Nick’s voice trailed. He walked closer to the fallow field, dirt crumbling under his shoes as he paused at the edge of it. Wind howled in my ears. Or maybe it was my blood. I felt a little light-headed as his expression morphed from confusion to wonder.
“That’s it,” he said in a low voice. “He’s not going through Theresa because she’s an agent. He’s going through her because she’s about to become an owner. Legally, this whole farm becomes hers the minute she marries your ex-husband.” He backed away from the field, his eyes lit with a wild intensity. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it,” he said under his breath as he rushed back to his car.
“What do you mean,that’s it? Where are we going?” I hurried after him. The engine was already running as I stumbled into the car. He put an arm around my seat back, turning to see behind us as he backed up the car, the road through the windshield in front of us obscured by thick clouds of dust as he sped up.
“To find a judge who isn’t already in Zhirov’s pocket,” he said. “Preferably one who’ll issue a search warrant on a Saturday.”
He wrenched the wheel, spinning us around. I braced myself against the dash. “A search warrant for what?”
His eyes narrowed as he hit the gas. “To dig up your ex-husband’s farm.”
CHAPTER 37
Nick hugged the far-left lane of the interstate, flashing his lights at the slower cars in front of us and leaning on his horn. His knuckles were white around the steering wheel, his attention squarely on the road. I could practically smell the rubber burning from the spinning wheels in his brain.
“I don’t understand. Why is it necessary to dig up Steven’s farm?”
“Feliks isn’t looking to buy land. If he was, he would have come in through the front door, flashed his cash, and made Steven an offer he couldn’t refuse. And if Steven did refuse, Feliks would have pressured him into selling it—probably under threat of violence. I’m guessing Feliks is just looking to use the farm for something shady, and he wants to keep it as quiet as possible. So he went to Theresa—someone he could easily manipulate with attention and money. I’m betting Zhirov is bribing Theresa to let him use the farm for a very specific purpose. Whatever it is, he doesn’t plan to use it for very long.”
I thought back to the cash Steven had found in her drawer. “Maybe Feliks is just meeting people out there.”
“No,” Nick said, growing impatient with the driver in front of him and passing him on the right. I gripped the door handle as we zigzagged between cars. “Zhirov owns restaurants and hotels all over the state. He can meet with people anywhere. If he was only meeting them, he wouldn’t go to so much trouble.”
“Then what do you think he’s doing?”
“I don’t know. But I’m guessing the answer is buried somewhere in that field.”
I swallowed back a wave of nausea. “Why would you think that?”
“There was more than one set of tire marks. There were two other sets at the edge of that field.”
“Two others?”
“All three vehicles came in through the back entrance. They all parked in different places, but all three of them stopped facing into that dirt field. Feliks’s stash is probably buried under the intersection of those headlights.”
“Maybe they were just… doing business there.” I pressed back in my seat as six lanes of traffic closed in around me. “You know, on top of the ground. Covertly. In front of the headlights.”
Nick shook his head. “The dirt was freshly turned. There wasn’t a single footprint in it. Someone cleaned up after themselves. And I’m going to find whatever it is they’re hiding.”
Nick’s jaw was hard set. I had no doubt he would tear this county apart until he got what he was after. “How long will it take you to get a warrant?”
“Maybe a day. Probably two. The farm isn’t in my jurisdiction, so we’ll need to coordinate with the guys in Fauquier County. I’mgoing to run you home,” he said, his tone leaving no room for discussion. “I’ll have to pull a few favors. Judges don’t like being dragged off the golf course, and it’s probably better if I do this myself.”
He pulled into my driveway with a sharp jerk of the wheel. The car lurched to a stop, and I reached for the handle. “Hey, wait,” Nick said. I turned, hoping he couldn’t see the guilt and fear written all over my face. He cupped my cheek. Stroked it with his thumb. “I know today got a little crazy. How about I come by later and take you to dinner?”
“That sounds…” I cleared the tight knot from my throat. “That sounds really great, but I should probably skip dinner. I have a ton of work to do, and I’ve been gone all day. I’ve got some deadlines to juggle.” And one very dead body.
Nick leaned in and stole a sweet, soft kiss that left me feeling even guiltier. I threw open the door and got out. Watched his car peel out of the driveway. He waved at Officer Roddy as he hurtled past his car.
Across the street, Mrs. Haggerty’s curtains were hemmed open, her white hair hovering like a specter behind the glass. I’d had enough of the woman. That was it. I was finally going to give her a piece of my mind.
Her curtain fell closed as I crossed the street, my low heels clicking as I stormed up her front steps.
“Mrs. Haggerty!” I banged on the door. “It’s Finlay Donovan, and I have something to say to you.”
I had just raised a hand to bang on it again when it flew open. The rush of warm air from inside threw me off-balance.
“It’s about time you came around.” Mrs. Haggerty glared up at me over the gold rims of her half-moon glasses, her tawny-rose lipstick wobbling outside the natural lines of her wrinkled scowl. Shewore too much rouge on her pasty cheeks, and her old-lady perfume was thick in my nose.
