Chapter 28 #2
“One’s a trucking outfit. River City Logistics. They have real loads. Real drivers. DOT numbers.”
“Maybe not so legit,” I said. “It’s perfect for moving things you don’t want traced. Like people.”
Her eyes widened. “I didn’t know.”
I gave a humorless scoff. “Right.”
She flinched, then forced her attention to James. “The other legitimate company is a bar. It’s cash-heavy, good for washing money through the books.” Her gaze turned pleading. “You know that’s normal in that world.”
James’s expression didn’t waver. “Name the bar.”
“The Gilded Anchor.”
He gave a slight nod. “And the other four corporations?”
“One is Blackstone. I told you about that one. The second is a maintenance company for cleaning and repairs. It services his businesses, but it does work for other corporations too.”
“Illegal businesses?” James asked.
“A few legit ones, for appearances,” she said. “But yeah, mostly illegal. He bills way above standard rates. That’s how he moves money between his own companies.”
“And the other two?” James asked.
“There’s a staffing and security company. It employs the staff for his operation—the enforcers, the handlers, the people he doesn’t want on the real payroll. They’re all ‘contract guards’ and ‘temp workers.’”
“Creative,” James said, then tilted his head. “You designed it.”
She didn’t acknowledge the jab. “The last one’s basically an investment and management shell. It collects consulting fees and profit distributions from the others and uses it to buy things … and friends.”
“Friends,” I said. “Like cops?”
She gave a sheepish nod.
“Thank you,” James said slowly, as if filing every word away. “That’ll help for when we read through the records ourselves.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. “What records?”
He leveled a look at her. “Yours. We’ll be making copies of everything related to Gerald Knox and Harlan Properties.”
She shook her head, horror spreading across her face. “No! If I give them to you, he’ll kill me.”
“You should have thought about that before you started workin’ for him,” James said.
Her cheeks flushed red with anger. “Easy for you to say,” she snapped.
“You’re an intimidating man. I’m not. When Knox came to me, he told me I was going to do his books.
He didn’t ask.” She leaned forward, eyes blazing.
“If I’d said no, he would’ve killed my kids.
Then my husband. Slowly, while I watched.
” A vein throbbed in her temple. “And then he said he’d kill me.
” She pushed out a heavy breath. “I didn’t have a choice. ”
A wave of sympathy caught me by surprise.
She could’ve gone to the police or the FBI, but there were no guarantees they would have protected her or her family.
The Little Rock PD’s resources were limited—not to mention she knew she couldn’t trust them.
And while the Feds would be better, she’d probably be looking at the witness protection program.
Her family’s lives would have been destroyed.
“Something I don’t understand,” James said, his gaze distant, like he was turning a puzzle over in his mind. “Why would Knox trust you when it was obvious you’d cooperated with the Feds?”
“I already told you,” she snapped. “He threatened to kill my family if I betrayed him in any way.” Contempt filled her eyes.
“I worked with the Feds after J.R. was killed, and I don’t trust them.
At. All. If you hand this over to them, I might as well kill my family and then myself before Knox gets to us. ”
I barely restrained a gasp, but she was right about one thing. Knox would make her pay.
James blew out a slow breath, some of the tension bleeding from his shoulders. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this when I stopped by yesterday?”
“Tell you I’m doing the books for the man you’re looking for?” Her laugh was humorless. “That would’ve put me in the same danger. With even less hope for protection.”
He sat back, resting his hand on his knee. “I can protect you. But it may not be the protection you want.”
Her face drained. “What does that mean?”
“To be clear,” he said evenly. “I’m taking those files. And I’ll be handing them to the Feds.”
She sucked in a breath, tears filling her eyes.
“You don’t trust them,” James continued, not softening. “And frankly, you shouldn’t. I doubt you’d get the same deal you had before. So I’m giving you a way out. You may not like it, but unless you want to rot in prison, it’s your best option.”
She went still, then swallowed, “I’m listening.”
“Once I’m satisfied that I’ve gotten everything I need,” James said, “I’ll have men escort you and your family to the airport.”
Her eyes widened. “If my books convict Knox, nowhere will be safe.”
“Not if he’s no longer around to come after you,” James said, his voice turning lethal.
“What does that mean?” she shot back. “You think he can’t order hits from prison? You think prison stops men like him?”
“Natalie,” James said, calm as ice. “Gerald Knox will never see the inside of a prison.”
She leaned back, disbelief hardening her face. “You’ll never be able to touch him.”
“Trust me,” he said. “I will.” Then his eyes turned dark. “Have you already told him I’m here? Right now?”
“No,” she said emphatically in a rush. “I always liked you, Skeeter. I don’t want to be part of getting you killed.
” Her jaw tightened. “But if you walk out of here and decide you won’t help me, I will notify him.
I’ll say you showed up unannounced, and I didn’t have time to warn him until after you left. ”
“You have his direct number?” James asked.
She nodded.
“I’m gonna need it,” he said. “Along with every piece of information you’ve got about him. And I mean everything. If you wrote it on a Post-It and put it in your drawer, I want it.”
She stared at him, dismayed. “Do you realize how much information that is? I can’t fit it onto a flash drive. And it’s not safe to upload it to a cloud.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” I said, pulling the hard drive from my jacket pocket and setting it on the desk.
Her gaze dropped to it, and she froze.
“I forgot the USB cord in the car,” I said. “You got one?”
Her gaze snapped to James. “He’s going to kill my kids. He’s not joking.”
“Show me the files,” James said. “While they’re transferring, I’ll send people to collect your kids and your husband.”
“How are you going to find Knox?” she asked. “Because his home address is a closely guarded secret. I don’t even have it.”
James frowned, impatient. “You don’t have to worry about that. Just get on a plane and leave the country.” His brow lifted. “You should have plenty of money to pay for it.”
A guilty look flickered across her face, but she turned to her computer and started booting it up. “I don’t know where to start.”
“Start with the folder labeled Knox,” he said.
She scoffed. “They’re not that obvious.”
“Then just start copying and pasting files,” he said. “We’ll sort out the order later.”
She opened a folder and let him do a quick scan of the contents. Once James was satisfied, she handed me a cord.
I connected the hard drive to the computer, and she started the transfer.
She had more files than Harlan, but they were neatly organized, and most were for other clients. James watched the transfer, making her open files from time to time to ensure nothing was password-protected. Or if it was, that she unlocked it.
During the process, James had her call her family on speaker and tell them to grab their passports and pack everything they could into two suitcases each, including two bags for her.
Hired security would pick them up soon, and they would meet her at the airport.
Since they didn’t ask why they were fleeing, they must have all been prepared to take this drastic measure.
We were about two-thirds of the way through the transfer when my phone vibrated with a text from Dani.
I’ve got the video. When will my charges be dropped?
I sent back:
You know how this works. I have to make sure it’s usable, then I’ll take care of the charges.
Another message came through immediately.
Then meet me before my shift starts at 5. Otherwise you’ll have to wait until tomorrow
I showed James the texts.
He cast a glance at the computer, then turned back to me. “We should be done here soon. Tell her we can meet her at three.”
I messaged Dani, and we agreed on a Starbucks in south Little Rock.
But as soon as I hit send, a thread of unease tightened in my chest.
Natalie’s files were probably enough for James to give to his handler, so I suspected we didn’t need Dani’s video.
Still, I’d learned not to build a case on a single piece of evidence.
If the video showed Nixon—or anyone connected to Knox—it could lead us straight to Wilhemina.
And what if we could link Wilhemina to Knox through the files too?
The case against him would be even stronger.
The big question was—how were we going to follow through on our promise?
“Do you have a list of the names of the girls working at the club?” I asked Natalie. It was a long shot, but I figured it was worth checking. They assigned new names to the girls, but what if Wilhemina had kept her club name? Nova Lux was unique enough to stand out.
Natalie glanced back at me, startled.
“In your accounting,” I pressed, keeping my voice calm. “Do you have any names?”
Her cheeks reddened.
“I take that as a yes,” I said. “Pull it up.”
She looked up at James like she needed permission. After he gave a slight nod, she opened a spreadsheet and clicked on a tab. “Here.”
“You lookin’ for anything specific?” James asked.
“Yeah.” I didn’t elaborate as I started scanning the list.
Nausea rose when I spotted Lexi’s name, and the names of the two other girls she’d mentioned. But I didn’t see the name I was looking for.
“Are these all the women and girls Knox is using right now?”
“No.” Natalie clicked on another file titled The Gold List Club.
“The Gold List Club,” James said sharply. “What’s that?”
She lifted her gaze to his. “Knox’s private club. It’s attached to his legit bar, but it’s upstairs and has a private entrance. Members only.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“A gambling and strip club without the city and state ordinances.”
His jaw tightened. “So they can do whatever they want?”
Natalie’s mouth twisted. “I don’t know exactly what goes on there. The members are invited and sworn to secrecy.” She hesitated. “The books call them waitresses, but I’m not na?ve enough to think that’s all they are. And I’m not stupid enough to ask.”
“And you have a list of the waitresses?” James asked.
“Yeah.” She opened another tab.
I leaned in closer and scanned the new list until I found the name I was looking for.
Nova Lux.
And her start date was one month ago.
I tapped a column. “It shows she was paid wages. Do you cut checks to them?”
She shook her head. “No, I report their wages and pay the payroll taxes, but the club manager pays them in cash.”
I glanced at James. The grim look on his face confirmed exactly what I was thinking. If Wilhemina and the other girls were getting paid anything at all, it was a fraction of what they brought in. If that.
Nova Lux was a one-of-a-kind name. There was a good chance this woman was Wilhemina. It was further confirmation that meeting Dani was worth our time.
If it wasn’t a set up.
“What about a list of club members?” James asked. “Do you have that?”
“No,” Natalie said. “I know there are currently seventy-two members, and they pay a thousand dollars a month in membership dues. But they’re assigned numbers. I don’t have names to go with them.”
“What does the membership buy them?” I asked.
She turned back to me. “Access. They still pay for drinks … and entertainment.”
Knox was making a killing.
It didn’t take much longer to finish the file transfer. By the time it was completed, James’s men had picked up Natalie’s family, and the security unit stationed outside her office escorted her to their car to drive her to the airport.
Once James and I were back in our car, I said, “Ten to one, Knox had one of his guys snatch Wilhemina for his exclusive club.”
“Agreed.”
“If we figure out who scouted her, we’ll ID one more person in his organization.”
“It’ll give us further confirmation,” he said. “But I suspect Natalie has a list of Knox’s employees.”
“This is huge,” I said, the full weight of it hitting me all at once. “We could bring his whole operation down. And give the Feds enough to bring down the bigger one.”
“Agreed,” he said. “Let’s get Dani’s video, see what we’ve got, and then I’ll contact my handler.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Sounds like a plan.”
He shot me a sideways glance. “We wouldn’t have had any of it if you hadn’t found Natalie in Harlan’s files. She was acting cagey when I walked into her office. I suspect she was getting ready to run on her own. And she would have taken everything with her.”
“I wish I could say it was purposeful,” I said. “I just happened to see her name in an email. I ran a search, and suddenly she was all over Blackstone Capital’s paper trail.” I turned toward him and narrowed my eyes. “She kept her involvement with Knox from you, and you let her get away with it.”
His expression tightened. “You think I should have hurt her physically?”
“No,” I said quickly. “That’s not what I’m saying at all.” I took a moment to collect my thoughts. “But she lied to you. It’s not unreasonable that you could’ve let her face the consequences with Knox. Instead, you protected her.”
He made a face. “Knox forced her to do his books. She was trapped, just like she was with Simmons. She knew there would be consequences if she told me she was working for him—from him and possibly from me.” His eyes stayed on the road.
“Besides, I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I suspect the Feds won’t cut her slack this time.
” He flicked a glance at me. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Natalie’s family vacation ends up in a non-extradition country. ”
Funny. When I wore a badge, I would’ve been furious if someone had let her walk.
Now, I wasn’t sure letting her flee was the right thing to do, but I wasn’t as bothered by it. She’d helped Knox do evil things. But I could also understand why she’d believed there was no way out.
What did that say about my moral compass?
I couldn’t remember the precise moment I’d crossed the line. Maybe there’d been no line, and the change in me had come on gradually, like sliding down a slippery slope so slowly you don’t realize you were falling.
Or maybe I’d just started seeing things from a different angle, and the black-and-white rules I’d lived by had turned to a dozen shades of gray.
Perhaps that’s what I told myself so I could sleep at night.
One thing was certain: I wasn’t letting Knox see the inside of a prison.
The question was how long I could pretend this was justice instead of revenge.