“You really think that’s where you’ll find what you’re looking for?”
“Someone spent a lot of money to make sure I stayed in prison for a good, long time. As I told you, I’ve had a few years to think about this. And everything always comes back to that damn computer. The answers have to be there and I’m the only one who can find them.”
“How?” she asked. “What is it you think you might find?”
“I was in charge of finance. My laptop was connected to the company’s network. I wrote a program that kept track of every deposit and withdrawal made since day one. It was still running when I left. I need to follow the money trail. Any and all withdrawals made in the year following my indictment could possibly lead me to the culprit.”
“Unless the murderer is someone outside of the company. What about all the different women Dirk was seeing? Did you ever meet any of them?”
“No. I just heard stories. He mentioned a woman named Pam once. I think there was a Jenny, too, but he didn’t say much, and to tell you the truth, I had no interest in hearing about his love life, so I never asked for details.”
“A pissed off woman. Isn’t that a common motivation for murder? Did the investigators ever consider that maybe you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time?”
He released a heavy sigh. “It always came back to my fingerprints on that damn knife.”
Angela sighed, too. “You should rest.”
A few minutes later, she merged onto the freeway and headed west. Fifteen minutes after that, she exited near Colin’s street and pulled to the side of the road.
Jason opened his eyes.
“We’re getting closer,” she told him. “How are you holding up?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. Stay low in case anyone is keeping an eye on Colin’s house.”
It wasn’t long before they arrived. His seat was as far back as it would go. “Take a drive around the neighborhood,” Jason told her. “Keep your eyes straight ahead, but let me know if you see anything suspicious or anyone sitting in parked car.”
She did as he said. Two blocks away she saw someone sitting behind the wheel of a dark sedan. “Don’t move,” she said through her teeth. “They are definitely watching his house. What should I do?”
“Just keep driving. Don’t look around. As soon as you can, get back to the main street, and I’ll give Colin a call.”
Angela didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath until she made a right and could no longer see the sedan in her rearview mirror. Once she pulled onto the main road, making sure to stay at the speed limit, she gave Jason the all clear.
He reached for the stolen cell phone and made the call. “Your house is being watched,” he told Colin the minute he picked up.
“Where are you calling from?”
“Not important. Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes. They showed up about an hour ago. I didn’t have any way of letting you know.”
“Nobody came inside?”
“Two agents took a quick look around the house. Before they left, they said they would be keeping an eye on the place. Rick Berner is the agent in charge. He left his card and told me to give him a call if you phoned or showed up.”
“I’ve got a problem,” Jason told him. “After I met with my sister, a couple of goons were waiting for me. I took one of them down, but not before he cut me with his knife.”
“How bad?”
“Not sure yet. Any idea where I might be able to lay low for the night?”
“Yeah, I do. After you called the last time, I thought of somewhere you’d be beneath the radar for a while. Do you remember where Sophie’s mom used to live?”
Jason grimaced as he tried to readjust himself in the seat. “Did she move?”
“No. She passed away three months ago. Cancer. Sophie hasn’t decided what to do with the house yet, so the electricity and water are still on. There’s a key hidden under a rock next to the rose bush by the front door.”
Jason remembered that Sophie and her mother had been close. He’d liked the woman. She lit up a room, just like her daughter. “Thanks. We’ll head that way.” He confirmed the address.
“If the activity around here dies down, I’ll come see you.”
“One more question,” Jason said.
“What is it?”
“After you sold the company, what happened to my computer?”
“D.M.S. Protection kept all the computers in case they ever lost a file. Want me to give Dennis a call?”
“No. Leave it be for now.”
Chapter Twelve
Her phone vibrated.
The moment she saw the number on the screen, she pushed the switch on the microphone and picked up the call. “Is it done?” she asked, her voice masked.
“There was a problem.”
“What sort of problem?”
“This Jason guy is clever. He attacked my man, took him out with a rock to the head, but not before Jason was stabbed.”
“How bad?”
“No way of knowing.”
“Damn it. I told you I didn’t want him to suffer.”