Chapter 15
Dom stared at Jake Hutchins feeling sick.
The guy had worked for him for a full year, and Dom had taught him everything he knew.
To his detriment. Obviously, Jake had been the one to keep finding him, despite his attempt to cover his electronic trail.
Dom knew he should have suspected someone close to him was involved.
Worse, he now remembered where he’d seen Jennifer. He kicked himself for not realizing who she was. Jennifer worked in the Data Intelligence Services human resources department. In fact, Jennifer had encouraged him to hire Jake.
The fact that they’d worked together to try to kill him and Kendra was a bitter pill to swallow. He’d trusted Jake. Had left him in charge while he was going on vacation. And Jake had taken full advantage of the situation. In fact, he’d told Jake he was heading to the Redwood Motel in Greybull.
“Why?” Dom stared his team leader, who was standing beside Raine with his wrists cuffed behind his back. “Why did you try to kill us?”
Jake avoided his gaze and didn’t answer.
“He has the right to remain silent,” Raine drawled. “But I am hoping that we can convince him to cooperate by giving us information on Levy and Bartoli in exchange for a lighter sentence.”
If that was something Jake was considering, he didn’t let on. The way he stared off in the distance, Dom wasn’t sure what was going through his mind. The only good thing was that Jake wasn’t getting his big payday as he’d planned.
The jerk.
Kendra wrapped her arm around Dom’s waist. Her support was sweet, but he knew that he’d been played for a fool, by both Jake and Jennifer. It made him feel bad because his blind spot had almost cost Kendra her life. “I take it the Hutchins’s are related?”
“Husband and wife.” Dom forced the comment through clenched teeth. “At least, that’s what they claimed. I’m not even sure those are their real names.”
“Jake Hutchins is his name, according to his ID,” Raine said. “I have a feeling they’re in this for the money.”
“Maybe he’ll talk to save his wife?” Kendra suggested.
“I wouldn’t give him that much credit.” Dom scowled and stepped away from her. Now that the immediate threat was over, he passed her weapon back. She took it with a nod of thanks. “We need to find Levy. He’s likely in the black Sierra GMC truck.”
“I’ve alerted Griff about that. I’m sure he’s called that in by now.” Raine gave Jake a small push. “Let’s get back to the log cabin. Justin, I need to check your injury.”
“I’m fine.” Justin waved off his wife’s concern, but by the way he cradled his arm against his chest, Dom suspected the wound hurt worse than he was letting on. His K9, Stone, stayed close to his side, as if the dog understood he was hurt too.
“Where’s Trevor when we need him?” Kendra muttered as she slid her gun into her belt holster. “He’s the EMT.”
Dom tried to take heart in knowing that Justin wasn’t hurt that badly. He glanced at Jake, wondering if his IT specialist felt even an ounce of remorse.
Nah, he wasn’t buying it. Jake’s stoic expression indicated he wasn’t ready to cooperate.
At least, not yet. Maybe after spending a few weeks behind bars, he’d sing a different tune.
“You can stay silent, as is your right,” Raine said as they walked through the snow back toward the log cabin.
“But I have you on attempted murder, as I witnessed you shooting Justin. Once I process your weapon and match the shell casings with those we’ve recovered at other crime scenes, you’ll be looking at several attempted murder charges.
Including the attempted murder of a federal agent. ”
“Griff will press charges,” Kendra said. “The same way Dom and I will.”
“We’ll get your wife on accessory to attempted murder,” Raine went on. “Maybe she’ll cooperate for a shorter sentence.”
“She’s just as guilty,” Dom said harshly. “No way did Jake do this alone. He might be the tech expert and the main shooter, but she helped him every step of the way. And let’s not forget someone caused Helen Gingrass’s accident. Probably Jennifer.”
Jake turned to glare at him as if he’d guessed right. Dom held his gaze, hoping he’d crack, but after a long second, Jake looked away.
They made the rest of the trip back to the log cabin in silence. Dom glanced back over his shoulder frequently, expecting Levy to jump out to shoot them at any second. The guy may have taken off to save himself, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t come after Dom or Kendra again.
That thought made him frown. Why would he?
Levy had to know the Sullivans suspected him by now.
And why hadn’t the US Marshal killed him when he had a chance?
Why try to get him into the truck? Why had he attempted to take him alive?
Once Levy had separated him away from Kendra and the others, he should have put a bullet in Dom’s brain.
After all, that’s what he’d threatened to do every step of the way.
The Krugerrand.
Dom abruptly stopped, causing Kendra to bump into him from behind. She stepped to his side, looking up at him. “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“I’m fine.” He gave himself a mental shake forced himself to keep walking. Yeah, the more he thought about Levy hauling him toward the truck, the more convinced he was that there was more to this than Stuart Ramsey’s confession.
This nightmare wasn’t just about a simple confession.
Levy had thought Ramsey told them more than he had, but it wasn’t just that information that started this.
It was about the Krugerrand. Coins that Bartoli might not have realized were in his father’s possession until Stuart had given his to his hospice nurse.
That was enough to raise concerns about where Stuart had gotten it.
They must have assumed Stuart had taken the coin from his father, and they must have thought there were more.
A lot more.
Had his father taken the Krugerrand on the plane? In theory, it made sense that his father would keep the coins close. Yet if that was the case, the coins were likely scattered across the Bighorn Mountains like the rest of the plane debris.
Yet somehow, Dom didn’t think so. He had to consider the fact that his father could have hidden the Krugerrand somewhere within the house, the hangar, or buried on the property.
He’d gone through his dad’s things after his death, but that had been more of a clearing-out process.
Getting rid of his father’s clothing and other personal belongings.
He’d gone through all the boxes and closets, but he hadn’t searched for hidden coins.
There was only one way to find out if there were more Krugerrand. He needed to get back to Montana.
Dazed, he followed the others into the house. It looked the same as before, minus a few pictures that had fallen off the wall after the explosion.
“Sit down, Justin. I’ll look at your wound.” Raine pushed Jake Hutchins toward Griff. “Keep this guy away from his wife, Jennifer. We can’t allow them to communicate in any way.”
Griff arched a brow and nodded. “No problem. But what happened to Justin?”
“I’m fine.” Justin dropped into a chair, still cradling his arm across his chest. “It’s a flesh wound.”
“We won’t know that it’s only a flesh wound until we examine it,” Raine argued. “You can drop the tough guy act.”
Griff escorted Jennifer into one of the bedrooms, then came back for Jake, taking him to a different room. Dom wished he could badger the couple with questions, but he understood the need to follow procedure. He wasn’t a cop, but if he interfered with Griff and Raine, he could ruin everything.
Instead, he turned toward Justin. “Do we know what exploded outside?”
“A pipe bomb.” Justin grimaced as Raine pulled his coat off to see his arm. “My take is that it was used as a diversion.”
“A diversion that worked.” Dom grimly remembered how Levy had used the explosion to get him out of the cabin. “Are the vehicles damaged?”
“Only one, Levy’s. The other two seem okay.” Justin reached down with his uninjured arm to stroke Stone, before shrugging out of his shirt. “Why?”
“I need to go.” The words came from Dom’s mouth before he realized what he was about to say.
“What? You can’t leave.” Kendra frowned. Her K9 sat at her side, clearly waiting for another opportunity to play the search game. “Levy is still out there.”
“I know.” Levy didn’t matter as much as his need to get back to his place. If he found more Krugerrand, he’d know the coins were the reason he’d been ruthlessly tracked and nearly killed.
Along with Kendra and her family. Innocent people who’d only tried to help him.
“The Cody police are on the way,” Griff said. “They’ll want your statement, Dom, before you go.”
He nodded, but sticking around wasn’t high on his list of things to do. Kendra had her key fob, but Justin had just removed his coat. Dom took the jacket and surreptitiously slipped his hand into the pocket for the key fob as he moved it to the other chair.
“See?” Justin peered at the bleeding gash on his arm. “I told you it was just a flesh wound.”
“I’m glad.” Raine kissed him, then went to work cleaning the wound.
Dom swallowed hard and turned away. “I’m heading out to see if the police are here yet.
” Without waiting for anyone to respond, he walked outside.
The previously untouched and glistening snow in the front yard was now littered with branches, twigs, and pine needle debris from the trees around them. The pipe bomb had left its mark.
The sirens were loud enough to indicate the police were on the way.
Dom clicked the fob, found Justin’s SUV, and slid in behind the wheel.
He levered the seat back as far as possible to make room for his long legs.
As he started the engine, the passenger door opened.
Smoky jumped in first, followed by Kendra.
He glared at her. “You can’t come with me.”