The FBI arrived in force. Four black SUVs rolled single-file toward them, oversized wheels throwing mud and debris onto the following car. Windshield wipers slapped back and forth on high to scrape the mess off in clumps. The locals—highway patrolmen and sheriff’s deputies—turned around to watch as the caravan braked to a halt and eight agents disembarked from the splattered vehicles. A parade of Feds in bright-yellow slickers headed their way. Each wore a fluorescent jacket with “FBI” emblazoned in big letters on its back.

“Do you think the big letters are a reminder in case they forget who they are?” asked Lee.

“I don’t think so,” she replied, watching the approaching agents with interest. “The letter jackets are for when they get lost—kind of like self-addressed envelopes.”

“That makes sense.”

An authoritative-looking agent, who seemed to be in charge, gave directions. His arm pointed first to the wreckage of Benny’s car and then to the BMW in the ditch. He watched as agents carrying large metal cases descended on the damaged cars to gather forensic evidence before he turned to march over and stand in front of Bai. He seemed annoyed. The corners of his mouth pulled down into a frown as he placed his hands on his hips to glare at her. A female agent—young, blonde, and pretty-without-makeup—came to stand deferentially at his side.

“Ms. Jiang?” the man inquired. “I’m Agent Rivers, and this is Agent Carrey.”

Bai nodded. She couldn’t think of anything to say. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off she felt cold, wet, and tired. She was sore from being tossed around in the car, and her mood wasn’t improved by his officious attitude. Dry clothes, a warm fire, and a big tumbler of scotch would have been her choice at the moment. A wistful smile started to form on her lips at the thought.

Agent Rivers waited for her response, then abruptly stated, “You’ll come with us.”

His voice was harsh and challenging. He managed to drop Bai out of her happy place.

“Am I under arrest?” she asked, her voice calm but resentful.

Lee moved closer to her. He still had his gun in his waistband. After viewing their concealed carry permits, the local cops hadn’t bothered to disarm either of them. She thought they might have been warned off by McKay, which left Bai to conclude that either his word carried some authority or confusion had triumphed once again. The locals looked unhappy with the situation and stood a few feet away—too curious to leave the scene despite having nothing to do.

Agent Rivers noticed Lee’s gun and hesitated a moment before responding to her question. “Not at this time, but we have some questions for you.”

“What if we don’t want to go with you?” asked Lee.

“That’s not an option. You’re both material witnesses to an assault on a federal officer. You’ll have the opportunity to retain counsel if you feel it’s necessary. I’m hoping you choose to cooperate.” His tone changed when he saw his suggestion wasn’t being met with even polite acceptance. “I would ask you to please accompany us. It’s in everybody’s best interests if we clear up this incident as soon as possible.”

She somehow doubted Rivers had her best interests at heart but appreciated his need to get statements. Race probably wouldn’t be doing much talking for a while. His condition left only her and Lee as witnesses. Stalling would only prolong the inevitable.

She looked at Lee, who shrugged his shoulders in capitulation. He knew the drill as well as she did. Turning back to Rivers, she said, “My friend, Mr. Li, has a broken arm. He needs medical attention.”

Rivers turned to the young woman standing next to him. “Agent Carrey, will you ask Agents Little and Branner to escort this gentleman to the emergency room and have his injuries seen to? Once he’s been cared for, he can join us in our offices downtown.”

The young woman nodded in understanding. “Mr. Li, your gun?”

Her outstretched hand waited patiently. He reluctantly handed his weapon to her.

“If you’ll come this way?” the female agent said as she gestured for Lee to precede her toward the waiting vehicles.

He balked and looked at Bai with a questioning gaze.

“I’ll be all right,” she said softly, reaching out to touch his shoulder. “See to your arm and we’ll meet up later.”

He nodded once in acceptance then turned to accompany Agent Carrey.

Bai knew it wouldn’t have made any difference if Lee had decided not to be compliant. The authorities would have separated them anyway. Their stories would need to be compared and corroborated to see if there were discrepancies.

She’d been having little chats with law enforcement officers since early adolescence. It was a consequence of being a triad associate. The routine might have slight variations but never really changed much. Government agencies were big on standard procedures.

Rivers addressed her again, his tone formal. “Miss Jiang, are you armed?”

She turned around and raised the back of her jacket to expose her holstered gun. Rivers removed the Beretta from its holster. When she felt the weight of the gun being lifted, she turned back to face him.

He looked speculatively at her gun before speaking. “What do you say we get out of the rain and find someplace dry to have this conversation?”

He gestured toward the line of waiting SUVs then walked by her side as they made their way toward the cars. He opened the back door of a vehicle and waited while she climbed into the seat before shutting it. She watched as he walked around to the driver’s seat.

Agent Carrey opened the door opposite her and slid into the backseat, smiling a greeting. Bai couldn’t muster a smile in return. Benny was dead. The investment property was a bust, and Elizabeth’s car was toast. Lee’s arm was broken, and John Race, or whatever his name was, was an FBI agent. She didn’t have a smile left in her.

She was trying to remember if she’d ever had a worse day when Carrey interrupted her thoughts. “I think we’re about the same size. When we get to the office, I’ll try to find you something dry to wear.”

Bai looked at her blankly. She had a hard time forming a response. “Thank you.”

From the front seat, she could hear Rivers on the phone telling someone he was returning to FBI headquarters and about Lee’s injury. She didn’t try to follow the rest of the conversation. It seemed pointless. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.

Carrey leaned over to direct a question at her. “Do you know what this is all about?”

Bai thought about Benny and the ballsy move he’d made to acquire the housing development. Poor guy hadn’t a clue as to what he was getting himself into. She doubted he’d even understood why he’d been killed. The sad turn of events had bad karma written all over it.

She opened her eyes to stare at the young woman. “It’s about a rat that bit a cat’s tail.”

The agent looked at her in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“My people have a saying, ‘A rat that gnaws at a cat’s tail invites destruction.’” She could see the agent couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. “I fear that’s exactly what has happened. And now I have to exact revenge on a very large, very mean cat because that’s what friends do.”

Bai put her head back against the seat again and closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry. It wouldn’t do to show weakness to the enemy. And that, unfortunately, was exactly how she viewed the FBI.