My cell phone rang on the bathroom counter as I stepped out of the tub and slipped on my robe. I looked at the screen. Spelling was calling. “Hey, boss, what’s up?”
“I hope you’re relaxing.”
“You mean by scrubbing the embedded dirt and twigs off my body? Yeah, that was done as soon as the tub was full of bath salts and hot water.”
Spelling chuckled. “Anyway, I just got an update from Portage County on Sheriff Wells.”
“I hope he was found wandering aimlessly in a nearby county.”
“Unfortunately, he wasn’t that lucky. A couple of hikers found his body early today. He was shot point blank.”
“Those bastards. I hope none of them ever see the light of day again.”
“I doubt if they will, but we have to apprehend Carden Vetcher first.”
“I know, and we will. I’m sure of it.”
“Okay, that’s all I had. Go relax. Tomorrow I’ll keep you plenty busy.”
“Thank you, sir. Good night.”
“Night, Jade.”
I stepped from the bathroom into my bedroom and dressed. I couldn’t help thinking of J.T. I’d make sure to call him after dinner and see how he was doing.
Amber grabbed the remote and clicked off the TV. She lifted the sleepy, limp Spaz off her lap and set him on the couch. “How are you doing, Sis? I’ll admit, you look more human than you did forty minutes ago.”
“I feel more human too. How about a pizza for dinner? I’m too lazy to sit at the table and eat, and I’d rather relax and catch up with you than watch you cook.”
“Works for me. Pepperoni?”
I grinned. “Of course, and I’m buying.”
“Good, then I’ll order an extra-large.”
After our order arrived and Amber and I had stuffed ourselves with pizza, I made a call to Bill. “Hey, Bill, nice work today.”
“Back at you, agent. What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you’ve heard anything about the likelihood of the same employee working at Trident now and Branded Armor back in 2014.”
“Nobody has said anything to me. Let it go for the night, Jade. Turn that gerbil wheel off. The bad guys will still be around tomorrow.”
I let out a long breath. “You’re right. Have you spoken to J.T.?”
“Nah, but I thought you knew.”
My heart began to pound double-time. “Knew what?”
“His left jaw was broken, and he’s in surgery right now. He’s going to be out for the night.”
“Damn it. He’ll have to endure six weeks of pure hell with protein shakes and vitamin drinks.”
Bill sighed. “It could have been worse, Jade. We’ll catch up with him and Julie tomorrow. We need their statements.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Okay, good night.” I hung up and dropped down on the couch next to Amber. Spaz squeezed between us, curled up, and fell back asleep.
“Jade… Jade?”
“Huh?” I cracked open my eyes and saw Amber leaning over me with Spaz in her arms.
“It’s ten o’clock. We’re going to bed. I think you need a good night’s sleep and not on the couch. Come on. I’m shutting down the house.”
“Okay, I’m up.” I stumbled to my bedroom. “Night, Sis. I love you.”
Amber hugged me before she closed her bedroom door. “I love you too.”
I crawled into bed, fluffed my pillow, and drifted off.
What seemed like minutes later, the summer sun pierced through the slit in my blackout curtains and caught me square in the eyes. I rolled over and stared at my cell phone screen—6:27. My alarm was set for six thirty. I stretched and gave myself three more luxurious minutes to lie in bed.
I thought about the day—Sunday. A day normal people enjoyed their yard, had a barbecue, or went to brunch with their parents and grandparents. I was headed to work to do my best to track down a vicious killer and a potential armed robber. I needed to learn the connection between Sam Dunbar, named Orly James Vetcher at birth, and Carden Vetcher. I grabbed my phone while the thought was fresh in my mind. Using the memo app, I tapped out a message to myself to have the tech department try to access Carden’s birth records. I’d have them look up Chattanooga, Tennessee, first. That might tell us if he and Sam were actually brothers.
I showered, dressed, and followed the scent of freshly brewed coffee wafting down the hallway. Amber was still in bed, but thanks to the auto-start on the coffeemaker, I didn’t have to bother preparing it that morning. It was ready to go, and I poured myself a cup. Back in my bedroom, I fed Polly and Porky, promised I’d give them more attention that evening, and returned to the bathroom to dry my hair.
I quietly left the house at eight o’clock. Amber hadn’t awakened yet, and she deserved a good night’s sleep. The drive to our downtown headquarters would take thirty-five minutes, and Sunday mornings were traffic-free.
At 8:45 a.m., we met in the large conference room upstairs, and every chair had an occupant. Spelling and Hopkins were seated at the head of the table.
Spelling began. “What we thought would be a slam dunk in locating Carden Vetcher’s home and known accomplices has hit a snag.”
A group moan sounded throughout the room.
Spelling raised his hands as if to tell us to pump the brakes. He continued. “We did confirm his birth name is Carden Vetcher through hospital records in Tennessee.” He looked at me. “Good call on that one, Monroe. As far as anything else, there is nothing in the entire state showing home ownership, a rental, or even a bank account under his name. He has to be using a second identity, or a third.”
I cleared my throat and raised my brows at Spelling.
“Go ahead, Jade. I can see you’re chomping at the bit.”
“Well, sir, it’s only my personal theory. Carden Vetcher is his real name, and according to Julie when I spoke to her last night, he didn’t object to the Pirelli brothers using it. Julie overheard that name mentioned many times. Even though it’s his real name, he likely doesn’t attach it to anything important that can be tracked. He’s definitely using an alias for everything that is tied to a permanent record.”
“I agree, Jade,” Hopkins said. “And C.V. Loomis was probably one of his aliases.”
I caught movement through the glass conference room wall. Penny from the tech department was heading in our direction. There could be only one reason she would be entering our meeting—she’d found something about the insider.
Hopkins waved her in just as she raised her fist to knock. “What have you got, Penny?”
I crossed my fingers that it was something we could use.
“Good morning, everyone.” She scanned each face at the table. “I’ll get to the point since you look knee deep in this case. I believe I’ve found the insider.”
“Go ahead,” Spelling said.
“A man who goes by the name Zack Kenny used to work at Branded Armor from 2012 to 2014, when he abruptly quit his job without notice. Coincidentally, he disappeared shortly after that armored truck heist.” She grinned. “The best part is, he’s been working at Trident for seven months. I went ahead and took the liberty of entering his name in the system to see if he had any priors, but he doesn’t—he’s squeaky clean.”
My enthusiasm deflated, and my rigid shoulders dropped.
Penny noticed and continued. “But that’s exactly what would be expected from anyone who works at an armored transport company. Those types of places are very stringent and won’t hire somebody with a record. It’s typical, and a criminal who has enlisted his help would want him to stay under the radar and gather as much intel as possible. He could be your guy.”
“Did you pull up an address for him?” Hopkins asked.
“Sure did. He seems to move around often and only rents.”
“Good way to make a quick exit if he needs to,” Bill said.
Penny continued. “He currently lives in Wauwatosa. Google satellite images show the house is somewhat secluded and perfect for somebody who wants to stay under the radar. There’s a lot of tree cover around it in the summer.”
“The Pirelli brothers could tell us more,” I said.
Hopkins snickered. “They’re as tight-lipped as they come. We thought for sure they’d roll on Vetcher or, worst-case scenario, each other. So far, we’ve got nothing.”
I glanced up at the clock. “J.T. and Julie might know something. They had to be hidden somewhere after they left Portage. What better place than a secluded house not far from the route the armored truck was scheduled to take? And don’t forget, Carden abandoned Janet’s car and somebody picked him up.”
“True enough, Jade.” Spelling cocked his head toward the door. “Go talk to J.T. and Julie. I know you’re itching to see your partner, anyway. Find out what you can about Friday night into Saturday morning and where they were held. If Zack Kenny is the accomplice, and Carden is laying low there, there’s a chance that we can apprehend both of them today.”
Bill spoke up. “Has anyone actually seen this man other than a freaked-out older woman, for a half second, and the guy at the window-tinting place who saw a man wearing a fedora and dark sunglasses?”
Spelling shrugged. “Other than the Pirelli brothers and probably Zack Kenny, I’m sure there’s dozens of people. Problem is, they know him under a different identity.”
I pushed back my chair and stood. “Okay, I’m heading out.”
“Keep us posted,” Spelling said. “We’ll be here brainstorming our approach into Zack Kenny’s house, just in case.”