Free Best Laid Plans by Allison Brennan

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    Barry and Lucy talked first to the concierge, then the manager, and finally the head of security got involved. Andreas Jackson was a tall, broad-shouldered black man dressed in an impeccable dark suit, white shirt, and navy tie. An earpiece with the telltale curling cord curved around the back of his ear and under his collar. He escorted them to the security office upstairs. Two people watched a wall of twelve security monitors. Jackson’s office was in the corner, and he had one-way windows that looked out to the lobby below.
    Barry explained again what they needed and gave Jackson the specs of the phone, a BlackBerry P’9983.
    “It’s a relatively new model,” Barry added.
    “There was no such phone turned in from the public areas in the last twenty-four hours,” Jackson said. “If he was a guest, housekeeping may not have gotten to his room, or he may not have checked out.”
    “He wasn’t a guest,” Lucy said.
    Barry said, “A person of interest took his phone after our contractor died. The phone is now here.”
    Jackson picked up his phone, spoke for a minute, then hung up. “The housekeeping supervisor is checking with her staff and will contact me directly.” He sat down behind his desk and motioned for them to take seats in chairs across from him, which they did. “If the phone is in this hotel, we’ll find it.” He eyed them with interest. “Government secrets? Must be serious if two federal agents are looking for a phone.”
    Barry glanced at Lucy, though she didn’t know what he wanted from her. He then turned back to Jackson and said, “The phone was stolen from a deceased government contractor.”
    “If you have a GPS log, I can review the security footage from our public areas at the time the phone entered the hotel.”
    “That would be helpful,” Barry said. “Thank you.” He wrote down a time frame and tore the page from his notepad. “This is the window we’re looking at.”
    Jackson pressed a button on his phone. “Please cut a copy of security feeds from all entrances from twelve thirty A.M. through one A.M. ” He turned back to Barry and Lucy. “Only the main entrance is unlocked after ten P.M. , but I’ll get you feeds from all the entrances in case the individual in question had a hotel room key.”
    “We appreciate that,” Barry said.
    Jackson’s phone rang and he excused himself. Barry pulled out his phone and responded to a message. “Jolene Hayden called headquarters and wants to meet with us as soon as possible.”
    Lucy looked at her watch. It was late in the afternoon. Adeline had told Jolene seven hours ago about her father’s death. “When?” Lucy said.
    “It’s nearly five. We’ve been going since five this morning.”
    Lucy was used to working a case until she was exhausted. It helped her sleep, for one. And for two, she couldn’t put work out of her mind when she was mulling things over. But it had been a long day.
    “Her father just died. She’ll be an emotional wreck,” Barry added. “It would be better to talk to her after a night to process.”
    “She may have helpful information. She was in Dallas with her father, she may know why he was coming to San Antonio.”
    “I thought of that, which is why I had Zach call her and ask her to come in first thing Monday morning.” He glanced at her. She couldn’t read Barry well. When she thought she understood what he was all about, he agreed with her on something and surprised her, or disagreed and surprised her. She didn’t know how his mind worked. “Some advice?”
    “Can I avoid it?”
    He showed no emotion. “You’re not a bad agent, Kincaid. But if you keep going at the pace you’ve been going since you got here, you’ll burn out fast. You don’t think I’m ignorant of what people say about me on the squad, do you? Particularly the people you hang with. Nate, who has PTSD and probably doesn’t sleep more than two or three hours a night. Ryan, who’s going through a nasty