“If Todd was compartmentalized, then the other guy wasn’t. He had to know more. He had to be trusted to some degree. Which means he’s either long-term crew… or he could be the planner.”
“And if Todd was expendable,” Ian said, “the planner won’t be.”
“Exactly.”
I clicked into a blank field and typed: Why keep Todd ignorant?
Ian leaned back. “To control him.”
“To silence him,” I countered.
“To limit damage if he’s caught,” Ian added.
“My dad also didn’t mention whether Todd described where he met the guy. Or how he was recruited. Or who approached who.”
Ian tilted his head slightly. “Maybe Todd hasn’t given that up yet.”
“Or maybe he has,” I said softly, “and it points somewhere closer than anyone wants to admit.”
That got Ian’s attention, but he didn’t immediately respond, the weight of what it might mean settling in.
“You think the guy could be local?” he asked.
“I think someone familiar enough that no one would pay him any mind,” I said. “Familiar enough to know the coming and going of folks. Familiar enough to know the workings of the bank.”
“That narrows things.”
“Not enough.”
Mo gave a low huff in his sleep.
Ian reached for my hand, lacing his fingers through mine without interrupting my train of thought.
“Whatever you’re building in that file,” he said, “build it carefully.”
“I always do.”
He squeezed my hand. “You don’t always stop when you should.”
I glanced at him. “Neither do you.”
A slow grin tugged at his mouth. “Fair enough.”
I looked back at the screen. “There is a missing piece but then there always is a missing piece. That one piece that lets the other pieces fall easily into place. And?—”
Ian chuckled and finished, “You intend to find it.”
CHAPTER 15
Main Street was doing its usual late-morning shuffle when I drove slowly down it, Mo riding in the backseat like he couldn’t wait to explore.
“You behave,” I warned, glancing in the mirror at him.
Mo huffed softly, offended at the implication.
“Eager to see friends and make new ones, are you?” I asked.
His tail thumped once against the seat.
