“Yes, I do.” I grin and move to straddle him. “That’s exactly what I need.”
After a lot of tossing and turning, Tully and I give up and go to the kitchen for coffee. It’s just after six. We look at the lake until our mugs are empty and the light has shifted from gray to something approaching gold. The house starts waking up.
We filled everyone in when we got back to the house last night.
Grandma Donna walks in first. “Good morning,” she says, surprised to see us. “I’d hoped you’d get some sleep.”
“It was a short night,” Tully says.
Then Everett comes in and pours himself coffee and leans against the counter. “Morning.”
Grandma Nancy arrives at 7:15 in a robe that is magnificent. She starts making breakfast, and I don’t think that I’m hungry until I start eating. Marcus calls at 9:47 a.m.
We’re all in the living room by then. Everett is in his chair, and Goldie and Milo are next to him. Kevin starts barking until he realizes it’s Noah walking in, and then he twirls as fast as he can. Dahlia sits on the couch next to me, and Dylan is on the floor, leaning against the couch. Tully’s standing by the window—he’s having a hard time staying still. Chloe and Grayson play nearby, and Bill has decided he loves me and is curled up in my lap. I think I need a dog.
Tully’s phone rings. He looks at the screen, then at me.
“Marcus,” he says.
The room goes quiet.
He answers it and puts it on speaker, and we all turn to listen closely.
“Hey, Marcus,” Tully says. “I’m with my family, and I’ve got you on speaker. Talk to me.”
“The FBI Minneapolis field office received our package this morning,” Marcus says. “Financial crimes division. They’ve been looking at Crestline Asset Management forseveral months as part of a broader investigation. Our package gave them what they needed to move.”
“Really?” Tully looks at me, his eyes bright.
“Daniel was contacted by federal agents this morning,” Marcus says. “His accounts have been frozen pending investigation. His agent certification has been suspended pending investigation. He’s retained a criminal defense attorney.” He chuckles. “He’s not going to the journalist, Tully. He has more pressing matters to worry about.”
“What about the other people he did this to?” I ask.
“The FBI is aware of the pattern,” Marcus says. “The package includes Wade’s documentation on the other tenants and the other debt arrangements. This is not going to be a narrow case.”
“And Northmark?” Tully says.
“The associated accounts are frozen,” Marcus says. “We’re going to work to get the money back, Tully. All of it. It won’t be fast, and it won’t be simple, but I’m going to do my best.”
Tully closes his eyes briefly and opens them, letting out a long exhale.
“Did you give them what you had on Granger?” he asks quietly.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Marcus says carefully. “They’re aware of the connection. But Daniel Crewe is the target of this action. We have more on him. But we’ll get there with Bruce. Trust me. Wade is fired up now. There’s no stopping when he gets like this. You’ve seen how he operates—he won’t let this rest.”
“Okay,” Tully says. “Yeah. I think you’re right. Thank you, Marcus. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“I’m so glad we’re closer to getting this resolved. I’ll bein touch as things develop. You’re going to start hearing things publicly within the next few hours.”
“Okay, we’ll brace ourselves,” Tully says, giving me a half smile.
When he hangs up, he looks at his family.
“It’s done,” he says.
Nobody says anything for a moment.
Then Everett says, “Thank God for that.”
