Chapter 7 #2
Their game of creating a pretend fall-guy was at an end. Dane hoped Del thought he was stupid, hoped Del thought they were sincere about believing it was all on Beaumont. But Del was cagey.
Del stood.
“I’ll work on getting a warrant to search the boat,” Cap said.
“You leave that to me,” Del said.
“Aren’t you worried Beaumont has made you?” Dane said.
“I’ll deal with that. But I appreciate your concern,” Del said. He sounded suspicious. He was still thinking. The man was no slouch in the brain department, Dane had to give him that.
He picked up the photo and slipped it into his inside jacket pocket.
“I assume this is a copy?”
Cap nodded.
“I’m going to need the original along with your entire file. We’re taking this case over as of now and I don’t want any interference from you.” He turned to Dane. “From either of you.”
“That’s for Penny to decide.”
Del paused and smiled his undercover cop smile.
Dane didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone play such a calculated role before.
It was transparent, as if Dane were watching with a secret code, knowing everything before it happened.
Because he had the secret code. He and Cap and Shana all knew that Del was guilty as hell.
That Harvey had hidden the picture from his murderer and his murderer hadn’t found it in spite of searching.
That the picture had been part of the blackmail that had gotten Harvey killed.
That it wasn’t Nate Beaumont who had killed him, because it wasn’t Beaumont who Harvey was blackmailing.
It was Del he was blackmailing.
Now all they needed to do was find a way to prove it. With Del watching their every move.
They needed to play him and nab him while they operated right under his nose.
“If you so much as breathe wrong, Blaise, I’ll have your ass thrown in a real jail for obstruction.” Del looked at Cap. “For now I expect you to be held here for arraignment on a charge of assault—”
“I’m not clogging up my jail cell for a couple of otherwise professional men who decided to throw away their training and good sense and let their macho pride get the better of them.”
That hurt. But Cap had a convincing point, landing the best shot of the day. Dane noticed Pratt’s mouth curve up on the left side in the first hint of a smile he’d seen on the man’s face.
Del grunted.
“Dane Blaise will stay clear of this investigation from here on out. I’ll see to it.” Cap sealed the deal. Dane didn’t flinch.
“I’ll see that Penny fires his ass. Don’t expect to see one red cent of your fee.” Del snarled at him for good measure.
Dane said nothing, didn’t react. But if Del carried through, and if Penny listened to him—which was a big if—then Shana would not be happy.
In an effort to maintain his fabled professionalism in spite of his recent so-called macho lapse, he refused to contemplate the implications of Shana’s unhappiness.
Cap stared them down with arms folded across his chest and his formidable Statie face aimed down from his full six foot three height. After two beats of being stared down, Del turned to Pratt.
“I’ll see that she pays you for your trouble. A kill fee. So to speak.”
Dane watched Del’s smile turn real at the thought of someone killing him. He smiled back. He kept the rush of adrenaline and the spark in his blood from showing. His heart revved in place like a dragster at the starting line.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Del walked out with his assistant, who’d barely moved a muscle while he worked up a furious sweat standing guard at the door. Del must have the man scared shitless enough to trust him with whatever he tossed at him.
They stalked out as if they had a right to be angry. As if they hadn’t left a pile of empty threats on the table without capitalizing on a single one of them.
“That was too easy,” Dane said.
“Proves something,” Cap walked in measured steps to the door and closed it, then turned to Dane.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“It was a calculated risk.”
“How the hell are we going to make a case against him now?” Cap shoved a hand through his hair and dropped into his chair.
Dane slipped his phone from his pocket and dialed up their friend. He hoped to hell Acer had landed somewhere by now where he could talk. And where he could operate. There was no one who was a bigger stickler for cyber security than Acer.
Dane held his phone to his ear listening to the ringing while Cap watched. He appreciated Cap’s patience even while his own began to wane after the fifth ring.
Then he heard a click followed by a low buzz.
“Don’t ask me where I am.” Acer’s voice was a notch below a whisper.
“Are you staying put?”
“Not yet. Still in transit, but I should land soon.”
“Can you operate?”
“Not yet. But I should be operational later. Midnight.”
Acer was a night owl. It was a disadvantage sometimes, but this time it would work for them.
“We need to listen in on Del. Can you arrange it?”
Cap said, loud enough for Acer to hear, “We can’t use that in court.”
“We won’t need to. We only need something to convince Penny to turn on her brother.”
“Got it.” Acer signed off.
Cap clearly couldn’t decide whether to smile or frown.
“You’re crazy.”
“Lucky for you.” Dane decided to smile.