Page 43 of Flynn

Did she know anything about Steve Miller’s bank? No. Did she know the shooter? No. Had she ever seen Nickoli Yurgis before the night of the shooting? No. Did she have any idea why the Millers had been targeted? No.

On and on and on.

It was only after she’d finished recounting the night of the murders that the two agents turned their attention to Flynn and Cassidy.

Mostly Flynn.

During the interview, Flynn’s icy attitude had thawed toward the agents. Maybe in part because they were clearly interested in his opinion regarding the various attempts against her.

“The way the gunman—who we believe is Nickoli Yurgis—found us on Peabody Lake, then again here at the FBI building has me wondering who has hired him,” Flynn said. “It feels like the mastermind behind this has deep pockets. Not just financial resources, but a way to connect with professional hit men too.”

“Tell us again about the property you found on Peabody Lake?” Sally Fisk asked. “What was the company called?”

“Investments, Inc.” Flynn gestured to the computer screen on the wall. “You might want to bring up a map of the lake, see if we can pinpoint the location of the property owned by the corporation. I might be able to tell you if it’s the same one where the photograph of Lyle and Jake Paulson was taken.”

Travis pulled out his phone. “Ian? We need your expertise in the conference room. Thanks.”

Taylor remembered something about a tech guy named Ian who had a similar role as Gabe Melrose. Ian arrived with a laptop, booted it up, and then somehow projected the laptop screen onto the bigger one.

“Peabody Lake, property owned by Investments, Inc.” Ian spoke to himself as he worked the computer. Taylor had to give him credit, he was able to bring up the address onto the screen, then used a map application to zoom in on the home.

She gasped at the image on the screen. Glancing at Flynn, she saw he was staring in shock too.

There was no doubt that the house on the screen was the same one where her cousins had been photographed.

And likely the one belonging to the individual who had orchestrated the murders.

Flynn didn’t feelthe sense of satisfaction he thought he would at being proven right. Maybe in part because he was still a bit shaken over the gunfire attempt outside the Bureau. He forced himself to concentrate on the case.

“That’s the house.” He nodded at the screen. “Taylor and I were on the boat and recognized that deck as being where the picture of Lyle and Jake Paulson was taken. We were heading back to our rental property when we saw the speedboat racing toward us. Unfortunately, I cannot say with certainty that the boat came from that property.” He gestured to the screen. “But he was clearly determined to eliminate us. He opened fire, sinking our boat and sending us swimming toward shore.”

“Surprised you didn’t succumb to hypothermia,” Sally said with a frown.

“We almost did.” Flynn knew that God had spared their lives. That was the only explanation as to how they’d gotten out of the lake in time. “Can you get a search warrant for the property? Dig deeper into who really owns it?”

The two feds glanced at each other. “Not sure about a search warrant,” Travis said. “We don’t have probable cause, especially since you can’t identify the shooter as coming from that location. But digging into the ownership is absolutely something Ian can do.”

“I’ll work on that,” Ian agreed. “But at first glance, it’s not going to be easy. Looks like this company is owned by another company.”

Sally drummed her fingers on the table. “I thought we had new rules that went into effect this year to prevent hiding the true owners of corporations?”

“We do,” Ian said. “But that doesn’t mean everyone has complied. And depending on how far behind the bureaucrats are, they may not have gotten around to following up with those who didn’t cooperate.”

Flynn bit back a sarcastic response. There was no reason to point out that it wasn’t the least bit surprising that government rules were rarely followed by criminals.

He stared at the house on the screen. Maybe they didn’t have probable cause for a search warrant, but they could still walk up to the door and knock.

“We’ll head over there,” Travis said as if reading his mind. “Maybe someone will answer the door. And we can talk to the neighbors, too, see if we learn anything that way.”

He nodded. “I like that idea. Maybe the neighbors don’t appreciate having a house owned by a corporation. Could be that different people are staying there throughout the year.”

“Exactly,” Travis agreed. “Anything else you think might help?”

He considered that for a moment. “I returned fire on the speedboat, and I know I hit the vessel. I’m not sure how badly it was damaged, though. If you do get someone to answer the door, you might want to ask to see the boat on the property. Finding a bullet hole in the vessel would give you the probable cause you need to search the house.”

“Can’t hurt to try,” Sally said, making a note. “I doubt we’ll get that much cooperation, but again, the neighbors might have seen something suspicious.”

A tiny flame of hope flickered in his heart. Maybe the investigation would get some traction with the feds working the case. He thought again about the banking aspect. “Have you uncovered unusual activity within Brookland Bank?”

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