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“That’s a helluva story, Elizabeth. You’re a born survivor.”
“So far, but with Dan down here on my trail…” she murmured, her voice trailing off as she thought about the man who had caused her so much heartache.
“You’ve got me now, remember?” Scott said reassuringly. “Looking back, do you have any theories about how the sports bag ended up unattended in the gym like that?”
“It must have been some kind of setup.”
“I agree, probably placed there for someone specific. Your partner was in the wrong place at the wrong time, depending on how you look at it.”
“It couldn’t have been left for him or me. We hardly ever went down there, but why am I still alive? Why didn’t the tracker lead Dan directly to me from the beginning? Come to think of it, why didn’t anyone show up at the safehouse near the mansion?”
Scott paused. “Elizabeth, how many times have you set a trap, then surveilled the perps when they took the bait?”
“All the time.”
“I suspect that’s what Conchello did, and is doing. For reasons I still haven’t figured out, he’s steering Dan toward you, but not giving him your exact whereabouts.”
“It’s so unnerving,” she said, shaking her head. “At least I’ll be able to breathe for a few days. Okay, Scott, I’ve told you who I am, now it’s your turn. What’s with this house? Come on, out with it.”
“I’m not quite finished. What prompted your visit here six months ago?”
“Sorry, I haven’t told you. Conchello sent me to scout out secluded coves and beaches. He wanted to use this area for trafficking, which he’s doing, by the way.”
“And why did you choose to come back here? Besides seeing me, of course,” he added with the hint of a grin.
“Well, there are several reasons. I was hoping to disappear on your catamaran. It had my tracker on the hull, and Jim would know where I was. I had my phone too, but you pulled out the sim card. Now both the tracker is gone and my phone is offline. He has no idea where I am. I’m sure he’s worried sick.”
“You can email him from here. What else?”
“I knew Conchello had set up a base on one of those islands you showed me, and I’m pretty sure he’s laundering money down here. I had this crazy idea I might be able to nab the bastard. I sure as hell didn’t expect Dan to show up. I’d taken that beach house because you were off sailing and I had to wait until you got back. As soon as you did, I hightailed it to the dock.”
“That all makes sense,” he muttered. “One last question. Why did your boss want you to bring the money?”
“I was going to use it to suss out Conchello’s laundering activities, though it was a long shot. Is that it?”
“That’s it.”
“Great, now tell me about you.”
“I was in the Navy, played around in special ops for a while, and now I’m working against organized crime.”
“And this place?”
“It’s a safehouse.”
“Short and sweet, huh,” she quipped. “That’s all you’re going to tell me? Not which agency you’re with?”
“Not at the moment, but there is something I want to mention about Dan Miller. Why do you think I put that wad of money with the tracker in his room?”
“Uh, to stop whoever is tracking it from finding me, and I assume that would be Conchello.”
“That’s only part of it,” he said, lowering his voice. “Elizabeth, when the tracker leads to Dan’s hotel room, Conchello will assume the money’s there. When Dan doesn’t report finding it, what do you think will happen?”
Elizabeth frowned, then rolled her eyes. “Ooh, that won’t be pretty. That won’t be pretty at all.”
The mood in the private jet was somber.
Sonny Conchello didn’t hide his emotions.
