"I don't want to run. I have a legitimate business and someone I just started seeing, whom I'd like to get to know better. I have a life I want to live. What do I need to do?"
"I'd like to take you down to my office," he said. "It's not at FBI headquarters; it's a separate building. No one will know you're there. We'll sit down and go over everything you know in great detail, including your college days, and what happened with Landon, and then we'll get to what the plan is for Landon's algorithm. When we're done, we'll put you in a safehouse with a security detail to make sure no one gets to you. But you'll need to hand over your phone now and give us your password. You have to be completely transparent. If you're not, you're going to get swept up with everyone else, because we are going to take this group down. You can count on that."
Matt's words were convincing, and in the end, Trent inclined his head. "All right. But I want you to protect my sister, too. Jill is not a criminal mastermind. She's been brainwashed by Drew and is eager to prove herself to our father. Drew is the same way. He's driven by his hatred of his dad. He wants to prove he can be richer and more powerful than Kent. Henry struggled to get Graham's respect, too." Trent shook his head. "You have no idea the kind of pressure our parents have put on us. Everyone thinks we're just entitled rich guys, and we are, but there's a dark side to it, as well."
She doubted any of their lives had been as dark as hers or as Landon's, but she didn't interrupt because keeping Trent talking was all that was important.
"I can't make any promises about your sister," Matt said. "After we talk to you, we'll speak to Jill. If she's willing to turn against her fellow conspirators, then she'll be in a better position to make a deal." Matt motioned to Andi, who got up from her seat and joined them at the table. "This is Agent Hart. Another agent is waiting outside. They'll escort you to our office," Matt said. "Haley and I will be right behind you."
Trent looked at them, then at Agent Hart. "This feels like I'm being arrested."
"You're not," Matt assured him. "You're helping us catch the people who killed Landon and who want to frame you for it. The sooner we get all the information you have, the sooner we can stop them."
"And the sooner you'll be safe, Trent," she added. "This is the right thing to do."
Trent nodded reluctantly, then stood up with Agent Hart. "My car?—"
"We'll have someone bring it to you later," Matt said. "Right now, we need to move quickly. Your phone?"
Trent hesitated one last time, then turned over his phone and gave them his password. Then Agent Hart led him outside to the waiting vehicle. Haley felt both relief and anxiety. They finally had someone willing to talk, but did he know enough to make a difference?
Haley was surprised that Matt's office building looked like any other office complex in Santa Monica. She'd expected more official signage, but there was nothing out front. However, the entrance to the parking garage included a palm print scan and a security code, the same as the elevator that swept them up to the third floor. It was almost six, and there had been only a few cars in the garage, so she had the feeling the building was fairly empty.
She and Matt rode up in the elevator with the other two agents and Trent. The agents exited the elevator first, entering a large office suite with a dozen or so desks and cubicles in a large room, with offices around the perimeter. All the offices were dark, but the conference room was lit up, and that's where the agents took Trent.
Matt put a hand on her arm. "Haley, this is as far as you go."
"What?" she asked in surprise. "But I want to hear what he says."
"I understand that, but the interview has to be done according to protocol, in case we need to use it in court."
"I thought it was just an informal talk."
He shrugged. "I'm not sure where it's going to go. But I'm going to show you to the breakroom, where we have a TV, newspapers, snacks, drinks, and a couple of couches. You can wait there."
Through the glass walls of the conference room, she could see Trent sitting at a long table with Jason and Agent Hart. Even from a distance, she could see the tension in Trent's shoulders, the way he kept running his hands through his hair, as if he didn't know if he was doing the right thing or not.
"I should be in there," she argued. "I might catch something you miss. I've spent a lot of years learning about Trent and the others."
Matt shook his head. "You're too close to this, Haley. Your emotions about Landon could interfere with the questioning." He paused, giving her a sympathetic look. "I know this is frustrating, but you asked me to trust you when you set up the meeting with Trent, and I did. You got us this far, and we couldn't have gotten Trent here without you. Now you have to trust me to get the information we need."
She wanted to argue, but she knew he was right. Her anger at whoever had killed her brother could easily derail a delicate interrogation. "All right. But I want to know everything he says."
"You will," Matt promised. "Follow me."
He led her down a hallway to the breakroom, flipping on the lights as they entered. It was a very comfortable room, exactly as he'd described. "There's food in the fridge. Help yourself. When this is over, we'll get a late dinner."
"How long do you think it will take?"
"Judging by what he has said so far, probably not that long. Either I or one of the other agents will give you an update in an hour, if not before."
"Okay. Good luck."
She wandered around the breakroom, checking out the fridge, which was fully stocked, but she wasn't hungry. She grabbed a soda and sat down at the table, and spent the next twenty minutes perusing the newspaper, which happened to be her newspaper. It was amazing how little she had thought about work the past week. Everything in her life had flipped upside down last Thursday when Sabrina had shown up. She'd been forced back into the past and had learned so much more about the last days of her brother's life. But she needed to know it all. She needed to know who had killed him so she could make them pay.
Matt wanted that, too, but he was also focused on what the group was going to do with her brother's algorithm, which was probably even more important than her finally getting answers. She also wanted to stop whatever was coming, because she didn't want to see her brother's work used for an evil purpose, something that would hurt the very people he'd wanted to protect.
As her thoughts grew more frenetic and anxious, she got to her feet and paced around the room, hoping someone would be in soon with an update. She hoped that the passing time meant that Trent was giving them valuable information.But what if he didn't know enough?He'd said he was on the outside.What if they were running out of time, and the plan was already being put in motion? Were they making progress or wasting time?
