Chapter 2 - THE LISTMason drove away first.
Quill waited until the black sedan disappeared beyond the bend.
Then he looked at Delaney.
The gun was gone.
His badge was straight.
His posture relaxed.
“Get in your vehicle.”
Delaney didn't move.
“Am I free to go?”
Quill gave her a long look.
“No.”
“Am I under arrest?”
“No.”
“Then why can't I leave?”
His smile was thin.
“Because I haven't finished talking to you.”
He walked to the driver's side and opened the door himself.
Inside the SUV, Delaney sat rigidly.
Her phone was still mounted on the dash.
The camera light was dark.
That bothered her more than the gun.
She had designed the recording system herself.
Even if somebody remotely accessed the camera, there was a backup feed stored on a separate encrypted drive.
Unless...
Delaney's stomach tightened.
Unless the backup had been compromised too.
Quill leaned against the door.
“You came to Cedar Ridge asking questions.”
“I came to visit my brother.”
“Your brother is a liar.”
“You stole his tuition money.”
“You have proof?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Everywhere.”
Quill chuckled.
“You people always think paperwork is power.”
“You people?”
“FBI.”
He said it like an insult.
Delaney studied his face.
“You knew exactly who I was before I told you.”
Silence.
There it was.
The crack.
Quill looked away.
Delaney continued.
“You knew my name.”
Nothing.
“You knew about the camera.”
His eyes flickered.
“You knew Ronan had told me about the money.”
Quill leaned into the vehicle.
“You came here looking for a criminal.”
He pointed toward himself.
“And forgot to ask who the criminal was working for.”
Delaney's pulse jumped.
Before she could respond, another patrol car appeared in the mirror.
Quill stepped away.
The vehicle approached slowly.
The passenger window rolled down.
A female officer leaned across the seat.
“Everything good?”
Quill nodded.
“Routine stop.”
The female officer looked at Delaney.
Then at Quill.
Then at the SUV.
She drove on.
Delaney caught the officer's face.
She looked terrified.
Not suspicious.
Terrified.
That was more important.
Quill shut Delaney's door.
“You're going to leave Cedar Ridge.”
“No.”
“You should.”
“I won't.”
His expression darkened.
“Then somebody you love is going to get hurt.”
Delaney stared at him.
“My brother?”
Quill shook his head.
“Your brother already got his warning.”
He walked back toward his cruiser.
Delaney remained still.
Then her phone vibrated.
One message.
Unknown number.
LOOK UNDER THE DRIVER'S SEAT.
Her heart accelerated.
She glanced toward Quill.
He was standing beside his cruiser.
Watching the highway.
Not her.
Slowly, Delaney reached down.
Her fingers touched something taped beneath the seat.
A small envelope.
She pulled it free.
Inside was a folded sheet of paper.
Twenty-seven names.
Dates.
Dollar amounts.
Locations.
At the bottom was a handwritten note.
THIS IS ONLY ONE LIST.
Her breathing stopped.
She scanned the names.
Drivers.
Truckers.
College students.
Tourists.
A nurse.
A construction worker.
A retired teacher.
Each name had an amount beside it.
Most were between $300 and $2,000.
One was for $18,700.
Delaney recognized the last name.
She had seen it in an FBI financial-crimes file.
A federal contractor.
Dead six months ago.
Official cause?
Suicide.
Delaney's phone vibrated again.
DON'T TRUST MASON.
She looked toward the black sedan.
It was gone.
Another message arrived.
DON'T TRUST YOUR OWN OFFICE EITHER.
Delaney froze.
Then a third message appeared.
A photo.
It showed her apartment.
Taken from across the street.
The timestamp was thirty minutes earlier.
Underneath it:
NEXT TIME, WE WON'T MISS.
Her stomach dropped.
She started the SUV.
Quill watched her pull onto the highway.
He didn't stop her.
He simply stood beside his cruiser and smiled.
Delaney drove three miles before pulling into an abandoned church parking lot.
She locked the doors.
Then she spread the list across the passenger seat.
Twenty-seven names.
Twenty-seven people.
May you like
And suddenly one question mattered more than everything else.
Why had someone inside the operation wanted her to find it?
