Taking Stock (46 page)

“I guess that’s what we’re down to,” Sarah said.

“What’s that
?
” Stan asked.

“What’s missing. Anything worth taking is gone.”

“Computer
?
” Stan asked.

“Didn’t find one. Not a single CD or a disk, not even a notepad. Someone made sure we weren’t going to find anything he left for us.”

Stan made a note to check with IT later. They’d check his computer, phone records and search his office if Marty would allow it. McKenna was eager for an invitation, but didn’t ask and they didn’t offer.

Whoever tore the place apart had taken anything Brad could have used to leave a message. They left no paper except a few magazines and they were ruffled as if they’d been flipped through to make sure nothing was handwritten in the margins. Any clues Brad left behind had been hauled away. Any hiding place he could have dreamed up had been torn open or busted into. How much noise had these men made
?
They’d been inside for hours to be so thorough. These men were professionals and they weren’t afraid of being caught.

“Wasn’t his car impounded?” Stan asked.

Brilliant. They couldn’t have gotten into the car. If Brad had left anything behind it would still be there.

McKenna dialed his cell and made arrangements for them to see the car.

The threesome was gone within minutes.
 

The shock of Brad’s release slowly lost its grip on
Eric
a. If anything happened to her, the police would suspect him immediately. Trying again would only add to his sentence and he knew it. He’d be looking for a lawyer or a place to hide.

From her seat on the couch,
Eric
a traced the veins that cemented the massive stone wall together. She had complete anonymity behind the wall, but her reason for hiding was gone. Her packed bag rested by the coffee table, but she couldn’t bring herself to take it up and go. The last time she went home, Brad chased her into the park and tried to kill her.
Eric
a’s instinct told her Brad had a partner, a smarter man pulling the strings, one who’d kill her with the first shot. That feeling had her stuck on the couch.

Her hosts were becoming restless, too. Jan’s feet shifted in the doorway. Sam, the retired-cop-turned-volunteer-security-guard, reclined at his post in the hall and covered his dozing as best he could. A tiny earpiece squawked out the call of a ball game. Their protection deserved a woman who needed it and
Eric
a hoped her stay wasn’t forcing a truly desperate woman to live in fear on the outside.

Jan came around to the couch and rested a feathery touch on
Eric
a’s knee. “What’s got hold of you
?
”

“Who is more the question.”

“No need to rush out there before you’re ready.”

She’d traveled crowded city streets since birth, but now walking out in public was terrifying. She couldn’t escape the feeling that she’d be in someone’s crosshairs the second she stepped outside. This man would be a professional and he wouldn’t miss. Staying hidden seemed simple enough, but letting other people fight for her felt cowardly.

She picked up her cell and dialed Sarah for news, but Sarah didn’t answer.
Eric
a left her number and dialed Gregg.

She eyed her bag as the phone rang. He’d be worried. He’d ask her to stay with him and she’d go. He made her feel safe. After witnessing the brutality between her mother and father, she never thought she’d run to a man for protection, but here she was, listening to the third ring, anxious to hear his invitation.

The phone connected, but instead of relief she was shocked into silence. “It’s about time you called. We were beginning to think you forgot about Mr. Handsome.” She didn’t recognize the menacing voice.

It was the right number. The caller-id at Gregg’s would show her cell number, but the man professed to have something far more important.

“Who are you
?
” she asked feigning confidence.

“That doesn’t matter.”

The voice didn’t sound like anyone from work.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “Where’s Lover Boy
?
” Distant voices and a loud crack sounded over the line. Then a tortured howl faint at first then so piercing she yanked the phone from her ear. The sound was unmistakable. Gregg was in severe pain. She called his name, but his hoarse scream faded into the background.

There were at least two voices in the room with him.

“What are you doing to him
?
” she asked.

“No permanent damage. Yet. Cooperate and you’ll be together soon.”

“What do you want
?
”

“Unwavering Obedience. Do what I say and you’ll see him again. Get out of line and I’ll send him to you in small bloody pieces.”

The voice was steady and cool. Violence was part of his lifestyle. He’d have no qualms about hurting Gregg and the scream proved him capable. He must have gotten the gun away from Gregg. At least Gregg wouldn’t be tempted to pull it and shoot his way free. She doubted he could aim at another man and pull the trigger. He could shoot animals, but he wasn’t cruel. Pulling the gun would only get him killed.

She’d gotten him into this. He didn’t know anything about the theft. They’d taken him to get to her, but she had nothing to give them in exchange. Brad had already proved his guilt. Why did they need her?

“What do you want
?
” she prompted again.

“A little cooperation is all. Stay where you are. When we meet I’ll tell you exactly what you need to do. Until then, don’t call anyone, not BFS, not the cops and not the feds. Stay right where you are.”

The line went dead and
Eric
a stood up.

She was safe. They couldn’t find her at Jan’s, but what about Gregg? She could be at his apartment in ten minutes, but what then
?
They’d overpowered Gregg and probably had him tied up. Even if she could surprise them, she couldn’t overtake armed men.

“What’s wrong with Gregg
?
” Jan asked.

The guard pulled off his earphones and stepped halfway in.

“They’re hurting him.”

“Who
?
” Jan asked.

“They’re working with Brad. They’re in Gregg’s apartment.”

The old man wouldn’t be much help against the thug on the phone. Even the three of them together would be helpless while Gregg was held at gunpoint. Gregg was being hurt because they wanted
Eric
a. Adding the old man’s life and Jan’s to his was unacceptable.

Jan suggested the police.

The man had ordered her not to call, but what choice did she have
?
A hostage taker wouldn’t be good to his word. They were in Gregg’s apartment. In twenty minutes they could take him anywhere in the city and she might never see him again. Calling the police made her queasy, but it was all she had.

Eric
a wrote out Gregg’s address and Jan called a police captain she knew well. He promised they’d go in quickly and quietly.

Eric
a paced nervously as Jan hung up.

The police would be there in five minutes.

Sarah’s hopes were dashed when they found Brad’s car showroom clean. It could have been that way when it was towed in, but more likely the men who’d ravaged Brad’s apartment had visited the impound lot. Even the glove compartment was empty. Sarah’s hopes were buoyed later when Pete Harrison arrived at the office. A substantial FBI agent with extensive contacts and the savvy to navigate a tricky political situation, he gathered more information in twenty-four hours than Sarah and Stan could have uncovered in weeks.

The trio made its way to Marty’s office to present what they’d found. Pete had convinced Marty to exclude Herman and Cathy from the meeting, something Marty would never have done for Sarah or Stan. Going without Herman felt right, but Sarah had a nagging desire to call him as they passed near his office. Herman had been driving for a quick conclusion to the case. Without him, they’d navigate a straighter path to the truth, but when he found out she’d gone to this meeting without him, there’d be trouble their working relationship might never recover from.

They settled around the boardroom table and Pete began.

Stan gauged Marty’s reaction as he listened. Stan’s contacts with the Boston PD had been indispensable and Sarah had to admit his insights had been right on from the start. He knew
Eric
a was innocent. He proved it and he was big enough not to make points with Herman and Marty at Sarah’s expense, even after she’d been a jerk. He was a decent guy and he was good at his job, even if he spent most of his time goofing off. He’d swindled her into buying dinner for eight weeks. She’d dreaded the idea at first, but she knew why he’d done it and she was warming up to it.

Marty listened intently as Pete explained the complicated nature of the plot and why he assumed Brad had a partner. The accounts had been linked to social security numbers of people that had been dead for three to ten years. Regular deposits were made in their names all across the country. Pete handed over a long list of deposit dates in cities Brad could only reach by plane. Most of the dates were in red to indicate that Brad had entered the BFS offices at least once that day according to the security system. Pete’s team would visit the banks and view the security tapes to try and identify Brad’s partners, but that would take time. Brad could have sent the deposits by mail, but the three of them were convinced the amounts were too large to have been sent in unsupervised. In a few weeks, they’d have grainy photos of Brad’s accomplices.

Marty shook his head noncommittally. He may have been shocked that his brother-in-law had been stealing from his company. He may have had new doubts about his young wife. He may have been thinking ahead to the consequences for him. Sarah couldn’t be sure, but he was taking it in. Herman had undone her work with Marty twice before. This time they’d hammer it home until there could be no doubt in Marty’s mind.

Pete continued.

The money had gone from these bank accounts to a single bank in
Turino
,
Italy
, again suggesting a cohesive plot. The bank had been cooperative but unfortunately had little to offer. Marty crossed his arms as Pete explained how the withdrawal records had been falsified. Cashier’s checks had been written, but the check numbers had been dummied. Tracing the money would require finding the physical checks among the hundreds of thousands returned to the bank. Sifting through would take months. Getting access to the checks might take longer. To complicate matters, the bank manager had recently died when his car went off an embankment and exploded. Pete believed it was a professional hit to clean up the money trail.

Sarah pointed out Brad’s trouble shooting
Eric
a and the likelihood that he couldn’t have killed the bank manager himself.