The train gave a jolt and picked up speed. Devine craned his neck back, but he couldn’t see anything.
The man next to him said, “Damn, man, was that a body in the pool? Please don’t tell me it was the bikini gal.”
Devine didn’t answer. His heart was racing so fast he thought he might be sick.
He took out his phone and punched in Montgomery’s number.
Come on, come on. Shit, please, please answer your phone. Don’t be dead, Michelle. Don’t—
It went to voice mail. He tried again. Same thing. He texted her and awaited a reply. Nothing. He went online and scanned the news about a body’s being found at Brad Cowl’s house.
There was nothing.
When the train pulled into the next station he jumped up and ran out the opening doors. He hoofed it outside the station and grabbed the first cab he saw. He gave the address and tried calling her the whole way.
By the time the cab dropped him off he had no hope left. Why did she come back here?
The area was blocked off, so Devine joined a group of other gawkers in front of the house. A black van waited, presumably for the body. Police were everywhere, keeping people away and securing the crime scene.
A sedan pulled up, and Ekman and Shoemaker climbed out. Devine ran over to them. “I saw them pulling a body out of the pool when we passed by on the train. Is it... is it...?”
His phone dinged. He looked down as every bit of breath in his body left him.
Sorry, I was asleep and didn’t hear the phone. Everything okay?
It was from Montgomery. She was alive.
He looked up at the detectives.
“Come with us, Devine,” said Shoemaker.
They led him through the perimeter by flashing their badges.
People were gathered around the pool surround, where a body lay under a sheet. Activity was swirling everywhere as police personnel looked for clues and collected evidence.
The NYPD detectives and Devine stopped in front of a plain-clothes man from the county.
“Figured you guys needed to know because of the connection,” the man said.
“Let’s see it,” said Ekman.
The sheet was lifted, and Devine found himself looking down at a very drowned and very dead Christian Chilton.
Chapter69
Shoemaker gave Devine a ride to the station while his partner stayed behind.
“Did Chilton die by drowning?”
“Yes and no.”
Devine looked at him curiously. “You want to try that again?”
“There was water in his lungs, which means he did officially die by drowning. But he had blunt force trauma wounds on his head.”
“Which means someone knocked him out and tossed him into the water, where he drowned?”
“Right.”
“Anybody see anything?”
“Staff had been given the evening off last night.” He looked at Devine. “By the girlfriend, Michelle Montgomery. But you knew that because you were there. Anything you can tell me?”
Devine told them about their seeing Chilton last night. “If I had to speculate, after our encounter, Chilton went to Cowl’s to see what the hell was going on. And we saw how Cowl responded.”
“But we have no proof Cowl was even there.”
“Then we have to keep digging,” replied Devine. “Because, by my count, the man is now involved in five murders.”
“You and your higher-up friends ever going to come clean on this at some point?”
Devine snapped, “Look, if it was up to me, I already would have. But even though I’m no longer in uniform, I’m trained to follow orders. So that’s how it’s going to be. If and when that changes, you’ll be the first to know.”
Later, Devine took the train into the city after calling Campbell and filling him in on this recent development. He then arranged to meet with Montgomery at a diner around the corner from her walk-up. He figured there was no sense in going in to work today. Not with the firm’s founder a probable murderer and on the run.
She was standing outside the diner looking tired, her features puffy and her hair still tousled from sleep. She gave him a warm smile. But when she saw his grim features, she blurted out, “What’s happened?”
“Let’s go inside,” he said quietly.
They got coffees, and he took her hand and told her about Chilton’s being found.
She grew pale and slumped forward, the tears sliding down her cheeks. “Oh my God,” she gasped.
He rubbed her arm and patted her hand. “I’m so sorry, Michelle. I know you two were friends. I just wish he had listened to us.”
She sat up and wiped her eyes. “You think Brad was involved?”
“You saw Chilton last night. We put the fear of God in him. I bet he called Cowl, arranged to meet, and ended up dead for his troubles. For now, you need to move out of the walk-up. Chilton might have told him about us, what we know. That makes both of us a liability. I can help you.”
She glanced up. “Where will I go? A hotel?”
Devine thought for a moment. “No, I’ll take you to my place. You can stay in my room, at least for tonight.”
“Your room?”
“I can sleep on the couch. But in the interim, I’ll contact Campbell and hopefully he can arrange more secure quarters for you.”
“Does this mean Brad did kill all those people?”
“Not necessarily. We have to keep the two cases both separate and together, as crazy as that sounds. Cowl is running a global money-laundering scheme. He’s in bed with some very dangerous people. But he also had a relationship with Stamos and wanted one with Sara. So if they found out about his scheme, what do you think would happen?”
“They would be killed, like Christian. And they killed Sara’s parents because they couldn’t risk them knowing something. But what about the emails you got? How do they tie in to Brad? Why would he send you those messages?”
“It doesn’t tie in to it, at all. Unless they’re trying to muddy the waters. But even that doesn’t make much sense.”
“Then there could be a separate killer out there?” she said.
“Yes, there could.”
She reached out and took his hand. “I’m really scared, Travis.”
He gripped her fingers. “There’s nothing wrong with being afraid. When people are in danger, they should be afraid. But you can’t let fear paralyze you, then you’re as good as dead.”
“I guess you learned that in the Army while fighting overseas?”
“I’ve also learned it all over again right here in good old New York.”
Chapter 70
“Dude?” said Valentine early that afternoon as Devine and Montgomery walked in the front door. Devine was hefting two large suitcases while Montgomery carried a smaller one.
“Hey, Will, this is Michelle.”
Valentine eyed Montgomery and smiled. He quickly stood from his usual perch on the couch and put out his hand. Montgomery set her bag down and shook it.
“Hello, Will.”
“Hello, Michelle,” said Valentine, giving Devine a look along with arched eyebrows. “That is lovely name.”
“Michelle is going to stay here for a bit, in my room.”
“Dude,” said Valentine with another shit-eating grin.
“While I sleep on the couch.”
“Oh, right,” said Valentine. “On couch.”
“Which means you have to sleep in your bed, at least for tonight,” said Devine.
This possibility apparently hadn’t occurred to Valentine. “Oh, okay,” he said, his smile fading.
If the Russian was aware that Helen Speers had been in his room, he certainly wasn’t showing it. For a security expert, he was lax about his own security, thought Devine.