Brent’s eyes flared up. Jake could tell his message was getting across.
“Look, it was about one of her brothers, OK?”
“What? Which brother?”
“Steve.”
“What about him?”
“Sarah had discovered that Steve had been stealing money from the family firm for years. I’m talking about millions of dollars that he’d been stashing away in offshore accounts. Sarah wasn’t sure what to do about it, both from a legal and familial standpoint. That’s why we were meeting. We were trying to figure it out. I swear, that’s all.”
Jake released his grip, took a step back. Steve? Embezzlement? He was stunned to hear that. Steve was the youngest of the brothers. He was kind of the black sheep of the family. Steve was never as smart or as academically accomplished as his two older brothers or his younger sister. According to Sarah, her father had to make significant donations to get Steve into Dartmouth but also to get him his finance degree. Because of this, Lars treated Steve differently from the others—like he was more of a nuisance. And Lars had never given him the same high-level company platforms as his siblings. Steve’s relationship with his father was always strained. Still, Jake was surprised to hear that Steve was willing to steal money from the family. Steve feared his father. They all did.
“Did Steve know about Sarah’s discovery?” Jake asked.
Brent shook his head. “I don’t know. Sarah was going to speak with him. But I don’t know if it ever happened. She died before I got the chance to talk to her about it again.”
“What did you do with this information?”
Brent shrugged. “Nothing. The whole family was already crushed about Sarah. I didn’t feel like it was my place to roll another grenade into the situation. So I just let it go and figured it would work itself out on its own.”
Jake’s mind was racing. “You ever tell anyone about it?”
“Not a soul, until now. I didn’t want to complicate my life.”
“Did Sarah tell anyone else?”
“I don’t think so. But how could I know that for sure?”
Jake stood there silently, his mind spinning, trying to process this new information. Did Sarah confront Steve? Could Steve have actually done something to harm his own sister? Was his brother-in-law capable of such a horrible thing? Steve was passive. He was not overly aggressive like his father or his two brothers, who were all dominating figures. So it was difficult to imagine him making a dangerous move like that on his own sister.
Then again, Jake knew money and power could make people crazy.
TWENTY-NINE
Gervais stood behind a climbing wall at Alliance Children’s Garden wearing a gray running suit and a black ski cap. His gun with silencer was tucked in his hidden waist holster. Across the way, he put eyes on his target for the very first time. With the baseball cap and goatee, the football coach looked different from the photos—but it was definitely him. His build was the same. He stood in front of the other man, who wore a black trench coat and dress shoes. Their conversation looked heated.
Gervais felt itchy to somehow isolate Slater and take his shot. But he didn’t want to do it in the open—especially with all these kids running around. He’d wait to follow, looking for him to separate from others. Then he’d go for the kill. However, if the two men left the park together, Gervais might have to alter his approach. One way or another, he planned to finish this assignment right now.
Gervais looked over when a tour bus suddenly pulled to the curb near the park. He watched as a pack of what looked like tourists started filing out and began to head in his direction. Probably forty of them. Gervais cursed. This was not what he needed right now. He considered it for only a second before deciding to make his move. He was an expert marksman from a distance. If he was sudden and discreet, Gervais was certain he could pick off his target, put the gun away, and then hit the running trail nearby.
Just another jogger.
THIRTY
Brent said, “You have to turn yourself in, Jake. I mean, I work for the damn governor. I can help you through this. Let me.”
Jake looked up. “Why would you even do that for me?”
“Because I really cared about Sarah. And I know she loved you.”
“I can’t,” Jake said.
“Why? You’re going to get yourself killed running around out here.”
“I wish I could explain. It’s just . . .”
Two little boys playing chase nearby suddenly bolted into their immediate area. One of the boys wasn’t watching where he was going and slammed right into Jake’s ankles with a serious thud. Jake reached down to help the boy up. When he did, Jake heard a loud but muffled thump! from somewhere behind him. Brent let out a sudden gasp, staggered backward. Jake’s head whipped up. He stared at Brent, confused, and then watched as the man fell to the ground while clutching his throat. Jake could see blood pouring out of the man’s neck. What the hell had just happened? Had someone shot him? Jake spun around, searching the area. But he didn’t see anyone with a gun.