Page 88 of High Value Target

“Could be. We’re on the way.”

“We’re not going to be able to keep this under wraps for long. We’ve got a dead body. JD’s going to want to call the police.” Stan ran a hand through his hair.

“Stall him until we get a look at the security footage. Once the police arrive, we’ll be shut out of everything.”

“On it.” Stan hung up and jogged to the house.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“You think it’s Frank Bonner?” Grady asked the team in a hushed whisper.

They’d scoured the estate. There was no other sign of Tinsley other than the drag marks and tire tracks near the stable. They were now in the IT room, going over every bit of security footage. There were a lot of cameras, so they’d first keyed in on the ones they knew would be most valuable. The gate cameras and the stable cameras.

At just before ten, a white pickup pulled up to the gate. A sign on the door said, Tri Star.

“What the fuck?” Grady murmured.

“I’d ask if that was you, Grady, but I know we don’t have marked vehicles, and that isn’t even our logo,” Chris said.

“I wasn’t here. I swear.”

“There’s no license plate,” Al observed.

They switched to the camera that aimed at the driver’s window and watched the guard walk out to ask the man for identification. He rolled his window down and flashed some kind of phony ID card.

“The guard saw the Tri Star name and never questioned it,” Stan said.

Grady studied the footage, but the man had a dark ball cap pulled low, hiding his face. The guard waved him in, hitting the button that opened the gate. The pickup drove past and the guard went back inside.

“Is there a camera inside the guardhouse?” Chris asked.

“No. Just aimed at the road and driveway,” Grady replied.

“So who killed this guy?” Al asked.

They continued watching, and Grady noticed something. “Wait. Play that again.”

Al rewound and played it again.

“There.” Grady pointed to the screen. “See the way the drive turns a red color?”

“Yeah. Brake lights,” Chris surmised. “The pickup truck backed up.”

They continued watching, and saw a man in a dark hoodie, his face covered, flashed in the camera, jerking the door open. Everyone stood motionless, knowing that this was the exact moment the guard was fighting for his life. After a moment, the gate swung open again, then the dark figure dashed off camera to where his truck was waiting.

“Son of a bitch. He didn’t have to kill the guy. He’d already gained access. He could have just as easily waved as he drove out with Tinsley hidden on the floorboard,” Stan murmured.

“He didn’t want to leave a witness. This guy is cold blooded,” Grady said.

Chris nodded. “That, or he was afraid the guard might have recognized him.”

“You think it was an inside job?” Grady asked.

“Someone knew to use the Tri Star name to gain access. Who would know?”

“Anyone associated with the estate, family, friends, business associates… all might have learned the name of the security team JD had contacted.” Grady drug a hand over his jaw. All he could think about was Tinsley in the hands of this monster. “She texted me that night. It was just a few minutes after ten. I didn’t reply. God, I wish I’d picked up the phone and called her.”

“Don’t. That doesn’t help us now. The best thing you can do is concentrate on your job. We find her, bring her home, and you can work out your misplaced guilt then,” Chris said.

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