Chapter 9
Nine
M ax held back a curse at the agent’s theory.
It felt spot-on. But the implications of it were not something Max wanted to think about. It meant Margot and the girls were in danger.
“Have you noticed anyone lurking around you lately?” Agent Gallagher asked Margot.
She blinked at him several times, then looked at Max. The wide set to her eyes rang with fear.
A stab of it went through his chest. If this theory held any weight, she and the twins were moving in with him as soon as they returned home.
After a moment, she took a shaky breath and answered the agent. “No. But it’s not like I’ve been looking.”
“What about strangers?” Gallagher’s gaze bounced between them. “Have there been any of those popping up? Maybe the same person more than once?”
“We live in a tourist destination,” Margot answered, raising a hand to whisk a strand of hair behind her ear in a gesture Max recognized as a nervous tell. He edged closer and lightly touched the back of her sleeve, letting her know he was there.
“And I’m in the middle of opening a medical clinic,” she continued. “I’m surrounded by strangers every day. But none of them give me the creeps, Agent Gallagher.”
The agent turned to Max. “Have you noticed anyone?”
“No.” And after all the trouble they’d had lately with everyone else, he’d have picked up on something unusual. They’d all been on alert. But he’d be making a phone call home as soon as they left here. Just to double check that everything was fine, and to make sure everyone stayed on their toes.
“Okay. Well, I wouldn’t be too worried about it. But stay vigilant. It’s been several months since that was mailed, so it’s probably nothing.”
Max chewed on the corner of his mouth, a deep vee between his eyebrows. Gallagher made a good point, but it didn’t completely allay his fears. He could tell from the tightness on Margot’s face she felt the same.
But there was little they could do now without more information. “Let’s keep looking, yeah?” He glanced at Margot and nodded to the boxes.
She blew out a long breath. “Okay.”
It took another fifteen minutes before she made it through the rest of Tad’s things, including the suitcase. She identified a few more items that belonged to him, but there were no more strange notes.
“Do you have Tad’s keys?” Max asked as Gallagher wrapped evidence tape around the suitcase.
The agent looked up with a frown. “Why?”
Max lifted a shoulder. “Just being thorough.” His hope was maybe there was one on there Margot recognized, or one they could trace. He was also curious why they weren’t with the other items.
“They’re in my office.”
“Is that in this building?”
“It is, yes.” Gallagher finished the suitcase and set it on its wheels. “Let’s put all these back in the cage and I’ll take you up there.”
“Sounds good.” Max reached for a box.
Between the three of them, it only took a minute to get everything back behind the fencing. With it all locked up, Gallagher led them from the room. Winding back through the maze of cars, they reentered the main building, then took the elevator to the third floor and turned down a long hallway.
Halfway down the corridor, the agent stopped and unlocked a door. Entering, he flipped on the lights, then crossed to the desk.
“Here you go.” He scooped up an evidence bag from the desktop and passed it to Max.
Taking the bag, Max turned it over in his hands, examining the keys. “You said these were on the body you pulled from the lake?”
“Yeah. We’ve run them for prints, but the water erased anything usable.”
Max stepped closer to Margot and tipped the bag toward her. “Do you recognize any of the keys?”
She took it from him, peering through the plastic. After a moment, she pointed to one. “That’s our house key.”
Gallagher’s gaze sharpened. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. I put that red nail polish on it myself. He could never remember which key it was, so I marked it. I did the same to mine, and to the keys for my new house in Costa Rica.”
“She did.” Max glanced at the agent. “I’ve seen her house keys. The tops of both are painted red.”
“Do you recognize any of the others, Dr. Gaultier?”
Margot peered through the plastic again, slowly shaking her head. “No. I don’t think so. One looks like a bank deposit box key, but I don’t know what it would be to. I have a safe deposit box, but Tad never had access to it.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a family thing. My parents opened it for me when I was born and put a selection of family heirloom pieces in it. I’ve only ever looked in it once and that was when they gave me the keys when I turned twenty-one. I opened the box, withdrew all the contents and moved it to a bank of my choice.”
“What’s in it, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Just jewelry and some coins. It’s part of my inheritance, but I’ve never touched it.”
“Are these traceable pieces?” Gallagher crossed his arms. “I’ll be honest, Dr. Gaultier. I looked you up. I know what kind of background you come from. It surprises me that you don’t live a more lavish lifestyle.”
“Yes, well, my family’s lavish lifestyle meant I had a lonely childhood. And I don’t need—or want—my parents’ money to provide for my daughters. I vowed the day I opened the box that using its contents would be an absolute last resort.”
“You turned your back on your family’s wealth?” He raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Yes. It’s never brought anything but loneliness and heartache for me. As for your question about whether the items are traceable, I imagine some of them are, yes.”
“Do you have paperwork on them? Provenance or insurance?”
“I do.”
“Is there any chance your ex-husband could have accessed the box?”
“I doubt it. Not unless a bank employee took a bribe. I’m the only person authorized to access it.”
“And that key isn’t one you recognize?” He motioned to the evidence bag in her hands.
She glanced at it again. “No.” Margot held it out. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.”
Gallagher took the bag. “You’ve been plenty helpful. The only other thing I ask is that you consider checking on your safe deposit box.”
Margot’s forehead wrinkled. She opened her mouth to speak, but the agent held up a hand.
“Just to be thorough.”
She snapped her mouth closed, then nodded once. “I’ll think about it. The bank is in Texas.”
Max made a mental note to change their return flight itinerary. They’d stop in Dallas for a day and go to the bank before heading home. If she didn’t have her key, he’d have Dean overnight it to their hotel. He knew from the look on her face she didn’t want to go check the box, but he also knew it would bug her if she didn’t.
Gallagher set the keys down on his desk and moved toward the door. “Thank you both for coming. I appreciate you making the trek up here. I know the weather isn’t the greatest.”
“It’s definitely tested our tropical blood.” Max extended an arm, ushering Margot toward the door as he aimed a one-sided smile at the agent.
“I bet.” Gallagher grinned. “To be fair, it’s not normally this cold this early. I’m hoping it gets it out of its system now and we have warmer temperatures in January and February.”
Max’s smile bloomed. “Keep dreaming.”
The agent chuckled softly. “I know.”
They reached the elevator and rode it back down to the lobby. Gallagher walked with them to the doors.
“Dr. Gaultier, Mr. Carson, thank you for your help.” He held out a hand, but his eyes were on Margot. “I know this wasn’t easy for you.”
Margot’s calm expression didn’t change except for a slight tension around her mouth. Max doubted Gallagher saw it. Unless someone knew her well, it wasn’t that noticeable.
“Um, could I ask a favor?” She asked the agent.
“What’s that?”
“When this is all over, can I have that shirt with the girls’ prints on it?” The sadness Max glimpsed when she first saw the shirt returned. He wanted to reach out and hug her, but there was a rigidness to her that told him she didn’t want to be touched right now. He had a feeling she was hanging on to her emotions by a hair.
“Of course. I’ll make sure it gets to you,” Gallagher said.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I know I seemed reluctant to have you go through your ex-husband’s things earlier today, but your input was valuable.”
Max resisted the urge to snort and roll his eyes. All the agent had learned was that the items in the car belonged to Tad and someone had a connection to Costa Rica. The latter was of most interest to Max. He wished he’d been able to take a picture of the barcode on the postcard. Asher might be able to get a post office location from it. He was sure the feds could, but they wouldn’t share that information. He also wished he had a picture of that safe deposit box key. He’d memorized the numbers on it, but it would be nice to have a picture of the shape. They weren’t all the same. And thanks to a handy mnemonic trick he’d learned in the military, he’d memorized the VIN and the license plate from the car as well. Once they got into the car, he’d write it all down. Later tonight or tomorrow, he’d get the information to Asher.
“I’m glad I could help. You or Detective Sorenson will keep me updated, yes?” Margot asked.
“We’ll do our best.” Gallagher reached into his pocket and took out a business card. “If you have questions or you think of something that could be useful, please call.”
She took the card. “I will. Thank you.”
“Thank you for your time.” Max extended a hand to the man.
“Yep.” Gallagher took it. “Have a safe trip back to Minot.”
“We will.” Max released the agent’s hand, then placed it on Margot’s back, ushering her toward the door.
That wintry North Dakota air blasted him in the face as they stepped outside.
“Why do I get the feeling that’s the last we’ll hear from him until they make an arrest?” Margot asked, tucking her head into the wind as they hurried to the car.
Max snorted softly. “Because it probably is.”
Reaching the car, he unlocked it, and they got in, out of the wind. He started the engine. It shouldn’t take long for the heat to kick in. They hadn’t been inside that long. Taking his phone from his pocket, he jotted down all the information he’d memorized, then put the device away.
“Ready to go?” He glanced over at Margot to make sure she had her seat belt on.
She did, but it was the tense look on her face that made him pause. He leaned forward so he could better see her face. Moisture shimmered in the corner of her eye as she stared out her window.
“Hey.” He extended a hand to cover hers. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she quickly shot back, still staring out the window.
“No, you’re not. Talk to me, Margot.”
“I can’t.” Her voice stayed low and controlled. “Not right now.”
“Margot—”
“Please, Max. Just drive.” The controlled tone remained in her voice, but he recognized it for the coping mechanism it was. She was hanging on by a thread.
Clenching his teeth, he sat back. He didn’t want to force her to talk; it would just make her angry at him. Her ex-husband was a touchy subject. Pushing her to talk could drive a wedge between them.
Contrary to what the team thought, he wasn’t as secure in his relationship with Margot as it appeared. He worried every day she’d come to her senses and realize that a friendship with a single man on the downswing toward fifty wasn’t doing her any favors in the romance department and yank the rug out from under him. As much as he wished there could be more with Margot, he wasn’t a fool. He knew how old he was compared to her.
But that didn’t stop him from wanting more. She and her twin terrors had wormed their way into his heart with little effort. He’d do anything for Margot and the girls.
Right now, that meant he needed to keep his mouth shut and drive.
So, that’s what he did.