"Only through friendship. More than half of the people in Corpus Christi are connected by friends to the company."
"I agree, but he's also a former military pilot and he died in a mysterious crash, so he's staying on my list."
"Fine. Go on."
"Tania Vaile. We don't know what her connection is, but the whistleblower wants us to talk to her, so we need to find out more about her and set up a meeting." He glanced up from his computer. "The rest of the people on my list are tied to your group: Senator Dillon, Erica Hunt, his trusted chief of staff, and Stephen Phelps, his press secretary."
"What about Congressman Parker? Let's not forget that he replaced your mother, just as Dillon replaced Stuart. We can't leave him out of this."
"Good point. He also told my father I was asking questions, and I'm not sure why he did that, so he's still on the list. Who else? What am I missing?"
She thought about his question. "There's the cashier at the convenience store. We saw him in a photo with Stephen, but that's it, and we don't even know if they just happened to be at the same bar." As soon as she said the words, she realized she was going back to coincidence again. "But it probably wasn't random."
"It's definitely worth figuring out if there's any other link between them," Patrick said. "But we should start with Tania Vaile. I've done a little research on her. When she's not working at MDT, she's an avid and experienced equestrian. She participates in horse shows at Barclay's Barn and Equestrian Center, not far from here. And when I say barn, you should know that I'm referring to a very sophisticated equestrian center that also offers a spa to relax your tired muscles after riding."
She smiled. "I already knew that. I'm familiar with Barclay Barn. I've ridden there a few times."
He raised an eyebrow. "You ride?"
"Of course I ride. I'm a Texas girl. Don't you ride?"
"Not since I was about twelve."
"Until I went to DC, I rode probably once a week—not anywhere as fancy as Barclay's Barn, though."
"Maybe you'll get another chance. Tania Vaile is featured on the Barclay's Barn website. Apparently, she won one of the events in their horse show last weekend, which has put her into the event finals this weekend." He turned the computer around so she could see the photo of Tania astride a black horse, a blue ribbon around the horse's neck. "I'm thinking we should try to catch her there. It will be easier to talk to her outside of MDT."
"But how will we know when she'll be at the barn? Are we going to stake it out all weekend?"
"We might have to. Or…"
"Yes?" she prodded when he remained lost in thought for a moment.
"We need a ruse."
"What kind of a ruse?"
"I'm thinking."
She could see that. She could also see that Patrick thrived on impossible challenges. Most people would have quit by now or just gone to the police and asked them to figure things out. But Patrick wasn't most people, which was probably why she liked him so much.
"Why don't you pretend to be an employee with Barclay Barn?" he suggested. "Call her office and ask her assistant, or her, if by any chance she comes to the phone, to confirm her next riding session?" he suggested. "Tell her there's been a glitch in the computer and the reservations got screwed up and with the event finals this weekend, you want to make sure she has her practice time…or something like that."
"That's clever, assuming that they use a computer for reservations and that she actually reserves riding time before the show."
"It's a gamble," he agreed.
"Why me? Why not you?"
"As a woman, I think you'll be less threatening."
"I feel like I should tell you that's sexist. Do you think only women take reservations?"
"No, but a soft, friendly female voice can sometimes disarm people more than a man."
He had a point. "All right. I'll do it."
As she reached for her cell phone, he stopped her. "Not from your phone. Use the one our whistleblower gave to us. It won't be traced to us."
"You are one step ahead of me."
"Not my first go at this kind of thing."
"If your writing gig doesn't work out, the CIA or the FBI might be interested in you."
He grinned. "I'm too much of a loose cannon for those agencies."
"Probably true." She took the phone. "I suppose you have her number handy."
"I have the main company number. I'm sure they'll transfer you." He rattled off the number.
She punched it in, then hit the speaker as she set the phone down on the table between them. After working her way through the central operator, she reached Tania's assistant.
"I'm calling from Barclay's Barn about Ms. Vaile's reservation for this weekend's horse show," she said. "Is she available?"
"No, she's not. Can I help you?"
"We had a little problem with our reservation system today, and I'm calling everyone personally to confirm their next riding time. Can you check with Ms. Vaile or perhaps she has it down on her calendar?"
"Just a moment."
Dani gave him an excited look. "I think this might work," she muttered. "Her assistant doesn't seem suspicious."
"You were convincing," he said with an approving nod. "You have a talent for subterfuge."
The woman came back on the line. "She'll be in at three o'clock this afternoon."
"That's what I have down, too. Excellent. Thanks so much." Dani disconnected the call. "She's going to be there today. How lucky is that? I can't believe it. I feel like we're actually making some real progress."
"Almost. We know where she's going to be. Now, we need to figure out how to approach her."
"And what we want to say," Dani added. "The whistleblower said Tania might be in the mood to help us because she's not as tight with the Packer men anymore. That implies she had a personal relationship with one or more than one of them. Is she married?"
"I don't believe so. I haven't seen her linked with any men on social media except the Packer brothers. And if I had to guess which one, I'd pick Reid. He's been divorced and single for most of the past decade."
"But he recently got married to a young, beautiful swimsuit model. I saw her at the gala. She's stunning. Maybe Tania is a scorned woman."
"That could be good for us," Patrick replied.
"I'm going to look her up, too."
For a few moments, they both worked in silence. Dani found out a few more details about Tania. The woman had grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area and had graduated from Stanford University with a master's in economics. She traveled frequently and had made several trips to Cancun in the past year. That gave her pause. "Interesting," she muttered.
Patrick gave her a questioning look. "What did you find?"
"Trips to Cancun."
"Why is that important?"
"Katherine's brother TJ was kidnapped from a conference in Cancun, and the ranch in Mexico where TJ and the stolen weapons from MDT were found is not far from there."
He sat back in his chair. "Tell me more about that."
"It was a ranch in the Southern Yucatan owned by the Calderon family, a long-time trafficker in drugs and weapons. The Calderon family ran that territory. The police were in their pockets. They terrorized the local villages, including the one where my great-grandmother lived. The ranch was as luxurious as this cabin, every modern amenity, and the barns didn't house horses but rather weaponry."
"What kind of weapons?"
"There were two railguns at the ranch."
"Our whistleblower mentioned the railgun," he said with a nod.
"It's the newest weaponry in the MDT arsenal. It fires projectiles using electricity instead of chemical propellants, which increases its velocity, range, and striking capability. I learned a lot about it during the Senate hearings. MDT is still testing the guns. They're not in use yet, at least not from the legitimate side of the company. Apparently, there have been some problems. TJ was actually kidnapped because he had some technic
al knowledge that was needed to fix a problem with the weapons at the ranch. Luckily, he was rescued before he did that, and the weapons were destroyed in a massive fire. In the subsequent investigation, MDT claimed that those were the only two weapons that were missing from inventory. But there are a lot of people who don't believe that, including my siblings."
"That is interesting. So Tania's vacations to Cancun could have been tied to the ranch in Mexico."
"Yes."
"Can you find out who she went with?"
Dani turned her attention back to the computer. A moment later, she said, "Tania was at the conference that TJ attended before he was kidnapped. I don't know if that matters…"
"I'd like to talk to TJ. He might be able to tell us more about Tania. Does he still work at MDT?"
"No, he left the company after he got back from Mexico. He works in the health industry now. He didn't think he'd ever feel safe at MDT again, although he told the FBI everything he knew, so he hoped there would be no reason for anyone to come after him. I'm sure he's not going to want to get roped into all this stuff again."
"But he owes your brother his life, and he may have information we can use."
She knew he was right. She also knew that sooner or later she was going to have to bring Alicia and Jake in, too. "I'll call him," she said, pulling out her phone. She looked up TJ's number, then punched it into the other phone to connect the call.
TJ answered on the second ring. "TJ Barrett."
"Hi TJ, it's Dani," she said, putting the phone on speaker.
"Dani. This is a surprise. Is everything all right? Is Katherine okay?"
Of course his mind would race to the worst possible scenario. After all the events of the past year, she couldn't blame him. "Katherine is fine. I just have a question for you. Do you have a minute?"
"Sure. What's up?"
"Do you know Tania Vaile?"
Silence met her question. Then he said, "Dani, what are you doing? I thought of all the Monroes, you were the least interested in pursuing the past."
"I was, but sometimes the past drags you back. Someone contacted me suggesting that the problems at MDT go back farther and deeper than anyone knows. They think Tania might be someone who is ready to blow the whistle."
"Why would she do that?" TJ challenged. "She's been at the company for more than a decade, and she's very high up on the financial side. She's also tight with the Packers and lives a big lifestyle."
"It sounds like you know her pretty well."
"Not at all. We did not move in the same circles, but Tania was one of the few women at MDT in a top-level executive position, so she stood out."
"You said she was tight with the Packers? Do you think there was a personal relationship between Tania and one of the brothers?"
"Probably. There was a rumor that she was sleeping with one of them, but I don't know which one." TJ paused. "Who is this person who suggested that Tania might be ready to talk? Because from what I heard during the recent FBI investigations, Tania went along with the party line."
"Well, they might be wrong," she said, choosing not to say that the whistleblower they had was a blind source. "I saw that Tania was in Mexico at the conference you were at before you were kidnapped."
"I forgot about that," TJ said slowly. "But there were at least two dozen other executives there as well, so I'm not sure that matters."
"Did you have any contact with her there?"
"You know, I did," TJ said, surprise lacing his voice. "I forgot about that. She bought me a drink. I thought she was unusually friendly. Like I said, we didn't travel in the same social circle. But then again, we were in Mexico, and everyone was more relaxed. However, I don't recall her saying anything of interest."
Dani paused as Patrick typed something on his computer then showed it to her. It was a question for TJ.
"Were either of the Packer brothers at the conference in Mexico?" she asked.
"They both were there for the first night, then they left. I told the FBI all this, Dani, and I think you need to back away from whatever you're doing. It's too dangerous."
"I'm being careful."
"That may not be enough."
"Thanks for your help, TJ."
"I don't know that I have helped, but you're welcome."
She ended the call and looked across the table at Patrick. "What do you think?"
"That TJ is right, that this could be dangerous," he said seriously. "I keep thinking I need to get you out of this, Dani."
"It's not your decision, Patrick. And I'm already in too deep. We are where we are. Someone, or more than one person, knows we're investigating your mother's crash and asking questions about MDT. We've shown ourselves. I think the only way we're going to be safe is to figure out what happened and who's responsible."
"You left out one thing," he said.
"What's that?"
"It's not just about solving the mysteries of the past. We need to figure out what's going on now…is there a bigger plan? Are there weapons somewhere else besides Mexico, and if there are, what's the end game? What's the long-term goal of this shadow company?"
His questions sent a shiver down her spine. She'd been so focused on the past, she hadn't considered the present or the future, but Patrick was right. If they kept looking back, they might not see what was right in front of them.
"But first things first," he continued. "We'll go to the stables this afternoon and see if we can make contact with Tania. Depending on that encounter, we'll figure out our next move."
"I need to think about how we should approach Tania." She sat back in her seat. "I think I'll do that in the shower. The night is starting to catch up with me. I need to wake up. Do you think there's any coffee in the house?"
"I'll check," he said, getting to his feet. "My father keeps this place well-stocked. In the summer, he comes down here quite often. If I find some, I'll make it, or I can run down to the market and get some."
"Don't do that," she said, feeling a little panicked at the thought of him leaving.
He must have seen the sudden fear in her eyes. "Okay. You're right. We'll stick together for now. In fact, if you want me to join you in the shower…"
His teasing, light smile took her stress away.
"Just being in the same house is close enough," she said dryly.
"I seriously doubt that, but for now we'll play it your way."
Sixteen
After Dani went upstairs to take a shower, Patrick found some coffee and made a large pot. He was tired as well. It had been a long night, and they still had a long day ahead of them.
He checked the cupboards to see what other snacks he could find and came up with a box of granola bars. He unwrapped one and bit into it as he headed back into the dining room.
Clicking off the search results for Tania Vaile, he put in the pilot's name—Sean Carruthers. Most of the results had to do with the plane crash.
He skimmed through several of them, noting the same facts repeated in numerous stories. Sean Carruthers had served in the Air Force for eight years and then had gone into commercial aviation. He had only been working for Franklin Aviation for three months when he was assigned to pilot the plane carrying his mother.
He perused several more articles, searching for something beyond the basics. Unfortunately, most of the news reports had been focused on his mother and Senator Stuart, with little mention of the two staffers or the pilot who had also died in the crash.
It was difficult to see his mother's name appear over and over again with words like deceased and dead next to it. He felt like he was getting stabbed by a knife over and over again. But he forced himself to keep going. He needed to find some connection between Sean Carruthers and MDT, or one of the Packer brothers, or someone else at the company.
Finally, a familiar name popped into a news article. Sean Carruthers had been a test pilot for Vanderlane Aviation after leaving the Air Force and before moving to Franklin. More research into Vanderlane yield
ed another familiar name—Jerry Caldwell. Jerry had also flown for Vanderlane as a test pilot before moving to MDT's aviation division.
Had Carruthers and Caldwell known each other? Was that the connection between Carruthers and MDT that he'd been looking for? His stomach churned. He felt like he was close to a breakthrough. He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize Dani had come back into the room, until she put a hand on his shoulder. He jumped at the touch.
"Sorry. Did I startle you?" she asked, worry in her green eyes. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I was just thinking. You look—refreshed."
She actually looked more than refreshed; she looked beautiful, her skin shiny and clear, her eyes bright, a touch of pink on her lips, her hair a little damp but draped in soft and silky waves around her shoulders. She'd changed into a pair of jeans and tank top that clung to her curves, and now he got totally lost for another reason.
Dani moved away, perhaps sensing she was a little too close. By putting a table between them, she brought his thoughts back into focus.
"What were you thinking about?" she asked.
"Sean Carruthers, the pilot who died in the crash, worked for the same aviation company as Jerry Caldwell nine years ago."
"But Jerry worked for MDT," she said, sitting up a little straighter.
"It appears that he worked for at least one other firm, Vanderlane Aviation."
"Well, that's interesting. A link between Jerry and Sean Carruthers is huge. We know that Jerry was a traitor, and that he'd been stealing technology for years."
"But the one thing that doesn't make sense is Sean dying in the crash," Patrick put in. "If he was working with Jerry or anyone at MDT, and they had some responsibility for the accident, then why wouldn't Sean have known about some issue on the plane, or a bomb, or something? Unless it was an accident, and everything else is a coincidence." He ran his fingers through his hair, not really happy with that conclusion.
"No, you were right when you told me to stop thinking anything is a coincidence. Let's go the other way. Jerry Caldwell killed one of his fellow conspirators at MDT when she came to him and told him that she thought she'd been compromised. He told her he'd handle it. But what he did was kill her and the man who'd discovered her treachery, and made it look like the man's ex-wife had committed the murder."
Summer Rain (Lightning Strikes Book 3) Page 19