"Maybe he bought it with partners," Matt suggested. "Dandridge knows his bank records could be searched in an investigation— so he buries the cash in property."
"Or his off-shore accounts. Sure would be a sweet ride to the Caymans." Mullaney stilled. "Also a good way to dump bodies where they ain't likely to be found."
Like Lambeth. "We've been in his house for thirteen minutes— without a warrant," he reminded.
Pop gathered his tools. "Finn called while you were outside. Remember those e-mails from Stephens? Finnie thinks Stephens might've been warning Julie— not hassling her about his job."
A chill swept over him. "Why?"
"Maybe he was fine with drug dealing— but not so hot on killin' her." He sighed. "Finn's rechecking the paper trail. But Stephens didn't strike me as the Swiss bank account type."
Moving to the windows, Matt searched the street, relieved when he spotted Julie limping to the corner. She'd likely reinjured her ankle.
"We're makin' progress."
"We're not there yet," he reminded. "Still gotta find the money trail." He swore softly, realizing he couldn't see the street from this angle. Matt checked his watch. "You done? We've been here too long."
"Yup. Where's Sheena?"
"Walking to the van." Matt crossed the hall, intent on locating her from the window. Entering the bedroom, Matt froze, the scent of perfume ensnaring him as certainty clawed his gut. He moved to the bureau, his brain short-circuiting as he made the connection.
"Pop— get in here."
The odor was embedded in his memory. From the alley— the night Jack Stephens was gunned down. The shooter.
Before he could decipher what it meant, Mullaney appeared. "What?"
"The smell-" He'd breathed the same musky scent the night Pam was killed.
They heard the horn blast from the van as Sean's phone vibrated. A moment later, the expression in his eyes sent his heart into overdrive.
"Mattie— they've got Julie."
***
Chapter 16
"Thank you, Captain Jonas. I didn't know you were in town. Are you sure you don't mind dropping me off?"
"No problem, Miss Kimball. Matt told me to stick close." The graying cop acknowledged her in the rearview mirror.
Tossing her bag to the floor, Julie settled into the upholstered seat. Once her relief subsided over postponing Matt's inquisition, her brain wandered back— intent on rehashing their terrible conversation. But that would start her crying again. She needed to hold it together in front of Steve. "What are you doing here?"
"Finn sent me to help at Dandridge's house."
Matt hadn't mentioned Jonas since they'd left Marsh Point. But— Madeline had seen him the day she returned. She relaxed against the seat. The team must be keeping him busy.
Jonas checked his mirrors before accelerating into the flow of traffic. "What were you doing here, Miss Kimball?"
"Same thing," she lied. "I tried to drop in on Ray, but he's not home."
"I guess we're all lookin' for the big man today."
Her nerves still jangling with fear and confusion, Julie had only a moment to wonder over his word choice before the secure phone vibrated in her pocket.
"Juju— where are you? Got plans for the day?"
"Hi Tori— what's up?" She caught Jonas' nod of acknowledgement. He was obviously listening. Avoiding eye contact, she poked through her bag.
"I'm at work, trying to finish up a few things. Can you meet me here?"
Julie heard her friend clicking away on her keyboard— frantically multi-tasking as usual. "You're working Saturday?" Despite her despair, the thought brought a smile to her lips.
"Yeah— and since it's for your stud consultant, you should help." Tori chuckled. "He's asked for a ton of records. You said get him what he needs."
She frowned when her fingers brushed against a round, flat metal button. What the hell was that? And why was it in her purse?
"Okay— I . . . didn't know that." Yet another item Agent Barnes had forgotten to mention.
"Some of this crap goes back a few years. Rather than waste my entire Saturday, I thought you could point me in the right direction."
"It's not that urgent." Forcing a smile into her voice, Julie slid the button in her pocket. She could examine it later. At home. In her empty apartment. Her empty life. She wanted to sleep for a week, then awaken to a time that had been safer. Easier. Boring, even. With no memories of Matt. So the pain of missing him wouldn't carve her open.
She caught Steve's gaze in the rearview. "I'll be there soon."
***
"We'll find her, Mattie."
"How did MJ lose them?" Matt continued pacing, his mind too frantic to think. They'd convened at the federal building.
"She followed them as far as she could, but with all the construction— he outmaneuvered her. We're lucky MaryJo even saw it happen."
Guilt pierced the veil of desperation. "Pop— I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"It's okay, kid. Just stay calm. Leo confirmed someone from KTec called Julie's cell at two."
"That's about the time she got in the SUV." Matt could feel the raw panic building inside him. Soon, he'd drown in it. She could be anywhere. "I never should have left her."
"How the hell could you prevent her from gettin' swiped when you didn't even know she'd be at Dandridge's?"
"A gray-haired man was driving. Who on the list fits that description?" Matt squeezed his eyes shut. He had to focus, had to think. "What about the APB on the vehicle?"
"Finn's workin' on it. It won't be long." Mullaney checked his phone.
"Mojo says the plates on the SUV were a dead end. Stolen off another car."
Maddie gently pushed him into a chair. "We'll find her."
"I don't know what to do." Tossing his glasses on the table, Matt felt otherworldly— as though the essence of him had floated away. "She said I didn't trust her-" He swallowed around the fear choking him. "But I was just afraid something would happen to her."
"She's tough" She squeezed his hand, her voice no-nonsense. "And nearly as stubborn as you."
Mullaney's phone rang, ending their conversation. "There's tape of the call— it's Tori— she asked Julie to meet at the office."
Madeline smiled. "See? She's safe."
Matt tried to feel a sense of relief, but too many things didn't feel right. She couldn't be safe. MaryJo had already confirmed the SUV's false plates.
"Hold up."
Mullaney's voice made his blood run cold. His next words were going to be bad.
"She told Julie you asked her to dig out a ton of files."
He caught Mullaney's gaze. "I— said I needed files . . . but I didn't make it sound urgent." Had he overreacted? Wearily, Matt grabbed his phone. Why wasn't her transponder working? He could only pray whoever had picked her up didn't know about it.
***
"Traffic's bad," Jonas advised, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.
A late afternoon haze obscured the Boston skyline. Still reeling, Julie was content to let him maneuver through the late day traffic. Her thoughts jumbled, she closed her eyes. But all she saw was the anguish in Matt's face.
Why was she so afraid to let her guard down. To grab him and never let go. She'd wanted her feelings to be something she could control. Something that would never, ever get out of hand. So that when it eventually blew up— when he changed his mind, she'd survive it. She could tell herself it wasn't a big deal.
Remorse washed over her. It had certainly blown up. But . . . it was a big deal. She'd failed— in the most important decision of her life. Matt wanted her safe and she'd accused him of trying to control her. Matt wanted to love her— and she'd rejected him. Her stomach twisted with the wrenching certainty of a colossal mistake.
"Where are we? I don't even recognize this area."
"It's the construction." Steve shook his head. "GPS said it was a shortcut."
Should she call him? At the very lea
st, she owed him an apology. If he didn't respond, she'd— get on with her life. They'd fumble through the rest of the investigation and she'd hold it together. Before losing courage, Julie punched in his number, embarrassed that Jonas would overhear. But— he had a wife. Maybe daughters? He surely understood weeping females.
She nearly toppled over when he jerked the wheel suddenly and shot down the exit ramp. Clearly, his patience was at an end with this traffic. "Hang on back there," he muttered.
Hunched over the phone, Julie nodded before closing her eyes in an attempt to block out the noise of the construction going on around her. She held her breath as the call went through, unsure whether she wanted him to answer. When his voice mail picked up, she released a long shaky breath. This was it. Her only chance.
"Hey, it's Julie. I just wanted to-" Tell him she loved him. That she could see them together. That she could even see their babies . . . Her chuckle was brittle. Yeah— that wouldn't scare him off. "I-I'm sorry about. . . everything— the stupid things I said." Fighting the tremor in her voice, she continued. "I know it doesn't help to say I didn't mean it."
The words poured out in a rush, her voice cracking. It was too late for cool. And she was beyond caring how desperate she sounded. "I know you were j-just doing your job. I wanted to say . . . I love-"
Julie startled at the rap on her shoulder and hastily scrubbed her eyes. The car wasn't moving. When had they stopped? "Steve? What— where are we?"
"Hang up the phone, Julie."
If she'd had any doubt about his intentions— the gun pointed at her spoke volumes.
***
Mullaney waved from the doorway, derailing Matt's train of thought. "Yeah?"
"Tori just called her cell again. It went to voicemail. She said somethin' about if you're not too far away, swing by Big Joe's and bring her a sub."
Pushing through the jumble in his head, Matt tried to think. "If she was being driven to work, she'd already be there." He didn't hold out hope of that possibility. Yet, she'd managed to take a phone call from Tori in the car. Were they overreacting?
"Someone needs to verify that Tori is actually at work."
Sean frowned. "How you wanna handle that? She doesn't know any of us."
"Send someone by . . . see if her car's there." Distracted, he glanced around. "Where's MoJo? She can hack into motor vehicles to figure out what she drives."
Mullaney dropped into the chair next to him. "What will that get us?"
"I don't know, Sean." Frustration flared. "It proves that one damned person is where they say they are." As the room quieted, he shook his head. "I'm sorry."
Matt paced to the windows. He was tired of 'I'm sorry'. He should be pulling the threads of the investigation together. But all he could focus on was her. Missing. And him— unable to do— anything.
Rusty stuck his head around the corner, eyes on Mullaney. "They found the SUV. A garage on Mapleton. We got seven cruisers scouring the area."
"So she never made it to KTec." His voice grim, he returned to his laptop, plugging in the street address on the abandoned vehicle. A map of Boston loomed before his eyes. Was there significance to dumping the car there? He dragged the mouse from Mapleton to KTec and sighed. Too far.
"Another thing-" When Rusty lowered his voice to speak only with Mullaney, Matt rose from his chair. Hell if they'd start playing that game. Protecting him from bad news wouldn't help. "What?"
"We . . . uh— lost her cell transponder."
"What do you mean?" His heart leapfrogged to his throat.
"It just went dead. The signal ends at Mapleton." Mullaney's voice was resigned.
"They know we're tracking her cell." Blocking the avalanche of panic wanting to bury him, Matt concentrated on the map. There had to be something there. They dumped the SUV. At Mapleton. If it wasn't completely random— then it meant something.
"Does anyone tied to KTec live on Mapleton? A condo? A parking space? A storage unit?"
Mullaney yanked out his cell and got to work.
"We're missing something." Something huge— dangling before his eyes. He retreated to the corner, his mind sifting data.
Dandridge's woman was involved. Her perfume placed her at the warehouse the night T-Bone was shot. He remembered the night scope on the weapon bouncing down the alley. Was Dandridge Viper? He'd had access to both Griggs and Lambeth. And Munoz. Bernie's body had washed up only seven miles from the marina where Dandridge docked his expensive yacht.
And Stephens. Though his banking records didn't indicate much gain— he was involved. Killed at the warehouse by the woman. Matt scrolled through the emails in his head. Julie's dismay over firing him. Stephens worked for her father. He was loyal to the company. That wouldn't have changed— without incentive.
Had Stephens been an unwilling participant? Had he discovered something by mistake?
He heard Mullaney's cell and glanced up when Pop entered the room. The old man pulled a pencil from behind his ear. Then froze. "Christ, Leo— you're sure?"
Tension vibrated through the room. "The guys downstairs got a link between KTec and Mapleton." Drained of color, Pop's face aged in twenty seconds. "A condo owned by Dandridge's law firm."
Though he'd sensed it all along, shock reverberated through him. To finally have confirmation on the biggest investigation of his life— but at a price he refused to pay. Julie— still missing. Did Dandridge already have her? Who else was involved?
"Dandridge had access to everything," Matt confirmed, his voice grim with certainty. "And probably half the board participating. Who knows how long this has been going on?"
"Could be . . . they're all Viper. We were lookin' for one guy." Mullaney thumped his hand against the doorframe. "Maybe that's why we could never get close."
Julie's intuition that something wasn't right had been correct. Still, the betrayal would shatter her. The man she'd trusted had set her up to be killed. And if she lived— to take the fall. "Her father's friend."
"Her father?" Madeline's eyes widened. "Does that mean-"
Her father's friend. Matt didn't want to think about it. He glanced at Mullaney.
"We're still exploring that angle."
***
They'd switched vehicles. Julie was now driving Jonas' pickup. He sat beside her, gun pressed to her ribs. "Why would you do this? I don't understand."
"Don't talk. Just drive."
"It's not too late." She risked a glance at him. "I'll help you-"
"Eyes on the road." Jonas slouched lower in the seat, his gaze never leaving the mirrors.
The light was about to turn red. Julie lifted her foot imperceptibly on the accelerator. He was being damn careful while they were still within the city limits. She contemplated ramming one of the parked cars dotting the street. But the industrial park was pretty isolated this time of day. Assuming she survived the crash, there'd be no crowd to lose herself in.
"I see what you're doin'." The gun jabbed into her side. Jonas scanned the deserted intersection. "Run the light."
So, this was how it would end. A developer would eventually take an interest in this district, rehab the rat-infested warehouses into expensive condos. . . and they'd find her body in a fifty gallon drum.
Unless. . . her call to Matt. Could they track that? Jonas had smashed the phone. Was he looking for her? Her heart lurched, not daring to hope.
"So— you work for Ray?" Julie carefully let up again on the speed.
"Close," he admitted. "Dandridge runs it, but it's a conglomerate." His voice a flat monotone, he glanced at her. "What'd you do to piss them off?"
"I still don't know." It had to be her study of the warehouse. Where she'd inadvertently stumbled upon a drug distribution center? It was the only logical explanation. Yet— she hadn't seen anything. At least nothing she'd ever realized.
"How's it feel? Gettin' screwed by your mentor? Didn't he work with your father?"
Tears sprang to her eyes. "My dad couldn't . . . have known about
this." Her father would never- He couldn't have done this. An echoing, black hole had taken root in her chest. So many things she'd assumed . . . Why wouldn't she be wrong about that, too?
Jonas raised a brow in that 'don't-kid-yourself way. "Maybe not. That was before my time."
How could any of this be real? Though she'd asked herself that question for more than a week, there were still no answers that made sense. Numb to everything except the gun in her side, she felt trapped in a bad movie. She slid a glance his way. "How did you get messed up in this?"
"Took my retirement too early. My wife got sick . . ." His voice trailed off. "And Marsh Point PD don't pay so great. I was always open to a little side action here and there. Then I got involved with Griggs. He was a summer resident. Plenty of money. For a while, it was an easy gig." Jonas shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't know about all the others— until I was in too deep."
Paul. Had he . . . A shiver jolted through her. If he could do that to his own coworker— likely, a friend. She didn't hold out much hope for herself.
"Shoulda known it couldn't last. These people don't fool around." He drew a ragged breath. "I-I never wanted to hurt anyone. I just wanted a little cash for lookin' the other way."
"If we go to the police . . . you could explain-"
"I can't fix it." He nervously licked his lips. "No one can. I just gotta finish this. . . Then I can take Marie and get the hell outta here."
A quick rush of terror swamped her. "Is that what Dandridge promised? You'd walk away? With money to start over?"
"You think I'd sell out for that?" Jonas thrust the weapon back into her ribs. "Stop talkin'. Just drive."
"They're setting you up," she blurted, increasingly desperate as they drove deeper into the industrial park. When he shoved her, the pickup swerved. Her shoulder slammed against the door.
"You think I got a choice?" His voice rose, thick with desperation. "He'll hurt Marie-" Jonas raked a fist through graying hair. "The grandbaby. He— said they'd disappear. I'd come home . . . and they'd be gone."
Only the harsh sound of their breathing broke the silence. Shaken, Julie acknowledged his situation was equally as hopeless. She swiped the tears in her eyes. "We— can tell the police you had no choice."
Out of the Mist (Can't Help Falling Book 1) Page 27