Jane stared at the spreadsheets. “One of our cyber specialists was telling me about blockchains and cold wallets.”
Curt smiled. “Great stuff. That’s also what I wanted to tell you. Dave Duvall, Jim Duvall’s brother, knew a lot more about their assets than he first let on. Apparently, the safe was missinga few things.”
“Yeah, I figured that.”
“He mentioned the emergency cash and some hard drives. But he came in today to let us know about a missing notebook.”
The one she’d found behind the painting came to mind. “Is ‘notebook’ technospeak for something digital? Or are we talking about an actual paper notebook?”
“The paper kind. According to Dave, the notebook has the whereabouts of the cold wallet Jim kept in a separate facility for safekeeping.”
“Awesome. So we can track?—”
“Hold that thought, because Jim had given said cold wallet to Dave a few days ago, worried about security at that facility.”
Jane’s pulse raced. “Dave has the cold wallet?”
“No. I do.” Curt’s face fell as he withdrew a security folder and dumped out what looked like a melted credit card. “Unfortunately, someone else stole it from Dave’s house—meaning they knew he had it. They took the time to melt it then left it on his kitchen counter. That’s what brought him in today.”
“He’s here?”
Curt nodded. “And freaked the heck out that the killer knows where he lives.”
“I need to talk to him.”
“Figured you would. We have him in an interview room.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Detective Ryan’s with him. Hold on.” Curt made a quick call. “Detective Ryan will meet you at the third door down the hall.”
“Thanks, Curt.” Jane stood but paused. “So all the money that’s missing. How much are we talking?”
“At last count? Twenty-two million.”
“Wow.”
“I know.” He sighed. “We really need our expert on this. Every time Betty digs deeper, she finds gold. She was getting somewhere with the family’slawyer, too.”
“Great job on this. Too bad we can’t see what was in the cold wallet.”
“Not with what they did to it. But you can have the melted remains. Figured you’d want it anyway. The chain of custody form is ready for you.”
“Thanks, Curt. I owe you one.”
He blushed again.
She joined Detective Ryan, who stood outside the interview room door. He’d been running the investigation from the beginning and gave off a no-nonsense vibe she appreciated.
The older guy resembled a tank, built like a square with broad shoulders and massive thighs. He had to be nearing retirement but obviously hadn’t let age stop him from hitting the gym.
His dark eyes crinkled into a smile when he spotted her. “Agent Cannon. Have I got a treat for you.”
Chapter 8
“Thanks,Detective. So he came in on his own?”
Detective Ryan nodded. “Said he found his brother’s hard drive melted and sitting on his kitchen counter. He thinks the killer is now fixated on him and wanted us to know before he left the country. He’s planning to take an extended vacation in France.” Ryan sighed. “Must be nice.”
