Page 75 of Night Moves
“It has a private drive, so we have someone stationed at the road just like at the cabin.”
“Good. Good.” Drake gave his brother a fist bump.
“How are the children doing with the change?” Natalie asked.
Erik crunched his candy then swallowed to face Natalie. “Sadie and Logan are doing good. Mom’s keeping them busy. Willow is still sulking. Keeps asking when Drake will be back.”
Natalie looked at Drake. “You made a friend.”
“We connected, but honestly, I think it was a fluke.” Drake shifted his focus to his brother. “Now tell me why you’re here.”
“I did everything I could to find internet videos for Tracey and a video channel for Laura. Thought maybe the information about the makeup channel from Odell and Tracey’s videos might connect the two of them. Then in turn link her to Gentry.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Drake said. “So what did you find?”
“Nada.” Erik looked at his hand as he turned the colorful M&M’s. “But my gut says there’s something there. So I asked Nick to work his magic for us. Do a more detailed search. He’s swamped and can’t do it right away, but he agreed to show me how to dig deeper. We’re meeting in an hour.”
“Good work.” Drake was about to elaborate on his praise for his little brother taking initiative when the office phone rang. The blinking light indicated an internal call.
“It’s Sierra.” He stabbed the button to put her on speaker. “Hey, sis. Baby coming?”
“No!” she said emphatically. “It’s the FBI. They’re in the lobby demanding that I turn over the blouse.”
Great. Just great.The last thing Drake needed was more bad news. Was it too much to ask for a break?
He gripped the receiver as tightly as he could to keep from snapping at his sister. The FBI being here wasn’t her fault.
And not a surprise to Drake. “We knew this might happen.”
“I know, but I’m not finished, and I don’t want to hand it over.” Sierra’s breath came in a long sigh over the speaker. “What do you want me to do?”
“Hang tight. I’ll be right down and we can talk about it.” He hung up and focused on Natalie. “You can stay here with Erik or come with me.”
“With you,” Natalie said.
Erik popped a green candy in his mouth and chewed. “If you decide to grab some dinner, I’d be all over that.”
“You got it.” Drake opened the door for Natalie.
Drake looked at Natalie. “It’s only two floors. Stairs okay?”
She stood. “Moving sounds good after all the time we spent sitting today.”
“Then let’s move.” Drake quickly led her to the other tower then pressed the fingerprint reader outside the stairwell, and they started down to the second floor. He could easily imagine the FBI chomping at the bit in the lobby, trying to bully the sweet receptionist, Lily. She might be sweet, but she knew how to hold her own and how to keep law enforcement officers at bay. They frequently stopped by thinking a visit would get their results faster, and she sent them packing.
As Drake jogged down the steps, his mind ran over possible ways they could keep the blouse here until Sierra finished her work. But when he opened the door to her lab, he hadn’t come up with a good answer. He’d barely noticed Natalie behind him so he paused to refocus. Her safety still had to be top priority, even in a secure building.
He opened the door, and they hurried to the lab.
At the door, she looked at him. “What are you going to tell Sierra to do?”
He pressed his fingers on the reader. “No idea. Except not turn it over.”
They entered the lab where Sierra’s assistant and two techs were working at tables to the left. Though they had state-of-the-art filtering systems, the usual chemical odor filled the air. Straight ahead, Sierra was leaning over a stainless steel table covered with white paper. Tracey’s blouse with a blood stain the size of a small fist lay spread out in front of Sierra.
She glanced up. “Good. I’m glad you came right down. Go ahead and have a seat, Natalie, while we work this out.”
“Thanks.” Natalie slipped onto a nearby stool. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
