Carter tracked the couple down within a week and killed the man and the woman. Upon his return, Carter handed over four hundred and eight thousand dollars and claimed that it was all that was left from the embezzled funds.
The embezzler and his stripper girlfriend had only been on the run for a few days. It seemed unlikely to Miller that they would have burned through nearly a hundred thousand dollars so quickly. Miller had suspected that Carter was lying, and that he had kept some of the money for himself, but he had no way to prove it. Carter wasn’t stupid enough to deposit the money anywhere, or to suddenly show up driving a new sports car. But he had kept some of the money for himself, Miller was certain of it.
When Carter did track down Joshua, Joshua might talk and try to make a deal by telling Carter what was on the tablet, and of the plans Hexalcorp had for San Padre. Joshua had turned Miller down while citing his conscience, but Carter would be only too glad to cut himself in on a slice of the money pie. He might even try to sell the information to a news organization or a competitor of Hexalcorp.
Miller took out his phone, searched his contacts, and made a call. It was answered on the fifth ring by a man with a deep voice.
“This is Tibbetts.”
“Morgan Miller, Mr. Tibbetts. I may have another assignment for you if you’re interested.”
“That depends on what it is. I made money during that riot, but I also lost two good men, Martinez and Sobol.”
“I have an easy task for you, that is, if you’re able to do what I need.”
“What is it?”
“I may need you to track down a man by tracing his whereabouts through his cell phone. Can you do that?”
“I can’t, but I know someone who will do it for five thousand. What happens once you know where this person is?”
“Maybe nothing. I’m just being cautious. But if I do need you to move fast on this tomorrow, will you be able to do it?”
“You want us to go after one guy?”
“Yes, but he may be with someone.”
“Are they dangerous?”
“One man is, the other is a punk.”
“Give me that cell phone number and I’ll have my guy start tracking it in the morning. If you need us, just holler. It will cost you another twenty on top of the five for the phone trace.”
Miller groaned inwardly. His expenditures in recovering that tablet weren’t going to be reimbursed. The expense of hiring Carter, and now Tibbetts, was coming out of his own pocket. Joshua was costing him a lot of money. If the man wasn’t such a loser, he’d make him pay him back before having him killed.
“I’ll pay your fee, and it will be off the books. And if you do this, I’ll need every possession you find on the men, cell phones, wallets, keys, and there might be a small computer tablet with one of them too.”
“I’ll be hanging out at my bar in Santa Rosa tomorrow, but I’ll be ready to move if I hear from you.”
“Does that mean you’ll be handling this yourself?”
“Yeah. I like to get out once in a while and have fun with my men.”
“Good. I’ll feel better about things knowing that you’re handling this yourself.”
“I’ll also need that five grand upfront to give to my guy. That way he can start tracing that phone early in the morning”
“Right,” Miller said. “I’ll send it off to you after we hang up.”
When Miller left his office and joined Naya in front of the TV in the living room, she asked him if there was any news on Joshua. When he told her that he believed Joshua might be alive, she shook her head.
“I shot him in the heart from just a few feet away. How could he survive that?”
“Maybe he didn’t, but it’s worth checking since we can’t find his body anywhere.”
“If he’s alive, that will be a problem.”
“No, it won’t. Carter should take care of it.”
“This private detective of yours sounds capable. How often do you use him?”
“Not often,” Miller said, as he looked at Naya sideways. If Miller did find Joshua alive and dealt with him, maybe he’d have the PI handle his Naya problem next. She had seen him kill Haley, and it wasn’t smart to leave a witness alive who might someday testify to that fact.
Naya shut off the TV and snuggled against him. “We were in the middle of something when Joshua interrupted us last night. Why don’t we pick up where we left off?”
Miller grinned at her. “Why not?”
Naya had to die. That didn’t mean Miller couldn’t enjoy her company until then. The two of them disappeared up the stairs and into the bedroom.
23
The Truth Comes Out
Cody was seated at a small desk inside a guest room at Caleb’s farm when he heard back from Kate Barlow by phone early the next day.
Despite shipping the computer tablet to her via express delivery, he was surprised that she had received it so soon. That is, until he remembered the time difference in New York. While it was only about nine a.m. where he was, it was past noon in New York City.
“I went to work on this damaged tablet as soon as it was delivered, Tanner. I was able to extract files from it. You’ll receive them in an email after we hang up. In the meantime, I thought you might want to know what I’ve found.”
“From your tone I’m guessing that it was something unusual.”
“Oh yes. For one thing, that riot in San Padre was part of a plan. It’s a little too involved to go into over the phone, but the bottom line is that whoever is behind this intends to make millions, if not billions in the long run.”
“And you don’t know who that is?”
“The scheme is all laid out here, but whoever composed these files was smart enough not to use names, but only designations. There is one list of names, they concern certain members of several protest groups, including Die Fistulous. From what I’ve read, they and other such groups are being used as pawns by the people implementing this plan. The names listed are the people who are recruiting and instructing the lower tier members.”
“I would guess that the owner of the tablet would want to get it back.”
“I’d say so. Is there any risk that they could trace it to me here in New York?”
“No. But there is someone here in California they might go after. I’ll have to locate him and see what he knows.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get involved in this?”
“I’m not involved, Kate… but I guess I might stick my nose in now. Our housekeeper, Franny, she was almost killed because of that riot. I wouldn’t mind causing the people behind it some grief.”
“I’ll keep digging and see if I can find out more.”
“How would you do that?”
“I’ll use the tablet’s serial number and trace where it was purchased and by whom. That may tell us something.”
“Let’s hope so, and I have something else I want you to do.”
“Name it.”
“I’d like you to track down a man named Joshua. I don’t know his last name, but he would have been admitted into a hospital in Alameda, California, with a chest wound on the night of the riot. He’s white, and I would guess his age at around twenty-five.”
“I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thanks, Kate. I’ll keep an eye out for your emails.”
“I’ll send that first one soon. Oh, and Tanner.”
“Yeah?”
“Michael said to tell you hello back.”
Cody laughed. “Michael is starting to loosen up where I’m concerned. That’s good.”
“Oh, he’s still intimidated by you, but he no longer believes you plan to kill us someday. If that were the case, you wouldn’t have helped us recently and saved our children. We still owe you for that too.”
Cody said goodbye to Kate and sat thinking for a moment about what Kate had told him about the information she’d found. When the email came in containing a copy of the files recov
ered from the computer tablet, Cody read them.
While devious and devoid of any concern for the damage and loss of life the plan would produce, he had to admit that the scheme outlined was brilliant. It was also obvious that, while there was a lot of profit to be made, it would also take considerable funds and influence to implement the plan. While there were a few private citizens who had the capital to make such a strategy reality, it seemed more likely that a corporation would be involved. It was even hinted at in the document, although no name was mentioned.
He was interrupted in his thoughts by a knock on the door. When he opened it, he saw Franny standing in the hall.
“I’m ready to leave when you are, Cody.”
“I’m ready. And I’ve learned something you might find interesting. I’ll tell you about it on the drive to San Padre.”
Cody kissed Sara and the kids goodbye and told them that he planned to be back before dinner but might be delayed. Franny wouldn’t be returning with him. She wanted to visit her aunt one more time and to help Wendy if she needed it. Wendy had lost her home during the riot, but was staying with her boyfriend, Jake.
As they motored toward San Padre, Cody told Franny what he had learned from the information recovered from the computer tablet. When he was done, he looked over and saw that Franny’s face had turned red.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m so angry I could spit. Thousands of people displaced from their homes and more who lost their businesses all to make money. And think of all the innocent people who died or were injured. This plan that was outlined on that tablet… it’s… it’s beyond greed. It’s demented!”
“It is. But it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that this is not the first time it’s been tried. Other cities have been ravaged by riots, although, not to the extent that we saw in San Padre. The violence and the destruction bring the value of the properties in those areas down, and whoever scoops them up at the bargain price could make a lot of money when those areas recover.”
“That young man you found, Joshua, was he a part of this?”
“He’s connected somehow, but I don’t think he’s one of the ones who would profit. I only spoke to him once, but I got the impression that he was idealistic and out to do what he believed was right.” “Then why did he have that computer tablet on him when you found him?”
“I plan to ask him that after I drop you off at your hotel.”
“Please be careful, Cody. Someone shot that boy, maybe they were after the tablet.”
“If they weren’t, they probably are now,” Cody said.
In San Padre, Carter, Miller’s private investigator, was walking through the halls of the hospital. Carter was a big man with a scruffy beard that had hints of gray in it. He had once been a bounty hunter, and when still in his teens, he had worked as a bodyguard for an acquaintance that had been a drug dealer specializing in cocaine. The acquaintance was long dead. After an argument concerning a raise in pay, Carter shot his employer dead and sold off the drugs he had on hand. Carter’s employer should have hired a bodyguard to protect him from his bodyguard.
There had been three men named Joshua admitted to area hospitals after the riot. Since Carter didn’t know Joshua’s surname, he had to check out all three. Two of the men were in San Padre, while the third was in Alameda. That third man was the Joshua he sought, but Carter had no way to know that; all he could do was check each name on his list until he found his man.
He discovered from a nurse that the first man on his list had been released from the hospital minutes before his arrival. When he asked the nurse why the man had been admitted to the hospital, she told him she couldn’t give him that information.
“Okay, then tell me this, around how old was the guy?”
“I’d say he was in his twenties.”
“Is he white?”
“Yes. And that’s all I’m willing to say. I can’t violate the patient’s privacy.”
“I understand,” Carter said, while removing money from his wallet. “I just hoped that you might be willing to help me—and maybe help yourself too.”
The nurse looked down at the money and then glowered at him. She was a stout woman who looked as if she’d have no difficulty moving her patients around without the aid of a male orderly.
“Are you trying to bribe me to violate a patient’s privacy?”
Carter put the money away. “No, of course not.”
“Goodbye,” the nurse said, and Carter headed toward the elevator.
Miller had told him that the man he was searching for had been shot in the chest and would be in serious condition. That didn’t sound like a man who was released after spending only one day in the hospital. Then again, Miller had initially told him that he was looking for a corpse. If he was wrong about that, maybe he was wrong about the extent of Joshua’s injuries.
Carter was tempted to leave the hospital and track down the man who had been released; however, it only made sense for him to see if he could find the second Joshua, since he was already in the hospital. He found Joshua number two in the intensive care unit. This Joshua was also white, but he was a man in his sixties who’d been stabbed in the side.
Carter left the hospital and walked back to his van, where he opened his laptop and did a search for the address of the patient who had been released. It didn’t take the experienced investigator long to find the information he needed. The man lived in the San Jose area. While he was at it, Carter looked up the address for the last name on his list, Joshua number three, but hoped he’d never need it.
Carter debated checking out the last name on his list first, since he was closer to Alameda than San Jose, but then he decided to just work the list in order and eliminate each man in turn. Besides, there was a café in San Jose that had great food. By the time he checked out the man on his list and eliminated him—one way or another—it would be just about time for lunch.
Carter started his van and headed toward San Jose. As he drove, he thought about food.
Cody walked Franny inside the hotel to make certain that everything was okay. The desk clerk was a young woman with a prim manner, a freckled face, and green eyes. She told Franny that they never had trouble with the looters and protestors.
“We’re way out here on the highway, but our location in the downtown area had its lobby invaded, and damage was done. Luckily, the National Guard showed up and arrested the vandals.”
When Cody left Franny, she had just gotten off the phone with the car rental agency. The car she had rented was wrecked during the riot and was sitting overturned in the street where the real estate office had been. The insurance would cover the loss, but Franny needed another vehicle. One was being delivered to her hotel later that day.
Before separating, Franny hugged Cody and told him that she would see him back on the ranch soon. She also thanked him again for saving her life.
Cody was walking toward his car when he spotted a familiar face getting out of a cab in front of the hotel. He might have missed the man’s arrival if he hadn’t had the habit of watching his back. It was Crash Wyman, his neighbor, and Franny’s boyfriend. Cody called to him and saw Crash greet him with a wide smile.
“Hi, Cody. I flew in to see Franny. She told me over the phone that she was okay, but I wanted to see it was true with my own eyes.”
“I don’t blame you. If Sara had a close call, I’d want to see for myself that she was all right.”
Crash gripped Cody’s offered hand and shook it. “Franny didn’t go into details, but she told me over the phone that you saved her life. Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost that lady.”
“I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you, Crash. And… she has news for you.”
“What kind of news?”
Cody smiled. “I’ll let her tell you that.”
“Okay. Oh, and I have news from home. Henry won another motocross race yesterday.”
“I heard. I talked to him this morning. He also said it
would probably be his last race.”
“Really? Why is that?”
“Motocross can be a dangerous sport. Henry doesn’t want to risk suffering an injury that will interfere with his training to be a Tanner.”
“Quitting racing, was that your idea or his?”
“It was his, but I agree with it. Training to be a Tanner is tough enough without distractions.”
“The kid is really dedicated to following in your footsteps.”
“He is, and he will be a Tanner someday.”
Cody and Crash said goodbye to each other, and Cody climbed into his car. Kate Barlow had come through again and called Cody with info on Joshua. That included his full name, Joshua Mullins, his age, address, and the fact that he had checked himself out of the hospital.
“I’ve also traced that tablet back to where it was purchased and have a name for you.”
“The name of the person who bought it?”
“It wasn’t a person; it was a company. It was part of a batch of computer equipment purchased by Hexalcorp.”
Cody’s eyes narrowed at hearing that. Hexalcorp had aided Alvarado years earlier when the drug cartel leader had been trying to track him down and kill him. Now it looked as if Hexalcorp was behind the riot.
“Thank you, Kate. I’ll be in touch if I need anything else.”
“Anytime, Tanner, and stay safe.”
Cody headed for Joshua’s home. The tablet had shed light on what had happened in San Padre, and he now knew what corporation was involved, but Joshua might be able to tell him who the person was behind it all. Cody wanted to find out who that was, and he wanted to make them pay for threatening Franny’s life. If he could bring grief to Hexalcorp at the same time, he wouldn’t hesitate to do so. Things had just become personal.
24
Seek And Ye Shall Find
Carter arrived in the San Jose area and went to work tracking down the man he was looking for. When the guy answered the door to his apartment, Carter knew he wasn’t the Joshua he wanted. There was a cast on the man’s left arm and a bandage wrapped around his head, but other than that he seemed to be uninjured. Miller had claimed that he’d hammered the crap out of the right Joshua’s face; the man who answered the door had no bruises or cuts.
Lit Fuse (A Tanner Novel Book 44) Page 14