AN: As you guys have probably guessed by now, signing is italicized. Enjoy!

The next day at the office, Sue and Tara were seated in a boardroom with a young lady that was an acquaintance of Amandas. All they knew before they met her was that she was fourteen years young, loved dodgeball, lived out of the city, and was deaf.

Sue started the interview. She signed, "Tell me a bit about yourself."

The girl signed back, "Umm…I'm Diana Ray, and I live an hour outside of D.C.. I live on a ranch." Sue examined the girl from head to toe. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and bore freckles. She was short, and looked like she lived on a farm. She bore a plaid shirt, thick, sturdy jeans and boots, and she wore a blue jean jacket with a wool coat underneath as insulation to keep her warm from the late fall chill.

Sue said, "A ranch? That sounds like fun."

Diana responded, "It's not all fun and games. It's a lot of work, and a lot of early mornings."

"What kinds of animals are on your ranch?"

"We have a lot of cattle…and a couple of horses too."

Sue asked, "So, you live with both of your parents?"

"Yes, I live with my mom and dad."

"Their names?"

"George and Tiana Ray?"

Tara flipped open her notebook and started writing Diana's answers. Tara did her best at asking her own questions, "What do they do for work?"

Diana answered Tara, "Dad works on the ranch…with the cattle. He breeds and sells them for money. He doesn't do any butchering; however, times are tough, because as you know, the demand for beef is at an all-time-low due to inflation, so there's no one interested in buying."

Tara asked again, "What about your mom?"

"She's a waitress in D.C.. At the Fiola Mare…it's the Italian Restaurant? She's a hard worker, but doesn't make much money. My family is…well…low income."

Sue paused before continuing, "Diana, I can't help but notice that you're really emphasizing to us that your parents aren't well off. Is there a reason?"

Diana shrugged, "Amanda told you that I believe my parents are breaking the law…federal laws. I tolerate my family, and do love them, but I have morals and values. I want to give them a hard lesson that they can achieve anything as long as it's done honestly."

Tara questioned, "What do you think they are doing? Like…what federal crimes do you believe they are committing?"

Diana answered immediately, "Cyber crime."

Sue asked, "Any cyber crime in particular? Your friend Amanda said that it was identity theft. Is that true? Can you describe what they are doing? Do you have proof?"

"Well," Diana explained, "I noticed that about a month ago, mom and dad were bringing home tons of money that I knew they didn't have. They're broke. How can you be on the verge of going bankrupt and almost losing the ranch two months ago to suddenly being the richest family in the district? At first I thought they sold out horses, but I was wrong."

"So, they are/were going to lose the ranch?"

"Yes. You have to understand that Dad has been a part of that ranch since he was a boy. He inherited it from his father and it's important to both him and my mom. I believe that they have it in them to do whatever they think is necessary to save their ranch…whether it's legal or not."

"You did some investigating?" Sue asked.

Diana nodded. "After noticing that mom and dad were paying off their debts at an alarming rate, and even getting new clothes for me, I grew suspicious, so I did my own investigating when they were herding cattle one night. I fished through their emails and other random files, and discovered some weird programs that looked harmful and found names of people we didn't know…with their emails attached to their profiles, along with phone and credit card numbers. There had to be at least 100 names."

"How old are your parents," asked Tara.

Diana replied, "They are in their late fifties."

"Are they good with technology?"

"Kind of."

Tara and Sue looked at each other. Something wasn't adding up; there was a piece of the puzzle missing. Sue asked, "Tara, do you and your parents have a good or at least…stable relationship?"

Diana answered, "Our relationship is…okay. Mom has always been an irritable snob, and dad has been aggressive at times, but I know they love me. Stuff does go on, but it's normal for us. I am sick of it though."

Sue gave Diana a funny look, "Are you trying to get revenge?"

Diana looked offended. "I don't want them breaking the law…that's all." She sighed, then continued, "Oh well…at least I won't have to be in the foster care system if they go to jail, because then I'll be living with my brother."

Both Tara and Sue looked surprised. This was new information. Sue said, "Your brother? You have a brother too?"

"Yes, I have an older brother? Just one."

"Who is he?"

"His name is Devin McCallum. He's 19, and he lives on his own ranch about two hours away from mom and dad. He's just as poor, but he is in no danger of going bankrupt. It's a small ranch; he only has a couple of sheep and horses. I want to live with him one day. To be honest, I'd rather live with him than my parents."

Sue said, "What's his relationship like with your parents? Can't you just request to live with him if you're unhappy where you are?"

Diana quickly shook her head. She responded, "No, dad wouldn't stand for that. Devin is my half brother, but he and I don't care about that…we are best friends. Unfortunately, dad hates his step son. He kicked him out the day Devin turned 18, and he's been on his own since. I never forgave dad after that. It was one of the worst days of my life."

"Do you see Devin often?"

"Maybe once a month…although I haven't seen him in two."

Tara snapped her notebook shut. She signed, "Do you have an IP address for your parent's computer so I can continue with my investigation?"

Diana confidently took out a folded piece of paper from her jacket pocket, and lightly tossed it across the table towards Tara. She said with a smile, "I knew you would ask that."

Later, Tara and Sue went over what they had discussed with Diana to the team. Their white board wasn't very full; it was a simple fraud case that only involved a family of four. Of course, there were holes in this particular case, but once Tara started with her investigation, her results would immediately tell the true story.

When Sue finished explaining the teenager's story, Myles, the devil's advocate, raised his hand. When Sue acknowledged him, he asked, "So…what's this girl trying to accomplish?"

Sue replied with confidence, "She claims that she's doing this to teach her parents a tough lesson about honesty, but it's obvious that she wants to live with her brother, because things aren't going too well at home. Her parents won't allow her to move in with her half brother, and nobody in their circle has money to get lawyers and solve their differences through the family court system."

Myles gave a funny look. "So her plan is to put her parents in jail for life, so social services can place in the care of her brother? What if she's lying? What if she's trying to set up her parents?"

Bobby said, "Then this entire thing would be considered a domestic dispute that would have to be settled through local resources and the court system, rather than FBI jurisdiction."

Sue said, "You're right, but I believe her story. I think she's telling the truth."

Myles rolled his eyes. He placed his hands on his hips, and said, "Oh, here you go again. You're believing what people say, and you've only known them for five minutes. You're not always right, you know. People do messed up things…including teenagers."

Lucy slapped Myles' arm, "Stop it, Myles. Be nice."

Jack entered the conversation, "Myles has a point. The girl is fourteen, and she's not happy at home. She wants to run away, and she has a friend who knows the FBI; so, she thought that it would be a great opportunity to free herself from her oppression at home."

Dimitrius added, "And if she's trying to frame her parents, she could be in trouble instead."

Tara cooled down the room. "We can go back and forth all we want. I'll do my investigation, and whatever I find will do all of the talking for us."

Dimitrius agreed. "Whatever Tara finds is how we will deal with the girl. If Tara finds proof that the girl's parents are phishing, we can get a warrant and make some arrests. But, if there is no proof, we will have to go to Diana and deny her request for a full investigation, and recommend the court system for her to get out of her parent's home and live with her half brother."

Tara responded, "It sounds like a plan to me."

The team started to disperse. Sue tightened her grip on the green marker she held in her hands. She hated it when everybody disagreed with her, especially Myles. It seemed like after six years, he still didn't believe in her. Before Sue could go back to her desk and sulk, Myles approached her. He still had his hands on his hips. He said quiet, but stern, "I can read your thoughts and emotions, Thomas. Let me get one thing straight with you. I am not your enemy. We're friends and you're a special agent now...a good one too. And I have your back. I'm just giving you a different standpoint, because you sometimes make brash decisions based on emotions. As you once said, I challenge you by offering a different, honest and logical perspective, so I will live up to that statement. Now smile. Your brooding is making me nauseous."

Myles then left with his right hand placed on his stomach, and she gave him a small grin when he wasn't looking. She needed that reassurance, even if it was in the most Myles way possible.

Chapter 3 is next…