The Day Before by Liana Brooks Page B

behavior—­”
    The dial tone sang in her ear.
    â€œGood-­bye.” Sam clicked the phone to its OFF position and docked it beside her computer. “The wonderful paranoia of Dr. Emir,” she told Marrins with an apologetic smile. “Three shows daily.”
    He snorted. “What’s he want this time?”
    â€œAssurance that no one working the case is going to steal his data, or force him to misuse his device, or something. Honestly, I don’t understand half of what he says.”
    Marrins’s beefy hand landed hard on her shoulder in a brutal pat of camaraderie. “I heard you spent the night with corpses.”
    Sam winced. “It was a mess from start to finish. Trying to find a particular body in a hole full of bodies is hard enough to begin with. But then someone drove by last night, the PD didn’t have their lights on, and the guy digging was in plain clothes, so of course there was a ruckus. After that documentary on grave-­robbing and cemetery vandalism ran on the news last month, ­people have been calling in weekly to report suspicious activity, and a concerned citizen held up the dig for almost an hour.” She rubbed sleep from her eyes. “Add to that—­again—­that mass grave is a disaster. Harley has everyone on the morgue staff working overtime, but we still haven’t found our Jane yet. If she’s not in there . . .” Sam shook her head. “Just to be on the safe side, I sent MacKenzie to pull all the old files he could find in the system. If anyone down there followed protocol, we’ll have her autopsy on record.”
    â€œGood thought.” Marrins sat on the desk, making it groan in protest. His lips smacked together. “Why don’t you close up shop? We’re not going to find anything in the next forty-­eight hours that’s going to change the world. You need a vacation. And I need you out of my district.”
    The smile dropped from her face. “Sir?”
    â€œJust got off the horn with an old friend of mine, thought it might interest you. Senior Agent Barsol in D.C. is looking for a field agent fluent in Spanish.”
    â€œI’m fluent in Spanish and French,” Sam said cautiously, heart fluttering with hope.
    â€œHe’s scrapping the bottom of the barrel if you ask me, but he’s desperate. I owe him a favor, so I tweaked a few things and gave you the leave time you need. You’ve got a flight out of Atlanta this afternoon. Take the rest of the weekend to enjoy yourself. By the time you get back, all this will be taken care of, and you’ll be on target to go to D.C. I promise.”
    â€œThank you!” Sam had to force herself not to jump up and hug the surly old agent. The stodgy old misogynist had finally come around and seen the value in her work. “This is wonderful.”
    â€œPack up. Lock up. Enjoy your weekend.” Marrins thumped her back again.
    Sam waited until she heard Marrins settle at his desk before she reached for her phone. Down the hall, Marrins’s phone rang, and he started talking. She dialed Bri.
    â€œSammie! How’s life?” Brileigh asked with her customary enthusiasm.
    â€œGreat! I have an interview for a job in D.C.”
    â€œFantastic!” Bri said. There was a muffled scream in the background, then Bri yelled, “Knock it off, or I’ll duct tape you to the hood of the car!” A wave of whining rose at the edge of hearing, then Brileigh was back. “So, D.C.?”
    â€œYes, a full field-­agent position. The bureau even bought my plane ticket!” Sam laughed, turning her chair.
    Agent MacKenzie stood at the edge of her office, hand raised to knock. She held up a finger to let him know she needed a minute.
    â€œAbout time they promoted you,” Bri said. There was a muffled scream in the background, and Bri yelled, “So help me, I will use you for catfish bait!” In a