Chapter 28
“Did the receptionist really walk in on you?” James asked in a low tone.
“No. The door had a lock, but she tried to come in.”
“Do you think she was suspicious?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I think she was trying to be courteous. But it gave us a good excuse to leave. Hopefully, it didn’t raise their suspicions.”
“So you got the files?”
“Yeah. That’s the good news. The better news is I already found the lease. Blackstone Capital is the tenant. We just need to tie it to Knox. The bad news is there are thousands of files to comb through.”
His jaw tightened, and he kept tapping the steering wheel.
“Ever heard of Blackstone Capital?” I asked.
“No.”
I wasn’t surprised. It was a pretty generic name.
“Harlan also had a forensic accounting review when he was going through his fraud charges,” I said. “He used a different accountant than the receptionist mentioned—Victoria Ames.” I glanced at him. “She’s worth looking into.”
James stopped tapping. “Maybe we should pay another visit to Natalie.”
“To see if she knows anything about Victoria?”
“It can’t hurt.”
I considered it. “Do you want to do that now?”
He lifted a shoulder in a lazy shrug. “We’re already out.”
“Do we want to show up looking like this?” I asked, flicking my gaze over him.
“Sure,” he said. “It’s not like I’ll be dressin’ like this again anytime soon.”
I shot him a grin. “You really took one for the team by letting Harlan preen over his car for so long.”
He gave me a wry look. “He’s got such a hard-on for it, I suspect he’d fuck it if he could figure out how.”
I laughed. “He did say he could be creative.”
James’s mouth twitched. “True.”
I reached into the back, grabbed my laptop, and plugged in the external hard drive. When James gave me a questioning look, I said, “As much as there is to go through, I might as well start looking.”
“Good point.”
I started with a search for Blackstone Capital and came up with five current leases on houses, and about ten previous leases, although, who knew if Knox used more than one corporation to lease properties. If he were smart, he’d spread them out to reduce exposure.
Next, I searched for Blackstone Capital online but came up with nothing, which meant they didn’t have a public presence.
Since we were headed to talk to Natalie, I searched the hard drive for Victoria Ames. Multiple files popped up and I’d just started skimming them when James pulled into the parking lot of Natalie’s office.
I glanced up at the building, then gave him a pleading look. “There are two security people watching the office, right?”
His eyes narrowed. “Yeah…”
“You have history with Natalie,” I said. “She’s more likely to talk to you, so you don’t need me in there.” I lifted my laptop slightly. “Looking at these is a better use of my time. You can tell the security team to keep an eye on me while you’re in there.”
I expected him to put up a fight, but he pulled out his phone and made a call to Carter. After he gave a short explanation of why we were there, he said, “She’s in a dark sedan in Natalie’s parking lot. I want security to give her their undivided attention until I’m back in the car.”
When he hung up, I asked, “Wouldn’t it be faster if you contacted the guards yourself?”
“In this situation, it’s better to have a middleman,” he said. “I still don’t feel comfortable leaving you out here.”
“Don’t be such a worrier,” I said lightly. “The sooner you talk to her, the sooner you get back.”
He gave me a long look before he got out and shut the door. He turned and stared at the sedan across the street, where two men sat in the front seat. Then he headed for the entrance and walked inside.
I kept working, skimming reports and spreadsheets, dumping anything suspicious into a folder labeled Review Later.
James had been inside less than five minutes when a name I wasn’t expecting popped up in an email from Blackstone to Harlan.
Natalie Crowe.
My breath hitched. I stared at the screen, then lifted my gaze up to the building.
Was Natalie tied to Blackstone Capital?
It took seconds to confirm.
One of the emails had her full signature block at the bottom: Natalie Crowe, CPA—Blackstone Capital, LLC. And right above it was an attachment titled RentLedger_12mo.xlsx.
Natalie wasn’t just aware of Blackstone’s leases.
She managed them.
Natalie worked for Gerald Knox.
My chest tightened as I started scrolling. Dozens of emails from Natalie to Harlan Properties—rent ledgers, maintenance approvals, renewal addendums—all tied to Blackstone Capital.
Natalie had been lying to us.
My heart began to pound. Had James walked into a trap?
If she’d contacted Knox, it wouldn’t have been done with a phone call the security team could overhear. She would have texted or emailed.
I yanked the hard drive free and slipped it into my jacket pocket. This thing was pure gold, and I wasn’t letting it out of my sight.
I dropped the laptop onto my seat, scrambled out of the car, and rushed for the entrance.
The receptionist looked up at me with a questioning expression, but I didn’t waste time with explanations or permission.
I went straight down the hall, and when I reached Natalie’s office, I flung the door open.
James sat in a chair in front of her desk. Natalie was positioned behind it, posture stiff. They both looked up in surprise, but James’s hand was already inside his jacket, possibly reaching for his gun.
Natalie recovered first. She offered me a warm smile. “Harper. Goodness. You know how to make an entrance.” She gestured to me. “It took me a moment to recognize you since your hair’s different. Skeeter said you weren’t coming today.”
I shut the door behind me and sat in the chair next to James. “I changed my mind.”
“Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to look up those LRPD names yet.” Her voice softened into an apology. “I’ve been distracted by everything going on.” She gave James a grateful look. “I was just thanking Skeeter for his protection.”
I leaned back, letting the silence stretch long enough to make it uncomfortable.
I angled my head to the side. “How soon after we left yesterday did you notify Gerald Knox that we’d come by asking about him?”
James sat up slightly—alert and on edge.
Natalie’s face went pale as all expression drained away. For a half second, she looked like she might actually crumble. Then she pasted on a weak smile. “What are you talking about? Why would I contact Gerald Knox? I’m trying my best to lay low, not draw his attention.”
“You played it smart,” I said. “You had about a thirty-minute window before your security arrived yesterday. Plenty of time to send a message.”
Anger sparked in her eyes. “I don’t like what you’re insinuating, Harper.”
“I’m sure you don’t,” I said coolly. “Because I just upset your cushy world.” I held her gaze. “I know you’re the accountant for Blackstone Capital.”
She tried to look shocked, but it didn’t land.
James stiffened. “You’ve been doin’ Knox’s books, Natalie?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm.
Her eyes flew wide. “Skeeter, I—”
“It’s a yes or no question,” he said with an edge.
Natalie’s hand trembled on the desk. She didn’t answer.
James leaned forward. “Let me make this real clear. You’ll answer my questions, or I’ll pull your security detail and let Knox know you’ve been chattin’ with me.”
“But I haven’t told you anything,” she whispered.
“You think that matters?”
Her throat bobbed. “I told him I was stringing you along,” she blurted, her voice shaking.
“We’ll make it convincing,” I said. “I have the emails you sent Miles Harlan. Enough to make Knox believe whatever we want him to believe.”
Her eyes widened in horror. “Skeeter, no. Please.”
“Then let’s try again.” His voice stayed calm but sounded scarier than if he were yelling. “How long have you been workin’ for Gerald Knox?”
She drew a shaky breath. “About four years.”
James’s jaw tightened. “From around the time J.R. was killed?”
She nodded. “He’d heard the Feds hadn’t recovered all of J.R.’s money. I don’t know how he’d heard, and he refused to tell me. But he said he was impressed and needed an accountant like me.”
“And you said yes.” James leaned back slightly, eyes never leaving her. “Blackstone Capital. Knox owns it?”
She nodded again, the gesture smaller this time.
“What’s it for?” he asked.
Her gaze dropped to her desk. “His trafficking business.” The words came out flat, like she was reading from a spreadsheet. “It pays for the residential leases and utility bills.”
My stomach rolled. “Wow.” I didn’t hide my disgust. “You say that like you’re talking about landscaping fees.”
Natalie’s chin lifted defensively. “It’s not like I could stop them.”
“Does that help you sleep better at night?” I asked sarcastically.
Her face flushed with embarrassment, but she didn’t look at me.
James’s gaze flicked to mine, checking if I wanted to continue. I leaned back in my chair and let him take point.
“How many other corporations does Knox own?” James asked.
She looked up, wary. “Why do you think he has more?”
“Because men like him always do.” His tone sharpened. “And you learned under J.R. Simmons. You’d think it was strange if he didn’t have any. You’d suggest he get some.”
Her hand trembled on the edge of her desk. “If I tell you, he’ll kill me. You just compared him to J.R. We both know how men like him operate.”
James leaned forward, quiet and deadly. “The way I see it, if you don’t tell me, there’s a good chance you’ll end up the same way anyway.” He held her gaze. “But if you do tell me what I need to know, I can help you. You’re a survivor, Nat. So start survivin’. How many?”
She swallowed. Her gaze snapped to me, then back to him. “You swear you’ll help me?”
“If you start bein’ honest,” he said. “Yes.”
Her chair creaked as she shifted. “Six. Two are legitimate.” She rushed to add, “I mean legit on paper and practice.”
James didn’t blink. “Go on.”