“I got a good look,” Finn said. “The explosives’ depot is still standing, but the office has totally collapsed. We need to get someone out here to clear it so we can search the rubble for anyone who might’ve been injured.”

  One of the Veritas vans pulled up and parked on the road. Finn had forgotten all about Trent and Grady coming over here.

  They strode down the road as if they were arriving to take charge of the crime scene.

  Grady pointed at Eddie as the medics loaded him up. “He gonna be okay?”

  Russ shrugged and planted his hands on his waist. “If you’re here to get a look at the explosives, that’ll have to wait now.”

  If Grady was upset over Russ’s terse tone, he didn’t show it. “We were, but looks like you can use our services again.”

  Russ rubbed his forehead. “We haven’t even determined if anyone was in the building, and we’re a long way off from processing forensics.”

  Trent took a step closer. “We can do more than forensics. We’ve been testing something new that could help search for victims and other explosives without risking lives.”

  Russ widened his stance. “Tell me about it.”

  “Not an it, but them. Robobugs.” Trent bounced on his toes. “They’re rechargeable, remote-controllable cyborg cockroaches.”

  “Say what?” Ryleigh gaped at Trent.

  “They’re just what they sound like,” Grady said. “Cyborg insects—part insect, part machine. These remote-controlled cyborg cockroaches are equipped with tiny wireless control modules. They’re powered by rechargeable batteries attached to solar cells.”

  “So they what?” Russ raised his eyebrows. “With something strapped to their backs, they can move around?”

  Trent nodded. “A backpack is 3-D printed to conform to the insect’s thorax. Despite the mechanical devices and ultrathin electronics, the insects can still move freely.”

  Ryleigh shook her head. “That sounds unbelievable.”

  “It does,” Grady said. “But we’ve been testing them for some time, and they transmit the information we need to safely clear buildings like this one.”

  Finn was impressed. More than impressed if that was possible. Something like this would really have helped on deployments in war zones, but he didn’t think it would be practical to try to keep the bugs alive on a mission.

  Still, today, the bugs could do everything they needed on this scene, and Finn wanted to know more. “The explosives’ depot is still standing. Could we send them in there to determine if it’s been booby-trapped?”

  Grady nodded. “As long as we can get them inside, we can get a good look at the area.”

  “I’m guessing you didn’t bring them with you, though,” Ryleigh said.

  “No, but we can transport them on the chopper coming to drop off additional staff,” Trent said.

  Russ looked at the departing ambulance. “Get those bugs on that chopper now. We need to know if this bomb took anyone else out.”

  16

  Ryleigh was thankful Grady caught the helicopter before it took off and arranged for the team to include the bugs. They should arrive any minute. But she wasn’t a do-nothing person and standing at the edge of the property and waiting for the cyborg bugs to arrive was tantamount to torture.

  Sure, she’d removed shards of debris from Finn’s neck with tweezers from his first aid kit, but now she did nothing but swing her gaze to the road every time a vehicle drew near. Then when the vehicle wasn’t a Veritas van, a sinking feeling settled into her gut. That was when she wasn’t feeling Finn’s antsy fidgeting as he waited too.

  Her phone chimed, and so did his. They both grabbed them like lifelines out of boredom.

  “It’s the picture of the boot from Nick,” she said. “Let’s show it to Russ to see if he recognizes it.” She started toward Russ’s car, where he was sitting and talking on his phone. Finn followed.

  Maybe Russ had also received an update on his deputy. Ryleigh approached the car, offering another prayer for Eddie and his family. Russ looked up from his phone and then slid out.

  “Any word on Eddie?” she asked.

  He shook his head.

  “We just got the pictures of the boot I told you about.” She held out her phone to him. “Ever see anyone wearing this style?”

  Russ studied the photos. “Nah, and it’s not a boot I’d forget. Make sure I get the picture, and I’ll distribute it to my team so they can ask around. If a local has boots like these, someone is bound to remember them.”

  His phone rang, and he grabbed it. “Russ Maddox.”

  He plunged a hand into his hair, messing up the usually neatly combed strands. He started to pace, then stopped and stared at his feet. “You’re sure?”

  He listened. His hand went to the hood of his car to steady himself, and he sagged against it. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  He ended the call, his face pale, and he looked like he might be sick. “Eddie will be fine. Doctors safely removed the stake in surgery. It missed his heart by two inches and didn’t hit any other internal organs.”

  Russ kept his hands on the car and took deep breaths. The big strong man had nearly been brought to his knees. She never doubted his loyalty to his team, but he cared more deeply than she’d imagined, and this injury had thrown him for a loop.

  Coming from a law enforcement background, she understood his deep emotions more than most people could. Officers were not only coworkers, but they were family too.

  He stowed his phone and turned to lean against the hood of his car. “You never want to see one of your people hurt. It happens, but you have to do everything you can to make sure it doesn’t happen needlessly.”

  “You couldn’t have stopped this,” Finn said.

  Russ’s eyebrow rose. “Maybe. Maybe not. We won’t know until we figure out how our bomber got into the building to set the device with my deputy on duty.”

  “Maybe it was set the same day as the first one,” she suggested. “Then for some reason, it only detonated now.”

  Finn chewed on his cheek, his gaze tight. “Could be possible, I suppose, but why wait to detonate it?”

  “What if this one had a photoelectric cell too, and wasn’t connected to a computer?” Ryleigh asked. “It could’ve been in a closet or other dark place and the bomb wouldn’t detonate until they opened the door and the light hit it.”

  Russ frowned. “Except no one was in the building today when this went off. Unless someone came in without my deputy seeing them. Either way, it’s just like the other bomb, and the bomber didn’t care if the explosion hurt or killed someone.”

  Ryleigh nodded. “Once the bugs confirm no one is in the building and there’s no remaining danger, then the Veritas staff can look for residue from the bomb. What they find could not only tie it to the other explosion, but provide a lead that the fire destroyed at the mill.”

  As if the mention of the Veritas team brought them to the scene, their van finally pulled to a stop by the barrier. Grady, Trent, and Blake slid out and marched around back, purpose in their steps.

  Good. Their eagerness to get this show on the road was just what Ryleigh wanted to happen.

  “Let’s see what these cyborg cockroaches are all about.” She raced for the van and didn’t care if Russ or Finn caught up, but they did.

  The Veritas guys were slipping into white Tyvek suits.

  “I wondered who would control these bugs,” Ryleigh said. “Guess it’s you guys.”

  “Most of us are trained.” Grady expertly slid his other hand into a disposable glove. “But since this involves a bomb, Trent and I are best skilled in searching for bomb fragments.”

  “Of course the priority is to search for survivors first.” Blake tugged up his zipper. “As sheriff, I worked my share of collapsed buildings and know how to find trapped people.”

  Russ planted his feet, his forehead wrinkled. “I almost lost a deputy in this explosion, and I hope you all can give me what I need to bring the perpetrator to justice.”

  “We’ll do our best,” Trent said. “And our best is better than most investigators give you.”

  Russ’s phone chimed, and he looked at it. “As much as I hate to leave before you do your thing, something urgent demands my attention.” He looked at Ryleigh. “Keep me updated.”

  “FYI.” Blake picked up a pair of gloves and shook them to free the fingers. “Sierra and Kelsey are flying back on the chopper with the victim’s remains. I also sent the evidence we’ve collected so far. Sierra will run her tests on the photoelectric cell and then return.”

  “Excellent work,” Russ said, his admiration for Blake’s skills in his expression. He strode toward his car.

  “Showtime.” Trent gloved up and reached into the van. He withdrew a small closed container with tiny holes in the lid and sides. He lifted out a Lucite container from inside. Two-inch-long roaches scuttled around in the clear plastic box.

  Never did Ryleigh think she would be happy to see roaches. Yet she was—sort of.

  Trent opened the container and used tweezers to remove one and hold it out for them to inspect. “As you can see, on the front end of the thorax is a tiny wireless control module powered by a rechargeable battery attached to a solar cell.”

  The bug’s entire body was covered with plastic and wires ran to the legs.

  “The wires stimulate the leg segments.” Trent placed the roach back in the box and secured the top. “Allows us to send the bugs where we want them to go. And the solar panel on top keeps everything charged. With just a handful of roaches, we can thoroughly scour a building in record time.”

  “Disgusting yet very interesting.” Ryleigh wrinkled her nose.

  “I concur.” Finn pretended to shudder.

  “Let’s put these bad boys to work.” Grady quirked an eyebrow and smiled. “Someone grab the controllers.”

  Blake reached into the van and opened another bin to reveal handheld controls that resembled video game controllers with a computer screen mounted on the side. He handed one to Trent and Grady, then took one for himself.

  Trent held his out to display it for them. “This device works on Bluetooth and is basically the same system as you would use to control a robot.”

  Grady picked up the roaches and started for the driveway, where he held up his hand. “End of the road for you all. Stay up here for your safety. We’ll keep you updated.”

  Ryleigh didn’t want to be left behind. She wanted to watch the camera feeds from the bugs, but she also didn’t want to get hurt. Nor did she want the three men continuing down the hill and toward the building to be hurt either. She offered a prayer for their safety and that they wouldn’t discover that someone perished or was injured in the building.

  The guys halted near the crumbled structure.

  “Anyone here?” Blake called out and paused to listen.

  No sound. Not even a squeak.

  The sun broke through puffy clouds, blinding Ryleigh. She cupped her hand over her eyes to get a better look at the action below. Trent went to the far end of the building, and Blake stopped near the middle. Grady joined Trent, took out a roach and called out an ID number.

  Trent tapped his screen a few times. “Got him. Let him rip.”

  Grady placed the roach at the edge of the building, and Trent started moving his controller. “We’re good to go.”

  Grady joined Blake and called out another number.

  Blake studied his controller’s screen. “Yep. I see him. Ready.”

  Grady took one out and followed the same procedure as the other two men.

  “This is so cool.” Finn stood on his toes and held a hand over his eyes. “I mean it would be if they weren’t looking for survivors or victims from a bomb.”

  “Agreed,” Ryleigh said, but it really wouldn’t do to be too excited until the men cleared the building. Only then would they know for sure if someone had perished in this explosion.

  Hanging back like this wasn’t Finn’s idea of a good time. The stakes were so high. The team could locate someone who hadn’t been able to call out. Who was seriously injured or dead. Lying in tangled and twisted wreckage. From his SEAL days, Finn could easily imagine having to go down to the wreckage to free someone, and his gut was tight with concern.

  Stop. Visualizing a traumatic scene doesn’t help.

  He looked at Ryleigh. “We should start considering that if the bombs were set by the same person, then whoever perished in the first bomb might not be our bomber.”

  “Yeah, he wouldn’t be alive to set this one unless they were both placed on the same day.” She locked gazes with Finn. “We could be looking for two people, but if Gates died in the first blast, and he isn’t the bomber, why was he at the mill at that time?”

  “This is so frustrating.” Finn curled his hands into fists. “We should have an answer to that by now.”

  He watched as Trent moved over to Blake, and Grady joined them. They held a brief conversation.

  “They must know something.” Finn’s heart started to pump wildly.

  Grady looked up the hill. “We’re all clear. No additional devices, victims, or survivors waiting for rescue.”

  Finn let out a long breath. “Finally, some good news.”

  Ryleigh kept her gaze pinned down the hill. “Now we can pick this building apart and look for evidence.”

  “That’ll be a big job. Even if we pulled in the entire Veritas team from the other site, it could take days.” Finn looked at the rubble and pondered the search. “What if Russ let Tobias’s workers help move debris? That could speed things up. Under the Veritas team’s direction, of course.”

  Ryleigh looked at him. “Russ wants evidence before Monday. Means he’ll likely approve it, and so will Tobias.”

  “I have something,” Grady shouted. “Finn, you’ll want to look at this.”

  Finn charged down the hill, dodging debris on the way. He heard Ryleigh coming after him.

  Grady looked up from his controller. “My roach is in the front left quadrant of the building. Glass says it’s near where a window had been located. The extensive damage and the outward placement of the glass tells me the concussive force originated there.”

  “Any evidence of a computer or photoelectric cell?” Finn asked.

  “Not yet.” Grady held up his controller and tapped the screen that displayed the video recorded by his roach. “But see this? Looks like the same plastic wrapping from explosives Shadow Lake Logging uses.”

  Finn leaned closer and shaded his eyes from the sun. “It does indeed.”

  “I want to get excited about this,” Ryleigh said. “But don’t other loggers use the same explosives?”

  “But I’m not sure they all write the received date on them like Tobias insists on.” Finn glanced between her and Grady. “When new explosives arrive, the receiving clerk uses permanent marker to date each tube. Looks like part of a date on that wrapper.”

  “Yeah.” Grady grinned at Finn. “Yeah, it does.”

  Finn jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “So it very likely came from this depot.”

  “Then let’s get this roach inside the building to see if we can safely enter it to check the inventory.” Grady used his controller to bring his roach out of the building.

  As much as Finn appreciated this technology, he had to admit to being creeped out by the roach.

  Grady picked up the bug. “You two stay here. I don’t want you close to the building until I make sure it’s safe.”

  He crossed the property and bent to set his roach in the space under the door then moved his controller, his focus intent on the screen. He maneuvered his controller, and the bug disappeared. Finn knew Grady was not only looking for devices set with a photoelectric cell, but for boobytraps too. He would search the door area, especially around the frame, where a tripwire could’ve been placed to trigger a device when the door opened.

  Thankfully, the depot was a small building and could easily be searched. Or at least Finn thought it was easy. He’d never controlled a live bug, but he’d played his share of video games to know eye-hand coordination was the key to success.

  Grady looked up from his controller. “Place is clear.”

  Finn charged over to Grady. “Then let’s get this lock open and get inside.”

  “This is a crime scene now, so if you’re going in, you’ll have to suit up,” Grady said.

  “I’ll get dressed and come right back.” He didn’t wait for permission to take a suit from the van but charged up the hill, his legs fueled with adrenaline. If they discovered missing explosives, it could mean the security video could have captured images of the thief.

  He chose the largest size of one of the ugly white suits from the box, but he barely fit, and the suit stretched tight on his body. He looked much like the other guys, but he was taller so the legs were even shorter on him.

  He jogged back down the hill, put on the booties, and looked at Ryleigh. “Do you remember the inventory count?”

  She nodded. “Seventy-two white ones and seventy of the red tubes.”

  Grady looked up at the building. “Looks like the security camera is intact, and we could get our bomber on video. I didn’t see a computer inside. Is it stored in the cloud?”

  Finn nodded. “Same is true of the cameras on the office building. So we should have footage right up until the explosion took the cameras out.”

  Finn looked at Grady and then at Ryleigh. “I know Grady cleared this place, but I want you both to step away. Just in case the roach missed something.”

  “It’s not necessary.” Grady moved his roach out of the building and held it up. “I have full confidence in this little guy, but I appreciate your caution.”

  Ryleigh lifted her chin. “I have faith in Grady’s assessment and will stay put too.”

  “Then you have the key,” Finn said.

  Ryleigh slid it into the lock and twisted. The arm dropped open, and she let it fall to the ground.

  “Okay, step back.” He trusted the roach—to a point. And really wished Ryleigh had moved away, but he couldn’t force her to go.