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“The way I see it, she’s giving you a shot to earn back her affection. Jump all over it.”
“Right,” I sighed. “It just feels off, you know?”
Jim chuckled. “Of course it feels off. You’re doing dirty work for her, and she’s aware of it this time.”
I grinned, “Well, even if this doesn’t get her back in my life, I’m happy to bury those assholes for what they’ve done to her.”
“Apparently, Adam hasn’t been giving her certain bonuses.”
“I suspected as much,” I answered. “All right, let’s get security and law enforcement on alert. We’ll need phone numbers from the dad and Adam from the PIs. Am I going to them or having them come to me?”
“You’re the killer, so it’s up to you,” Jim said as he stood from where he’d been leaning against his desk and walked around to his chair. “But I think having them come to you is a better move. You’re always more merciless when you’re in your element.”
After buttoning up a few loose ends, I began to organize how I wanted to go about this. I’d sent all my investigations to a close friend in the FBI, and after following up on it, they didn’t hesitate to take action. Indictments were being drawn up for wire fraud and tax evasion for the real estate agency, and those were just the beginning. Once the Feds got to the bottom of the money laundering scheme, there would undoubtedly be more to follow. It wouldn’t be long before they raided Adam’s office, and I anxiously awaited that.
I called in a favor with Captain Dufresne at the LAPD, and he agreed to have a pair of trusted homicide detectives look at Nat’s mother’s case. As suspected, it didn’t take them long to see the obvious trail of blood leading back to her father, and he and the people he’d paid off would need outstanding attorneys if they wanted to see daylight any time soon. My only request to Detectives Li and Mulvaney was that I be able to speak to her father before his arrest.
“Malcolm Hoover is here,” Monica announced.
“Send him in,” I answered.
It was strange to think the real estate company was being raided at this very moment, and good old Malcolm was none the wiser. I’m sure he had no idea why he was summoned to my office, but I was counting on the fact that a money launderer wouldn’t pass up a meeting with a billionaire. I was not disappointed. I did wonder if he questioned why there were so many security guards in the building, but even if he did, he didn’t know the half of it. Half a dozen police officers and a few Feds were waiting in Jim’s office, ready to haul his ass out of there.
“Mr. Monroe?” Nat’s dad said with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
He grinned at me as I flashed a fake smile. “Please, sit,” I said, waving my hand toward the leather chairs across my desk.
He unbuttoned his suit jacket and took a seat. “I have to say you have me at a disadvantage. I’d love to know why I’ve received the honor of your invitation to meet with you today.”
He was almost too much of a cliché. He was greasy and sweaty with the permanently flushed face and bulbous nose of a seasoned alcoholic. Nat had his eyes—although hers were much less beady—but that was about it. And even though he was wearing an expensive suit, he looked like a used car salesman. It was probably because the bullshit was oozing out of his pores.
I crossed the room to make myself and this dick a drink. “Would you care for a bourbon?”
A rhetorical question, obviously.
“I could go for a drink.”
I eyed him from over my shoulder, disliking the tone of his voice. The vibe I got from this guy was worse than I expected. I’d met a lot of shameful con artists in my day, but he was different. Something told me that murdering his wife, abusing his children, and laundering money was only a part of the horrible things he’d done.
I handed him the bourbon and walked around to sit behind my desk. I watched as he gulped the liquid down as if it were a cheap shot of hooch instead of Kentucky’s finest thirty-year-aged private reserve. “Thirsty?”
“This is some good stuff,” he said, eying his glass.
I nodded. “Well, you are in Jim Mitchell’s office, speaking with his VP, so it damn well better be good, right?”
“That’s right.” He took a sip and then sat back while I studied him. “Now, will you indulge me and explain what I can do for you?”
I thought I’d play with the man a little since my office was tapped and hidden cameras were everywhere, thanks to the Feds. My only concern was whether Natalia had chosen to come and listen to what her old man had to say. I was good at bleeding people for information, and while I wanted her to have closure, I didn’t want her to be traumatized in any way.
I had to remind myself that Nat was a big girl who could leave the room if she’d heard enough, though, and I couldn’t worry about her if I wanted to do this right.
“You seem like a very smart man, Mr. Hoover,” I started, clasping my hands together. “Why do you imagine a man like Jim Mitchell would want you in his office?”
I couldn’t tell if he looked excited or nervous, but there was a glint in his eye that was unmistakable, like he might’ve hit the jackpot by garnering Jim’s attention. “Well, I’m not sure.”
“Don’t play coy with me,” I offered my wolf grin, baiting him into my lie. “I think you know exactly why you’ve been called to meet with the VP of a billion-dollar conglomerate.”
“Mm-hm,” he said, staring at me with those shifty little eyes as though he were measuring me carefully. “And how can I trust you or Jim Mitchell?”
