Page 40 of Deadly Threat
Caleb sounded slightly amped as he explained. “Josie and I were cross-referencing everyone associated with the case, and she found images on social media that raised a few interesting questions. Group shots at one of our mayor’s fundraisers, shortly after she took office. Both Jam King and this guy, without the beard and mustache, are in the background of two. I ran his face through our database but came up with jack. Bobby, however, got a hit on Interpol. Don’t ask me how he can access their databases, I’m sure I don’t want to know. Oh hell, of course I do, and I’m gonna make him show me, but for now, anyway, meet Josip Horvat.”
“Who the hell is that?” Malachi asked.
“A Croatian national specializing in extortion and a host of other crimes, like kidnapping and blackmail. He broke out of prison over there six years ago, thanks to a man linked to a Korean mafia, and apparently he went underground only to reappear here in the States.”
“A new identity, but the same bag of tricks,” Malachi murmured. “I bet he and Marcher hit it off big.”
“Plus, it’s our missing link with Komosu. According to Interpol, he’s fluent in languages besides English— Spanish, Russian, Korean and German. Dad was Croatian, but mom was from Mexico.”
“That bastard. He’s eluded everyone right from the start.” Malachi punched the dash. “We need to run him down once and for all.”
“Here’s the other interesting thing,” Caleb continued. “The social media posts? They were by a woman who worked for the mayor, a Constance Cronenworth. She was the gal—”
“Who embezzled from Amber,” Mia cut in, surprised and angry all at the same time. “She and my sister were close, so it’s not surprising she shared photos of those parties, but…”
“But what were King and Lopez— Horvat—doing there?” Caleb finished for her.
Malachi glanced at her. “They were already planning something then.”
She struggled to think back, searching her memories for either of them. “There were so many events and fundraisers, I don’t remember them all. I certainly don’t recall seeing either man at any of them.”
“When I was crosschecking Cronenworth with their names,” Caleb said, “King was listed as a visitor on the prison logs last March, only a few days after Constance arrived. He visited her several times that month, but then never again.”
Mia gripped the seat. “She was in cahoots with them?”
“We’re doing more digging,” Caleb assured her. “But there’s definitely more to this than we previously realized.”
Malachi drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, his gaze not on the night outside the windshield, but somewhere else entirely. “The Feds should have caught this. I need to question Cronenworth. ASAP.” He killed the engine causing the darkness to settle in around them. “Also I have the distinct impression we’ve been misled about this raid.”
“What do you mean?” Mia asked.
Malachi looked ready to explode. “Don’t tell the Taskforce about the connection you found to Cronenworth yet,” he instructed his brother. “See how fast you can get me in to see her.”
Caleb sounded less than excited about that prospect. “Withholding information—”
Malachi cut him off. “Isn’t smart, I know. No lectures. They’re holding out on us, too.”
Mia leaned toward him, trying to catch his eye. “Malachi, please tell me what’s going on.”
Just then a group of three black sprinter vans sped by, lights off and kicking up dust as they zoomed down the road.
“Hold on.” Malachi dimmed the dash lights and picked up the phone. “Maybe I was wrong—looks like something is going down. Arrange at least a phone call with that woman, bro, and tell Joe to pull strings if need be, but tell anyone who asks that I’m out of the loop for now.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, and not just because Sam will take it from all of our hides,’ Caleb argued.
“I don’t know if it’s Dupé, the Taskforce, or the Bureau in general who are playing games, but they are. Besides that, they move too damn slow.” Malachi started checking his pockets. “The info they get is always old and it places us behind the eight ball. If we’re going to get ahead of King and Horvat, we have to move quicker than they do. It’s time to shake some cages.”
Caleb’s sigh was audible. “I’m the first to rebel against the establishment, and far be it from me to criticize your unexpected insurrection, but it’s really not like you, Mal.”
Malachi zipped his vest. “Gotta go. Text me when you’ve got the meeting set up.”
He disconnected, grabbing a flashlight and handing it to Mia, along with a pair of goggles. Next, he donned a windbreaker from the backseat and she noticed its pockets were full of more gear. “Sit tight,” he told her. He checked his gun and reholstered it. “I’ll do a perimeter scan and return once I ascertain what’s going down. Do not leave the vehicle. I will come back for you.”
Her blood racing and a dozen questions tugging at her brain, she leaned across the console and kissed him. “For Amber,” she said.
“For Amber,” he replied.
Seventeen
