"Yeah. And someone answered. The man went inside. I heard someone ask what the hell he was doing there. But I didn't hear the reply. I was halfway down the stairs when I thought I heard someone yell. I waited for a second, but I didn't hear anything else, so I left the building." Omar paused. "I heard the dude inside got killed. I can't believe I saw who did it. Do you think I'm in danger? He saw me, too. My dad said I shouldn't have said anything to the police, but when I was delivering lunch to the building next door today, a cop stopped me and asked me if I'd been working last night."
"You did the right thing. I don't believe you're in danger. But I would take a few extra precautions. If you can avoid delivering to that block, I would do that. If you can take a few days off or stay with a friend, that might be helpful as well. Just be alert and don't talk to anyone else about this. Don't tell your friends, your family, no one. We'll keep your name out of our reports as well."
"Okay. Will you let me know when you catch him?"
"I will." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Did you hear a name by chance? Did the person inside greet the man?"
Omar thought for a minute. "I think he called him Cal. But I'm not positive."
"That's helpful. Anything else you remember? Was he wearing clothes with an insignia of any kind?"
Omar slowly shook his head. "I don't think so. I didn't want to stare at him too closely."
"Thank you." She handed him her card. "If you think of anything else, or if you have any problems, call me."
Omar got back into his car and pulled out with a squeal of his tires.
She got into her vehicle and punched in Tyler's number. He picked up almost immediately, and she updated him on what she'd learned from Omar. "The name Cal is unique," she added. "If we can find a Cal working with the Novik brothers or Elias Costa, we might be able to connect Jonas Cray with one of them."
"I'll dig into that," Tyler said. "I contacted Ashford to set up a meeting to discuss his ties to Sergei Novik. His assistant told me Ashford is not in today and will return my call tomorrow."
"That's disappointing."
"Why don't you see if you can reach Malone?" Tyler suggested. "He has access to Ashford that we don't. And he seems open to working with you. I'd call him, but I don't think I'd get the same response."
She didn't think so either. "All right. Email me with what you know about Dominic's ties to Novik, and I'll contact Max." As Tyler ended the call, she put in Max's number, happy when he picked up. "I need to talk to you. Can we meet?"
He hesitated. "I'm going to be tied up for the next few hours. What do you need?"
"I want to talk about Dominic's relationship with Sergei Novik. I learned today that they have been rivals in business."
"Dominic mentioned that to me as well," Max said. "But he said they've also collaborated on projects, that their relationship is friendly."
"Maybe not as friendly as he thinks. I really think we should compare notes. When will you be free?" Silence followed her question. "Max, are you there?"
"I have to go to a dinner party that Dominic is hosting at Ceylon tonight."
"That's an expensive restaurant. I thought you only handled security overseas."
"He just wants me there to observe. In fact, he asked me to bring a date to look more like a friend than a security consultant."
"Why?"
"Because he's rattled by everything that's happened. He's not the only one wondering if Samantha's attack is connected to him."
"Who else will be at the party?"
"City officials, potential investors for his various projects, some of his executive team. I think there will be about twenty-five people there."
"So, who are you taking? Do you have a wife or a girlfriend?"
"No. I was supposed to take a coworker, but she really doesn't want to go."
"You should take me," she said impulsively.
"I don't think Dominic wants me to show up with an FBI agent."
"The only person who would know I'm FBI is Dominic. If he's agreeable, I could just be your date. I could also be another pair of eyes if he feels the need for more security."
