I took Buddy out for a walk, then JD and I grabbed lunch at Diver Down. We caught up with Teagan and filled our bellies.
Isabella called me back as we were finishing up.
"That was quick.”
“Well, the file header was corrupted. The video data was there, but the index that tells the player how to read it was damaged.There was also some signal loss, which caused encoding errors. I tried to rebuild the container, but it didn’t work. I’m going to see if I can pull individual frames, but it’s gonna take time.”
"Thanks. I appreciate the effort.”
She said she’d be in touch and ended the call.
I filled Jack in, and we came up with another game plan. We had to move forward on the assumption that we might never recover the data. Maybe it was time to play bad cop.
I called Zoe. “I’ve got a mission for you.”
43
Igrabbed a burner from the store, then headed to Zoe’s apartment. We picked her up and drove the van to a parking lot that didn't have security cameras. From there, I instructed her to call Richard Pearson.
A deputy couldn’t make the call, or I would have recruited Denise. That would have opened a legal can of worms. I didn’t want to hand a defense attorney an argument for entrapment or inducement to commit a crime. We were definitely pushing the boundaries.
Zoe put it on speaker.
The receptionist at Richard’s firm answered in a cheery voice. “Pearson Ventures, how may I direct your call?"
"I need to speak with Richard Pearson, please,” Zoe said.
"May I tell him who's calling?"
"Riley Reynolds.”
I figured that would get Pearson's attention.
The receptionist put Zoe on hold for a moment, then Pearson picked up the phone. "I don't know who this is, but it isn't funny.”
"I'm glad you're in agreement, because this is dead serious.”
I think she had his attention.
"Who is this?”
"Who I am is not really important. What I haveis?”
Pearson was silent for a moment. "What do you have?”
"I'm so glad you asked. You and I both know how Riley Reynolds died. I have drone footage. I can show it to you if you'd like. Or I can show it to the police. It's amazing what these high-definition cameras will capture these days. Especially in low light. The way she was strangled on your bed. I felt like I was almost in the room when it happened. Footage like this would certainly be enough to convict."
“So you’re the person who’s been making these accusations?”
“No. I’m the person who’s been watching you. Recording you.”
“If you had any real evidence, the police would be knocking down my door with a warrant.”
"At first, I thought about going straight to the police and handing this over to them. Then I thought, what's in it for me? You’re a rich and powerful man. This is an opportunity too good to pass up.”
"You think I can be blackmailed?” he said in a hushed tone that was almost a dare.
"I know you can be blackmailed. I know Riley was doing it. All those funds you embezzled. Pumping up worthless companies, taking investments, siphoning off funds, cooking the books. From what I can tell, you’re running a helluva Ponzi scheme. The last thing you need is a scandal like this to break.”
