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Beau nodded. “Sounds like it’ll be pretty straightforward. If all goes according to plan, Hank will have the new team in place before Christmas. Anton and I will be home by then.”
“If you’re done with us, I’d like to grab a late lunch at the diner,” Anton said.
“I am,” Remy said.
“I’ll join you,” Beau said, following Anton out of the conference room.
Remy’s gaze met Jacques’s. “You didn’t follow her.”
Jacques shook his head. “I know I’m being paranoid, and there’s no indication anyone is currently out to get her, but I can’t help feeling Danny’s in trouble.”
Remy nodded. “There is also the possibility that Bobby Ray and his family might want revenge for humiliating him in public.”
“That’s a reasonable possibility.” Jacques paced the length of the table and back.
“You think her attacker will come looking for her after all these years?”
“If he’s not planning a return to coincide with her brother’s graduation, he might catch wind of our investigation and want to make sure she doesn’t talk.”
Remy nodded. “All the more reason to find him before he finds her. One thing she might consider is that she was with classmates. Why couldn’t one of them have done it?”
Jacques’s eyes narrowed. “She was so focused on a voice. That’s why she wanted Pruitt and Jeffries’ group investigated. But you’re right. One of her classmates could’ve slipped the drug into her drink. It’s been a few years. Do you think she’d remember the names of those who were with her at the celebration?”
“Ask her,” Remy said. “We should have asked her while we had her here. Better yet,” he strode to the computer and tapped several keys, “let’s have Swede pull up the roster for her graduating class.”
Jacques joined Remy at one of the monitors displaying a video call being made. The next moment, Swede’s face appeared.
“You must have read my mind,” Swede said with a grin. “I was about to call you.”
“Can you get a roster of Danny’s graduating class of Rangers?” Remy asked.
“Funny you should ask.” Swede glanced down, the sound of keys clicking indicating he was typing something on the keyboard. “I already have. I’m texting a copy now along with their class photo.”
Remy and Jacques’s phones chirped with incoming texts.
Jacques opened the document on his phone and skimmed down until he found Danny French. Then he opened the photo.
There in the middle of the group of newly tabbed Rangers stood Danny, her face set in stern lines befitting a lean, mean fighting machine.
“I’ll text these to Danny and have her list the people who were with her that night,” Jacques said. He sent the text requesting the names, not expecting a quick response since she might still be driving to the Crawdad Hole.
“Done,” he said and glanced up. “You said you were about to call us. Did you find anything?”
Swede nodded. “I did. Sharing now.” His face disappeared, replaced by an image of an article from the Army News magazine.
“I found this article that mentioned Colonel Jeffries, commander of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade. He was at a training exercise in Germany. The five-day exercise occurred during the time of Danny’s assault.”
“Which could clear Colonel Jeffries,” Remy said.
Swede’s face returned to the monitor. “If he stayed for the entire exercise. I’ll run further checks, but this might be his alibi.”
Jacques’s eyes narrowed. “Or not.”
“Either way,” Swede said, “I’ll find out. As soon as you get the names from Ms. French, I’ll locate them and get their contact information.”
Jacques’s phone chirped. He glanced down to see the message was from Danny and smiled. “She just sent the names. I’m forwarding them to you now.” He sent the names to Swede.
“I’ll have those details to you ASAP,” Swede said.
