"Did you know I was coming to Westbridge today?"
The question seemed to catch him off guard.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
Emily nodded.
"Then I wonder who told Lieutenant Hayes."
Wallace didn't respond.
She left the office.
Outside, Laura was waiting.
She approached immediately.
"Emily, we have a problem."
"What now?"
"Thomas Bell's vehicle has been found."
"Where?"
"At an abandoned service road near the river."
"Was he inside?"
"No."
Emily's stomach tightened.
"Any signs of a struggle?"
Laura hesitated.
"Yes."
Marcus came out of the office.
"What happened?"
Laura lowered her voice.
"There was blood on the passenger-side door. The windshield is cracked. The driver's seat belt was cut."
Emily closed her eyes briefly.
"Bell."
"We don't know yet."
"Did the local police secure the scene?"
Laura looked at Marcus.
"They arrived first."
Marcus's expression darkened.
"Who authorized them?"
"Chief Wallace."
Emily turned toward the chief's office.
"He knew."
Marcus held up a hand.
"Don't jump to conclusions."
"But why would he send local officers to a scene connected to our investigation before contacting us?"
"That's exactly what we're going to find out."
Laura's phone vibrated.
She looked at the screen.
Then her face changed.
"What?"
She turned the device toward Marcus.
A message had arrived from one of the federal agents monitoring the service road.
It contained a photograph.
The image showed a dark blue pickup truck parked beside the river.
The driver's door was open.
On the ground, near the rear tire, was a small object.
A black leather wallet.
Emily immediately recognized it.
"That's Bell's."
Marcus enlarged the image.
"Can we identify the location?"
Laura nodded.
"Yes. Three miles north of the storage facility."
Marcus gave an instruction.
"Secure the area. Nobody touches anything until our team arrives."
He turned toward Emily.
"We're going."
The service road was quiet.
Tall grass covered the edges, and the river moved slowly beneath an old concrete bridge.
The blue pickup was parked at an angle near a line of trees.
Its front bumper was damaged.
The driver's door hung open.
A dark stain marked the ground near the passenger side.
Emily approached carefully, wearing protective gloves.
She recognized the truck.
It belonged to Thomas Bell.
Laura examined the vehicle.
"The interior has been searched."
Emily looked inside.
The glove compartment was open.
The center console had been emptied.
A folder lay torn on the floor.
Someone had been looking for something.
"Where's the wallet?" Marcus asked.
An investigator pointed toward the rear tire.
They found it lying in the grass.
Inside were Bell's driver's license, several receipts, and a folded photograph of a young woman with a little girl.
Emily picked up the photograph carefully.
On the back was a handwritten message.
For Dad. Love, Emma.
Emily looked at it for a moment.
"Does he have a daughter?"
Laura nodded.
"One daughter. Emma Bell. She's twelve."
Emily looked toward the river.
A terrible thought crossed her mind.
If Bell had been abducted, his daughter might be in danger.
She turned toward Marcus.
"We need to find his family."
"We'll send someone."
"Immediately."
Marcus nodded.
Laura made the call.
Meanwhile, investigators examined the vehicle.
They discovered a small amount of blood on the passenger-side door handle and a damaged mobile phone beneath the driver's seat.
The screen was broken.
But the device had not been completely destroyed.
One technician carefully removed it.
"Could be recoverable."
Emily looked toward the truck.
"Did anyone see him arrive here?"
A nearby agent shook his head.
"Not yet. But we're checking traffic cameras."
Marcus studied the area.
"Why bring him here?"
Emily thought for a moment.
"Maybe they wanted to scare him."
"Or silence him."
She looked at the river.
"Either way, they wanted something."
"What?"
"The ledger."
Marcus nodded.
"And the flash drive."
Emily turned toward him.
"Have we examined it?"
"Not yet. It's being processed at the federal office."
She checked her watch.
5:26 p.m.
The day had become a nightmare.
But she had a feeling the worst was still ahead.
At 5:41 p.m., Marcus received another call.
He listened carefully.
Then he looked toward Emily.
"We found something."
"What?"
"An email from Hayes to Brooks."
"About what?"
"Your arrest."
Emily frowned.
"How?"
Marcus showed her the message.
It had been sent at 1:56 p.m., seventeen minutes before Brooks arrived at the storage facility.
The subject line read:
SUBJECT PRESENT AT FACILITY — STOP HER FROM LEAVING
Emily read it twice.
The body contained only one sentence.
Make sure she doesn't leave with Bell.
She looked up.
"That's why he stopped me."
Marcus nodded.
"He knew you were there."
"How?"
"We don't know yet."
"Was there another message?"
Marcus scrolled down.
There was an attachment.
A photograph.
It showed Emily sitting inside her silver sedan outside the storage facility.
The picture had been taken from across the street.
Emily recognized the angle.
Someone had been watching her before the officers arrived.
The sender had known exactly where she was.
And Brooks had received the instruction.
Emily felt a cold sensation move through her chest.
"Marcus, this wasn't a random stop."
"No."
"It was coordinated."
"Yes."
"And Hayes was directing him."
"That's what it looks like."
Emily looked toward the distant road.
"Then Brooks wasn't acting alone."
Marcus placed the phone back in his pocket.
"We'll establish that."
She shook her head.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"The chief knew Hayes was supposedly at a conference. If Hayes was actually here, someone had to cover for him."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"And the conference records will tell us who."
Laura approached.
"We've got the attendance confirmation."
Marcus looked at her.
"Go ahead."