“There she is—Stephanie Carr. Up ahead in the white Lexus.”
The woman driving the Lexus was speeding. The light up ahead turned yellow. Angela gunned it. “We can’t lose her.”
By the time the Lexus pulled into a vast parking lot surrounding a tall, brick building, Jason was ready. He jumped out of the car and prevented Stephanie from taking more than two steps toward the building. He also stopped her from reaching inside her purse. “Get back in the car,” he told her. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just need to talk to you for a minute.”
“Oh, my God! Jason Caldwell?”
“Come on. Let’s go.”
The fob inside Stephanie’s purse made it easy to unlock the car. He held the door open and waited for the young woman to slide in behind the wheel before he climbed in, too.
Her eyes were wide, unblinking. “What do you want with me?”
“I want answers.”
“I’m late for work. I’ll be fired.”
“If you thought I was a killer, I would think you’d be more worried about your life than your job.”
Her mouth tightened.
He tossed her purse to the backseat. “Who bribed you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Let me remind you. Eight years ago, you were the key witness at my murder trial. Who paid you to say that you saw me and Dirk arguing in his office?”
“You admitted yourself to being in his office.”
“We never argued and I never jumped out of my seat in anger. I didn’t kill the man.”
“Oh…that.”
“Yeah, that. Who paid you to lie?”
“I didn’t lie,” she said. “I would never lie.”
Jason pulled a folded envelope from his pocket, opened it up, and showed her the picture of the Lexus she’d bought six months after the trial.
She shrugged. “What does my car have to do with anything?”
He pulled out another picture. This one was of her and friends at Freddie’s Bar & Grill.
“I’m going to go now,” she said, her voice wavering. “I’m going to call the police.”
“Look closely at the picture, Stephanie. Look at the clock behind the bar. You told the jury you were still at work at 8:15. You couldn’t have seen me in the office because you weren’t there. You lied. Perjury means jail time.” He slid the pictures back into the envelope and held it up in front of her face. “Go ahead and call the police. It’s your future.”
“What do you want?”
“I need to know who bought you that Lexus. Who paid you to get on that stand and perjure yourself?”
Tears fell all at once. Mascara puddled around her eyes and slid down her cheeks. “I don’t know,” she said. “I never met the person.”
“Let me guess. You talked to them on the phone and they used a voice synthesizer to disguise their voice.”
“How did you know?”
“You’re not the only one who was bribed.”
Her bottom lip trembled. “I’m sorry. I really am. I needed the money.”
“I’m sure you did.”
Her eyes were pleading, her voice shaky. “You can’t tell anyone about this.”
He chuckled at that.
“No. I’m serious. The voice…the person who called said ‘dead men tell no tales’ and that if I ever talked they would kill me just like they killed Dirk Taylor.”
Chapter Eleven
Dominic’s Italian Market & Deli in Granite Bay was dimly lit, just as he remembered. Jason found a table in the back corner of the restaurant facing the main entrance so he could see who came and went. He hadn’t been to the deli, let alone the city of Granite Bay, since he was twelve. With a shaved head and sunglasses, no way would anyone recognize him.
It was ten minutes past two. His sister was late.
He went ahead and ordered a coke.
Angela was parked within sight of the deli, somewhere between the post office and the gym. If he thought he was being followed or in any sort of trouble, he was to walk outside and signal her by scratching his throat.
When the door opened and a woman entered, he had to take a second look. It took him a moment to recognize his sister since it had been two years since he’d seen her last. She’d cut her hair and lost a lot of weight.
The smile she gave him when she spotted him was tentative at best. She made her way over, then slid into the chair across from him. Reaching over the table, she took his hands in hers. “Wow. It really is you, isn’t it?” She gave a little shake of her head, her silky brown curls moving gracefully around her heart-shaped face.
“You look good, Tracy.”
“Thanks. It’s really good to see you, Jason.” She glanced over her shoulder, then back at him. “You shouldn’t be out in the open like this. What if someone recognizes you?”
He looked toward her leather bag. “Did you bring the computer?”
“I couldn’t find it. I’m living at home right now since all those cops outside make Mom nervous. Anyhow, I was able to check your old room and the garage where some of your stuff is being stored. Mom says there was never a computer in the box Colin brought from your office at work.”