Page 115 of Canyon of Deceit
“I should have checked this instead of going back to sleep. Give me a moment to read this report from the medical examiner’s office. I could kick myself for not checking my phone.”
I yawned and braced my shoulders against a wall in Rurik’s hallway.
“Rusty, the body of the woman isn’t Daria Ivanov. The body has been identified as a woman from Dallas who was reported missing two days prior to Daria’s disappearance.”
The news tightened a bolt on who was behind the crimes. “What are we missing with Daria? Why stage her death except to incriminate Rurik... unless Rurik’s behind the whole ordeal?”
“As in Houston’s ROC leader?” His chair squeaked.
My instincts kicked in. “I bet Baranov is scheduled to arrive today, not Wednesday.”
“I’m thinking the same thing.”
“I’m calling the FBI and getting a heads-up on what’s happening at the ship channel today. Looks to me like Ivanov and Falin are in this waist-deep.”
“I’m leaving for your office in ten minutes. I want to make sure the agents keep Rurik in their sights.”
In the kitchen, one of the agents scrolled through his phone, holding a mug of coffee. I asked him to wake his partner. Rurik could not leave the house or be out of their sight.
“Threats?” the agent said.
“Something along those lines. Your boss can fill you in.”
“Sure.” He set his mug on the counter and nodded at his partner. “I’ll keep Rurik company until your shift kicks in.”
I thanked them and headed back down the hall to tell Rurik I was leaving and to stay put. I knocked and got no response. Chill bumps spiked on my arms. I opened the door to his office.
Empty.
“Rurik? Where are you?”
Silence.
The agent checked the nearest bathroom. “He’s not here.”
“I’ll check his bedroom,” the other agent called from the kitchen.
An engine roared to life, sending me and the agents racing to the garage.
Rurik sped down the street in his SUV.
—
Sergio and the FBI issued a BOLO for Rurik’s vehicle. The agents assigned to Rurik’s protection were given permission to leave. We’d been played. Wringing his neck sounded as satisfying as a cold Dr Pepper on a hot August day.
I drove to the Ranger office, my course on autopilot while the neurons fired in my brain. Three scenarios emerged, all plausible and none had sufficient evidence.
One theory said Rurik and Daria faked her death and Alina’s kidnapping to mask the ROC’s assassination of Edik Baranov. Had everything Rurik claimed about his innocence and victim status been lies to lead law enforcement and media away from the intended crime?
A second theory said Rurik and Daria had been used as pawns in a vicious game of blackmail... to force Rurik and Daria to risk their lives and Alina’s to ensure a smooth assassination. Which meant the Ivanovs were in danger and next in line for a death sentence once Baranov and his family were dead.
Another theory leaped into the center of the fire. What if Daria Ivanov and Jurg Falin masterminded the entire scheme?
I refused to discard any ideas until I had more facts. Confirmed reports neither proved nor disproved my suspicions.
The ROC had a vicious agenda.
The potential sale of laser chips from Tom Chandler to the ROC coincided with the kidnapping.
