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Meridian Administrative Solutions was a legitimate business on paper, it held contracts with several medical practices in Missouri and neighboring states, and Devon had been right to question its involvement.
Several suspicious payments had passed through accounts associated with Meridian. It wasn’t enough to prove wrongdoing, but enough to warrant a closer look.
“Here’s what bothers me.” Draven turned his laptop toward Blake. “The company’s been around nine years. Clean corporate filings. Nothing that screams criminal enterprise.”
“Except the money.”
His teammate nodded. “Except the money.”
Emmett stood behind them as the three men used Draven’s office for further research.
Their team leader leaned closer to study the screen. “Who owns it?”
“We’re still working through the paperwork,” Draven answered. “But it’s registered to a holding company.”
“Keep digging,” Emmett ordered. “But do it legally. Anything we find needs to hold up if Boone ends up taking this to the prosecutor.”
Blake nodded. The last thing they needed was evidence getting thrown out because somebody got careless.
His phone rang. He looked at the screen before holding it up for the others to see.
“Speaking of . . .” Blake put the call on speaker. “Hey, Boone. I’ve got you on speaker with Brown and Shaw. Tell us you got something good.”
“Hey, guys,” Lincoln greeted them. “It’s not as much as I’d hoped for, but it’s a start. We cross-referenced the SUV’s partial plate with the vehicle description. It led us to a rental company in St. Louis. The reservation was made using a stolen identity, fake license, and a prepaid card.”
Draven muttered a curse under his breath.
“Surveillance?” Blake asked.
“We’re collecting it, but there’s something else,” the D.C. detective explained. “The SUV was recovered this morning.”
Blake’s pulse jumped. “What? Where?”
And why the hell hadn’t the guy led with that?
“We found it abandoned behind a warehouse in northeast D.C.”
“Anything inside?” Emmett jumped back in.
“Nothing useful,” Lincoln answered. But then, “Other than the damage on the rear bumper.”
Finally. Something tangible.
“Hey, listen.” Blake leaned toward the phone. “Claire, our new office manager, shared something interesting, too.”
He quickly explained the stranger who’d visited the office the morning before.
“Send me everything,” Lincoln replied. “I’ll come by this afternoon to review the lobby footage.”
“Already pulling it,” Blake informed him. “We’ll let you know if we get anything useful.”
Lincoln wrapped up the call. “Sounds good. I’ll be in touch.”
He ended the call.
Blake leaned back in his chair, feeling a tad lighter than before. The case was finally moving. Not fast, but at least it was moving.
He, Emmett, and Draven were going through the lobby footage a few minutes later when Emmett’s phone began to ring.
