Page 66 of Flynn

“Wait, we’re still going?” She glanced from Flynn to Joe and then Cassidy. “I don’t understand. We know Klem has been taken out of the picture. Surely, we’re safe now.”

There was a long silence as the three cops exchanged sympathetic glances.

“We’re going to the safe house until we know the man in charge,” Flynn finally said. “Until we have that piece of the puzzle, we’re not lowering our guard.”

Joe’s phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and answered. “Hey, Rhy. I’m putting you on speaker because things have been happening here.”

There was a pause before she heard Rhy’s voice. “I just heard from Cole Roberts; you might remember he’s a Peabody detective. A dead body was pulled from Peabody Lake and has been positively identified as our Russian Mafia thug, Nickoli Yurgis. Looks like he was shot in the head, then tossed in the water.”

“Well, that’s not good,” Cassidy muttered.

Flynn looked upset, as did Joe. And she understood why. If they couldn’t convince her cousin Jake to talk, they’d never learn who was behind all these murders.

And it was entirely possible she’d never be safe again.

“We needto huddle at the safe house,” Flynn said. “Brady and Doug too. There has to be a way to figure out who hired Yurgis and the Paulson brothers. To find whoever planned these murders and why.”

“I like the huddle idea,” Rhy said. “Unfortunately, I’m taking Devon to the hospital while Elly watches over Colleen. She’s dehydrated and her OB doc recommended she be seen to get IV fluids. They think her dehydration is causing the contractions. The flu season is apparently pretty bad this year.”

“We’ll pray for Devon,” Cassidy said, her expression full of concern. “Of course, you should stay focused on your family. Joe is here, and we’ll get some of the other members of the team to head out too. I believe that by working together we’ll figure this out.”

“I feel bad I can’t help, but I’ll call Brady and make sure he and Doug meet up with you. Stay put until then.”

Flynn wanted to argue that staying put had almost gotten Taylor killed but held back. None of this was Rhy’s fault. Nobody anticipated that Klem might be on the take. Thinking along those lines gave him an idea. “Thanks, Rhy. We’ll take it from here.” He disconnected the call, then said, “We need someone to interrogate Klem the moment he’s able to talk. And we should reach out to the Paulson siblings’ parents.” He turned to look at Taylor. “What is the first names of your aunt and uncle?”

“I’m sure my mom’s brother isn’t involved,” Taylor protested. “He’s not rich and wouldn’t have money to invest, especially after the divorce.” When he simply waited, she sighed. “Donald Paulson. Don and Gail Paulson. I’m not sure Gail kept the last name, though. She might be under Gail Lee.”

“I’ll talk to Gabe, maybe he can dig into their backgrounds too,” Joe said.

It was frustrating to stand there, waiting for the rest of the cavalry to show up. Flynn tried not to stare at his watch as he wondered how long it would take.

“Hey, I have a guy out here who wants to talk to whoever is in charge,” one of the cops said, poking his head through the doorway. “Claims to have information on the murders?”

Joe was closest to the door and glanced behind the officer. Flynn stepped forward, a rush of adrenaline hitting hard. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Negative. He says he’ll only talk to his niece, Taylor Templeton.”

“Uncle Don is out there?” Taylor rushed toward the door before he could stop her. Thankfully, Joe snagged her arm before she could get all the way outside.

“Taylor! What happened to Lyle and Jake?” The man’s voice sounded agonized, as if he already suspected the worst. That his two sons had been murdered the same way his oldest had been.

“Uncle Don, Lyle tried to kill me!” Taylor leaned past Joe, craning her neck to see better. Joe abruptly yanked Taylor down at the same moment a crack of gunfire rang out.

“Gun, gun!” someone shouted.

Flynn rushed to Taylor, pulling her back from the doorway. Sounds of a scuffle broke out, then there was nothing but silence.

“We have her.” The voice sounded strained. “She wounded him, though.”

She? Flynn glanced down at Taylor who looked horrified as the news sank in. Taylor surged to her feet. He caught her in his arms, holding her close.

“I want to see him. My uncle Don. I want to see him!” Her blue eyes were bright with tears.

“The area isn’t secure,” Flynn protested. Talk about a giant understatement. First Klem found them, then the Paulson brothers, now Taylor’s uncle Don and possibly her aunt? Who else could the woman be out there?

“What’s going on?” Flynn recognized Brady’s voice. Feeling slightly better now that reinforcements had arrived, he relaxed his grip on Taylor. But instead of heading outside, she turned into his arms, burying her head against his chest.

“Brady? Is Doug with you?” Flynn asked.

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