“I think it obvious, Dillon-san.”
“Then if we find York, his only last known contact, we may find Nash, that’s your reasoning?”
“Correct.”
“Look, we’re chasing our tails here,” said Temple. “They have both vanished from the face of the earth.”
Steers said, “Not entirely true. While Mr. Nash has come close to achieving that status, Mr. York has a condo here in town and there is also his business facility, which you searched, but long ago. He has financial accounts, friends, and clients. These may furnish new leads.” She glanced at Nash. “You can vet and bring in new security to assist Thura in protecting me, my mother, and the estate. I want you and Mr. Temple to focus full-time on finding Walter Nash. And failure is not something that I will countenance in this matter, to make myself perfectly clear.”
Temple looked confused. “Why do you need a new security team?”
Steers glanced at Nash and nodded appreciatively. “I see you did not tell him. That was good. But I will.” She turned to Temple. “I had a traitor in the ranks. He attempted to kill me. Dillon-san saved my life. The rest of my security team was slaughtered. Dillon-san and Thura are all that remain.”
“Jesus,” exclaimed Temple. “There was nothing in the news about that.”
“I know. If I had died, no doubt it would have been newsworthy.” Steers leaned forward and said, “I have given you more flexibility on this matter than was good for either you or me. But now accountability will be applied. Do you understand me?”
“I understand you,” said Temple meekly. “You have made it crystal clear, Ms. Steers.”
“Then you may go. Dillon-san will be in touch shortly with next steps.”
Temple rose and quickly exited the room.
Nash said, “Why the sudden interest in Walter Nash?”
“I believe I just revealed my reasoning. Did you find a fallacy therein?”
“No. But you have a lot going on, what with your business partners, your mother, almost being killed. I just wondered why this floated back to the top.”
“Your job is not to wonder, it is to execute my orders. You will follow up the leads I mentioned pertaining to Mr. York.”
“Of course.” Nash paused, sensing an opportunity, a risky one. “You do raise an interesting point about Nash: Why not just come out of hiding and accept everyone’s apologies?”
“He is working with the FBI. It is the only explanation.”
“No, I think there’s another one.”
She looked up from her iPad. “Such as?”
“Well, you set him up and ruined his life. Yes, he was exonerated from all that, his innocence established, his reputation intact. But there’s one thing that you took from Nash that he cannot get back.”
“And what is that?”
Nash took a moment to steel himself. “His daughter. You took his daughter. Now, I don’t have children, but if I had? Well, I can’t imagine a more powerful incentive for revenge.”
She said slowly, “So. . .you believe Walter Nash has gone underground because he wants to kill me to avenge his child?”
“And now that you’re back in his hometown you just made yourself an easier target.”
“Perhaps I have,” she said in a way that Nash did not quite understand.
“And if we find Nash—”
She interjected, “Whenyou find him.”
“When we find him, what do we do with him?”
“You will bring him to me.”
