“No, it was just a guess. Joe and Michael spent a lot of time out here.”
Griff shifts the blocks around, lining them against the wall. They fit together pretty neatly, and in the dim light, you’d have to be fairly close to realize the grout was loose.
In other words, you’d have to know where to look.
I lean down and stick my hand inside. My fingers graze rough concrete . . . rough concrete . . . plastic?
It’s a balled-up plastic baggie. There’s a small black case inside of it and inside the small black case is an SD micro card.
“Here.” Griff passes me his phone. “Access my Google drive. See if you can upload the files and then we can read them from there.”
I slide the SD card drive into the cell’s base, praying the phone will recognize it. The screen illuminates and a green bar expands as Griff steps me through his Google drive passwords. A few minutes later, I’m thumbing through the files. “Looks like . . . spreadsheets . . . and PDFs . . .” I scroll farther down. “Audio files?”
I select the first and bump the cell’s volume a little higher. The speaker crackles.
“Can you get to her?” I stiffen. It’s Hart. Even on a bad recording, his voice is assured, almost lazy, like he can’t be bothered.
“I’ve already gotten to her. Look at me.” Milo’s words are a blow.
Please don’t let them be talking about me.
Please don’t let them be talking about me.
Please don’t let them—
There’s noise on the recording. I can’t tell if it’s static or some sort of movement until Hart says, “Ah, Detective Carson. I’m so glad you could join us.”
36
“Is that . . . ? No.” Griff’s feet don’t move, but he leans away, sucks in a single breath. “Can’t be. He said they were after him.”
“I don’t have time for this, Hart,” Carson continues. “Part of your job is to handle these things.”
“And by handling it, you mean take Bay down?”
“He’s a loose end.”
“Because you don’t like sharing the profits with him?” Even in the recording, I can hear the smile in Hart’s voice. “Or because you don’t like that he outranks you? We need Bay. Without him, we can’t source the jobs. Without Norcut, we can’t source the kids. Without the kids, we don’t have a front.”
“And in six months, a year, that won’t matter.”
Static again. No one’s saying anything. Because they’re staring at each other? Because they left? Why wouldn’t it be a big deal that Looking Glass “won’t matter” in a year? Suddenly, Hart asks, “Who told you that?”
“No one,” Carson says. His voice is louder now, but it’s not like he’s yelling, more like he’s moved closer to the microphone. “Put that one together myself. Why? Were you planning on leaving me behind?”
Static—a long stretch of it.
“You sound worried,” Hart says, laughter beneath his words.
“Hardly. I know where the bodies are buried around here.”
“Unfortunate choice of words, my friend.” This time, it’s Milo who speaks. Like the detective, he sounds closer. There’s a whispery noise now too. Maybe papers moving? “Remember what happens to people who cross us.”
Carson makes a strangled noise. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s an observation,” Milo says. “You’d do really well to remember it.”
“Where do we stand with the money?” the detective asks. “Have you tracked it yet?”
“We will,” Hart says.
“Which means no. Tate is in jail. He’s immobilized. This shouldn’t be so hard for you.”
Hart grinds his words through his teeth: “We will find it.”
“And the girl?”
“She’s not going anywhere.” Hart. Again, I can hear the smile in his voice. “Don’t worry.”
Chills again. The girl. That has to be me. I glance at Griff and his face is anguished. He knows it too.
I jam my thumb against the back button. The audio file resets and I mash play. We listen to the whole thing again, staring at each other. With every word, Griff goes paler and paler.
The recording clicks off. There’s nothing left and I’m half tempted to replay the conversation once more, but I don’t have it in me. We’re not any further ahead. If anything, I’m behind a step. Or ten.
I had no idea Carson was involved. None. God, I feel stupid. We’re about to meet him.
“They cut him out,” Griff says at last. “Carson. He worked with them and they cut him out. Why would they do that?”
“Less people to split the money with? It sounded like they’re preparing to close the whole thing down anyway. Milo said Norcut and Hart knew they were being watched. Maybe they were getting ready to run?”
“But they couldn’t run without the money your dad stole. When was this recorded anyway?” Griff’s mouth slackens as he counts backward. “They said they needed Bay because of his position so that would be when? Earlier this year, right?”