The specialized federal task force arrived in Ashford Hollow the second week of November — three agents from a division Nakamura referred to only as "pattern crimes," led by a woman named Agent Solene Vasquez whose careful, unhurried manner reminded Wren, uncomfortably, of the same measured menace she'd once seen in Harold Vance.
"I understand the resemblance is unsettling," Vasquez said, catching Wren's expression during their first meeting at the compound. "I've been told that before. It's not accidental — understanding how these people carry themselves is part of what makes me effective at finding them."
"Have you found people like this before," Cruz asked.
"Three times in my career," Vasquez said. "Professionals who operate within criminal networks specifically to eliminate liabilit
