“I’m sure you’ll be hearing from them sooner or later.” He still didn’t have enough to call Gunderson, but if his theory proved correct, eventually he would.
“You get someone to come up with the info on the woman, and I’ll pony up a hundred for each of you.”
The desk clerk’s interest stirred. “I’ll ask around.” He tucked the card into his pocket as Jax turned and started walking.
At least they knew Shipman had been there, just as Mindy had said. Who he’d met was still speculation. Jax hoped he’d get a call from someone on the hotel staff, but time was of the essence. He needed to talk to Tabitha Love, the company computer whiz, get her to do some digging, see if she could come up with the name on the credit card used to pay for the room.
He quietly swore as he slid behind the wheel of the Dodge. He had a couple of errands to run, some leads he needed follow up on. It was going to take a couple of hours when he needed to get back to the office, back to Mindy. Even with Hawk Maddox there to protect her, he worried.
The longer this dragged on, the more likely something would go wrong, and Mindy could get hurt.
By the time Jax pulled into the parking lot behind The Max, the always efficient Tabitha Love had called him with the information he needed.
“DeMarco Staffing,” Tabby said. “Company credit card, booked through the hotel webpage. You were right on the money, Jax-man.”
Jax could almost see her grinning, the silver hoop in her sleek black eyebrow glinting. She was tall, with short black hair shaved on the sides and moussed on top. Tabby was uniquely her own person. Jax had never met anyone like her—or anyone half as smart.
“Thanks, Tab, you’re the best.”
Tabby laughed. “Can’t argue with that.”
Jax chuckled as he ended the call.
As soon as he walked into the office, he collected Mindy and Lissa, and pulled Maddox and Chase in for a meeting. Since Wolfe had clients in the conference room, they walked down the block to Clancy’s, which was quiet this late in the day.
The bartender, a string bean of a guy named Marty O’Halloran, and a waitress named Bridget, were the only ones working. Jax led the group to a long wooden table in the corner, and they all sat down.
Bridget took their drink orders, iced tea for Jax and Lissa, water for Mindy, beers for Jason and Chase. Once everyone had their drinks, he brought them up to speed on the case.
“Way it looks, Shipman and Susan DeMarco were definitely involved in an affair. According to one of the desk clerks, it was several months back, but Shipman checked in a couple of times a week, and the room was paid for with a DeMarco Staffing credit card.”
“Now that I think about it,” Mindy said, “Susan mentioned shopping at the Galleria more than once.”
“Perfect cover if she ran into someone she knew,” Chase said.
“Like her husband,” Maddox added.
“Let’s assume Shipman was blackmailing Susan,” Jax said. “Threatening to go to her husband. He’d need proof of the affair.”
Lissa sat forward. “Pictures of them together in a hotel room would certainly work.”
“Better yet—nude photos or a sex video,” Maddox drawled, sending color into Mindy’s cheeks.
Jax nodded. “An insurance policy for when things started going south between them.”
“Which, sooner or later, they would,” Chase said. “Susan DeMarco isn’t known for her fidelity. I did a little more digging. It isn’t exactly common knowledge, but one of the caddies at the country club says she’s damned fickle when it comes to her lovers. Unlike Shipman, they had the good sense to keep their mouths shut.”
Maddox picked up his longneck bottle and took a swallow of beer. “Instead of fading quietly into the sunset, Shipman planned ahead. He made the flash drive in case he ever got into a financial bind.”
“Like needing money to pay off a gambling debt,” Chase said.
“He had proof he figured was worth big money,” Lissa added.
“But why would anyone think I’m the one who has Ryan’s sex video?”
Jax’s dark eyes hardened. “Because while they were torturing him, Shipman told them you had it. By then he’d figured out he’d given it to you by mistake.”
“Or accidentally given you a copy,” Maddox said.
