Page 64 of Stone
Juliana shrugged. “I don’t have an eidetic memory, but it’s close. Even for sound. Handy for a librarian.”
Parks’s gaze sharpened with curiosity. “Do they know you overheard?”
Juliana bobbed her head. “They suspect,” she said, before telling the agent about the Sunday morning visitor Stone had run off, and then the situation in San Francisco.
By the end, Parks’s brows had winged up more than once. “Where’s the truck now?” she asked. “The one with the tracker?”
“Near Eureka,” Stone answered. “The couple were already planning a road trip to Seattle to visit friends, so they’re making their way north.”
A ghost of a smile lit Parks’s eyes more than her lips. “And in the meantime, you’ve been doing your research,” she said, with a pointed look at the folders on the table.
“We’re not about to let Juls dangle in the wind,” Viper said.
Parks tipped her head. “No, I don’t imagine you are,” she said, her gaze bouncing to him before landing back on the folders.
“So what do you?—”
The door flew open, and Parks wasn’t the only one to reach for a weapon. In a heartbeat, though, he, Viper, and Monk relaxed when they spotted Mantis. Although, the behemoth of a man standing next to him caught and held Stone’s attention.
They might not be under attack, but that didn’t mean he had a read on the situation.
“Griswold?” Stone said. “What the hell are you doing here?”
31
Juliana eyed the man standing at the threshold. When the guys had talked about Archibald Griswold, she’d pictured someone like them, but older. Someone fit who preferred jeans or fatigues. Someone who, if you looked closely, appeared a little battle-weary.
She had not pictured a man with a long white beard, barrel chest, and piercing blue eyes dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts, socks, and sandals. Nor had she pictured him so…big. Not overweight, but big-chested and easily six foot four or five. He’d probably be handsome if he shaved, but as it was, he looked like a cross between Santa Claus and Jeff Bridges inTheBig Lebowski.
He scanned the room, ignoring Simon. When his gaze landed on Agent Parks, it lingered.
“Professor Griswold,” Parks said, surprising Juliana. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Not surprised to see you,” he countered. His voice held no judgment, just a statement of fact.
“Whatareyou doing here?” Simon asked.
“You don’t even like us,” Viper said.
Griswold lumbered in and sank onto a chair. “I don’t like anyone; don’t take it personal,” he said, grabbing an empty mug and helping himself to coffee.
“Oh, we don’t,” Monk muttered, the first words he’d spoken since sitting down.
Griswold narrowed his eyes at Monk as he poured. “I’m here because Aaron Lowery and Dean Polinsky stole about 150 pounds of gold. There are very few things in life I dislike more than soldiers, but corrupt soldiers is one of them,” he said, repeating what Viper had told them.
“You have proof of that?” Parks asked.
“Nope, and you won’t find any. Not hard proof, anyway,” Griswold answered. “But here’s what I do have.” As he spoke, he pulled out two files from a ratty canvas biker bag and set them on the table. Juliana reached for one, but Viper gave a little shake of his head. She withdrew her hand.
“I’ve confirmed that all three men were deployed to the area where the remaining 450 pounds of gold was later found,” Griswold started. “So were a lot of men, so that in and of itself isn’t that interesting. What is interesting is this,” he said, tapping one of the files.
“Which is?” Parks prompted without missing a beat. Juliana didn’t think Parks had any idea what they suspected about how the blackmail started. If she were in the agent’s place, she’d be asking a million questions right about now, but maybe that’s why she was a librarian, not a federal agent.
“Transcripts of their interviews,” Griswold answered.
“They were interviewed?” Viper asked.
“Susan Klein was responsible for handling the confiscated bullion,” he said, as if that explained everything. Everyone else, including Parks, nodded, so apparently it did.
