concerns,” Benson agreed. “So we took the initiative to look into the remaining members of Galloway’s team. We found it particularly disconcerting to learn that all of them, except for Galloway and two others, are now deceased.”
“Or missing,” Maxwell added.
“Missing?” I scrunched my eyebrows.
“Yes. Harrison Mills, Galloway’s neighbor, was on the mission and, as we know, he’s been missing for several years.”
“So it looks like we should go talk to someone who was in Bosnia with Galloway and see if there’s a connection. It may not clear anything up, but maybe we can find out a little bit more.”
“We’re one step ahead of you,” Eli said. “Maxwell and Benson are heading to Oklahoma to talk to one of them…Peter Carlyle. You and I are going to head to Florida to see if we can get some answers out of Bruce McDonough.”
“Perfect. See if you can get these guys on the phone and make plans to go talk to them on Monday–”
“Sir,” Martin interrupted. “We’ve all discussed this and think time is of the essence here. If someone has been killing the members of the unit, there’s a possibility they’re after Carlyle and McDonough. It took Maxwell weeks to even track these two down. They’ve been living completely off the grid for years, making me believe that perhaps they knew someone was after them. Granted, it’s been several years since the others died, but I’m not sure this is a risk worth taking.”
Sighing, I ran my hand over my face. I knew I needed to go talk to at least one of them, but I had promised Mackenzie I’d be there for her baby shower tomorrow. I glanced at my watch, noting it was just eleven in the morning. If we hurried and got a flight plan in place, we could be in Florida by two or three. That gave us a little wiggle room. Even if we had to track him down, as long as we were back by tomorrow morning, I’d be able to make Mackenzie’s shower.
“Fine. Let’s go. Benson. Maxwell.” I nodded at them. “You’ll most likely be getting to your target’s house first. I want a full report after you’ve spoken to him. It may help us when we’re interviewing our guy. Understand?”
“Sir,” they said in unison.
~~~~~~~~~~
“WHAT DO YOU THINK Galloway’s time in Bosnia has to do with all of this?” Eli asked as we drove from Tampa airport and out to St. Pete Beach. My thoughts had been elsewhere, thinking of Mackenzie and the argument we’d had earlier. I had tried calling her to let her know what was going on and assure her I would be back in plenty of time for the baby shower, but my calls went right to voicemail, so I knew she hadn’t cooled off yet. I just hoped she would come around so we could at least discuss this like two rational people.
“Tyler?” Eli said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Which makes more sense, or which do I want to believe?”
“Let me guess. It’s not the same.”
I sighed, leaning my head on the window of the rental SUV, soaking in the warm Florida sun. “I wish it were. Am I a horrible person for beginning to think maybe I was wrong before? That maybe, with everything going on, it makes more sense Galloway really is the one behind all of it? Everyone associated with him seems to be dead or missing, and I can’t help but think he’s the cause. The only evidence I have that he’s not is my girlfriend’s assurance he couldn’t be, even though she barely knows him. Does this make me a horrible person?”
“No,” Eli agreed, keeping his eyes on the road as we drove across a bridge toward the island. “You’re looking at everything rationally, like any good investigator should. But sometimes circumstances are such that we want to believe one thing, blinding us to the truth.”
“I know… I just wish there were some sort of tangible evidence out there other than word of mouth to go on! We have no idea who to trust or believe here. Anyone could be lying. Hell, being here could just be one giant wild goose chase.”
“Could be, but it might give you the answers you’ve been looking for. Don’t forget that.”
Nodding, I closed my eyes, wishing I had some sort of clarity about this case. I had been so convinced Galloway wasn’t behind it because Mackenzie believed it, but I wasn’t so sure now. As with everything else