“I found the .38 on the driver of the car,” Robert said. “That means the driver of the SUV carries a Glock, and Emily saw the men who killed her brother, so now we know why they’re after her.”
“That, and for whatever evidence the key leads to,” Jake added.
“Where is the key?” McIntyre asked.
“In Providence.” Robert’s voice was tight. “There’s no identification on it. It appears to be for a safety deposit box. Emily gave the Sheriff’s Office permission to track down the bank. I’ve got one of my men working on it.”
Robert gave Jake a sly look. Ben didn’t work for the Sheriff’s Office, but Robert trusted Ben more than he did the Spokane Police Department right now. Jake saw it in his brother’s eyes.
Robert looked back to Emily. “Did Cameron say which bank?”
Emily’s brow wrinkled in concentration. “No, he just said it was the key to where he’d hidden the evidence.”
“Did your father have a safety deposit box in any of the local banks?” Jake asked.
“Not that I know of. To my knowledge, he only banked at U.S. Bank.”
Robert made a note in his notebook. “I’ll make sure Ben checks with them.”
“Can you think of anything else that might help us find who killed your brother? Did he mention what was on the thumb drive, or who was after him?” Detective McIntyre asked.
“No, I don’t remember anything else,” Emily said, rubbing her brow. “I do remember being shocked when he said Dad’s death was not an accident. He could have said something right after that I may have missed, because I couldn’t believe someone intentionally killed my father and wanted to kill my brother.” She laid her head against Jake’s shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut.
Jake stroked her hair and shoulder. Robert’s eyes bore a hole through him, but he didn’t care. Emily needed him. And he needed to comfort her.
He wanted to find the man responsible for her pain and beat him to a pulp, but he didn’t know how to do that. He’d leave that to Robert and the police and do the one thing he could right now—comfort Emily.
“What happened after they shot your brother? What did you do?” Robert asked.
“I don’t think they realized I was here at first. I felt like I stood there forever, frozen in fear and shock, waiting for Cameron to get up, but it was probably only a few seconds. Then I climbed out the window and ran toward the back alley. They must have heard me.” Her voice shook. “One of them followed me out the window and chased after me. Then out of nowhere, the big one stepped in front of me. He hit me, and everything went black.” Emily touched the right side of her face that hardly showed any bruising now.
Jake balled his fists. Oh, how he wanted to get his hands on the man who had hurt her.
“Emily, will you tell Detective McIntyre what you remember when you came to in the back of the black SUV?” Robert asked.
Emily repeated everything she’d told Robert and Jake a few days ago.
“The driver of the SUV may be hiding out near the lake located twenty minutes from my brother’s ranch. We’ve cross-checked property holdings around the lake with the license plate and driver of the car, but we’ve come up empty-handed so far. The black SUV was spotted near the ranch several days ago but hasn’t been seen since.”
“Dr. Anderson, did you get a good look at either of the gunmen?” the detective asked.
“Not the shorter one, and I only got a glimpse of the taller one, but everything happened so fast. I’m not sure I could give a very accurate description.”
“Would you be willing to try?”
Emily shrugged. “I guess.”
Robert leaned forward. “Your brother said he double-checked the files on the thumb drive. Any idea what kind of files they were?”
“No clue, but he and my dad both worked for Andertech Solutions. Maybe it was something to do with work.”
Robert and Detective McIntyre both made notes in their notebooks, then McIntyre turned off the recording device and suggested she look around her home and determine if anything was missing.
Jake helped Emily to her feet as Robert picked up her crutches near the bedroom door. Emily wandered from room to room. Jake insisted on carrying her upstairs, where she checked the guest bedroom and extra bathroom. They appeared to have hardly been touched.
While she was in her bedroom, Robert lifted the corner of the rug in the center of the living room. Jake’s stomach clenched at the sight of the stained hardwood. He didn’t want Emily to see the stain, ever.
The only way to get rid of a stain like that would be to sand it out. He checked with the detective to see if he’d be returning the key to the neighbors, explaining that he wanted to arrange to have the floor fixed.
