Jake also had a secondary reason for not giving Brent a specific meeting spot. He wanted to be able to monitor whether the attorney brought anyone with him. Would he show up alone? Or would he bring company? While the governor’s chief of staff could’ve chosen to ignore Jake’s text threats altogether, Brent could also be taking them very seriously. The prospect of dealing with a security detail would likely push Jake to abort and leave him back at ground zero.
Staying on the outskirts of the children’s garden, Jake began to slowly circle the entire area and as casually as possible study all the people. Still no sign of Brent. He checked his watch. It was a few minutes after eleven already. This made him uneasy. If the guy didn’t show up, what was next? He’d have to somehow hunt Brent down. That would not be an easy or quick task. Jake kept walking, watching the kids, examining the adults on the benches, feeling more panicked with each minute that clicked past eleven. Then he spotted the governor’s chief of staff. Brent stood by a collection of water fountains that sporadically sprang up out of concrete where kids would play in their swimsuits during the summer. It was way too cold for kids to be in the water today. Brent was about Jake’s height, clean-shaven, with slicked-back black hair. He wore a long black trench coat over what looked like a dark suit with a tie and black dress shoes. Brent was the epitome of a high-powered attorney. The man’s eyes were on his phone, and he was typing something out.
Jake’s burner phone suddenly buzzed.
I’m here. Now what?
Before approaching, Jake took a long look all around Brent, searching for any suspicious characters. He had images of Secret Service types standing at a distance with sunglasses on and wearing earpieces. But he didn’t spot anyone who looked like that. Hopefully, Brent had come by himself. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Jake made his move. He circled the water-fountain area and stepped in closer to the man. When he did, Brent set his sights on him.
“Brent,” Jake acknowledged in a tone that showed he knew the man.
The attorney’s eyes grew narrow. “Who the hell are you?”
The fact that Brent didn’t immediately recognize him was encouraging. His disguise had worked. Jake reached up and pulled off his sunglasses. He needed to quickly get information and get the hell out of there. He figured revealing his identity was the fastest way to do that.
Brent cursed. “Jake?”
“Stay calm, Brent. I just need information from you.”
His mouth dropped open. “You’re the most wanted man in Austin right now, Jake. There’s a citywide police hunt going on for you. And you want me to stay calm?”
“None of it is true.”
“Is that why we’re here? You need a lawyer?”
“No, it’s about Sarah.”
Brent visibly swallowed. “What about her?”
“How long had the affair been going on?”
Brent pitched his head. “What affair?”
“Please don’t make this harder on me than it already is. I saw the text messages between the two of you in the two days before her death last year. I know you were seeing each other. I also know you had eyes for my wife for a long time. So you can stop the damn act already. I don’t have time for it.”
“Why the hell are we having this conversation right now? Sarah has been gone for over a year, and you’re on the run from the damn police. And your daughter is missing.”
“I don’t have time to explain.” Jake stepped aggressively closer, got within a few feet of Brent. “I need the truth from you, Brent. Right now. My whole world has collapsed. Do you understand me?”
Brent put up a defensive hand. “All right, settle down. But it’s not at all what you think. Look, it’s true. I always had a thing for Sarah. I’m not going to lie. But we were not having an affair last year.”
“But you were seeing each other secretly. I saw the texts.”
“Yeah, I know. We were. But it was about something else. I swear.”
“What was it about?”
“She needed legal advice about a work situation. That’s all.”
“You expect me to believe that? The night she died, you told her that you both needed to be careful, especially because of your job.”
“It’s complicated. I have attorney-client privilege and all. I really shouldn’t be telling you any of this.”
Jake felt anger surge within him. Brent had answers. He knew it. So he wasn’t going to allow some legal technicality to put up a roadblock. He reached up with both hands and grabbed Brent’s jacket in tight fists. “You think I give a damn about that? I swear, Brent, you better start spilling it. While I’m innocent in those other two deaths, I may have my first victim right here, right now, if you don’t start talking.”