Page 136 of Somebody's Watching Me
“I’m beginning to find too many weird coincidences.”
“Like what?”
“You know that mile marker where they found Claudia?”
“Yeah, it was in the middle of nowhere.”
“And in the same county where one of the original four grew up. Eugene Gilbert.”
“You’re kidding.”
He propped his head on his hand, and she did the same. “The area where Claudia was dumped is nothing but rural farmland except for a small house. It’s the only structure for miles. Klausen had agents investigate the place, and they found it empty, but after digging around, they discovered that the homeowner is deceased. His name was Stanley Wickham, and the guy died of a heart attack about eighteen months ago. The house was left to his daughter.”
“Did Klausen’s people talk to her?”
“Everything on her checks out. The house and the thousands of acres surrounding it have been in their family for generations. She said once her father retired, he returned to fix the place up, even though she had hoped he would have remained in the area he’d been living in for the last two plus decades. According to the daughter, the man loved his job and the area. She didn’t know why he would want to leave.”
“Where did he live?”
“Fort Lauderdale.”
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. “And where did he work, Liam?”
“Fairweather Holdings.”
“Shut the fuck up!” She shot to her feet, standing on the bed. “Tell me you’re lying.”
“Stanley Wickam worked in the Lauderdale acquisitions department for Fairweather Holdings as far back as the mid-nineties when your father opened the branch.”
“And then we have Jan, who has worked for Fairweather since… well, I don’t know.” She flapped her hands around, unable to articulate what she wanted to say. “But she was part of the team Samuel brought with him from the Lauderdale office.”
“Transferred here, along with dozens more, who all applied to work on the Firewater project.”
Hopping off the bed, she paced while Liam remained in his spot. This was their way. Her in constant motion, and him the solid base. “Klausen is questioning Gilbert?”
“Twice already.”
“And nothing is popping?”
“Not a damn thing.”
“When did he question him?” she asked but didn’t give him a chance to answer. “What about Henderson?”
“Henderson is dead.”
She halted, her mouth hanging open. “When did that happen?”
“The night of the kidnappings. Klausen had agents from the Atlanta field office pay him a visit, and they found him dead. Another heart attack.”
“A heart attack? I call bullshit.”
“Absolutely.”
“Toby is in prison. Etienne is dead. Henderson is dead. Gilbert is the only one of the original four left.” She returned to sit on the bed. “Zanmi operates publicly, claiming they’re an organization that frees innocent men, but out of the major backers, Gilbert has never been overly vocal. He can’t be. His fertility practice in Miami is in too high of a demand. If patients figured out his connection to Zanmi, he could lose big time. Do you really think he’s going to take over?”
“He gives big money to the cause but makes every attempt to conceal his involvement. Yet this whole creating a perfect family narrative Klausen claims Zanmi is discussing… it would make sense to have a well-respected fertility doctor like Gilbert at the helm. But Eugene Gilbert is also a far cry from charismatic. I can’t believe people who are hung up on Toby will follow him.”
“They’ll follow Michael.” Ideas and theories banged around in her head. Zanmi had a weird obsession with Toby and her family as a whole but could be swayed by someone like Michael Sinclair. “He’s handsome, smart, and to some, a hero.”
