Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
“ W e should have code names for these trips.” Dean peered into the bags and handed one sandwich to each of Ian’s cousins. “I should be something cool like Iron Man.”
“That one’s already taken, Dean-y boy.” Jeff clapped him on the back and adjusted the straps of the backpack. “You’re going to have to come up with something else.”
“Why are we always meeting with the PI guy in his town? How come we don’t ever arrange the meetings here?” Jonathan lifted a hand up to his face and squinted against the sun. “It’s too nice a day to spend hours stuck in a car.”
Dean brushed past him and hurried down the sidewalk. “I heard it’s going to rain today.”
Jonathan huffed and zipped up his jacket. “Should’ve known it was too good to be true. Little E, you sure this guy is legit this time?”
“He’s been my PI for a while now, and he’s given me a lot of evidence.” Ian swung the key in his hand and pulled the door shut behind him. “I think he’s in it for the right reasons.”
Ian had even made sure to have Bryce looked into again, just to be on the safe side.
The last thing he wanted was a PI in Eric Taylor’s back pocket, feeding Ian the wrong information to throw him off Eric’s scent.
He couldn’t afford any more delays.
Nor did he want to make room for them when he had more important things on his mind.
Jonathan took the driver’s seat and adjusted it. Jeff muttered something under his breath and squinted at something in the distance. Then he shook his head and folded himself into the passenger seat. Dean lifted the coffee cup up to his face and waved his father over. Ian glanced down both sides of the street before crossing over to them.
When he got into the back seat, he saw Kelli and Dana lingering on the front porch in their robes and pajamas. Ian smiled at them and gave them a small wave. The two of them wore identical grim expressions. Before the car rounded the corner, Ian turned and saw Lucy emerge behind them.
Ian’s stomach twisted as they drove off.
He settled back into his seat and lifted the stainless-steel cup to his lips, but the coffee no longer tasted good. It was lukewarm and bitter as it slid down his throat and settled into his stomach. Next to him, Dean was scrolling through his phone and mumbling to himself. In the front seat of the car, Jeff was pressing buttons on the radio while Jonathan argued with him.
Ian rolled his eyes, pressed his face to the glass, and squeezed his eyes shut.
When the car came to a stop, Ian jolted awake, and his heart was hammering unsteadily against his chest. He placed a hand over his heart, took several deep breaths, and waited for his breathing to even out. Then he rubbed his eyes, sat up straighter, and glanced over at Dean, who had his head thrown back and drool collecting on the sides of his mouth.
Jeff was mumbling something into his phone, and Jonathan was peering through the windshield. Ian scrubbed a hand over his face and stifled a yawn. Slowly, he leaned forward in his seat and spotted Bryce, who stood in the same position he usually did, next to the bus stop, leaning over the hood of the car in a dark pair of jeans and a sweater. As soon as Bryce spotted them, he crossed one boot-clad foot over the other. He didn’t take his eyes off of them as he eyed them through his glasses.
Ian rolled his shoulders and pushed the car door open, a thin mist settling around them. “Please tell me you have something good.”
Bryce reached for the folder on the hood of the car and pushed himself off it. “You’re going to like this. I got in touch with an old buddy of my dad’s, who owed him a favor. He managed to uncover several offshore accounts.”
Ian picked the folder up and flipped it open. “Several offshore accounts? In Eric’s name?”
Bryce took off his glasses and hooked them into his shirt. “No, that’s the surprising thing. They’re in your mom’s name.”
Ian’s throat turned dry. “How?”
“He filed the paperwork before they got divorced, and he made your mom sign the paperwork without being aware of it, or maybe he coerced her; I’m not sure.”
Ian’s heart was racing as he flipped through the paperwork. “Of course, he forced her. My mom never would’ve agreed to something like this.”
Bryce shrugged. “I have no idea. I’m just telling you what I found.”
Ian snapped the folder shut and looked up at the PI bathed in the soft glow of the dying sun. “I don’t understand why he did this. What is he trying to hide?”
“Money,” Bryce replied, pausing to fold his arms over his chest. “That’s why most people have offshore accounts, and it’s easier to have all of this in Kelly’s name because no one will think to check on a dead woman.”
Ian dug his nails into his palms. “How is this still happening? My mom’s been dead for a long time. Shouldn’t the bank accounts be closed by now?”
“If no one’s informed them, how will they know? As far as they know, your mom is alive and well.”
Ian’s grip on the folder tightened. “Okay, how do we stop this? Or how do we prove Eric is the one who did it?”
Bryce raked his fingers through his hair. “Look, if you want my advice, I’d suggest you hire a lawyer, and a good one too. Don’t get a novice or someone who’s green. You need a shark because that’s the kind of team Eric has.”
A sliver of unease raced through Ian. “This is going to make things worse for me, isn’t it?”
Bryce lifted his gaze up to Ian’s and didn’t look away. “You knew that if you poked the bear, it would lead to some serious consequences. Eric doesn’t know you have these yet. I’d suggest you move quickly before he comes after you again.”
“Is there any way to keep him from finding out it was me?”
“After you told him you wouldn’t back off? It’s a little too late for that.”
Ian grimaced and looked out at the horizon, at the pavement on either side of them with a thick green forest in the distance. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“I’ll keep digging, and I’ll get in touch with my friend again. For the right price, he might be willing to dig in further.”
Ian held his hand out and waited to give Bryce’s hand a firm squeeze. “I appreciate the effort.”
Bryce put his glasses on and straightened his back. “Thanks for taking a chance on me. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I’m glad I’m getting the chance to make this right.”
“How’s your father? Is there anything I can do to help?”
A shadow settled over Bryce’s face. “I’ve got it. Thanks, though.”
Without waiting for a response, Bryce got back into his car and drove off, kicking up dust and gravel as he did.
Overhead, dark clouds began to gather, blocking out the sun. In the distance, thunder clapped, and a streak of yellow lightning lit up the sky. Ian tilted his head back to study the clouds, the kaleidoscope of dark colors giving him pause till the first drop of rain fell.
It rolled down Ian’s cheek and onto the ground beneath his feet.
He lifted up his hoodie and hurried to the car, where Jeff, Jonathan, and Dean were leaning against the hood, heads bent together in conversation. Hastily, the four of them made their way back into the car, and Jonathan started the engine. The car roared to life, and Jonathan twisted his arm over the seat back to make a three-point turn. Once he was settled, Ian patted his pockets for his phone.
Lily’s voice was tight and breathless when she answered. “How did it go?”
Ian lowered the phone and set it on speaker. “Were you waiting by the phone or something? Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“Am I on speaker? I can hear some kind of weird echo.”
“You are. Jonathan, Jeff, and Dean came with me to meet up with Bryce.”
Lily said something in the background, her voice muffled and unfocused. Then she came back on, still sounding breathless and impatient. “I’m sorry. We adopted a puppy, and I’m trying to potty train her. It’s a lot harder than it looks.”
“You should ask Sophia for tips.”
“I will. So, what did Bryce dig up that you had to drive for three hours to get off of him, and why couldn’t he send it over email? I mean, he lives in Nantucket, for heaven’s sake.”
“He was worried someone would hack into my email or his and make our lives difficult. One virus and a lot of the evidence will be erased,” Ian explained after a quick look around the car. “Anyway, I feel like the drive was worth it. Eric has several offshore accounts.”
Lily sucked in a harsh breath. “Crap. I guess you wouldn’t have offshore accounts if you had nothing to hide.”
“Do you need a minute to process this?”
“No, I’m okay. Go ahead. How does he have offshore accounts and hasn’t been caught yet? That sounds like the kind of smoking gun the original PI would’ve found.”
“He did, but they were in Mom’s name.”
“ He put the accounts in Mom’s name? He’s done a lot of despicable things, but I think this one really takes the cake. I can’t believe him.”
Ian looked over at Dean, who met his gaze and gave him a grim smile. “Are you sure you don’t need a minute? This is a lot to process.”
“I don’t need a minute,” Lily maintained after a brief pause. “Stop worrying about me and tell me what the plan is. What are we going to do?”
“Bryce advised me to get a lawyer, a good lawyer who’s going to know how to take on a man like Eric.”
“I’ll call Liam. He must have a lead on a lawyer who can take this case on.”
“Lil, wait. I need you to think about this. It’s not that I don’t appreciate all the help he’s given me so far, but he’s only been consulting. Your father… What if he finds out Liam has been consulting and trying to help us find a lawyer?”
“My father’s going to have to deal with it,” Lily told him, a hint of finality in her voice. “We’re not going to turn our backs on you, Ian. Not when you need us.”
“I can do this some other way. I can find a lawyer myself or something.”
“Someone who doesn’t know how sneaky and underhanded Eric is? No, whoever is brought on is going to need to be debriefed by Liam, so it’s easier if he does the looking.”
Ian took Lily off speaker and pressed the phone to his ear. He inched away from Dean and looked out the window at the trees and other cars rolling past. “Lily, I really need you to think this through. This is the boy’s grandfather. If we do this, he can’t go back. Liam won’t be able to take it back.”
Lily exhaled. “I know, but it’s his decision to make, not mine. And I know he feels responsible. We all do.”
“None of you are responsible for this.”
“I’ll give Liam a call anyway, and I’ll have him call you. If you’re asking for my permission, Liam is a grown-up; he doesn’t need it.”
“Are you going to be okay with it?”
Because he didn’t want to lose his sister after spending most of their lives apart.
“We’re good, E. Don’t worry. Let’s just make sure we have a good case, okay? Because we only get one good shot at this before all hell breaks loose.”