“The surveillance camera in Area 51 completely went out last night. We’re in the dark now.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Get there and see what you can find out.”
Devine went upstairs and knocked on his bedroom door.
“Yes?” said Montgomery.
“Can I come in?”
He heard her feet padding across the floor and the door was unlocked.
Her face was puffy with sleep, and her hair was wonderfully tousled. To Devine, she had never looked more beautiful.
“What?” she said.
“I’m gonna grab a shower and get dressed.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m taking the train in to work. You can come with me if you want.”
“I want to go see Poppy.”
“Poppy?”
“Yes. His grandson is dead.”
“I doubt he’ll understand that if you try to tell him. And he has other family, doesn’t he?”
“I’m just going to hold his hand and be there for him. And I feel like I am family, in a way.”
“Okay,” he said quietly.
On the train they passed Cowl’s place. Devine watched Montgomery’s expression as the train stopped. She studied the pool area where yesterday they had pulled out Chilton’s body.
She glanced at him. “Different perspective.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
She looked at the other passengers, but this wasn’t the 6:20, so it wasn’t the normal crew for Devine. But several guys were giving Montgomery pathetically lustful glances. She let out a resigned sigh and looked out the window again.
Devine decided to broach the subject he’d been thinking about since last night.
“Funny that you had been on Hummingbird and Sara had been, too. But you knew that already. About Sara being on there.”
“Christian told me he was thinking about investing in it. I’d remembered it was a cool site. I went on there and found Sara Ewes.”
“You just happened to see her on the site? But last night you told Jill that I had told you.”
She glanced at him. “Did I? I don’t really remember.”
“You did. So why would you do that?”
Her expression tightened. “Does it matter?”
“I don’t know, it might.”
“Do you have a question you want to ask me, Travis?”
“I don’t believe in coincidences. So I’d like to know how you knew Sara was on Hummingbird.”
“I told you I saw her on there when I visited the site.”
“Out of all the people on there, you saw her?”
“Okay, I did a search for her!”
“Why?”
“If you really want to know, it was because of Christian. I knew he was in the investment business. But I didn’t think he invested in things like a dating service. And I knew you suspected him of being involved with the money laundering with Cowl. And that it might be connected to Sara’s murder. So I went on Hummingbird and searched for Sara. I thought if she were on the site, that might be the connection with Christian. The reason he was interested in investing in it.”
“But Sara worked at Cowl. That’s the connection. Not Hummingbird.”
“I was just playing a hunch.” She eyed him darkly. “But if you don’t trust me, you don’t trust me.”
His expression softened. “I do trust you, Michelle. You saved my ass with Cowl and his phone. I’m sorry. I guess stress is making me see things that aren’t there.”
“Don’t apologize for being human. Personally, my stress level is through the roof. What are you going to do when you get to work?”
“Pay a visit to the fifty-first floor, if I can.”
CHAPTER
72
SURPRISINGLY, IT SEEMED BUSINESS AS usual at Cowl and Comely, despite a body’s having been found in the pool of the firm’s leader. And that leader’s still being absent from the scene.
Money trumps murder, Devine concluded.
On the way up in the elevator, he pressed the button for Area 51. Stunningly, it lighted up.
Okay, didn’t see that one coming.
He got off on that floor and looked around. The door was open. He poked his head inside and gaped.
It was empty. Every server, every computer screen was gone. All that was left were the cabinets and the tables. He hurried over to the wall where he had placed the camera. It was gone.
He hurried back down to the lobby, texting Campbell on the way to let him know what he had found.
Or not found.