“I just want to go over a few questions with you beforehand. Who besides yourself would have access to your social security number, Mrs. Cross?”
“The bank, my employer, the online college where I’m enrolled. I haven’t really given it out to anyone other than places like that. I don’t know of anyone else.”
“Your ex-husband would have that information, wouldn’t he?
“Yes. During our marriage he had to have it for insurance and things like that.”
“Do you have any other credit cards in your name?”
“No. I have a debit card I use with my bank account, but that’s the only card I have.”
“If you could come in around noon it would be good, Mrs. Cross.”
“I have a very important meeting I can’t miss at two o’clock today, Detective. If it will take longer than an hour, I’ll need to come in tomorrow.”
“It shouldn’t take any more than an hour.”
“Okay I’ll be there at noon. Which station?”
“Our main department on Lead Street. One more question before I let you go.”
“Yes.”
“Were you at home on Saturday?”
“No. My boyfriend and I went to the Springs Preserve in the morning with my daughter. We ate lunch there and went to a movie afterwards.”
“May I have his phone number and the name of the movie theater?”
Her heart raced and her anxiety level spiked. She didn’t need this today. She told him the name of the theater. “What’s all this about, Detective?”
“I’m ruling out some things, Mrs. Cross and tying up loose ends.”
“Am I in trouble for something?”
“No. Not at all. But we have activity on the card at that time, and if we can establish where you were, we can prove it wasn’t you using it.”
“Why would I report a fraudulent credit card if I was the one using it?”
“You’d be surprised the things people do and believe they’ll never get caught, Mrs. Cross.”
No she wouldn’t. Not after the year she’d had. She gave him Tim’s number.
Flash finished the programming on the laptop and closed it. He took his work computer and the portable printer, printed out the invoice for the work payable to J and J Security Systems, and loaded up his tools and other things. The business would continue to run itself with the monthly fees coming in for monitoring. Travis would only have to hire someone who could take over maintenance of the units.
He found Mrs. Tracey in the kitchen. Her white hair lay tightly curled against her head, and she wore a bright pink warm-up suit. “I’m going to the gym in just a few minutes,” she announced.
“Then I finished just in time,” Flash said.
“There was a fellow who came by here about a week ago before you started installing the system. He offered me five hundred dollars to tell you I didn’t want the system and gave me a list of other companies who could install one.”
Flash’s brows rose, then a wry smile sprang to his lips. He’d wondered why he’d had a number of customers drop him recently. Cross must have spent a fortune bribing them. “Big guy with dark hair, built like a football player?” he asked.
“That’s him.”
“I appreciate you turning him down and hiring me anyway, Mrs. Tracey.”
“Oh I didn’t turn down the money.” She took out her purse and pulled out a wallet. She counted out five one hundred dollar bills and laid them on the table. “That’s the five hundred dollar tip I’m going to give you for installing my system so quickly. I figure if he’s fool enough to hand out money to cause trouble, the person he’s trying to hurt should reap the rewards.” She rolled the cash up and tucked it into Flash’s shirt pocket.
“You don’t have to do that, Mrs. Tracey. You should keep it for a rainy day.” He stuck his fingers into his pocket to retrieve the money.
She stopped him. “My children are paying for the system, Mr. Carnes. I knew this guy was no good the minute I saw him. It’ll give you a little boost knowing you got something back from him, won’t it?”
Flash laughed and nodded. “Thank you, ma’am.”
She patted his chest. “I’ll give that bill to my son when he comes over this evening.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Let me go over how to arm and disarm the alarm one more time, and then I’ll leave so you can get to the gym.”
After running through the process one more time, he left her a sheet with instructions, then headed for the van.
Worry crowded in on him. He’d hoped to have Will Cross back behind bars so he’d know Sam was safe. Knowing he still being free to stalk her prayed on Flash’s mind. He hadn’t accomplished what he needed to keep her safe. Filing a report about the bribes Cross was giving customers to keep them from hiring him would do nothing.
He should have grabbed the son of a bitch and dropped his ass as far out into the desert as he could and let nature take its course.
His phone rang and an unfamiliar number popped up on the screen. He’d already had a call from a detective from the local police department. Now what?
A female voice he’d never heard before said, “This is NCIS agent Cara Cooper. You need to come to the Bellagio now, Lieutenant Carney. Your info has been compromised and Gilbert is in the air heading your way as we speak. He’s traveling with some interesting and very dangerous company. We need to debrief you and set something up to lure him in. Are you up for that?”
“Yeah, but I need conformation you are who you say you are. Just because you have this number doesn’t mean shit.”
“Flash,” Captain Jackson’s voice came over the line. “We don’t have much time. You need to double-time it over here.”
“Yes, sir. I’m on my way.”
The room was small, a little larger than a closet with a video monitor. Would Tim be questioned in a place like this? Would he have to spend hours there? Her stomach cramped at the thought.
“Do you recognize the woman?” Detective Howard asked, yanking her back to the present.
Sam focused on the television monitor and the woman sitting in another room similar to this one. She was crying, and her makeup was smeared. But aside from the size of her bust, she looked enough like Sam to pass for a close cousin. “No, I don’t know her.”
“Her name is Carla Vickers. She’s told us William Cross gave her the credit card, gave her permission to buy whatever she wanted, and instructed her to sign your name to the receipts. She says they’ve had an on-again-off-again relationship for the last six years.”
Sam absorbed the information as she stared at the screen. So, while she’d been pregnant, Will had been having sex with someone else and coming home to her. He’d put her and Joy at risk. He’d said he loved her, needed her, wanted her. Stalked her. Harassed her. And he was sleeping with someone else. Someone who looked a great deal like her. Nausea struck and she placed a hand to her stomach. God, he was sick. He’d found a substitute for her even while they were married.
Once the nausea passed and she could breathe again, she shifted her attention to Detective Howard. She found something comforting in the man’s demeanor. His iron gray hair and sharp hazel eyes projected focus and determination.
“Detective Howard—” She shook her head. “She’s probably telling you the truth. Will truly believes that rules don’t apply to him. That whatever he wants to do is law. Have you spoken to Mr. Logan at the bank?”
“Yes, we have. Logan told us your husband wanted him to encourage you to sign a mortgage agreement that you couldn’t live up to so Cross could step in and gain control of your property.”
She bet he’d been more than pissed when Logan didn’t do it, too.
“He’s also opened an account in your name at another bank, where he’s been taking cash advances on the credit card and stockpiling them. We’re not sure what he had in mind for the money. Miss Vickers said he talked about gaining custody of your daughter all the time.”
“He doesn’
t really want her. He just thinks if he has custody of her, he’ll have control over me. Will doesn’t think of us as humans, we’re just possessions.”
“I’m aware of his background. That’s why we got on this so quickly. We allowed Ms. Vickers to call him, and he admitted the card was his and he’d given it to her. But when he found out she’d been arrested he ended the call.”
Sam’s gaze shifted back to the monitor. The woman had regained her composure and now sat slumped in her chair, head down. “She’s as much a victim of Will Cross as my daughter and I are. I wonder how many times he beat, bullied, and threatened her.”
Howard shook his head. “We’ve traced the date the card was opened and the IP address. The application was sent from his office three months ago. We have an airtight case for credit card fraud against him. And with Logan’s testimony, which he’s agreed to, we can charge him with stalking again. He’s going back to jail.”
“For how long?”
“I can only guess. Because this is his first offense with credit card fraud, he would only get six months and fines. But because he chose a woman who looked like you to use the card, used your name on the purchases, and he’s opened a bank account in your name and forged your signature to do so, we can prove it was his intent to implicate you in some kind of illegal activity. And by doing that, he’s still stalking you. He may get two to five. We’re still looking at alternatives.”
Will was never going to stop coming after her until he was in prison or dead. He was truly insane. Obsessed.
“Because of this, we’ll have an opening into his financials, Mrs. Cross. If he’s done this, he may have done other things as well. If we do find other criminal activity, it may add to the charges and add time to his sentence.”
“I hope it does.” But there was no guarantee. With money and resources, he might weasel out of all of it. But she couldn’t worry about this now. She needed to be at the Bellagio for Tim. “Do you need anything else from me?”
“I’ll need you to sign your statement once it’s typed. And I want to caution you to be careful. We haven’t got an arrest warrant out for him, yet, but with Ms. Vickers’ arrest, he has to know it’s only a matter of hours and that we’ll be looking for him.”
“I’ll be careful.” She offered her hand. “Thank you for everything, Detective.”
“You’re welcome.”
Sam left the police station and walked to the parking lot across the street. Once inside her car, she locked the door and drew a deep breath to try and stave off the emotions battling inside her. What more could happen?
She needed to see Tim. Needed for him to hold her one more time before they faced separation. Why hadn’t they both just stayed home together? She would still have had to go to the police station. Still had to deliver Joy to school, but at least their last few hours would have been together. But he’d wanted every I dotted and every T crossed for the business, so Travis could take over as easily as possible.
She started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. She caught the Bruce Woodbury Beltway. Traffic was heavy and she fought her own impatience in an attempt to remain calm. She turned onto the Vegas Freeway, then the Flamingo Road exit and merged into traffic. By the time she turned into the Bellagio she was trembling. She unlocked her door, then reached for her seatbelt. The passenger side door swung open and Will Cross slipped into the seat.
Sam reached for the door handle but the seatbelt, still fastened, tugged her back in place. She fumbled at the catch and shoved at the door at the same time.
Will grabbed her arm and forced her back, his grip hard enough to bruise. He raised a large black pistol and pointed it at her face. The hole at the end of the barrel gaped at her, huge, threatening. Her limbs lost all strength and she couldn’t catch her breath. Where had he gotten a gun?
“Close the door, start the car, and pull away,” he growled, his jaw set, his eyes narrowed.
She couldn’t move.
He grabbed her by the back of the neck with his free hand and squeezed so hard she felt the pain all the way down both arms. “Do what I say or I’m going to shoot you now.”
Sam gripped the door handle and shut the door. Though it caught, she hadn’t the strength to slam it completely. She started the car and pulled away.
CHAPTER 36
Flash sank into the cushions of the sitting room couch. He’d expected to be handcuffed and interrogated at the police station. The Bellagio Hotel room proved much more comfortable. And so far no one had whipped out handcuffs. He’d carried his weapon in a taped shoebox, so there would be no misunderstanding that he was surrendering. And now there was just one more thing the FBI wanted him to do before the Navy got his ass.
After nearly half an hour of going over the same ground four times, Flash had had enough. He glanced at his watch. Where was Sam? She was half an hour late.
“Have you got somewhere to be, Lieutenant?” Barnett asked, the snide tone grating.
“Yeah. I have a date with a guy who’s already tried to kill me once. And this time he’s brought some buddies to try and finish the job.” He eyed Barnett. “Want to trade places?”
Barnett looked away.
The only person in the room he trusted was Captain Jackson. The captain had always been a hardass, but he’d proven to be a stand-up guy during this whole deal.
The two FBI guys, Russell and Pitt, were keeping their mouths shut and doing a Blues Brothers impression with their dark suits and dark shades. Russell, the tall one, looked a little like Jeff Goldblum. Pitt, the heavier stocky one, had to have played football. Both appeared fit and alert. “Why are you two guys here?” Flash asked.
Russell spoke for the two of them. “We’re here to observe and to make sure the chain of custody remains intact.”
“Chain of custody?”
Russell spoke for the two of them. “You, Lieutenant. You’ll be our star witness against Gilbert. We can’t let anything happen to you.”
“How do you plan to keep me safe?” he asked.
The man’s face hardened. “By any means possible.”
So the FBI was pissed one of their own had switched sides and been operating right under their noses. Or maybe not. “How long have you known about him?”
“Since he filed assault charges against you, and we found your surveillance cameras in the apartment. We’ve been gathering data right along with you the whole time.”
“Good.”
“We got to your safety deposit box in San Diego before Gilbert did, and we have the bogus orders he sent you,” Pitt said, his voice gravelly, as though he’d suffered some kind of vocal damage.
Flash’s pulse skyrocketed and every nerve seemed to fire at once. “I had hoped it was a paperwork snafu.” Geez, he was fucked.
Pitt shook his head. “We intend to honor the orders as they stand on our end, so you can relax. As far as the FBI is concerned, you’ve been acting as an agent since first taking on the assignment in Iraq. As long as we recover the hundred thousand you got for the exchange.”
“It’s safe, and you’ll get it.”
Russell nodded.
“And the assault charges?” Flash asked.
“We won’t be pursuing those, since you were only indirectly responsible for Gilbert’s injuries.”
The relief was almost numbing. One federal agency down, two more to go.
As far as he knew the only thing NCIS wanted him for was AWOL.
How long would the military give him? Two years? Ten? He’d played it down to Sam and offered her reassurances he knew weren’t true. He didn’t expect her to wait for him, but he had expected her to be here. Where the hell was she? Worry burrowed into his gut. Had something happened to Joy? She’d have called. He eyed his phone where it sat across the room on a cabinet.
Agent Cooper spoke, breaking into his thoughts. “Whatever happens Lieutenant, don’t let Gilbert or his associates into the house. He’ll want to recover the artifacts and the money, and he needs you ali
ve to do that, so we don’t believe he’ll come out shooting. We want everything to go down out in the open. We can offer you more cover in front of the house. As soon as he asks about the contraband we’ll move in.”
“I got it the first ten times you outlined the plan, agent. I need my weapon back.”
When Cooper hesitated, he shook his head. “You really expect me to go into this thing unarmed? If Gilbert decides to shoot it out instead of surrender, I’ll be the first one he’ll shoot at. He killed Dobson, his partner. And he believes I’ve had his merchandise for ten months. Why do you think he’s brought along backup?”
“You’re still a federal agent, Lieutenant,” Cooper reminded him.
“Yeah, I know.” Until they took his rank and his freedom. He’d had time to accept it, but it still ate at his gut and his heart. For seven years, he’d given the Navy his all. Trained, sacrificed, ate, slept, and lived the life twenty-four/seven, because it was the SEAL way, and it was what he’d signed on to do. He’d served his country in every way he could. And after everything was said and done, none of it would matter now. He’d known it would probably go down this way.
“Why didn’t you pick these guys up at the airport in San Diego?” Flash asked.
“They caught private transport minutes before our agents got there,” Pitt said.
Cooper moved to the cabinet and picked up his personal belongings. “With as much firepower as Gilbert is bringing with him, it would be too dangerous to try and take him at the airport here. Too many innocent bystanders. The house is isolated enough to ensure no one gets hurt. And thanks to our FBI friends, we know he’s heading there as soon as he touches down.”
Barnett’s phone rang and every eye turned in his direction. “’Gilbert and his crew just landed,” he announced. “We have a fifteen-minute window to get everyone in place. We need to go.”
“We have agents on their way to your apartment, Lieutenant.” Pitt said. “They should be in place before you get there.”
Flash nodded. “Can I have my personal items back now?” Flash asked.
Breaking Away (Military Romantic Suspense) (Book 3 of the SEAL TEAM Heartbreakers) Page 33