I shut the door behind me and sat in the chair next to him. Her gaze shifted to me with a look of surprise, then back to James.
“Jonathan,” she said in a tone that made it clear she knew it wasn’t his name. “I never expected to see you again.”
He sat back in the chair, resting both his forearms on the chair arms. “I suppose you didn’t.”
“Our mutual friend is long gone. There’s no reason for you to be here.”
“That may be true, but I still have a few questions.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have any answers. I told the FBI everything I knew. If you want answers, get the case file.”
“Not about Simmons.”
She went quiet, her eyes shifting as though she was trying to jump two steps ahead of him. “I left that life behind, and we both know I would have parted ways with him years before he died if he would have let me.”
“I’m not here about Simmons,” James repeated, but to my surprise there was a gentleness in his tone.
“Okay,” she said, sitting back a little, but her body was tighter than a bowstring. “What are you here for?”
“I want to know if you’ve heard of Gerald Knox.”
Her face remained blank, but her breath became a little more erratic.
I wasn’t surprised that James picked up on it too.
He leaned forward slightly. “Natalie, I don’t think you’re mixed up in anything. I know you wanted out when Simmons was using you. But I also know you had contact with other accountants?—”
“I don’t know anything, James,” she whisper-hissed. “I purposely stay far away from anyone in that world.”
He nodded slightly and sat back, his face softening. “Has anyone approached you, asking you to do their books?”
She released a harsh laugh. “Like anyone would trust me after the Feds got a search warrant for my computer.”
James cracked a knowing smile. “We both know they didn’t get everything.”
Her gaze dropped to the desk, but she didn’t respond.
“You played it smart, Nat,” he said approvingly.
Her eyes lifted, suddenly filled with fear. “Maybe not smart enough.”
James lifted his hands in surrender. “I’m not here about that. I swear.”
She didn’t look like she believed him.
“I’m looking for Gerald Knox’s accountant.”
She shook her head. “I never did Gerald Knox’s books. I never did his father’s either.”
So, she knew about Knox and his father. If that was a surprise to James, he didn’t let on. “I’m sure you had your hands full with Simmons. But sometimes professionals are connected with one another.” He turned his head slightly as he watched her.
“I haven’t talked to those people in years, James. And when I did talk to them, it was never by choice.”
“I know,” he said softly. “And I wouldn’t ask this of you, but I found out Knox is trafficking girls. Teenagers. And from what I’ve gathered, it’s not a small operation.”
Her eyes widened and turned glassy.
“I’m not asking you to reach out to anyone,” he continued. “But I know you know names. Tell me who reached out to you in the past, and I’ll find out the name of Knox’s accountant myself.”
