Chapter 38
“Good work, Mrs. Nieland,” Agent Sanchez said, entering the conference room that the Kincaid police had offered the FBI to use as a debriefing area. “You handled yourself well.”
It had been two hours since her near abduction.
After the initial pandemonium died down, Hailey and Peter had been brought here.
They’d given their official statements and were now waiting for clearance to go home.
An agent had stopped in a bit ago with a coffee delivery from Allye—Eric must have told her they were here.
Since then, they’d been on their own, and Hailey was dying for an update and reassurance that this was all over.
“Did you get everything you needed?” She thought they had, but she needed to hear the agent say it.
Sanchez spun a chair around and plopped into it.
“With your help, we got more than enough to launch a full investigation into Eukaria Investments, plus ironclad proof that Luque was involved. We’re also going to be able to nail him for extortion, attempted abduction, and attempted murder.
” He ticked off each charge on his fingers.
“What about the actual murders—Ms. Novak, Mr. Rickman, and my colleague?” Peter asked.
Hailey wanted to know too. Mr. Luque and his men had attempted to kill Peter as they tried to escape today, but they couldn’t forget that the man had killed, or at least ordered killings, before.
She didn’t know much about Peter’s former client, and Stefania obviously hadn’t been innocent, but their deaths still deserved justice.
The agent gave them a slow nod. “Luque didn’t flat out admit to any of that on camera—he only alluded to Ms. Novak’s death—so we’re going to have to work a bit harder on those. But I think we’ll eventually be able to prove his guilt in those cases as well.”
“Has anyone been able to determine why he killed Stefania?” Hailey still wasn’t buying the idea that Mr. Luque had been avenging the attempts on her life.
“There’s been an interesting development there.
” The agent looked pleased with himself.
“Ms. Novak’s missing fiancé was arrested a little over an hour ago.
We caught him attempting to flee the country under a fake name.
The man appears to be terrified, and not of us.
After he was informed that Luque is in custody, he started spilling everything he knows in exchange for our agreement to recommend a slightly reduced sentence and arrangements for him to serve time in a different prison from wherever Luque ends up. ”
Hailey exchanged a glance with Peter, who looked as surprised as she felt. That was a development they hadn’t anticipated.
“His cooperation is going to make our investigation much easier. So far, he’s admitted to embezzling funds and claims that Ms. Novak was in on it, mostly in an advisory role.
With her knowledge and direction, he was able to better disguise his actions.
And as a frequent go-between for Mr. Luque and Pendleton Accounting, he was able to convince Frank Pierce that any anomalies were part of the ‘special projects’ he was being paid to cover up. ”
She shook her head. “He had to have known that they’d be discovered in an official audit.”
Sanchez shrugged. “Probably. My guess is he was hoping an audit wouldn’t happen but figured that between his position in the company and Stefania’s connections with Pendleton Accounting, they’d have enough warning to make a run for it if they had to.
” He gave Hailey a pointed look. “But when you took over Eukaria’s accounts, they panicked.
Ms. Novak knew it was only a matter of time until you figured out what was going on and would go to Luque.
They knew an audit would be the least of their worries if he discovered the truth. ”
Hailey winced. So that was why Stefania had been trying so hard to get rid of her. She’d been desperate, apparently for good reason.
Peter squeezed her hand. “It isn’t your fault she’s dead. You only did what was right. Stefania is the one who was willing to risk her life for money.”
“Mr. Lewis is correct,” Sanchez said. “None of this is your fault. Your courage today brought down a murderer and a major money laundering operation, and we’ve yet to see how far the effects will reach.
My prediction is that we’ll be able to follow the threads back to their sources and bring down some really dangerous people. ”
Hailey nodded. She knew they were right, but it would take some time to process the events of today and the past week.
The agent stood. “Thank you again for your help today, Mrs. Nieland. You two are free to go whenever you’re ready. We’ll be in contact if we need you for anything else.”
“Wait.” Hailey had one more question. “Any news on Mr. Luque’s injury?
” With all the talk of him facing charges, she knew her shot hadn’t killed him.
She was glad of that. She didn’t regret taking the shot to save Peter, but as much as Alessandro Luque deserved to die, she had no desire to deal with the weight of taking a life.
Sanchez offered her a reassuring smile. “He’s in the hospital now, under guard and getting patched up. He’ll likely make a full recovery, with only a scar to remember you by.”
Hailey shuddered at the thought of the man remembering her at all.
After the agent disappeared out the door, Peter pulled her into a hug. “You did it, Hailey.”
“I think you mean we did it,” she mumbled against his chest.
He chuckled. “We do make a pretty decent team. I’m going to miss having an excuse to spend time with you.”
She lifted her head and saw the glimmer of truth in his eyes. “You don’t need an excuse, you know. I’ve grown to like having you around.”
“Is that a fact?” He studied her for a long moment, and he must have seen the exhaustion on her face because he stood and offered her a hand up. “How about we continue this conversation on the way to your parents’ house?”
She nodded. She was ready to get back to Jenna. Ready to move back into her own home. But she was also ready to start looking toward the future—because she was beginning to see that it still held promise.