing with. I need to work with people I can trust.”
“Who’s this Troy?” Lancaster asked.
“Troy Stubbs,” she answered. “He was influential in helping crack the human trafficking ring in the Keys.”
“So, he works for the Bureau?”
“No. At the time, he was a deputy in Tumbleboat Key. After the case, he took a position as an agent for FDLE in Miami. He later resigned and accepted the position as Sheriff back in Tumbleboat.”
“And this other person you mentioned?”
“Tiffany Swenson. She was a reporter in Miami during the Painted Beauty case. She’s a real spitfire, someone I can trust.”
“That’s it?” An air of disbelief bled through the president’s words. “Just the three of you? A bevy of Secret Service agents as well as agents of three other agencies haven’t been able to come up with a single iota of information in the last thirty-eight hours, and you think you’re going to crack this case with Barney Fife and Nancy Drew?”
As Lancaster’s frustration grew, her demeanor mellowed in reciprocal fashion. “If we want to gain information and flush these scumbags out, we need them to feel safe. That won’t happen by sending in the cavalry. My ways might seem unorthodox, but you need to trust me on this. I’m going to do what’s best to find and bring Becca and her roommate home safe.”
“You agree with this?” the president said, addressing Frank.
“I believe Agent O’Malley is our best bet. She thinks and acts outside the box, but her record speaks for itself. If this is the team she wants, I’ll agree to it.”
President Lancaster took a deep breath, exhaled audibly, and stood. “Just bring back my daughter, that’s all I ask,” he said, his eyes downcast.
“Becca and Pia are my main priority,” she said, “but I’ll need to borrow your cell phone and the burner you’re receiving texts on.”
“For what purpose?” Lancaster asked.
“I’m going to clone the sim cards. That way I’ll be receiving any communication in real time. Any delay, no matter how short could be costly.”
“How am I supposed to get them to you?”
“I’ve made a few calls while in flight. There’s a courier waiting outside Frank’s office. He’s going to run them down here while I get ready to board my next flight. I’ll do the work here and send the originals back with the courier within the hour.”
“I’ll allow you to copy the burner, but not my official cell. The communication on that phone is a matter of national security.”
“Since Charlie’s death,” she said, locking onto the man’s eyes, “I’m independently wealthy. I’m not looking to sell or release information to the highest bidder. Becca has access to both phone numbers. I guarantee her kidnappers do, also. They’re apt to play mind games with you by communicating on both. If you want me to find Becca in the shortest amount of time, I need every tool possible.”
Lancaster looked at Frank. “This is your call, Director, and your job if it backfires.”
Frank didn’t hesitate. “I trust Agent O’Malley to do the right thing.”
“You better be right, or we’ll all go down together.”
Frank stayed silent.
President Lancaster exhaled loud enough for Sin and Frank to hear. “Becca’s roommate’s parents are in town and I’m late for a meeting.” Addressing Sin, he added, “I want updates every four hours.”
“And I want a unicorn for Christmas, but I’m not getting that, either,” she mumbled, shutting down the Skype feed.

8
A half hour later, she plugged each phone into her computer by USB and copied the needed information. She then took a new burner from her pack, plugged it in the same way and tapped away on the keyboard. She could feel Frank’s eyes and apprehension. “I’m encrypting the clone. No one, including members of your or the president’s security team, will know I’m receiving any communication.”
“My team can break encryption.”
“Not this code.”
“How—”
She answered with one word, “Charlie.” She then did the same with the other phone and handed them to Frank who took them to the courier waiting in his car.
Forty-five minutes later, she finished up her work on the computer and got out of the back seat of Frank’s car. She noticed he was engaged in conversation with a pilot and then noticed a C-130 parked on the runway not too far away. She waited by her bike, per protocol, for an invitation to join them. Waved over, she joined the men.
“Agent Sinclair O’Malley, Major Sterling,” Frank said, introducing the two. “Major Sterling has agreed to give you a lift to Homestead Air Reserve Base. That’s as close as I can get you to the Keys.”
She shook the pilot’s hand. “I appreciate the lift, Major.”
“My pleasure, Agent. Nice bike,” he said, admiring her ride, his expression cold. “The back end’s open,” he said, pointing to the plane. “Ride her on up and