“There are changes she has implemented on the front pages of their sites at different locations around the nation that might correspond to amounts and locations of the deposits we’re seeing. It’s a tenuous connection right now, but I have a hunch it might be more solid than we realize.” The man paused for a moment as if catching his breath. “I don’t believe in coincidences. So far, we’ve identified eight over the last year, and are continuing to analyze for more. She does these changes for Merestone almost weekly.”
Dex took a deep breath, shoving aside his personal feelings and letting his logical side take over. “Give me a few quick examples so I know what kind of pattern to be on the lookout for.”
“Last month in Hawaii there was a change implemented that added five silver dollars to the front page of the site for the Big Island. Over the next week there was five hundred thousand dollars added across four accounts belonging to someone who lives on the island who we’ve had under surveillance on another case for having possible ties to recruiting for terrorist organizations.”
“Okay,” Dex said, waiting for more, since what he’d heard so far didn’t sound like much.
Shapiro drew in a heavy breath. “The month before that she added four cats to the front logo of the site for the time-share branch in South Dakota. Over the next week, four hundred thousand dollars was donated to two Super PACs of politicians who are from that state and are notorious for adding poison pills onto bills for special interests.”
A fire truck turned onto the street in front of the restaurant with sirens blazing. Dex waited until it was far enough away Shapiro would most likely be able to hear him again. “Sorry, go ahead.”
His analyst cleared his throat before going on. “I know it doesn’t sound like much, but we have things like this going back for over a year. In each instance, the change on a certain city’s site for Merestone Resorts coincides with a dollar amount that flowed into that city in some very prominent way. And each one has a possible or definite money trail back to known or suspected terrorists. We’ve identified the changes made to the sites, and now that we have an idea of the pattern, it will take some time to track down the corresponding money connections.”
Dex scowled. He had done searches like that many times when he was an analyst. He understood exactly how much time it could take. But that didn’t make it any easier to be patient when he was the one out in the field.
Two men stumbled out of the restaurant behind him, obviously drunk and weaving unsteadily. Since Norms didn’t serve alcohol, they must have either gone in drunk or snuck in some of their own.
Dex moved off to the right of the entrance to avoid them crashing into him.
Like Shapiro, he wasn’t a believer in coincidence, but he would bet Kate wasn’t knowingly involved in this. If he was right, he had to prove it, and find out who really was responsible. “Thanks, Shapiro. I’m on it. I’ve got to get back.”
When the man mumbled a goodbye and hung up, Dex pasted a smile on his face and headed inside to Kate.
Before he reached the table, he could see she had been crying again, and she looked upset. He sat and then took her hand in his. “What’s wrong?”
She raised her large green eyes to his, still glistening with moisture. “Aunt Gloria called me back.” She looked down at her plate, not meeting his gaze as he squeezed her hand. “Uncle Carl is as well as can be expected. He’s stable, and his prognosis looks good. You were right. Besides their kids and grandkids, there are a ton of reporters as well as law enforcement and his protection detail milling around.”
She frowned. “I didn’t even know he had a protection detail. He didn’t the last time we had lunch.” She swiped at a tear that slipped down her cheek. Dex reached out and caught the drop on his finger before caressing her face. She leaned against his palm, accepting his offer of comfort, and laid her hand over his to keep it in place. He noticed her hand was trembling.
“My aunt said the security detail was a recent addition, so the Feds must have known something was going to happen. So why the hell didn’t they keep him safe?”
As her voice grew louder, people nearby turned to look. When Kate saw the increased attention, she ducked her chin against her chest.
Dex wished he could answer her question, but knew he couldn’t.
He squeezed her hand. “I’m glad she was able to get back with you. At least you know your uncle is all right.”
Kate nodded, her bottom lip wobbling a bit, showing she was still fighting tears. She had pushed her plate away unfinished. She had most likely lost her appetite as soon as she’d found out about the shooting.
Dex felt bad about that, but when he heard the news report, it had presented him the perfect opportunity to bring it up and gauge her reaction.
He wasn’t sure if the FBI had anything to do with the timing of the release of information. It had worked out well for the case, but the sadness that darkened Kate’s demeanor made his chest ache.
She sniffed, and her brows were drawn together as she struggled not to cry.