Free Craig Kreident #2 Fallout by Doug Beason Kevin J Anderson

the successful completion of this open-doors inspection.   Worse, he’s scheduled a short stopover in Las Vegas to personally greet the disarmament team before flying on to the summit.   We cannot have an unsolved murder mucking this up.”
    Craig leaned back in the creaking chair, his mind whirling.   “Are you sure it’s a murder?”   He listened to a faint hiss of static.
    “The ME’s office says it’s pretty plain.   The Russian was dead half an hour before the so-called accident occurred.”
    Goldfarb shoved a cup of sour-smelling coffee into Craig’s free hand.   “Pretend it’s Jack Daniels,” he whispered, “and imagine how pissed she’d be.”
    “So you’ve got the murder of a Russian national on Federal property.   I appreciate the political ramifications.”   Craig sipped the coffee, trying to maintain his calm.   It tasted bitter.   “But you don’t appreciate how serious things are here.   We were lucky to find that bomb before it went off, and there’s strong evidence the Eagle’s Claw intends to do more acts of terrorism before Friday.   Friday, June.   The Hoover Dam was just a warmup act.”
    June’s voice remained firm.   “I don’t intend to slack off on the Eagle’s Claw for a minute — we’ll keep the entire team cooking at high heat.   I’m just pulling you from it, Craig.   Your abilities are better utilized elsewhere.   Some more agents are coming in, and the Secret Service advance team is there if you need help.”
    He had a difficult time keeping his temper in check.   He set down the coffee, afraid he might accidentally clench his fist and smash the Styrofoam cup.   “What about Bill Maguire?   The Eagle’s Claw killed him, June — I know it.   There’s too much at stake to take me off this case for a simple murder.”
    “Nothing simple about Ambassador Nevsky’s murder,” she said, unwavering.   “And that was a low blow about Maguire.   I felt his death as much as any of you field agents did.   But I set the priorities here — do I have to call you back to Oakland so I can explain this face to face?   According to airline schedules I can get you here and back there by eleven o’clock tonight.   The result will be the same, but you’ll waste a lot of hours on the plane.”
    Craig opened his mouth to retort, but saw Jackson, Goldfarb, and three other agents watching him.   Heaving a deep breath, he tried to block the thrum of machinery in the background by putting a hand over his free ear.
    “June,” said Craig, “I still think it’s a mistake —”
    “You’re the best agent I’ve got, Craig. “   She sounded calm now, persuasive.   “That previous case you solved at Lawrence Livermore proved it.   You have experience working in government facilities, and I know I can count on you.”   She fell quiet for a moment.  
    “This is coming straight from the top, the Attorney General herself.   We’ve only known for a few hours that the ambassador’s death was not an accident.   The U.S. has not yet released that information because there’s so much riding on completing the disarmament process.   We’ve got to hold this coalition together and not give the Russians any reason to back out.   We cannot afford to have this fail.   By Friday, the disarmament team will have completed their mission, the President will have personally expressed his congratulations, and you, Craig, will have solved the case.”
    “How am I going to conduct this investigation without letting on that we know there’s been a murder?”
    “Because of the political nature of this death, the FBI must be called in.   You’re here, a proven expert in cases involving scientific facilities.”
    Craig rolled his gray eyes.   “Are they going to buy that?”
    “Besides, Paige Mitchell is also involved in this case.   The two of you worked well together in Livermore.   Do it again.”
    “ Paige is out here?   What is she doing in