by Robin Mahle
“I understand and I don’t blame you. I was shitting bricks when they came to me and I shouldn’t have given you up like that. George put us in this shit mess. And when we find him, he’ll pay for it.” Blake slapped Jacob on the knee. “Finish that up and let’s get down to business.”
Jacob tossed back the rest of his coffee and grabbed his cell phone. “I got to take a leak.” He made his way to the bathroom and closed the door. With his phone in his hand, he pulled up Riley’s contact information. He had a nagging feeling Blake was going to stab him in the back again and felt as though he and George could be in on this together. But with Rachel’s life at stake, he couldn’t afford to let Blake see his distrust. And no matter how much he wanted to avoid getting Riley involved, he’d begun to feel he’d waded too deep and soon typed a message to her.
“In the city. It’s not safe here. Don’t call. I’ll call when I can.” He pressed the send button. That message was going to scare the hell out of her, but he didn’t know what else to say. Right now, he had to get to the bank and withdraw every dime he had.
Blake waited for him to return. “Dude, thought you flushed yourself down the toilet. Come on. We need to get out of here and take care of this shit.”
Jacob followed him out the door. “Look, why don’t I run down to my bank and get the cash. I can do the credit card withdrawal at the ATM too. We can meet up in about an hour?”
“Sure. Yeah. That sounds good. Let’s meet at the office.”
“The office? You have a key? Because I don’t.”
“I got a key. I thought we might take a look around for any clues Georgie boy might have left behind.”
“Okay. I’ll see you there in an hour.” Jacob walked to his car and slipped inside, keying the ignition. He waited for Blake to pull out of the parking lot first, ensuring he wouldn’t be followed. Now to make the call to Riley.
Ethan printed the employer records from the architectural firm as well as Blake Rhodes’ employers for the past five years. “Riley, I got the records.” He approached her desk. “According to his most recent employer, Rhodes lives in Indianapolis. You want me to reach out to IMPD and give them a download?”
Riley’s phone vibrated on her desk. She peered at the screen and creased her brow. “Hang on.” She picked up the cell and swiped to read the incoming text message from Jacob. “Oh my God.”
“What is it? Please don’t tell me there’s another dead body somewhere.”
“No, it’s Jacob.”
“Oh, so it’s important police work.”
“Ethan, he’s in trouble. Look.” She held the phone so he could read the message.
“Damn. We need to call IMPD about this,” he replied.
“No, just wait. I mean, yes, call them about Rhodes, not about this.”
“What if it involves some of the same people? We can’t ignore a plea for help.”
“Just give him a minute. He’ll call me. He’ll tell me what’s going on.” Riley’s phone rang, and with a grin, she again held up the phone. “See? There he is.” She answered the call. “Jacob, what is going on? How do you know Blake Rhodes?”
“What? How do you know Blake Rhodes?” he replied.
“Chloe Dawson, the murder victim. Jacob, Rhodes is—was her boyfriend.”
“Oh. That’s not good.”
“You’d better tell me what’s going on right now. Your message said you aren’t safe. Where are you, Jacob?”
“I’m sitting in the parking lot of Rhodes’ apartment building. He just left. Riley, I have to get $10,000 to a couple of what I believe are probably mafia thugs so they don’t hurt my ex-girlfriend.”
“You’re being extorted?” Riley eyed Ethan anxiously.
“It’s more than that. Look, I didn’t know about any of this until yesterday. I started to leave Owensville and I called Rachel, only this guy answered and started threatening her—and me. He wants sixty grand, which apparently is exactly how much money my boss stole from him.”
“Your girlfriend’s being held for ransom? My God, Jacob.”
Ethan turned toward Ward’s office, but Riley held up a preemptive hand and shook her head.
“I’m in some seriously deep shit right now, Riley. I don’t know what the hell to do. I stayed with Rhodes last night. He came up with some half-cocked plan that I know won’t fly. And I don’t know what his motives are, which is why I’m calling you now. I think he’s setting me up to turn me over to these guys.”
“Did Rhodes kill Chloe Dawson?” Riley asked.
“Honestly, he hasn’t said one word about his girl. I’ve never met her.”
“Then maybe he doesn’t know.” She looked at Pruitt and returned her attention to the phone conversation. “Look, Jacob. IMPD is going to Rhodes’ apartment. They’re going to bring him in as a person of interest in our case, sending him here for questioning.”
“You can’t. I’m telling you, I think he’s setting me up. I think he’s the one really responsible for this money. I know my boss took off. I saw his wife last night. She says he cleaned them out. So I don’t know what exactly he’s done. Blake could be blowing smoke just to keep me near.”
“I can’t sit back and let you deal with this, Jacob. You need help.”
Ethan leaned over Riley’s desk and whispered, “Have him come here.”
Riley nodded. “Come here—as soon as you can. You need to drive back to Owensville.”
“What about Rachel? I can’t leave her. They might kill her.” He paused a moment. “Okay, here’s the deal. I’ll bring the money Blake asked for. I’m supposed to meet him at the office in an hour. He says he wants to look for clues as to where our boss went. I bet he won’t find any. But I just need to stay until those guys call me, which should be in about six hours. If Blake is in on this, like I think he is, he’ll want to get the money. And then he’ll want to get the rest of it too. I need to convince them to let her go, Riley. I won’t go back to Owensville until I know she’s safe.”
“What if you’re putting yourself in danger just by showing up there?”
“I have to try. I know Blake. He’s a greedy son of a bitch. I think if he believes I can get the money, he’ll do what it takes to keep me hanging on and that’ll mean letting Rachel go.”
“Ward wants me to get IMPD out there to bring Rhodes in. What am I supposed to tell him?” Riley asked.
“The truth. He’s always been on your side, Riley. I have no reason to believe this time would be any different.”
“Fine. For God’s sake, Jacob, just call me when you can. Text me after the meeting. Whatever you gotta do to make contact with me. If I don’t hear from you in six hours and ten minutes, I’m sending in IMPD.”
11
The small architecture firm was just ahead. Jacob pulled into the empty parking lot, meaning his so-called friend hadn’t yet arrived. However, he wasn’t out of the woods because the men after the money could easily be lying in wait.
Jacob pulled the keys from the ignition and grabbed the envelope stuffed with $6,000. He’d cleaned out his bank account and maxed out his credit cards. After this, he wouldn’t have a penny to his name. He’d have no place to stay and didn’t know how he was going to get to Rachel either. The screws were tightening.
The glass building reflected the mid-morning sun as he made his way to the entrance. Blake had the keys, or so he said, so all Jacob could do was stand there and wait, a wad of cash shoved in his coat pocket. He checked his phone. No missed calls. “Come on, man, just be on time for once in your life.”
He surveyed the roads bordering the parking lot. This wasn’t a well-traveled business district, but rather clung to the outskirts of mid-town where the rent was cheaper. He wished he could go back in time and pay closer attention to what was happening. Perhaps a part of him knew but refused to admit it. George Hammond wanted nothing more than to make a name for himself and the firm. But projects were tough to get, so when the plant gig came along, he saw dollar signs and ign
ored the fact that the company who let out the contract had a reputation and was likely associated with the mafia. The fact that the plant resided in Owensville hadn’t fazed Jacob. It was the second largest plant in the state and it had been abandoned. It was a lucrative contract.
A glimmer of light caught his eye. It was Blake’s car in the distance and it had just turned into the lot. Jacob’s heart jumped into his throat. “Calm yourself, man. Don’t screw this up.” As the car approached, he bore a measured smile.
Blake parked next to Jacob’s car, which made him even more nervous. It was as though Blake was preparing for the idea that Jacob might flee, which had crossed his mind, but quickly vanished with recollection that Rachel’s life hung in the balance.
“Good, you’re here.” Blake said on approach. “You get the money?”
“I did.”
“I had some trouble on my end. We might have to re-think the 17 percent idea and shoot for less.” Blake retrieved the keys and unlocked the front door. He continued inside and turned on the lights.
Why did this not come as a surprise to Jacob? “You didn’t get any money? So, we’re only giving them my six grand? At least it’s still 10 percent, if my math is right.”
“Funny, man, but don’t sweat it. The fact that we’re here and working this out with them will hold water.”
Jacob grappled with suppressing his anger and felt the door closing on this plan. But he would have to carry on. He didn’t think Blake would cut off the gravy train just yet, not as long as he thought Jacob could come through.
The lobby illuminated with LEDs in the ceiling that shone down on the marble floor. George was all about appearances and he believed if a client was impressed with the office, then said client would be impressed with their work. It was probably a load of crap, but Jacob never questioned anything George did, something that had clearly bitten him in the ass as he stood here now. He followed Blake inside, still poised, although he was terrified down to his bones. “So what are we going to do now? Just sit here and wait for half the day?”
“No, man. I told you. We’re going to stick to the plan and look for any signs of where George might’ve gone or what he did with the money. We need to check the books.”
“I don’t have access to the books; that was accounting’s job. And I can wager no one from accounting is coming in today—or ever.”
“George had me examine and print up the monthly statements for his review. I have a username and password,” Blake replied.
This was a curious development. So far as Jacob knew, no one but Lisa Ortiz had access to the accounting software and he had no idea where she was. For all he knew, she could be in danger too, but what seemed more likely was that Blake was lying. He might’ve had access, but not because George wanted him to review the books. Blake didn’t know anything about numbers, except when it came to structural engineering. No, this was another ploy, but to what end?
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and you’ll find the money hidden in some secret bank account.” Jacob played along because there was no other choice. He needed to know more about this situation with Blake and find out if he knew about Chloe Dawson’s death. Or if he killed her himself. Even Jacob didn’t think that was likely, but right now, he didn’t know what to believe. He would have to wait for the day to unfold and make a determination before Riley had the Indianapolis Police storming the building.
Blake started down the hall and walked inside George’s office, which looked exactly how Jacob remembered. In fact, it could have been any other day, under any other circumstance, and it would still appear completely normal.
“Why don’t you have a look around here?” Blake started. “And I’ll log into the system from my desk and see what I can find. We only have a few hours. Balls to the wall, my friend.”
Jacob headed toward the lateral file cabinet behind George’s desk. He sat down in his boss’ chair and pulled open the top drawer. It was the personnel files, where he didn’t expect to find anything, but he wanted to keep Blake appeased, so he searched.
Blake soon disappeared and Jacob sat there, alone. He wasn’t going to find anything. It was obvious now that Blake had failed to come up with his share of the cash. Jacob was being played and all he could do was play along. Meanwhile, Riley was back in Owensville, waiting for him to tell her everything was fine. He didn’t have the conviction to believe that right now.
The time on Riley’s computer showed 10:12am and all she could do was stare at it as if she could will it to move faster. “He’s there. He’s at the office and I have no idea if he’s safe.”
“Captain’s going to ask you why you haven’t called IMPD yet,” Ethan began. “What are you going to tell him?”
“I know I can’t keep this from him. And the longer I do, the angrier he’ll be.” Riley glanced toward Ward’s office but then returned her attention to Ethan. “You know what I don’t get?”
“You mean besides the fact that this whole situation is seriously messed up?”
“Besides that. I don’t get why whoever killed Chloe, whether it was Blake Rhodes or not, why leave her ID? It’s like we were supposed to find it.”
“What are you saying?”
Riley pondered the idea forming in her mind. “I can’t be sure, but what if it wasn’t the boyfriend, Rhodes, but was made to look like it was?”
“At this point, anything’s possible. Jacob said the guy didn’t seem to be aware of what happened. Did you tell him to say something about it?”
“No. I don’t know what Rhodes’ angle is and neither does Jacob. I told him to keep quiet about it until after he gets his girlfriend free.”
“You really think his plan is going to work?”
“I’m not feeling anything to the contrary. But then again, I’ve never met her, so maybe I’m only sensing Jacob’s desire to free her.”
Ethan appeared overwrought. “Riley, you have to tell Ward. Just rip off the Band-Aid. He might have a solution.”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe he can figure a way out of this.” She headed toward Ward’s office and knocked.
“Come in,” he replied on the other side of the door.
She entered. “Hey, Cap. I’ve got a problem and I know I should’ve said something before, but I’m saying something now.”
“Not a good way to start off a conversation, Riley. What is it?” Ward laced his fingers behind his head as she sat down. “By the way, I’m sorry about jumping down your throat earlier.”
“Don’t be. I disobeyed an order.”
“You did. Now, with that out of the way—go on.”
For the first time, Riley truly believed Jacob’s life could be in danger and like she had so many times before, she turned to her mentor for a solution. “I need to talk to you about Jacob and his involvement in the Dawson case.”
“The email you found. I’m listening.”
“I talked to Jacob this morning and asked him about it. Captain, he’s in trouble. He believes he’s being extorted and so do I. There’s already one life at stake.” Riley continued to reveal the whole sordid mess and how she ended the conversation with Jacob.
“For crying out loud, Riley. You’ve been sitting on this for over an hour?”
“I had to let Jacob do what he needed to do.”
“And you don’t expect to hear from him again until what, 6pm?”
“That’s when he said the men would make contact. But that he still had to convince them to give him time to get the rest of the money. And Blake Rhodes is behind this somehow. He just doesn’t know to what degree yet.”
“I can see why this is a problem.”
“Yeah. Captain, I still think there could be more to this that ties to Chloe. I was just telling Pruitt, finding Chloe’s school ID? That seemed—too easy.”
“Like we were meant to find it.”
“Exactly. What do we know about Roy Bayliss, the project manager? We searched that place thoroughly. No way we would’ve missed that.”
“Do you think he could be tied in with the men Jacob’s tangled with?”
“It would make sense. I just can’t figure out why here? Why Owensville? Where’s the connection?”
“And why that plant, of all places?” Ward considered Riley’s point. “Let’s do some legwork on our end into Bayliss and the company he represents. We’ll find out if they’re on the up and up. In the meantime, Riley, I’ll trust that you know what you’re doing with regard to Jacob’s situation. But if something starts to smell bad, you’d better let me in on it. I won’t let anything happen to that kid if I can help it.”
“Thank you, Captain. I’ll research the company and Bayliss and see what I can come up with.” She walked back into the bullpen.
“What’d he say?” Ethan asked.
“You want to take a trip with me?” She grabbed her jacket and keys.
“Where to?”
“The plant.”
Ethan stood up and pulled his jacket off the back of his chair. “I’m in.”
Jacob stepped into the hall and made his way toward Blake’s office. It had been almost an hour and no sign of him. George had left nothing behind by all accounts, and if he had, it was very well hidden. “Hey, you have any luck?” He entered the office where Blake remained seated behind the desk.
“Nothing yet. You?”
“Nah. He’s gone, man, just like you said. Took the money and ran. I can’t believe he left us like this,” Jacob said.
The idea that he was about to be handed over on a silver platter to these men consumed him. It felt like Blake was killing time, preparing to make the deal. Jacob needed a plan B, and considered mentioning Chloe Dawson. Riley had advised him against it, fearing it would place him in greater danger. But what if that was the ace up his sleeve? Assuming Blake had feelings for Chloe, could there be a way to bring Blake back into the fold?
“Hey, um, listen.” Jacob shoved his hands in his pockets. “You know I was back home earlier in the week?”
“Course. You were right to take off, man. No one blames you. I mean, what was the point of staying here, until all this shit happened.” Blake continued to view his monitor.