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Jack had three missed calls from Daisy. Something was wrong. When he phoned her, it dropped instantly to voicemail, and he left a brief message. “This is Jack, returning your call.” He dialled Tanner next, but he didn’t pick up either. They were possibly talking to each other right now.
His phone beeped with an incoming call. This time, it was Juli. “Not made it to the coffee cart yet,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “Do you want something to go with it?”
“Jack. He’s here. Yanni. I just saw him.” She sounded spooked.
—the fuck? “Where?” He spun on his toes and gazed around the crowd. The lobby was busy with delegates coming and going. Nobody looked familiar. “Where are you? Where did you see him?” And then, after a beat— “Are you sure?”
“I’m in the trade hall, trying to find Jordan. I saw Yanni from the dining room. He was getting in a lift. I called you right away, but your phone was busy. And yes, I’m positive it was him. Thanks for doubting me.”
The hint of snark in her voice would normally make him smile, but he was too angry with himself for that. He took his eye off the ball for three minutes and missed the fucker.
Jack blew out a tight breath. He’d kick himself later. He needed to stay cool and figure out where the fuck Yanni went. The conference was taking place on the top floor of a six-storey hotel, so it was a good guess that his quarry was on his way to the exit. And since Jack was in the lobby, he was well placed. There were three banks of elevators around a central atrium. He circled them, checking the floor numbers on display, while calling Tanner at the same time. None appeared to be going express to the ground floor, but two of them were already here and about to go back up.
Tanner picked up, and Jack launched right into it. “Yanni’s at the venue. Juli saw him. Any idea how soon our backup team will be here?”
“Jean-Luc and Darcy just arrived in Wellington. I’ll divert them, to meet you at the hotel. In the meantime, Daisy’s had a text from the stalker. She’s pretty freaked out, but Aiden’s at the house with her, and Callum is with me and Alex’s group.”
“Shit.”
“Yup. We’ll be there in a couple hours. Cellphone reception sucks on this road, so if you need me, leave a message.” Tanner disconnected.
Another elevator was about to arrive in the lobby, and Jack positioned himself where he had a good view of the occupants. Two young women emerged, but that was all.
God damn it. If Jack’d been quicker to get down here, he might have intercepted Yanni. Punching something hard was an attractive idea but pointless.
Jordan called him next. “Juli said he was wearing a conference lanyard, so he must have checked in. We’re pulling up the lists of attendees, to see if we can identify him.”
“Okay. There’s no sign of him downstairs. I’ll talk to the main desk and try to get access to that CCTV. Keep Juli with you.” Frustration leaked into his words. Maybe Jordan would do a better job of guarding her than Jack had.
Thanks to Jack’s liaising with the hotel security team during the setup yesterday, they were quick to respond to his request for camera footage from the lobby and the conference areas. He’d review it later, to find what time Yanni arrived and where he’d been. For now, he wanted to see if the guy was caught leaving.
Of course Yanni wouldn’t make it easy to find him. There was no direct view of his face or profile, but three people had left in the last ten minutes, who were strong possibilities.
The first wore a peaked cap that obscured his face. The second had a phone pressed to his ear and his hand acting as a shield. The third held a newspaper at the wrong angle in every camera shot, bar one.
“Come on,” murmured Jack. “Show yourself.”
The camera on the main exit caught him as he stepped out onto a crowded sidewalk.
“Gotcha.” His triumph was short-lived. Because of the positions of the cameras, there was little other information of use. The conference lanyard was visible, but his business suit made him blend with ease into the throng of corporate attendees. Jack had fucked up.
He checked that the lobby staff and security team had current mugshots of Yanni and Jack’s phone number, in case Yanni returned to the conference. There was nothing to waste by being thorough.
He returned to the top floor. The need to see Juli, to make sure she was okay, burned in him.
He found Jordan’s team huddled around a table in one of the breakout rooms. They were comparing pictures online with the images of Yanni and checking them off against a printed list.
“Hey,” said Jack from the doorway, his gaze seeking Juli. She looked pale, but determined. “You doing okay?”
She nodded. “We’re cross-matching the registered delegates against their online profiles, and then crossing them off if we recall speaking to them. There are over two-hundred people here today, but we can narrow down the list in hopes of finding what identity he was using.”
“It helps that a large part of today has been spent talking to them,” said Jordan. “We’ve been asking about their tech needs and planning follow-up sessions. It’ll take some time, but we’ll reduce the list to a manageable size.”
It was a good idea, and the anger simmering inside Jack was soothed a fraction. They were doing something positive. Until they had more, he was kicking his heels and getting in the way.
He found a quiet spot and made some calls. To Aiden, to brief him on the latest development, and to Daisy to check in with her. He was fond of Daisy, and pissed at the idea of her being frightened. They needed to cut a break soon, either on the stalker or on Yanni.
The arrival of their backup team was good news. He met the two guys at the reception desk, and took them upstairs to meet Jordan’s group.
“This is Jean-Luc, aka Lucky, and Darcy.” They’d all served together in the Marines, though not in the same squads, and Jack trusted them completely.
Jordan introduced his people. Hands were shaken, and names exchanged.
Lucky spoke to Juli, and Jack only caught the last word, Francais?
“Mais oui,” she replied, and Lucky unleashed a torrent of French.
Jack had zero idea what his buddy was saying, but he was flirting, judging by the gallant kiss on the back of Juli’s hand, and the bubble of laughter between them. He narrowed his eyes at Lucky. That shit was gonna stop here.
His blood pressure spiked when Juli flirted right back. Or did she? She might have been telling Lucky the weather forecast, for all Jack knew.
Get a grip. He needed to start thinking with his head, and not his dick. All the same, he despatched Lucky to the house, to meet up with Aiden and Daisy, while Darcy stayed at the hotel. The logistics were getting complicated.
*
Daisy felt much better. Aiden stayed with her all day. With the stalker getting more insistent, the last thing she wanted was to be home alone. As soon as everyone was home, they’d gather together, to talk about the text that Daisy received.
Alex stomped into the lounge, Sylvie holding his hand. “We’ve had another email today. What the fuck is it with this bastard? I want this to be over.”
Daisy could sympathize with his anger and frustration. She’d bet money that Sylvie was as upset as Daisy had been, and that was why Alex was letting off steam.
“We’ll sort this out.” Tanner sounded sincere. “Our experts in Houston are working on it, along with some of Aiden’s techs. They’re trying to pull apart the coding, to trace the location of the sender. It’s a matter of time. There’s extra manpower, to make sure Callum has round-the-clock surveillance. We’ve installed additional cameras outside, and passive infrared detectors in his room.”
Alex nodded. He guided Sylvie to a seat, before leaning against the wall behind her. “I’ll read the latest one. Same sender as before.”
Dearest AJ.
Why didn’t you keep Sam’s ring for his son? I can make sure he has plenty of memories of his father, when he comes to live with
ME
Daisy shivered. It wasn’t cold by any means, but she was scared all over again.
“I’m confused,” said Sylvie. “What ring?”
“Dad died when I was twenty-one,” replied Alex. “Sam had just turned nineteen. Dad was ill for a long time, with lung cancer, and Mum gave us both keepsakes to remember him by. She gave me his gold watch, and Sam took his gold half-sovereign ring. It became one of his most treasured possessions.” He paused, as though gathering his thoughts. “When Sam died, I buried the ring with him. It didn’t seem right to keep it, and at the time, I had no idea he’d fathered Callum.”
Aiden spoke up. “So how many people would know about it?”
“Hardly anyone. The good news is that the list of potential stalkers narrows down. But it also means it’s someone who knows me well. Someone I might not expect to do this.”
Dear God, that was even worse than it being a stranger. When Daisy started working for Alex and Sylvie, they warned her that the fans could be weird, but she didn’t expect anything like this.
“There are a few things that spring to mind immediately,” said Aiden. “Callum is never referred to by name, so perhaps the stalker doesn’t know it. Then, the emails were addressed to Dearest AJ, so it seems more likely that the sender is a woman. You haven’t received any text messages, so she probably doesn’t have your phone number. And yes, it’s likely that she knows you well enough to know about the details of Sam’s funeral. Or she was there.”
He turned to Daisy. “Let’s consider how she got your phone number. Who knows that you work for Alex? Do you keep a Facebook or Instagram account or a blog somewhere?”
She’d been expecting this and managed to talk confidently, without her voice disappearing into a squeak. “I’ve got a Facebook account that I use to keep in touch with my friends, but I don’t tell anyone that I work for Alex. As far as my friends and family are concerned, I work for a businessman who travels abroad a lot. Something in import-export.”
All eyes were on her. She hated that. “My friends and family have my phone number. I don’t give it out routinely, and it most definitely isn’t listed anywhere on Facebook. You can check.”
Aiden nodded. “I’ll do that anyway, but I’m sure it’s fine.” He turned to Alex next. “So, Alex, who has your email address?”
“Hardly anyone. Syl and I use this as a shared account, but we’ve already gone through a list of everyone with Jack and Tanner, and I’m confident the names are secure.”
“In that case, can you give me a list of names of everyone that attended Sam’s funeral?”
Alex flinched. “I’ll need to talk to Frankie. He made all the arrangements. I wasn’t in the best shape when Sam died. To be blunt, I was completely off my head at the funeral. I can hardly remember it.”
“Do you recall anyone there? As a starting point?” Aiden’s voice was gentle.
Daisy had seen the headlines about Sam’s death, the accidental overdose in a hotel room while on tour. It was amazing Alex had been strong enough to carry on playing, without his brother. In his shoes, Daisy would have wanted nothing to do with the music biz after that.
“Charlie and Mick, obviously,” Alex continued. “Frankie. Some of the roadies—they were Sam’s drinking buddies—and Celia, his now dead girlfriend. Hang on,” he frowned, and turned to Jordan. “Do you hear anything of Marianne these days?”
Huh? “Marianne who?” Daisy didn’t realise she’d spoken aloud until Alex replied.
He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “Frankie’s got two daughters, Marianne and Joni. We had a complicated history, the two of them, Sam and I. The point is, Marianne had my phone number. We had a brief fling again before I got together with Sylvie. She may also have my email address.”
Jordan shook his head. “Marianne is happily settled with Marcus, my oldest friend. They’re moving to London next month, when he resumes as VP for TM-Tech Europe. I may not like her as a person, but I can’t see any reason why she’d do this.”
“What about Joni? Her sister? Didn’t she have an affair with Sam too?” Sylvie’s voice was quiet.
“Christ, this is digging up ancient history,” said Alex. “I was engaged to Joni for a short while, until she had an abortion. She claimed it was my baby, though I was sure it wasn’t, and I only found out much later that it’d been Sam’s child. She’d been seeing him while we were engaged. Anyway, the last I heard of Joni, she was happily married, with a couple of kids. We’ve had no contact since the funeral, and prior to that, not for years.”
Aiden looked interested. “I hate leaping to conclusions, but they have to be possibilities, both of them. And if their father is your manager, that’s how they keep track of your whereabouts.”
“No,” said Alex. “It’s too obvious. Frankie knows about our history. And as far as I know, Joni and Marianne haven’t spoken for years. They’re not even friends, let alone close. Isn’t it more likely that this Yanni has something to do with things? It seems a bit too much of a coincidence that he appears just when we get bombarded with threats against Callum.”
“Let’s call Frankie now,” said Sylvie. “Ask him if he gave Joni your number.”
Alex put the call on speaker. He kept the small talk to a minimum, and then asked about Marianne.
“I haven’t seen her for months,” Frankie said. “Not since the U.S. tour last summer.”
“What about Joni? What’s she doing these days?” Alex sounded casual.
There was a brief hesitation. “She’s not so good. She’s been suffering from depression. Her husband checked her into a clinic a few weeks ago.”
Aiden made a go-on motion with his fingers, and Alex nodded.
“Can you tell us which clinic it is?” he asked.
“It’s Halligans, in Buckinghamshire. You know how exclusive it is. There’s no contact with the outside world, without prior arrangement. Joni isn’t allowed to use the telephone or even read the papers.”
“Have you spoken to her since she was admitted?”
Frankie cleared his throat. “No. Last time I saw her was before Christmas. Her husband asked me to recommend somewhere, and I called in to see her for myself.”
“I don’t suppose she borrowed your phone while you were there?”
“How did you know that? Her charger wasn’t working, and she needed to make some calls, so I lent her my phone. Is there a problem?”
“We’ve had more threatening messages about Callum.”
“You’re talking about my daughters. I can’t believe either of them would wish you harm.”
“We’re trying to eliminate possibilities. That’s all.”
He finished the call, and Aiden stood up to leave. “I’ll check the clinic, make sure that she is there, and confirm if it really is zero contact.”
“I know Halligans,” said Alex. He looked uncomfortable with the admission. “I stayed there myself, a few years ago. They run a severe programme of rehab. That’s probably why Frankie recommended it. If she’s there, we can cross her off the list.”
*
After the stress of the day, Jack hoped to spend some quality time with Juli. Getting naked was optional but no longer his main reason to see her. He’d think about that later.
To Jack’s dismay, Aiden had scheduled a late meeting with the local security services in Wellington, and wanted both Jack and Tanner to attend.
The prospect of another meeting with Casey didn’t appeal, but if it moved the search forward, Jack would suck it up.
He grabbed five minutes with Juli before they left. She was visibly disappointed, but she was made of stern stuff. “Should I wait for you in your room again?” she asked. “You won’t be out all night, will you?”
“Even if I don’t make it back, I can think about you lying there, waiting for me.”
She stretched up and stole a brief kiss. “Go get ’em, tiger. I know you can do it.”
Her faith bolstered his confidence, and he set off with the others, his mood optimistic.
Jordan’s people had narrowed the list of delegates down to around thirty whose identities they couldn’t confirm. Aiden had arranged a meeting with one of the New Zealand Intelligence Services, in hopes of refining the list further.
It took several hours of cross-referencing details, but they finally reduced it to a shortlist of four potential names.
Leaning back from his laptop, Jack rubbed his eyes and stretched. He was due a break. He went to the kitchen area, to make fresh coffee, leaving Aiden and Tanner hunched together over another screen, working with Casey and one of his colleagues.
It was only ten o’clock. Should he call Juli? Would she be in bed yet? A mental image of her hair cascading across the pillows flooded his head. Damn, but she was too much of a distraction.
While he waited for the coffee to brew, he sent her a text message.
Hey. Probably going to be late. Why don’t you have an early night? Catch up on yr sleep? I might be keeping you busy later... J
To his delight, she replied immediately.
Hiya. Already in bed and thinking about you. Hope you come back soon. J x
What was it about women? They dropped little x’s on their texts and emails without even thinking about it. And was she in his bed after all?
You in my room again? Or do I need to come and find you?
Tanner appeared silently in the doorway. “Any sign of that coffee? We’ve found something, when you’re ready.” He grinned. Hopefully it would be good news.
Jack read Juli’s newest message.
Don’t need to look very far. Hurry up! J x
He sent one final text before gathering up the coffee pot and a handful of little milk cartons.
Gotta go. Work calls. Sleep well.
Jack poured coffee for everyone, dumped the milk on the desktop, and pulled out a chair to sit in. “What have you got?”
Casey looked smug. “Our strongest lead yet, and a link to an existing case.” He took one of the coffees, dumped four cartons of milk into it, and swirled it with his pen. “Right,” he continued. “Six months ago, two Kiwi students backpacking across Europe on their OE—Overseas Experience—were murdered, and their passports stolen. The kids weren’t reported as missing for a few weeks, and by the time the bodies were ID-ed, one of the passports, that of John Calder, had already been used, to arrive here, in God’s Own Country. And by a strange coincidence, John Calder is one of the names on your shortlist.”
Casey winked at Aiden. “Now then, your boy here doesn’t believe in coincidence, so let’s just call it a happy accident that John Calder is registered to a PO Box in Wellington and supposedly working for a tech start-up called X-Cloud.” There was a note of triumph in his voice, and Jack sat up straighter, energized.
“Well done,” he said, his mind zipping ahead.
“There’s more.” Casey’s colleague spoke now. Jack couldn’t recall his name. “The second stolen passport is on the way into Wellington as we speak.”
Wait. What?
“If it was stolen six months ago, how come it hasn’t been cancelled?” Aiden asked the question first.
Casey replied. “There’s a growing trade in stolen Kiwi passports. Did you know they’re one of the most desirable passports in the world?” He raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. “You didn’t? You have heard of New Zealand, I hope. Tiny little country, full of sheep. And no nukes.”
Oh good, hostile locals. How helpful. Jack glanced at Tanner and saw him roll his eyes.
The Kiwi took a swig of his coffee and pulled a face. “Yanks,” he muttered loudly. “Can’t make a brew, to save their lives. Anyway. We’ve been tracking it on a hotlist, waiting for it to come home so we can catch the gang responsible. It’s due tonight, on a 2 a.m. flight from Sydney.”