Scarlett’s brow was furrowed in a deep frown. ‘So Marcus wasn’t the target in the alley. Drake must have been gunning after Tala for meeting with Marcus. But that means we still don’t know who has been targeting Marcus. If Drake hadn’t run, we could say that he realized that Marcus wasn’t dead and wanted to finish the job to keep him quiet. But Drake was halfway to Detroit by the time the sniper shot at Marcus and killed Agent Spangler behind the Anders house. And we already know that Drake didn’t shoot Phillip and the security guard in Marcus’s building because we have the lobby video and Phillip’s description.’

‘But Drake is connected to the guy who invaded my apartment building last night,’ Marcus said quietly. ‘By Tala.’

Isenberg shook her head. ‘You’re assuming the man who shot Phillip Cauldwell and the security guard was the same man who transported the Bautistas to Ohio. You can’t assume that yet. Not until we have a more positive ID.’

Marcus felt his jaw go taut. ‘Mila and Erica identified last night’s shooter from the security video.’

Isenberg’s expression softened a hair. ‘He wore a ski mask, Marcus, and they haven’t seen him in three years. Yes, he has the same body type and the same gait. Yes, he does a similar hand-switch maneuver. It very well could be the same man that brought them here, but right now it’s supposition. We have to keep our minds open for now.’

Marcus knew she had a valid point, but couldn’t bring himself to admit it. Mila and Erica had sounded so certain and he so wanted to believe it was true. That he would track down the bastard who’d put Phillip in ICU was a given in his mind. He desperately wanted to give the Bautistas their justice as well.

‘She’s right, dammit,’ Scarlett muttered under her breath, making Isenberg’s lips twitch.

‘That happens occasionally,’ the lieutenant said dryly.

Scarlett’s lips curved. ‘Yes, ma’am. It does.’ She squared her shoulders. ‘The apartment shooter went to a lot of trouble to make it look like Tala’s killer was simply finishing the job. He used the same model gun and made sure the building’s security camera saw it. He used the same kind of bullets, which he tried not to leave behind, so we wouldn’t be able to do ballistics.’

‘But how does he connect to me?’ Marcus murmured.

‘That’s the million-dollar question.’ Scarlett glanced up at him, understanding in her eyes. ‘Hopefully the Bautistas will give us a sketch of his face. Maybe you’ll recognize him.’

Agent Coppola cleared her throat. ‘There is the possibility that the two aren’t connected at all, that someone else wants you dead and is using Tala’s murder as a cover.’

‘So we’re back to the list,’ Scarlett murmured. ‘Threats made against Marcus’s life because of the exposés he’s run in the Ledger,’ she explained to Agents Troy and Coppola, who looked confused. She turned to Isenberg. ‘Where are we on the names I sent you last night?’

‘My clerk’s got last-known addresses for all of them. A few are in jail for other offenses.’ Isenberg looked at Marcus shrewdly. ‘But you knew that already, didn’t you?’

‘I knew it was a possibility,’ he said honestly. ‘I know a few others were in jail and got out and probably should be back in jail.’ That he knew from Stone after his brother had checked all the names on the list for status and recent activity. ‘Many of those people are child molesters and domestic abusers. A newspaper article and a short stint behind bars aren’t going to stop them.’

‘No, it won’t,’ Isenberg said, then turned to Deacon. ‘Any update on that ankle tracker?’

‘Yes,’ Deacon said. ‘It got easier after we picked up the other two trackers that Mila and Erica left behind. The serial number on Tala’s tracker was recorded as having been destroyed by the quality assurance testers at the plant that makes them,’ he explained to Marcus and Agent Troy. ‘The federal corrections system buys from that factory and, as the customer, it’s authorized to do unannounced quality evaluation. The team from corrections seized copies of the factory’s production records for the days on which the three trackers were produced and tested.’

‘Sneaky,’ Coppola praised.

‘Creative,’ Deacon corrected.

Coppola grinned. ‘Potato, po-tah-to. Glad to see that you haven’t lost your touch, Novak.’

Deacon waggled his white brows. ‘Thank you. Anyway, they were able to narrow down the list of employees to just two men who worked all three shifts in which the three trackers were tested. They were picked up this morning when they showed up at work and are being transported to Cincinnati for questioning as we speak. One of the men is responsible for the “destructive testing”,’ he quirked the air with finger quotes, ‘of four times as many devices as the other man. I’ll pull backgrounds on both of them, but I think we should be looking hardest at the guy with the most devices. He may have been selling to Anders, or, if we’re very lucky, he might have been selling to the actual traffickers who brought the victims into the country.’

‘Were all the people rescued from Anders’s factories wearing trackers?’ Marcus asked.

‘Not all,’ Coppola said. ‘Mostly the people who had technical skills, like Efren Bautista. Of those we’ve gotten to talk to us, about a quarter earned university degrees in the countries where they came from, which is consistent with the data we’ve gathered on labor trafficking in the past. They wore trackers.’

‘How many have you gotten to talk to you?’ Marcus asked.

‘Not even a third,’ Coppola admitted. ‘They’re afraid of us. I can’t blame them.’

‘I’d like to talk to them,’ Marcus said. ‘I may have better luck, especially if the Bautistas vouch for me. These people have a right to have their story told, and I want to do it right. I also plan to ensure they get legal representation as the Bautistas have.’

Troy looked skeptical. ‘The attorney Mrs Church’s grandson brought here agreed to take the Bautistas’ case pro bono. I don’t think you can expect him to take on the entire population we extracted yesterday.’

‘I’ll make sure they get representation if I have to pay for it myself,’ Marcus said. ‘But I don’t think I’ll have to. When this story gets out, we’ll have a lot of people volunteering to help them. They’ve been victimized once. I damn well won’t see them victimized again.’

He drew a breath when he felt Scarlett’s hand on his knee, lightly squeezing. He’d grown angry, he realized, and these two agents didn’t deserve that. ‘I apologize,’ he said. ‘I’ll get off my soap box now.’

Agent Coppola’s smile was sympathetic. ‘I don’t want to send them all packing, Marcus. My job is to put away the bastards who tricked them into coming into this country under false pretenses. I have to use whatever means necessary in order to do that, but I can be more effective if they’re not afraid of me. I don’t think I can get clearance to take a reporter in just yet, but when I can, I’ll let you talk to them to coax out whatever information you can. If you can get them representation, all the better. As far as I know, these people haven’t committed any crimes, or if they have, it was under duress and coercion. I’ll propose it to the SAC, see what he says.’

He wanted to scream at the government bureaucracy, but kept his temper checked. ‘Thank you.’

A light knock had them all turning toward the door. Scarlett’s uncle poked his head in, his expression drawn. ‘I think the Bautistas are ready to answer your questions now. But first . . .’ He hesitated. ‘First they want Marcus to tell them about Tala’s last moments. Think of it as closure, son,’ he added kindly.

Marcus had told his story to the cops, to his own brother, but telling it to the victim’s parents . . . He suddenly felt uncomfortable. But then Scarlett squeezed his knee again, her nod encouraging. He pushed away from the table, gathering his nerve. ‘All right,’ he said.