Page 30 of Twice Missing
Noah groaned, rubbing his temples. "Oh, I had a run-in with Carl McNeal after coming out of the casino. The guy looked like Charles Manson, coked-up. Never seen him look so out of sorts. It seems Luther Ashford let him go from his position and Natalie is now running theAdirondack Daily Enterprise."
"That, and a string of motels?" McKenzie pressed.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Well, that's why she was here. She manages that motel we busted Doug at."
Noah nodded, the realization dawning on him. "Of course she does. And that's why she left so quickly."
McKenzie let out a low whistle. "Left? You were with her." He laughed, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "You old dog, you're playing both sides of the fence."
Noah's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about, McKenzie?"
"You know, getting a little bit of giddy-up horsey on the side with the rich chick, while at the same time eyeing the lower shelf offerings of yours truly."
"Yours truly?"
"You know... Our gal, Thorne."
Noah's face hardened. "I have no interest in either of them."
Just then, they heard a noise behind them. Noah turned just in time to see a snippet of a uniform. He approached the door just as Callie went into an office. How long had she been standing there? "Oh great. Well done, McKenzie."
"What? What have I done now?" McKenzie asked, genuinely confused.
Noah shook his head, exasperated. "Never mind. Let's focus on the case. We need to figure out how all these pieces fit together. Emily and Nathan Carter, the Mohawk connection, the cartel, Ashford's businesses... There's got to be a way to connect the dots."
"If it is tied in. Might have just been a screw-up."
"No. I don't think so. Nothing happens in this town by chance. Especially when the Ashfords are behind it. Someone had to know Michael was squirreling money away into offshore bank accounts. My guess is he was using the same offshore bank account that the Ashford Royal Casino is using for money laundering."
"Allegedly," McKenzie added.
"Yeah, allegedly." Noah clenched a fist then wagged afinger in front of him. "Shit. That could be it. What better way to manipulate people into doing what you want than having some collateral over them. Illegal money in offshore accounts. We need to dig into Michael's offshore account. Find out if Nathan Carter was using it for his motel business too. Also, let's find out if this so-called criminal organization gave a contact name, and how they were communicating with Michael. I wouldn't be surprised if we can tie the offshore account between the three — the casino, the carters and Michael, we might have a trail here." He took a deep breath. "Listen, I'm heading up to the St. Regis Mohawk reservation early tomorrow morning. It's a long drive. You up for it?"
"Aye, if Sheriff Rivera doesn't ground my ass to desk duties."
"You haven't spoken to her since you got back?"
"Not exactly."
"Geesh, McKenzie. Well, I’m glad it's your ass on the line this time and not mine."
"You're welcome," he said sarcastically. "Always willing to take one for the team."
11
Awkward best described how Noah felt walking into the coffee room. Callie was standing at the microwave, warming up some food as he peered in, then approached the vending machine to get coffee he had no intention of drinking. He just wanted to make sure she hadn't misunderstood. Then again, why did he need her to understand? The thought spun in his mind as he slipped a dollar into the machine, and it began to churn away.
"Smells good," he said, trying to sound casual.
"Leftover lasagna," she replied without looking at him, her tone neutral.
Noah cleared his throat. "So, about earlier..."
"It's all cleared up," Callie cut him off, her voice clipped.
"I meant... what did you hear exactly?" He pressed, feeling his palms grow sweaty.
