Gina Cresse - Devonie Lace 01 - A Deadly Change of Course--Plan B by Gina Cresse Page A

you sure you should be driving?  Maybe we should just have Craig come over and take a quick look before you go.”
    “I feel fine.  I’m sure I’m completely recovered.  Besides, I saw Craig leave a little while ago.  He must have gone to work.  I’ll see you later, Aunt Arlene.”
     
    We stopped at Jason’s warehouse first, and picked up the newspaper clippings from the file cabinet.  Jason insisted on going with me to the FBI office. 
    I briefly explained to the man at the front desk about the gun and the newspaper clippings and Joe’s death, and I mentioned the two strangers on my boat.  He directed us to have a seat, then he called someone on the phone.  Several minutes later, a man came into the reception area to greet us.
    “Miss Lace?” he asked.
    “Yes.  This is my friend, Jason Walters,” I said as we both stood up.
    “I’m Agent Dan Cooper.  Please come with me to my office,” he said.  We followed him down a long corridor to a door marked PRIVATE and entered the large office.  There was another man already seated next to the desk.
    “This is my partner, Agent Willis,” he said.  “Tom, this is Devonie Lace, and, I’m sorry, what was your name again?”
    “Jason Walters,” he replied, shaking the man’s hand.
    “Good to meet you.  Why don’t you tell us what this is all about,” Agent Willis said.
    I explained my story from the beginning — giving all the details, except for the money.  I opened each of the file folders and handed the clippings to Agent Cooper.  Then I laid the mystery box on his desk.  “I found this in the safe, but I don’t know what it is.”
    Agent Cooper picked it up, in spected it briefly, then he handed it to his partner.  “What do you think, Tom?  Scrambling device, maybe?”
    “Yeah.   Probably.   We’d have to send it down to the experts, but I’d bet my last paycheck that’s what it is.”
    “What would it be used for?” I asked.
    Agent Willis shifted in his chair.  He gave his partner an uneasy look.  “We’ve seen a couple of these devices used in the Middle East.  Terrorists use them to bring down planes and, sometimes helicopters.  They have the ability to cause some of the electronic mechanisms to be inoperative — or worse — to produce erroneous information without the crew realizing it.  They’re most effective on the global positioning systems.  If a plane can’t navigate — especially in bad weather conditions, or at night when there’s no visibility — it’s pretty vulnerable.  They’re complicated.  Not too many people have the skill to build one.”
    “Do you suppose that’s how he caused the plane crash in Mexico last year?” I asked, gesturing to the last newspaper clipping Agent Cooper was holding.
    “We don’t want to jump to any conclusions, Miss Lace.  As far as the government is concerned, that incident was nothing more than pilot error.  It ’s possible we may decide to re open the investigation, if the evidence points us in that direction.  For now, we should probably concentrate on your safety.  You say that two men visited your boat?” Agent Cooper asked.
    “Yes.  That’s right.”
    “Can you describe them?”
    “One was tall and skinny and wore a ponytail.  He’s probably got a broken nose now, and a fairly good sized lump on the side of his head.  The other was shorter and stocky, with no hair at all.”
    “And you say that Tony Marino was the only other person besides your friend who knew you had the gun?” Agent Willis asked.
    “That’s right.  Even Jason here didn’t know until this morning, when he brought me my Jeep.”
    “Where are you staying now?” Agent Cooper asked.
    “I have my boat tied up over at my aunt and uncle’s place in Del Mar.  They have a private dock.  I’m pretty secure there.”
    “That’s good.  We suggest that you remain there until we get to the bottom of this.  We’ll probably assign an agent to keep an eye on you,” Agent