Read Online The Gender Experiment: (A Thriller) by L.J. Sellers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: L.J. Sellers
Tags: thriller, Suspense, Military, Crime Fiction, Young Adult, new adult, Police Procedural, Murder, Lgbt, Kidnapping, assassin, gender, Terrorists, fbi agent, Conspiracy Theory, gender fluid, morgue, medical experiment, intersex
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smile. “Sure you can. Just keep it simple. Put on a little show of not feeling well to get their attention, then fall on the floor.”
Taylor cringed. She’d never participated in a school performance of any kind, and this was completely out of her comfort zone. “Maybe I should access the computer instead.”
“Have you done any programming or coding?”
“No.”
“Then you get to be the distraction.”
“But I’ve been inside the clinic before. The receptionist might remember me and figure out that it’s staged.”
Jake stood and grabbed a small pillow. “You could pretend to be pregnant. Plus pull your hair back and wear some fake glasses.”
It could work. Her hand shook as she reached for the pillow. What in the hell had she signed up for?
Chapter 9
Thursday, Oct. 13, 9:05 a.m., Washington D.C.
Andra Bailey walked into the monitoring room where five agents watched giant screens, scanning the world for trouble. The nearest one looked up at her.
“Anything happening in Colorado?” she asked. The recent cluster of mass shootings in her home state had triggered a need to watch it closely. She feared a militant group like the Bundys was primed to take over a federal building or seize state-owned lands. As a key member of the Critical Incident Unit, it was her job to be aware of these possibilities so the Federal Bureau of Investigation could get a jump on them—maybe quash them in advance.
“A missing teenager and a murdered old woman.” The agent, a young man still in training, gave her a devilish grin. “Also, Owen Granger was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.”
Bailey smiled back, knowing it was expected. “That’ll keep him out of circulation for a while.” Granger was an anti-government zealot they’d been watching for years. She turned to leave, then changed her mind and spun back. “What do we know about the murdered old woman?”
What if she was connected to Granger and he was on a personal vendetta?
“She worked for a medical clinic and was attacked in her home. Bludgeoned with something heavy.”
Probably not related.
“Give me her name.”
“Bonnie Yost.”
Why was that a familiar surname?
Bailey nodded and walked to the door, then realized the nod wasn’t enough. She turned back. “Thank you.” Niceties weren’t natural to her, and she had to constantly check her own behavior. She didn’t care what the agent thought about her on a personal level, but she was next in line to head the CIU and would do whatever it took to land the position. Anything short of sabotaging the current leader. Bailey knew exactly how she could set up her boss to fail, but so far, she’d resisted the impulse. Most sociopaths wouldn’t have that much restraint. She was lucky to be on the low end of the spectrum. She didn’t take any pleasure in hurting people, she just didn’t feel guilty if she did.
Bailey hurried through the maze of corridors to her office near the back of the building. At her desk, she ran the name Bonnie Yost through the database. There was the connection. Bonnie had been married to Roland Granger, Owen’s older brother. Roland had died in prison, while serving a long sentence for illegal firearms possession and assaulting a federal officer. Now Owen had been arrested for aggravated assault and his sister-in-law had been murdered in the same time frame. Bailey needed more information, such as who the militiaman had attacked.
Two more searches revealed that Owen Granger had assaulted a man named Clay Richmond, who’d once been a member of the Freedom Guardians but had left the group after the incident that sent the older Granger to prison. Richmond had been hospitalized from the attack, and attempted murder charges were being considered against Granger. Why assault Richmond now? Bailey leaned back in her chair, working though the possibilities. It could just have been a drunken brawl. Or maybe Owen Granger blamed Richmond for his brother’s imprisonment and
Taylor cringed. She’d never participated in a school performance of any kind, and this was completely out of her comfort zone. “Maybe I should access the computer instead.”
“Have you done any programming or coding?”
“No.”
“Then you get to be the distraction.”
“But I’ve been inside the clinic before. The receptionist might remember me and figure out that it’s staged.”
Jake stood and grabbed a small pillow. “You could pretend to be pregnant. Plus pull your hair back and wear some fake glasses.”
It could work. Her hand shook as she reached for the pillow. What in the hell had she signed up for?
Chapter 9
Thursday, Oct. 13, 9:05 a.m., Washington D.C.
Andra Bailey walked into the monitoring room where five agents watched giant screens, scanning the world for trouble. The nearest one looked up at her.
“Anything happening in Colorado?” she asked. The recent cluster of mass shootings in her home state had triggered a need to watch it closely. She feared a militant group like the Bundys was primed to take over a federal building or seize state-owned lands. As a key member of the Critical Incident Unit, it was her job to be aware of these possibilities so the Federal Bureau of Investigation could get a jump on them—maybe quash them in advance.
“A missing teenager and a murdered old woman.” The agent, a young man still in training, gave her a devilish grin. “Also, Owen Granger was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.”
Bailey smiled back, knowing it was expected. “That’ll keep him out of circulation for a while.” Granger was an anti-government zealot they’d been watching for years. She turned to leave, then changed her mind and spun back. “What do we know about the murdered old woman?”
What if she was connected to Granger and he was on a personal vendetta?
“She worked for a medical clinic and was attacked in her home. Bludgeoned with something heavy.”
Probably not related.
“Give me her name.”
“Bonnie Yost.”
Why was that a familiar surname?
Bailey nodded and walked to the door, then realized the nod wasn’t enough. She turned back. “Thank you.” Niceties weren’t natural to her, and she had to constantly check her own behavior. She didn’t care what the agent thought about her on a personal level, but she was next in line to head the CIU and would do whatever it took to land the position. Anything short of sabotaging the current leader. Bailey knew exactly how she could set up her boss to fail, but so far, she’d resisted the impulse. Most sociopaths wouldn’t have that much restraint. She was lucky to be on the low end of the spectrum. She didn’t take any pleasure in hurting people, she just didn’t feel guilty if she did.
Bailey hurried through the maze of corridors to her office near the back of the building. At her desk, she ran the name Bonnie Yost through the database. There was the connection. Bonnie had been married to Roland Granger, Owen’s older brother. Roland had died in prison, while serving a long sentence for illegal firearms possession and assaulting a federal officer. Now Owen had been arrested for aggravated assault and his sister-in-law had been murdered in the same time frame. Bailey needed more information, such as who the militiaman had attacked.
Two more searches revealed that Owen Granger had assaulted a man named Clay Richmond, who’d once been a member of the Freedom Guardians but had left the group after the incident that sent the older Granger to prison. Richmond had been hospitalized from the attack, and attempted murder charges were being considered against Granger. Why assault Richmond now? Bailey leaned back in her chair, working though the possibilities. It could just have been a drunken brawl. Or maybe Owen Granger blamed Richmond for his brother’s imprisonment and