Dana nodded. “I do if this goes both ways. You need to have information for me, too.”
Malcolm kicked back, and the scar above his eyebrow seemed more prominent in the early light. “That depends entirely on what you have. If you have information that helps, I promise we’ll reciprocate.”
“Okay.” Dana typed in some keywords, and a face took shape on screen. “Meet Senator Scot Tyson from Boston. I tugged on a string Wolfe gave me, and several stories unraveled, but I’m still working on them.”
Brigid kept quiet about the fact that the senator and Eddie Coonan had a connection. The senator was in his early forties with a distinguished jaw, dark hair, and piercing blue eyes. “What did you find?”
“It’s an interesting string and just a theory right now.” Dana typed again, and documents came up on screen. “Wolfe gave me facts about a girl in Seattle, but it turns out that three women with connections to Tyson have disappeared. The first was a girl when they were both in high school.” A picture of a cute blonde with wild hair and a couple of piercings came up on the screen. “Jacki Mint.”
“She just disappeared?” Nari asked, leaning forward.
“Yes,” Dana said. “There are accounts from other students about Scot and Jacki dating, but he denied it and there was no evidence. Plus, Jacki had run away before, so the local sheriff figured she’d run away again.”
“It’s possible,” Nari said. “Though she hasn’t shown up in twenty years?”
“Nope,” Dana said, typing again. A woman in her early twenties, this one another blonde, emerged on the screen. She had sparkling eyes, a sweet smile, and was dressed in scrubs. “Dr. Annie Jones, who’d just started her residency in Seattle, where Scot was attending law school at the time. They dated, she disappeared, and this time he was questioned by the police. No evidence of any foul play was found.”
Brigid took notes. She’d need to see if there were any records of Eddie traveling to Seattle during that time. Maybe the lost women had nothing to do with Tyson, or maybe he’d hurt them, or perhaps he’d had Eddie do his dirty work. Who knew at this point? “This is good research,” Brigid said.
“I’m just getting started.” Dana looked over at Brigid’s notes. “I’m thinking your computer skills would come in handy right about now. Would you do a deep dive on these cases, as well as look for others?”
“Absolutely,” Brigid said, her instincts humming. “What was the conclusion of the police concerning the doctor?”
Dana shook her head. “The case went cold. No evidence anywhere, and Scot left Seattle after graduating from law school. Took a job with a big firm in New York, where at least one more woman disappeared.” Another blonde, this one in her early twenties, came up on the screen. “Lucy Wilcox, who interned at the law firm where Scot worked. Absolutely no connection found between them. Not a one.”
“Isn’t that a coincidence?” Malcolm asked, sarcasm heavy in his dark tone. “Three blondes, all disappear around the good ole senator. This guy is dirty. We have to prove it.” His phone buzzed, and he lifted it to his ear. “West.” His eyebrows rose, and he straightened up. “Well, shit.”
Brigid stopped breathing.
* * *
The gun felt heavy and final in Raider’s hand. Tom was gone, so that left him with three men to subdue. Eddie was probably armed, but he hadn’t pulled a gun out, so Raider could knock him out quickly. Jonny P was unarmed, so again, fighting would be fine. But Josh seemed pretty damn comfortable with the gun in his hand. If Raider rushed him, he’d shoot. Even if Raider got to Josh fast enough, Eddie would have time to pull his weapon out and shoot him in the back.
None of Raider’s options were good.
For now, he bluffed. He kept his gun pointed down and walked over blood spatter to the stubborn man. “Your daughter loves you, and I put you somewhere safe. Why in the hell would you risk that?” he asked, trying to buy time.
Sean’s green eyes nearly glowed. “I figured I could handle it, and I still can. Why don’t you go get a drink or something? You’re not needed here.”
Raider circled him as if enjoying the moment, but bile kept rising in his throat. He couldn’t let Brigid’s dad die. Angling his head, he checked out the bindings. Simple zip ties. Now all he needed was a knife. He looked toward the ceiling and each corner.
“What’s the holdup?” Eddie asked, leaning back against the wall, his hands free.
“Lookin’ for cameras,” Raider returned. “This feels like a setup, Eddie. Me shooting this guy in the head could get me the chair.” He pretended to look around, hopefully giving Force and Wolfe information—if they were in range. “This back room isn’t a good place to do this, either. Too much splatter and forensic evidence.”
“Oh yeah?” Eddie snorted while Jonny P barely smiled. “There’s so much evidence in here already that I might have to burn the place down and rebuild.”
Raider shook his head. “That’s not how to do it.”
“Then how?” Jonny P challenged.
“In the middle of nowhere, outside, where the elements wash away the blood,” Raider said as Sean’s glare got stronger.
Eddie pushed off the wall. “There are no cameras back here, and the ones out front were disabled before Tom had some fun with Sean. I can’t afford a record of my being here, either.” He drew out his gun, a silver Smith & Wesson 500, and aimed the barrel at Raider’s head. “Josh? Go fetch the car and bring it around back. We’ll either have one or two bodies for the trunk.”
Raider’s body chilled. Now probably wasn’t the time to note that Eddie had some serious issues and probably a complex or two. That particular gun was overkill for an indoor situation. Seriously so.
Josh immediately handed Jonny P his weapon and went out the back door, again without an ounce of emotion. The door shut, and thick silence spiraled through the room.
