“We should see if any of our players made a trip to Vegas around the time Marcel stopped working as a dishwasher,” Callie said. “They probably sent someone to do their dirty work rather than get their own hands dirty, but it’s worth a look.”
“I’ll show Kendall how to look for that while I keep pulling the other strings,” Leo said, beckoning her over. Helia was hard-pressed to question Leo’s decision as she watched the girl practically skip to his side. If he thought it was okay for her to be poking around whatever HICC systems had access to flight records, that was his call. She was an exceptionally bright child, and she’d need new things to keep her focused and challenged and out of trouble. Helping to catch a killer or killers might be well and good for now, but they shouldn’t make a habit of it. A conversation she and Collin would need to have at some point.
“So the drugs come into Sundaram through food deliveries, then the inside man or woman collects them, and Flannery and Kelly feed them into the market?” Hawkeye said.
“Yes,” Callie said, having picked up on whatever pattern Scipio saw. “Only six months ago, things changed. When both Roger’s and Flannery’s behavior changed.” She paused, studying the board. “They were planning a coup.”
“What?” Helia said again, feeling like a fish as her mouth formed the words.
“Prior to six months ago, the ring ran like a well-oiled machine. Drugs came in, the insider collected them, handed them over, Flannery and Kelly put them into market.” She paused. “But Flannery got greedy. He wanted to cut out the Sundaram insider. Or maybe the insider wanted out. Forwhatever reason, he was preparing to take that job over. Not by being hired by Sundaram?—”
“But by being with me,” Helia said. At least this piece of the puzzle clicked into place. “He wanted to get back together with me so that he’d have a reason to be around Sundaram and could be the one to collect the drugs when the shipments came in.”
Behind her, Collin muttered a dark curse. She leaned back and set her head on his shoulder, draping an arm around his stomach. He dropped a kiss on her hair.
“But why kill Roger?” she asked. “He never came to Sundaram. And while I could see him being a distributor of the drugs, I can’t see him really being a threat to the operation. He wasn’t exactly a complex man. Give him a party, and that’s all he wanted.”
“I don’t know the answer to that, not yet,” Callie said. “Do you?” she asked Scipio and Leo. Both shook their heads. “What I can see, though, is Roger not so much involved in the distribution of the drugs, but in the marketing of them.”
Beneath her arm, Collin’s body tightened. “Meaning they gave him the drugs, he invited his cadre of rich friends up for a party, they experimented with them over a couple of days, then, when they walked away, Flannery and Kelly had a new set of customers.”
“Or, if the attendees were already customers, he deepened their loyalty to the customized mixes,” Callie said.
Another curse floated to her ears, fluttering her hair on his muttered exclamation.
“We need to know four things,” Scipio said. “Who at Sundaram is the insider? Who killed Marcel, assuming he’s dead? Why Roger was killed.” His gaze settled on Helia. “And why someone tried to kill Helia.”
“Which we can do after dinner,” Mantis said, rising and pulling Charley up with him. “We’ve all had a long day. Somemore eventful than others,” he said, glancing at Helia. “Let’s eat and then we can come back to it, tackling the question of who at Sundaram is involved first so that Helia can go to bed. You’re holding up like a champ, but on many levels, this can’t be easy for you.”
She appreciated his concern and, truth be told, fatigue still weighed her down. She’d force some food into her body, but she didn’t feel like doing much more than that. “Thank you,” she mumbled as the others started rising. Kendall grumbled some sort of objection, but Leo leaned over and whispered something to her. She didn’t look happy, but she clicked a few keys and closed the laptop.
Collin’s family seemed to understand that between the medications given to her by the ER and the specter of her family’s business being used to shuttle drugs, she hovered in a sort of foggy limbo, and they didn’t force her into any sort of conversation. Just a quiet question here or comment there. Even Sherman gently checked in with her, setting his nose on her lap every now and then.
Collin brought out a few bottles of Bacco wine, but it sat unopened on the sideboard. A handful of his brothers looked curious but chose not to indulge. Those who did drink opted for beer. She’d seen Collin have a glass so knew he wasn’t bothered by it, but it was kind of sweet how they stood by him.
She ate surrounded by the general din of conversation—not nearly as loud as she’d thought it would be, but lively enough to make it clear murder and drugs weren’t the topics of the hour. Philly and Callie talked about their recent honeymoon; Dulcie and James chatted about a motorcycle they were restoring. Marley chimed in about a car scheduled to come in for custom detailing. And of course, the usual mountain talk about storms and the ski season. All gentle banter meant to soothe.
In the midst of this, Kendall sat between Stein and Dulcie, looking so tiny in her chair despite being tall for her age. She ate quietly, her eyes scanning the table, bouncing from person to person as they spoke, then bouncing around even more to gauge reactions to certain comments. Helia’s heart went out to her. She couldn’t imagine how it must feel to sit among this group of people she’d met for the first time a few hours earlier and realize they’d be a part of her life at least until she turned eighteen. And in the case of Collin, a big part of her life as her guardian. Sorrow and nervousness swam in her expression along with curiosity and maybe a tiny bit of hope. Kendall was smart; she wouldn’t miss how tight the family was. And how settled they were in Mystery Lake. Her life would be very different than the one she’d had with her mother, but not all in a bad way.
When they’d finished the pot of chili, Charley, Joey, and several of the men peeled off to clean. Collin took her hand and led her back to the tasting room, the rest of the gang following. Only when they reached the room, Collin pulled her to the side, rather than toward the couch they’d been sitting on earlier.
“Scipio?” Collin called. He looked up as everyone retook their same seats and perches. “If Helia gives you access to the employee records, do you need her for this?”
Scipio’s and Mantis’s gazes landed on her. She didn’t like being subject to that kind of scrutiny but found it hard to care because all she wanted was to trudge upstairs and fall into Collin’s very comfortable bed.
“No,” Scipio said after a tiny nod from Mantis. “We can narrow down the pool from the broader list. We may have some questions in the morning, but those can wait.”
“You can access those records in the same app as the vendor records, but I can stay up,” she said. Both Lina and Callie snorted. Not unkindly, more in recognition of a kindred soul who knows a lie when they see one.
“Can and will are two different things,” Collin said. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that, he nudged her to the stairwell. And gentleman that he was, he waited until they were out of sight before sweeping her up and carrying her the rest of the way. She barely remembered her head hitting the pillow before dreams of clouds and warmth wrapped around her.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Despite having woken up to a woman in bed with him less than a dozen times in his life, he knew exactly whose hand traced the lines of his chest through his T-shirt. Maybe because it had always ever been only the same woman.
“Helia,” he said, capturing her hand and pulling it to his lips. Her caresses were having a predictable effect. He’d never get back to sleep if he let her touches go any further.
