The wind howled, stinging my eyes with fresh snow as we hurried to the truck.

We got in, and the engine roared to life with a heavy, mechanical rumble.

Jake backed out slowly, keeping the headlights off until we reached the main road.

The roads were slick with black ice, the truck tires slipping occasionally on the sharp turns.

We arrived at the Highway 6 diner ten minutes later.

The pink neon sign buzzed in the storm, casting a strange glow over the high snowbanks.

Major Hayes’s black SUV was parked in the back corner of the lot, next to an unmarked grey sedan.

Jake parked beside them and killed the engine.

“Come inside with me,” Jake said, turning to look at me. “It is safer in Hayes’s vehicle.”

I unbuckled Owen and hurried across the icy asphalt, the wind nearly knocking me over.

I climbed into the back seat of the warm SUV.

Major Rebecca Hayes sat in the driver’s seat, her military uniform covered by a heavy dark coat.

In the passenger seat was Daniel Reyes, the federal financial investigator, holding a black plastic case.