Page 26 of Flynn

“Agreed.” Rhy sat back in his chair. “I wish I knew what this was about. At this point, the Brookland PD doesn’t have many leads. We’re assuming something with the Brookland Bank, but that could be anything from money laundering to outstanding loans or even dabbling in cryptocurrency.”

Flynn hadn’t considered cryptocurrency, but he agreed with Rhy that it would be nice to narrow the motive down to something manageable. “Did Klem and Irving get subpoenas for the Millers’ phone records?”

“They did, but the bank is putting up roadblocks, stating privacy concerns.” Rhy shook his head. “Personally, I think they’re trying to figure out what Steve Miller was up to prior to his murder. If Miller was doing something illegal, I’d think they’d cooperate.”

“Will the feds get involved?” Banks were governed by the Federal Trade Commission, and anything hinky going on within a bank gets attention from the federal government.

“If they find something illegal, yes. But they’re not that far into the investigation.” Rhy picked up the sticky note. “I’ll give Cam a call.”

Flynn took that as his cue to leave. He stopped at Gabe’s office on the way back to the cubicle. “Do we have the rental?”

“Yep. Just came in.” Gabe spoke without turning. “I’m sending you the link and key code to access the place now.”

His phone chimed with an incoming message. “Got it. Thanks.”

“Anytime.” Gabe glanced at him. “Taylor seems nice.”

“She is.” Flynn managed a smile, although nice was too tame a word to describe Taylor. Beautiful, smart, nurturing, and humble were just some of the traits he admired about her. “She doesn’t deserve to be targeted by a killer.”

Gabe frowned. “I couldn’t agree more. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“I will. Thanks.” He was about to turn away, then paused. “Actually, I think I should leave the phone here. Taylor’s too. Just in case.”

“Ah, sure.” Gabe opened a desk drawer that was full of snacks. For being lean, Gabe sure liked his snacks. “Power it down and I’ll hold on to it for you.”

He took a moment to memorize the address and access code, then did as Gabe suggested. Then he hurried out to join Taylor.

“Rhy’s going to send someone to my parents’ house?” she asked.

“Yes. And we have the rental on Peabody Lake.” He held out his hand. “But do me a favor, I’d like you to leave your phone here. We’ll pick up new ones along the way.”

She nodded and placed her phone in her hand. “I remember doing this last month too.”

“Yeah.” He tried to smile reassuringly. “I’ll leave this in Gabe’s office with mine. We can pick them up once this is over.”

A moment later, he was back from Gabe’s office. Taylor quickly rose to her feet, her expression determined. “I’m ready.”

He knew she had little reason to trust him as he escorted her toward the side door of the precinct. He made a mental list in his head. They already had the laptops, but they still needed groceries, disposable phones, and something quick and easy for lunch.

“Is fast food okay for lunch?” He vaguely remembered from their time together last month that she liked salads. “I’m sure I can find a place that offers a variety of salads.”

“I’m hungry, so lunch sounds good.” She looked tired and worn, and the hour was only half past noon. Her lack of sleep from the night was clearly catching up with her. “But honestly, I could use a thick juicy cheeseburger.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sold,” he said. “I’m all in.”

The next hour passed quickly. He stopped for the phones first, then they hit the grocery store. When that was finished, he picked a drive-through restaurant that boasted single and double cheeseburgers.

The lake house was smaller than it looked online, but the place was clean. There were two bedrooms and a nice living and kitchen area overlooking the lake.

“It’s nice,” Taylor murmured as they put the groceries away. “Cozy compared to staying at the Millers.”

“Are all your clients wealthy?” he asked.

“Most are, yes.” She unpacked their cheeseburgers and fries. “I can’t lie, they pay me well, and I’ve been using that money to pay off my student loans.”

“You don’t have to justify your career choice to me.” He joined her at the table.

“Funny, but I seem to remember you thinking my job was easy and brainless,” she said.

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