Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The laptop closed with a muffled thump, blending into the chorus of frogs and crickets outside the cabin’s screened-in patio.
Cici sipped her lemonade, enjoying the sweet tang.
Beside her, Asher’s face was lit by the faint glow from the overhead light.
The air was cool now, a relief after the stifling heat of the truck.
Her skin prickled with goose bumps, and maybe a little fear, which came from seeing the face of the man who’d murdered Mr. D, a reminder of the danger they were in.
“We need to figure out how Gagnon and his goons keep finding us.” Asher’s voice was low and steady.
“I thought you were convinced it was someone in Forbes’s operation.” Though Cici wasn’t sure she agreed.
“I am. The question is, who is it? How can we smoke them out?”
“I’m not disagreeing with you, but if a mole is behind this, then how did they find us at the barn? How did they know we got on a train? Forbes didn’t know those things.”
Asher leaned back, thinking it through. “The Philly train station was near where I ditched the truck. They know who you are and where you’re from, so they must’ve assumed we’d head north and east. The train to Boston was a solid theory.
And who knows that they didn’t send men to intercept other trains that left last night? ”
How could it have only been the night before?
“Do you think he has that many men at his disposal?”
“No way of knowing.”
“But Gagnon himself was at the barn, meaning he’d been reasonably confident he would find us near the airfield.”
“Which is why I suspect a mole. Someone told them we were going to Hanscom. They were watching for us. There weren’t that many hiding places on that road, so the barn was a logical spot to check after we tried to lose them.”
That made sense. She swallowed hard, the memory of those men closing in sending a shiver down her spine. “We need to figure out who the rest of those guys are. Maybe there’s some connection to…somebody. Maybe organized crime. We need to know what we’re dealing with.”
“You saw the same photos as I did. Did any of them look familiar?”
They hadn’t, which seemed odd to her. Where had Gagnon hired all those men? “I need to call my sister and see if she can identify the men who’ve been following us.”
Asher smirked. “How in the world could she do that?”
Cici wasn’t sure, but now that it had occurred to her, she realized that if anybody could track them down, Alyssa could. She reached for the cell phone Asher had left sitting on the table.
He cupped his hand over hers, the connection sending awareness through her body. “Wait. Seriously, how could she possibly—”
“Traffic cams? She has resources.”
“But…” Asher didn’t move his hand. She could practically hear his gears spinning, looking for a reason why her idea was bad.
“We can trust my sister.”
“I’m not saying… It’s just, Gagnon knows who you are. He might be tracking her.”
“Alyssa used to work for the NSA. She knows how to keep her activity hidden.”
Another moment passed before he slid his hand off hers. “Okay. Go ahead.”
She dialed her sister’s number and, when Alyssa answered, explained what she was looking for.
“Best option is CCTV outside the police station.” Alyssa didn’t waste any time with niceties, worries, advice, or silly How you holding up? questions. She got right to work, the sound of typing carrying through the phone. “Can you give me the address?”
“I don’t remember. It was a huge building, though, not far from downtown.”
“Here’s one on Broad Street,” Alyssa said.
“That sounds right.”
“What time Friday?”
“Late afternoon…around four, I think. And then they found us again yesterday. Hold on a sec.” She focused on Asher. “Where were we yesterday when they caught up with us?”
He navigated to a map on his laptop and read off the name of the street and the cross streets.
“Got it,” Alyssa said. “Doubt there are cameras there, but they had to get there somehow. Any chance you got a license plate number?”
Asher shook his head.
“No. It was a green Ford pickup truck,” she said. “Four doors, newer model, and a beige Honda Accord. I’d guess eight to ten years old.”
Asher’s eyebrows hiked, like he was impressed she’d observed so much.
“Would have been between eleven thirty and noon,” Cici added.
“All right,” Alyssa said. “If they went through any major intersections, I’ll find them. I can call you back at this number?”
Asher shook his head.
“I’ll call you tomorrow from a fresh burner.”
“Call in the evening. That’ll give me time to find what we’re looking for.”
“Will do. Thanks, sis.” Cici ended the call, thankful she’d done something to help, even if that was only reaching out to someone smarter than she was.
“You really think she can ID them?” Asher asked.
“If there are cameras that picked up those guys’ faces, Alyssa will find them. Even if she just gets license plate numbers, that’ll help, right?”
He shrugged. “Can’t hurt.”
“I’ve been thinking.” She gazed at the burner on the table. “We were talking about how those guys found us. What if they were tracking your phone? That would explain how they didn’t catch up to us in Concord after you’d dumped it in the swamp.”
“Right.” He nodded slowly. “But that still circles back to Forbes. He’s the only one who had my name and number. No one else knew who I was.”
“True, but…” She straightened, a new thought hitting her. Scaring her. “What about GBPA? Could someone there have—?”
“Not a chance.” Asher waved the idea away like it was ridiculous.
“Okay…” She didn’t want to argue, but Asher wasn’t perfect.
And neither were the people at his company, no matter how much he respected them.
“Forbes is a billionaire. It’s possible he has enemies he’s not even aware of.
People like him—and maybe some of his rivals—have deep pockets.
Pockets deep enough to turn even the most loyal—”
“We protect people like Forbes all the time.” He shifted, leaning back. “I trust my team, Cici. I trust Bartlett with my life.”
“Okay, but maybe someone else—”
“There’s no reason for anyone at GBPA to turn.” The words were hard and confident.
“Money is always a good reason.”
Asher took a breath and blew it out. She sensed his frustration, and maybe he was right. His judgment had kept them alive so far.
On the other hand, they needed to consider all the possibilities.
“The leaks are coming from Forbes or his people.” He spoke the words slowly, as if she were too dull to understand. “I’m not taking you to him until we know who it is.”
“Forbes is independent. I can’t imagine he’s sharing details about what we’re doing with anybody.”
Asher rolled his eyes, one side of his mouth tugging up. “Come on, Cici. He’s a billionaire. You think he’s booking charter flights and hiring security all by himself?”
“Billionaires are capable of making phone calls.” Even as she said the words, she remembered… “Brooklynn did say something about an assistant.”
“Just one? He probably has a butler and a valet and who knows how many staff.”
“He doesn’t. He lives in a hotel because his house is being rebuilt. He’s a nice, normal guy.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“Anyway.” She was careful to keep her tone even. No sense arguing tonight. “We should email Forbes so he’s warned.”
“Won’t work. If the assistant sees it, he’ll know we’re onto him. I had your father warn him. For now, we need to go dark.”
She blinked, caught off guard by how quickly he’d shut her idea down. Then his expression shifted, a shadow of doubt crossing his face. “Unless…what if the leak is Forbes himself? Maybe he doesn’t want the necklace back. Maybe he’s hiding something.”
“And trying to have me killed? No way.” She couldn’t help the defensiveness that seeped into her tone.
Forbes was practically part of her family now, soon to be her brother-in-law, if his relationship with Brooklynn progressed the way everyone guessed it would.
“Forbes risked his life to get justice for his parents’ murders.
He’s not playing some kind of game here.
He wants that necklace back, and he wants the person who stole it to face justice. ”
Her irritation must’ve seeped into her tone because Asher raised his hands. “All right, fair enough. Just brainstorming. You never know with rich people.”
What? What was he talking about?
She’d been trying not to argue with him, but that remark had her irritation flaring.
“Money doesn’t make a person trustworthy or untrustworthy.
Generous or greedy. Kind or cruel. My mom comes from old money, and she’s the kindest, most trustworthy, most generous person I know.
I’ve met plenty of selfish rich people, but I’ve met a lot more selfish middle-class and poor people.
” Though, to be fair, those were much larger groups.
“You can’t judge someone’s character by their bank account. ”
His gaze hardened, something bitter flickering in his eyes. “Maybe not, but it builds walls. You of all people should know that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Asher’s voice dropped to a near whisper. “We were ‘friends.’” The word dripped with scorn, his finger pointing from her to him and back. “But only up to a point. You knew who I was, where I came from, and that knowledge separated us.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, don’t pretend you don’t remember. You and your sisters and your mom on your little charity run, bringing Christmas gifts to my family. You saw where I lived, the rusty trailer.”
Her heart stuttered, shock washing over her.
The Wrights had always sponsored a local family at Christmastime. Mom would get a wish list from the church, and Cici and her sisters would have a blast shopping, crossing off every item on that list.
And then, every year, they’d deliver the wrapped presents. It was her favorite Christmas tradition.