Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
The light turned red, and Devon slammed on the brakes. He screamed a curse.
“Ow,” Sylvie complained from the phone, “can you turn down your volume a little? I’m trying to concentrate.”
“You think I’m not?”
“Green light,” Chase said from the passenger seat.
Devon stomped on the accelerator, and the car lurched forward. “How much farther to the turn?”
“Half a mile,” Sylvie responded. “You’re almost there.”
After they’d learned from Max that Aurora was missing from the courthouse, Devon had jumped straight into his car. He hadn’t even known a destination, just that he couldn’t stay put while those bastards had Aurora.
She was out there somewhere, and he had to find her.
It was Sylvie who’d realized where they had to go. “Max said that Eric Madden’s lawyer is missing, too. Clearly, it was a ploy to delay Aurora’s testimony so they could snatch her first. This was planned. And we know, because of you, that Eric Madden is tied to Nadia Wolfson.”
It wasn’t proof that they would find Aurora at the Wolfson estate. But Sylvie had also heard back from her friends in Vegas—they’d identified the Escalade driver as Beck Neuman, a suspected hit man for organized criminals in Nevada.
Neuman would want to take Aurora to a secure, isolated location. Wolfson’s cliffside estate fit the bill.
It wasn’t much, but it was the best lead they had.
Max and his team had also identified the delivery van that must’ve carried Aurora away from the courthouse, and the police had issued a BOLO.
So, Aurora’s kidnappers couldn’t have taken her very far.
They would’ve wanted to get off the streets.
Max had people spreading out all over town at this very moment, checking other possible locations where Aurora could be hidden.
But Devon had been the closest to the hills. He was going to beat everyone else there. At least Chase was with him, in case this got messy.
“Do we know yet if that delivery truck came into Nadia Wolfson’s neighborhood?” Devon asked.
“They probably came through a different route. Only one side of the neighborhood has a manned guardhouse, and we already know this Beck Neuman guy isn’t sloppy.
He wouldn’t have gone that way. I have my team checking security cameras around town for me, but I have my hands a bit full between you and Max. ”
Sylvie’s voice was tense, and Devon couldn’t blame her. They were all working as fast as they possibly could.
But if we don’t find her in time… He wouldn’t let himself finish that sentence. They were going to find her. He was going to find her. There was no other option.
Chase spoke into his own phone briefly, then lowered it.
“Backup from West Oaks PD is a few minutes behind us. But until we can confirm that Aurora is at the Wolfson estate, they won’t order in the SWAT team.
Someone in Lana’s office is working on a search warrant, but we only have threads to go on at this point. It probably won’t be enough.”
Devon slammed his palm against the steering wheel in frustration. Neuman could only be minutes ahead of them, considering how quickly Max had realized she was gone from the courthouse. And yet, the man was running circles around all of them.
I’m going to kill him for this. And if he lays a finger on Aurora, I’m going to make it slow and painful.
He drove even faster, barely making it through the next yellow light before it switched to red. Chase grabbed onto the dashboard. “Careful, man. If we don’t get there, then we can’t help her.”
“The turn is coming up,” Sylvie shouted through the phone, watching their progress on her computer.
“I see it.”
Devon’s tires squealed as he turned and started climbing the road into the hills. Sylvie had already spoken to the guard at the gatehouse, and the man waved in acknowledgment as they passed.
Devon sailed around the curves as they climbed higher and higher into the hills. He squinted when they turned toward the ocean, the sun glaring off its surface.
By the time they pulled up to Wolfson’s property, Devon’s lungs were aching. He’d been holding his breath.
“The gate to Wolfson’s driveway is already open,” Chase said. “Looks like there’s a crowd here.”
Devon pulled into the parking area. There were at least a dozen fancy cars here, Teslas and Range Rovers and Audis. Devon’s modest sedan stuck out in these lush surroundings just as much as Devon himself did.
He and Chase jogged to the front door. It was already open, with a stern looking man barring the way.
“Are you here for the party?” The man eyed Devon and Chase’s informal attire. They both wore jeans and T-shirts. Chase didn’t even have his uniform on.
“We’re here to speak to Nadia Wolfson,” Devon said.
“I’ll inquire if Mrs. Wolfson is available.” His tone conveyed that she probably wouldn’t be. The man retreated inside, closing the door in their faces.
Devon looked up at the house. It had a red brick facade and elegant white pillars. It looked more like a plantation home straight out of the south than a California beachside escape.
It took all his self-control not to burst through the door and demand answers. His fingers drummed rapidly against his thigh.
“What are they doing in there?”
“It’s only been about a minute,” Chase murmured. “We have to play it cool. We have no other choice until that warrant comes through and backup arrives.”
Devon knew that everything his friend said was the truth. But that didn’t make it any easier to wait.
The door swung open, and Devon took a halting step forward. Nadia Wolfson stood there, dressed in simple white, a look of concern on her face.
“Can I help you? This isn’t the best time, whatever it is you’re selling. I’m in the middle of an event.”
The sound of voices and tinkling dishware came from further in the house.
“We’re looking for Aurora Bennett. She’s been kidnapped. Eric Madden and his associates are trying to keep her from testifying—associates that include you.”
Shock rippled across her features. “Why would I want to do that? My husband was the one Eric Madden killed. I want nothing more than to see him and Dominic Crane behind bars. But Aurora is missing? That’s awful. What happened?”
Devon kept throwing questions at her, but the woman didn’t betray anything. If she was lying, then she was quite the actress.
But if she was really involved in this conspiracy, as they now believed, then she’d have to be.
“You’re welcome to come inside,” Nadia said. “You’ll just find a bunch of women who’re here to commiserate with me. It’s a dreary way to celebrate a birthday, but at least I’m not alone.”
Devon and Chase went inside. But after several minutes of walking through every part of the Wolfsons’ plush residence, they hadn’t found anything that hinted at Aurora being here.
Devon spotted Jennifer Scoville in passing. Like the other party guests, she watched him curiously, sipping a glass of champagne.
“Any updates on your end?” he asked Chase quietly in the hall.
His friend shook his head. Devon checked his mom’s phone, which he’d brought with him. Sylvie hadn’t sent any further updates.
“Thank you for your cooperation,” Chase said to Nadia. “We’ll come back later if there’s more.”
“With a warrant, I trust? Because I think I’ve been more than generous with my time. And my home.”
Chase nodded. Devon couldn’t even get a word out. His throat was too tight. They’d wasted at least half an hour, and they had absolutely nothing to show for it. He and Sylvie had been wrong. Maybe Mrs. Wolfson was still involved, but Aurora wasn’t here.
They went back out to the car, got in, and slammed their doors. He sent off a quick text to Sylvie telling her that they’d reached another dead end.
“Our backup got diverted to a car accident,” Chase said. “Not that we needed it, apparently. With a warrant, we could get access to Nadia Wolfson’s computers and documents to prove she was involved. But without more evidence first to implicate her, I doubt the warrant’s coming.”
And Aurora was still out there somewhere. They had no idea where she might be. Devon paused behind the wheel, unsure of what to do next. He was at a loss in every possible way.
If not for his colossal screwup, he might’ve been with Aurora at the courthouse today. He didn’t know if he would’ve been able to prevent her kidnapping, but at least he would’ve had the chance.
He’d failed her. Now she was paying for it.
“We can’t keep sitting here,” Chase said. “Let’s head back downtown, check in with Sylvie, and see what else we can do.”
Devon started the car and turned around, heading slowly back downhill.
The phone rang. It was Sylvie. He picked up. “Say you have something. Anything. Please.”
“I might. The house next door to Nadia’s sold in just the last few weeks. And guess who the buyer was? Jennifer Scoville. Brandon Wolfson’s former assistant.”
Devon swung the car around while Sylvie was still talking. He drove past the Wolfson residence and onto the next driveway, which was farther uphill. A sprawling white stucco house appeared, its windows dark. Unlike Nadia’s place, this house seemed deserted.
They jumped out of the car and ran to the front door. Chase knocked frantically, but Devon was tired of wasting time. He went around the side of the house, where he’d be concealed from the street. He averted his face, covered his arm with his shirt, and bashed a hole in a window.
But there was nobody inside when they searched. No sign of Aurora at all.
Where was she?