Page 56 of Protecting the White Bear

“We’re glad you did and haven’t chased her off already,” their dad said.

Andy laughed. “No way. I’m hoping she stays with me for the three weeks.” And he planned to make that happen with whatever resources he had available.

Then he got into his vehicle and called the cabin owners near Denny’s grandparents’ cabin.

Monica woketo her phone’s ring tone going off and climbed out of bed to get it. She grabbed her phone and looked at the caller ID. “Pierre?” Ohmigod, it was Pierre. “Where are you? We’vebeen trying to get ahold of you. We were worried the people with the kidnapping scheme had killed you.”

“I’m hiding out. They figured out I had told you, an FBI agent, where Helen’s ex-boyfriend was. They’ll kill me now.” Pierre was talking low as if he was afraid he would be overheard, but she didn’t hear any background noises she could distinguish.

“Where are you? We’ll put you in protective custody.” She wanted to ask him about her brake lines being cut—that he was the only one who knew where she was at the time.

“No one can be trusted.” He sounded paranoid.

“Where did you hand over the money to them?” She wanted to ask how he got it so quickly.

Then she heard the garage door open and headed is that direction with the phone to her ear.

“They wanted me to go to some isolated spot, and I said no. I figured that would be the end of me for sure.”

Andy walked into the house, and she immediately put her finger to her lips and mouthed, “Pierre.”

Andy nodded and set his phone to record. Now he was the perfect partner in an investigation!

“I’m going to put this on speakerphone. I hurt my hand and back in a car accident while trying to track down Helen so I need to take something for the pain.”

“I’m so sorry, Monica. I should never have put you in harm’s way like that.” After working on this case, Pierre sounded sincere, but she didn’t know what to believe.

She put her phone on speaker and laid it on the island counter. “I’m just going to get some water and the medicine. Did anyone contact you to tell you Helen was behind the faux kidnapping and request for ransom money?”

“No, hell, so she’s, well, hell.”

Monica poured water into a glass and drank it, but she wasn’t taking any medication until she was ready to go to bed that night.

“I’m sorry I had to give you the bad news”—if Pierre wasn’t part of the plot—“but at least you don’t have to worry about Helen being at risk since Denny hadn’t taken her hostage.”

Pierre still hadn’t answered her about where he had met the men to hand over the money bags. Was he shocked that Helen had taken his money under false pretenses, and was mulling over the business? Trying to figure out why he hadn’t realized she was pulling a con?

“Okay, you said you didn’t want to meet them in some isolated place to hand over the money.” Which made sense.

“Right, and the blizzard was coming. No way did I want to get caught out in that.”

But it was all right if she did! Then again, she was an FBI agent and was supposed to go after the kidnapped victim. She was growing impatient with Pierre for not telling her where he had met the men who got the bags full of money.

“Where did you meet the men to give them the money?”

“They told me just to set the money in the bags on the front porch. It’s hidden from the road, and I wouldn’t have any other visitors, so nobody would see the bags sitting there.”

“Oh, that’s great!” She feigned enthusiasm. “That means you have security video of them taking the bags, right? When I went to your house, looking for you because I was concerned for your welfare, I saw the security videos around the house.”

“I’m afraid they aren’t working. I planned to replace them but haven’t gotten around to it.”

Okay, so Pierre definitely was still on her list as a probable co-conspirator. He hadn’t said he was angry with Helen for using him like that. He didn’t say he was relieved to know Helen wasn’t harmed but angry that she had stolen his money. Hewasn’t reacting like Monica thought he should. The non-working security cameras? Way too convenient.

“I’ve got to go,” Pierre said, panicking.

“Wait!”

The line clicked dead.

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