“Enrique’s a smart man,” I say. “It’s better to be safe than sorry, which is why I’m eager to get you on the road to New Hampshire.”
Right about that time, Enrique returns and hands me the envelope. I accept it and lift it in Marilyn’s direction. “Can I look?”
“I need the immunity agreement first.”
“Of course,” I say, pulling it out of my bag. “I do need you to read it closely. It states that if you have lied or left anything out, this agreement is void. It’s in all the agreement. It’s standard. You won’t get the DA to take that out.”
“It’s fine. I took the test. I’m telling the truth.” But she cuts her eyes as she makes that statement.
“Exactly,” I say.
She digs a pen from her purse, signs the agreement on the dash, and hands it over to me. I send Enrique inside to make a copy while I hold up the envelope again. “Now can I look?”
“Of course,” she says. “It’s yours to keep.”
I open the envelope and pull out the drive. “I’ll make a copy and let you keep this.” I hand it to Jay. “Make a quick copy.”
His lips quirk and he accepts it from me and walks to our car. Of course, he doesn’t need to make a copy. I already have the drive information. But we have to put on a show.
“I don’t need a copy,” Marilyn states.
“I want you to feel comfortable that you have the material as well,” I say. “And if I ask you questions, you can reference it.”
“Oh,” Marilyn says. “That seems smart. You want to go get coffee before I leave and review it?”
She wants to bond with me before she kills me, the sick bitch. What she doesn’t know is that I don’t bond or die easily. “I want to get you out of town as quickly as possible. I’ll call you.”
Jay returns and hands Marilyn the envelope. “All set.”
“Great,” she says. “I guess it’s time to get on the road.”
“Not quite,” I say. “Marco, the detective you met at the precinct, is going to go with you rather than Enrique or any of Kane’s men. We need to swing by and get him.”
She’s out of the vehicle in two flat seconds. “I don’t understand. You promised me—”
“I know, but last night, you saw the cartel at the coffee shop. And I’m sure you heard Kane’s chopper went down. We have an emergency situation. If you can deal with Marco now, once we get this behind us, we’ll send Enrique to replace Marco. Just make sure he has the address and directions.”
“I have them,” Enrique assures me.
“No to Marco,” she says. “Police have leaks. Government has leaks.”
Bingo. I was right about her declining. “The agreement protects you from that,” I assure her, just to play the role.
“Loose lips still flap. I’ll go alone. I’d appreciate it if Enrique joins me soon, though. Please.”
“I highly advise against you going alone,” I object. “There are three people dead.”
“I wasn’t on the investors’ board. I should be fine.”
“By the way,” I say. “Was anyone else on the board? Or was it just Rip, Naomi, and Emma?”
“Naomi’s and Emma’s husbands,” she says.
“Right,” I say. “And they’re dead, too.”
“And at quite youthful ages,” she comments. “It was heartbreaking at the time. It really gutted the both of them, Emma and Naomi.”
“I’m sure it did,” I say. “I also meant to ask you, what other hotels did Rip hold his events at?”
“I only attended events at the Clementine, but I remember him mentioning the Cross Bow and the Regent West. I’m not sure both of those were for these events or not.”
“And how many events did you attend at the Clementine?” I ask.
“Three total.”
“Did you hear the pitches?”
“No,” she says. “I wasn’t allowed in because I wasn’t officially on the board.”
“But you saw the guests at the after-party and even partied with many of them?” I query.
“I did, but I never talked pitches with them. I was just a part of showing them the luxury of life that success could offer.”
“Understood,” I say. “Safe travels. Enrique will get you home and make sure you get to your own car safely.
“Thank you, Special Agent Love.”
“My pleasure.”
She climbs into the vehicle and Enrique shuts her inside, giving me a look like “make it end” before he heads to his side of the vehicle.
Jay and I load up in the Mercedes. “My pleasure,” he repeats, snorting.
“Just playing a role,” I say.
“Why didn’t you ask her about military weapons?”
“Because someone in her past has that background and I don’t want to alert her to the fact that we’re digging that hole for her.” I change the topic. “It’s noon. I need food. Find us something good.”
“On it, boss,” he says.
He gets us moving and I dial Houston. “Well?” he asks. “How’d it go?”
“Exactly as I said it would go.”
“You got the data drive?”
“I did, but I have to tell you I had a copy last night, and don’t ask how. It’s a smoke screen, a way to keep us busy and looking at these companies and people, and nowhere else. I did get her to give me the Cross Bow and the Regent West hotels as places Rip favored. But she said she wasn’t sure they were where these events were held. She only attended events at the Clementine. So, I suspect those hotels are also meant to keep us busy.”
“Speaking of the Clementine. The hotel manager is being uncooperative. Now that I have Marilyn’s sworn statement, I’m working on the warrant.”
“Good,” I say, and thinking of Lucas hacking the Clementine, I add, “I’m working another angle in the meantime.”
“The same kind of angle that got you that data drive early?”
“Exactly. For now, Enrique, one of Kane’s men, is dropping Marilyn off at her car. I have two other men discreetly following her when she leaves. So more on that later.” My phone beeps with a call and I glance at the caller ID. “That’s Andrew. Gotta go.” I switch lines. “Yes, brother love? Get it? Brother. Love.”
He ignores my perfect joke rather rudely. “One of the investigators in Boston snagged a tidbit you need to know. Ann’s parents said that their daughter had recently done so well on Broadway that she’d paid their delinquent mortgage. Apparently, the father broke his back last year putting up Christmas decorations and hasn’t been the same since. Ann wasn’t in a Broadway show. So, where was she getting her money?”
Of course, I know the answer as sure as Kane now knows who tried to kill him.