Chapter 8 - THE MAN ACROSS THE ROAD
Detective Elena Ruiz arrived forty minutes later.
She worked financial crimes but had been pulled in because Rachel had connections with the district attorney's office.
She read every message twice.
Then she asked me something no one else had asked.
"Who benefits if you panic?"
I looked at her.
"Bradley."
"Financially?"
"Potentially."
"Anyone else?"
"Barbara."
"Anyone else?"
I thought about investors.
Competitors.
Employees.
"No."
Ruiz leaned back.
"Then don't panic."
Easy advice.
Harder when a stranger had photographs of you from outside a rental property.
Police located Daniel's car.
They didn't find Daniel.
Security footage from the train station showed him walking into a parking garage.
No footage showed him leaving.
My chest tightened when Ruiz told me.
"Do you think he's hurt?"
"We don't know."
"That's not what I asked."
She held my gaze.
"I think he's scared."
Rachel interrupted.
"Can you find Frank Delaney?"
"We already started."
Thomas spoke quietly.
"His office is in White Plains."
Ruiz looked at him.
"You've met him?"
"Twice."
"When?"
Thomas hesitated.
"Last year."
"For what purpose?"
"Barbara hired him to investigate one of Bradley's former employees."
"What employee?"
"A project manager named Noah Greene."
My stomach tightened.
"I remember Noah."
Bradley had fired him for theft.
Or at least that's what Bradley told me.
"Why was he investigated?"
Thomas rubbed his forehead.
"He accused Bradley of billing clients for materials they never received."
Rachel and I looked at each other.
"Was he right?"
Thomas stared at the table.
"I don't know."
Detective Ruiz didn't blink.
"That's becoming a common phrase with you."
Thomas accepted the insult.
He deserved it.
Ruiz found Noah Greene's contact information.
We called him.
He answered cautiously.
"Who is this?"
I introduced myself.
Silence.
Then he said.
"I wondered when you'd call."
My skin prickled.
"Why?"
"Because eventually Bradley screws everybody."
We arranged to meet at a coffee shop near the police station.
Noah arrived carrying a backpack and looking over his shoulder every thirty seconds.
He was thirty-eight.
Thin.
Tired.
He sat down.
"I'm not getting involved unless I know I'm protected."
Ruiz showed her badge.
"Start talking."
Noah looked at me.
"Your husband has been double-billing clients for years."
I felt my stomach drop.
"How?"
"Material orders."
He pulled out copies.
"He'd bill one project for lumber, then transfer half the shipment to another project and bill again."
"How much?"
"Hundreds of thousands."
"Why wasn't he caught?"
"Because he had people inside suppliers."
Rachel asked.
"Where does Barbara fit?"
Noah laughed without humor.
"Barbara is the operation."
Thomas closed his eyes.
Noah pointed at him.
"You know that."
Thomas looked up.
"I knew she handled books years ago."
"She never stopped."
Noah continued.
"BWC Management receives consulting fees."
"For consulting that doesn't exist?"
"Correct."
"And then?"
"Money moves again."
"Where?"
Noah pulled out another document.
"Property."
I leaned closer.
Several LLC names appeared.
West Harbor Holdings.
Magnolia Creek Capital.
Hartwell Partners.
I recognized none of them.
"Who owns these?"
"Different combinations."
Noah pointed.
"Some Bradley."
"Some Barbara."
"And one?"
He looked at Thomas.
"Thomas."
Thomas went white.
"I've never heard of Hartwell Partners."
Noah shrugged.
"State records say you own sixty percent."
Thomas grabbed the paper.
"This isn't my signature."
Rachel's eyes sharpened.
Another forged signature.
Detective Ruiz photographed everything.
Noah continued.
"I tried to report it."
"What happened?"
"I got fired."
"For theft?"
He laughed.
"Exactly."
"Did you steal anything?"
"No."
"What happened after?"
"Frank Delaney started following my wife."
My throat tightened.
"Same investigator."
"Yeah."
"He sent me pictures of my kids."
My hands curled into fists beneath the table.
The pattern wasn't subtle anymore.
If someone threatened Barbara or Bradley's money, Delaney appeared.
Ruiz asked.
"Why didn't you go to police?"
Noah looked embarrassed.
"Because they had something on me."
"What?"
"A gambling problem."
He swallowed.
"I was ashamed."
No one judged him.
At least I didn't.
Shame was clearly one of Barbara's favorite tools.
My phone vibrated.
Bradley.
One message.
MADDIE, CALL ME BEFORE MOM DOES SOMETHING CRAZY.
I stared at it.
Rachel saw.
"That's interesting."
I called him.
He answered immediately.
"Where are you?"
"Why?"
"You need to listen to me."
"That's a first."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
His voice shook.
"My mom knows Dad took the documents."
I looked at Thomas.
He went pale.
Bradley continued.
"She knows you're with him."
"How?"
"I don't know."
"Where is she?"
"She left the house."
"When?"
"Twenty minutes ago."
"Where was she going?"
"I don't know."
Then I heard a car door on his end.
Bradley whispered.
"Oh, God."
"What?"
"It's Frank."
I stood.
"What about him?"
"He's outside."
"Your house?"
"Yes."
"Go inside."
Bradley started breathing faster.
"He has Mom's car."
"Where's Barbara?"
"I don't know."
Then someone knocked on Bradley's door.
Three slow knocks.
Bradley whispered.
"Maddie."
"What?"
"If something happens to me, there is a flash drive in my office."
My blood ran cold.
"What is on it?"
Another knock.
Harder.
May you like
Then Bradley said the one thing I never expected.
"Everything Mom made me do."
