She glanced away, wishing reality didn’t always have to intrude. “I think my case is connected to the Rook.”
He froze, staring at her. Then his brows drew close, his intensity impossible to miss. “Tell me everything. Don’t leave a single detail out.”
Chapter 15
Jane wentover the facts her investigation had uncovered, paying particular attention to David Duvall and his mention of ravens.
“It’s thin, but it tracks.” Matthew scowled.
“Can you tell me how you found out about this Rook character? What it means?”
“I’m not sure yet. But you mentioned the Collective. That I can tell you about.”
Jane waited. Matthew ran a hand through his hair, and she heard his frustration when he said, “You hear about conspiracy theories all the time. This group or that group is pulling the strings, voting one way or another, corrupting fair trade, fair policy. But Jane, I’ve been hearing things.”
“How? Where?”
“I’d rather not say where, but I overheard mention of some exchanges that didn’t make much sense to me. Until I saw government policies changing. Things in the Bureau. Rules our mayor is implementing.”
“Seriously? Do you have specifics?”
“Nothing I can definitely prove, but I’m paying attentionnow like I wasn’t before. And the name ‘the Collective’ has come up a few times. When you mentioned you found that name at the house of one of the murdered families, it made me look deeper.” He paused. “You said you unearthed a notebook at the latest crime scene?”
“I did. It listed several prominent names. Three of the murdered families were on it.”
“It’s obviously connected.”
“I agree. But where does Rook come in? And why would David Duvall hint without plainly stating his brother’s involvement? If that’s what he was talking about. For all I know, it might have been Karen Duvall with ties to Rook. To him? Her? What is this rook, Matthew?”
“I keep hearing about a mastermind behind a lot of crime, especially in the Pacific Northwest. It’s sophisticated. We’re not talking smash and grabs. We’re talking heists of millions. No trace of the perpetrators. These aren’t victimless crimes, but they’re at such a high level that it takes weeks and months of audits to prove money’s missing.”
“White collar crime?”
“Yes and no. I can’t prove it, but I think Rook is the person behind the thefts and murders of high-profile individuals.”
“Like the Duvalls, Coatneys, and Strands?”
He frowned. “Yes. But I’m not sure why Rook is targeting the Collective. I had thought he was behind the Collective at first, a part of a shadowy organization. But if this individual is behind their murders, then I’m confused at motivation.”
“How do you know the Collective exists? I didn’t until I found the notebook. You said you heard about it?”
Matthew stood and started pacing in the small confines of the patio. He didn’t have much room to move, but that didn’t stop him from trying to work off nervous energy.
Jane frowned. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t think so. I think…” After a moment, he stopped and stared down at her. “I need to trust someone. Can I trust you, Jane?”
Taken aback, she nodded. “Of course.”
He sighed. “I think my family might have something to do with the Collective. Not that they’re a part of it, but that they might know something about it. My father has a lot of pull, and my mother’s connection to Grandfather’s company?—”
“Raleway Tech. The Rupert fortune.”
He nodded. “I wouldn’t put it past my grandfather to be involved in some diabolical consortium. Nelson Rupert is all about power, wealth, and keeping it all within the one percent.”
“So you have suspicions but nothing you can prove or go forward with without involving your family—who may or may not be involved.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “The Collective is speculation with regard to my family, but we know it’s real because you found that notebook at the Strand house.”
