Page 53 of Fearless
Jaxon smiles. “Bogart is Carlos’ youngest brother, and they call him ‘Bogey’ for short.”
“Is he going to be okay?” I ask, concerned for the little guy.
“He’s recovering but should be up and about in a couple of weeks. Suffice it to say that Carlos wasn’t in any condition to answer questions yesterday. Savannah will try again, but she doesn’t think that Carlos will give us anything we can really use. He’ll be able to tell us how often they picked up a delivery and the nature of said delivery, but not anything we can use to identify who hired him. He told Leanna as much on the plane ride.”
I hand Jaxon the pot so he can fill his mug and get his morning dose of caffeine before taking a seat at the table. There are papers spread all across the top, some with a few coffee stains. “Is this the information I asked for?”
“Sure is. Ask, and you shall receive,” Jessie quips. “Jerry retrieved the data, but Savannah pared it down for you. There’s a list of yearly memberships, monthly memberships, and guest passes from the gym. They offer a one-month guest pass for $50 and a one-week pass for $15.”
I set aside the lists containing the one-week passes and the yearly memberships to look at later, focusing my attention on the month-to-month option and 30-day guest passes. Carter hands me another stack of papers. “There are approximately 300 listings for rentals in Marathon and 50 within a one-mile radius of the gym. There are 15 that were rented out plus orminus a day of the Finnegans’ disappearance,” he says.
I spread out the four sheets of paper in front of me, my eyes darting back and forth. I have to squint to read the tiny letters. “I need my glasses.”
Jessie barks out a laugh, and Elijah nudges her. He hands me a single sheet of paper with large print. “There are only two rental listings where the rental agreement matches a membership agreement.”
I scowl at the group. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”
“Because it was cute to watch you goold school,manually comparing the two lists. I was waiting for you to ask for a pen or a highlighter because you forgot we have these amazing contraptions called ‘computers.’ All you have to do is input a set of search parameters, andvoila!” Jessie jokes.
I refuse to partake in her banter at this hour since I haven’t even finished my first cup of coffee yet. I look at the sheet of paper and notice three matches. “You said there are two matches, but I see three. I may be older than all of you, but I haven’t forgotten how to count.”
Carter leans over to confirm my statement. He points to the last listing and says, “The third listing is an Airstream parked on the beach. It barely fits two people and isn’t exactly the kind of place where you can build a nuclear weapon. It doesn’t even have a water hookup.”
“It also doesn’t have internet or parking,” I say, waiting for the obvious to sink in. “If I was going to hide, I would want to be off the grid. Jaxon, can you pull up the listing for me?”
I take my coffee with me and follow Jaxon over to his computer. He pulls up the website that has the listings andinputs the identifier. When the picture pops up, he clicks on the amenities. He whistles. “It’s actually quite posh for a tiny camper. It does have a water hook-up and power, but you’re right that it doesn’t have internet capability. Do you really think this is it?”
A memory comes flooding back to me. “I do. Robert once told me that when he retired, he wanted to buy an Airstream and park it somewhere deep in the woods. He wanted a place he could go where he could ‘get away from it all.’ Robert was only partly kidding when he said it, but there was a wistfulness that hinted he would do it in a heartbeat if he had half the chance.”
Jessie comes up behind me and scrutinizes the picture. “It’s out in the open but at the edge of the campground and facing the beach. We wouldn’t be able to sneak up on them in broad daylight.”
“We don’t have to sneak up on them at all,” I say. “I plan to walk up and knock on the door.”
She huffs. “Not alone, you aren’t!”
Before I can argue with Jessie, a video call request flashes on the computer. Jaxon hits the button to accept the call, and a few seconds later, Ethan’s face fills the screen. I wave Carter and Elijah over to join us at the same time, Ethan says, “Gather everyone around. If anyone is still sleeping, wake them up now!”
“We’re all here,” I tell him. “What’s going on?”
Ben walks in and stands behind Ethan, leaning in so that his face is right next to Ethan’s. “Expect company. The plane is being refueled, and we’ll be at your location within six hours.”
Ethan frowns. “Ten minutes ago, we received an encryptedemail with a link to a file. We’re sending it to you now.”
As promised, the file comes through, and Jaxon immediately opens it. The first thing we see are the documents Jerry downloaded from Robert Finnegan’s computer. As Jaxon swipes through, we get to a set of photos that show groups of refugees. There’s a picture of Sergio Alvarez taking a briefcase from a man, but it’s hard to make out his face. “Is that…?”
“Yes,” Ethan says. “The time stamp on the photo was yesterday morning.”
“Who sent the file?” I ask curtly, a mix of anger and disappointment in my tone.
“Agent Simms,” Ethan replies. “In his email, he explains his plan to get an admission. You’re not going to like it.”
I nearly push Jaxon out of the way as I reach for the mouse and click on the email. I was so focused on the attached file itself that I hadn’t bothered to read the written contents. “He plans on using Harper as bait.”
“It’s not a bad plan,” Ben says. “Harper’s a capable agent and knows how to handle herself in dicey situations. If anyone can get him to reveal his motives, it would be her.”
“She’s also my wife, and I have no intention of letting her go in alone!” I say, my voice rising in intensity.
“Breathe, Roger,” Ethan says calmly. “Harper isn’t alone. She has a team of agents guarding her back.”
