training.”
“Can’t you follow the money?” asked Sharp.
“They used to run their money through the Caymans and Swiss banks, but international banking laws have changed. It’s harder to hide funds these days. We now believe they buy and use legitimate businesses to cover their activities. As I said before, they make a serious effort to stay off the radar of law enforcement.”
“Would having your son convicted of murdering his wife annoy the group leadership?” Sharp asked.
“That’s exactly the kind of attention they don’t want,” Ryan agreed.
Sharp gave Ryan the basic details of Erik’s murder conviction. “Is that enough to earn a death sentence from the group leadership?”
Ryan paused. “I don’t think so. I feel like there should be more. Guns, money, serious betrayal.”
“We don’t know how all of this might be connected to our missing reporter,” Stella said. “I’d like to send you a list of the people involved in this case and see if you recognize any of their names.”
“Sure,” Ryan said.
“Thank you.” Stella’s phone rang. She excused herself and left Sharp’s office to answer the call.
Ryan continued, “As I said, we’ve had suspected members turn up dead, but we’ve never been able to trace the killings back to anyone in the group.”
“What if a member wants out of the organization?” Sharp asked.
Ryan sighed. “With some of these organizations, there’s only one way out.”
“And Olander found it,” Sharp said. “Thanks for your help, Ry.”
“Anytime. I’m going to do some more digging and see what I can come up with,” Ryan said. “I’d love a solid lead on this group if they’re dealing in illegal weapons.”
“You’ll call me or Stella if you find anything?” Sharp asked.
“I will,” Ryan promised.
Sharp disconnected. He looked up to see that Stella had walked back into his office. She was staring at him, grim-faced.
His heart stuttered, and his stomach curled up in a defensive ball. “What?”
“Olivia’s car was spotted about twenty minutes from here.”
Sharp jumped to his feet. “Where? Is she in the car?”
Stella held up one hand. “They don’t know yet. It’s in a ravine.”
He felt the blood drain from his face, leaving him light-headed. A moment later, Stella was holding his arm, but he hadn’t noticed her walk closer.
Had Olivia been in a ravine, dead, for the past two and a half days? Could she be alive? People had survived longer. So many thoughts, hopeful and dire, ricocheted through his head. Sharp could barely form questions.
He sputtered, “What condition is the car in?”
“I don’t know.” Stella shook her head. “I spoke to the state trooper on scene. They can only see the rear bumper. It looks like the car went off the road just before the bridge. The trooper was driving by, noticed snapped saplings, and pulled over. The incline is steep and covered with trees and brush. They’re going to need rappelling gear to get down to the car.”
Sharp headed for the door on shaky legs.
Stella lifted his jacket from his coat hook and handed it to him. “Why don’t you call Lance and let him know?”
He nodded. His throat felt rusty, and he couldn’t form words. In silence, he put on his jacket. Adrenaline pumped through his system, and his pulse felt thin and too quick. Nausea churned in his empty belly as he led the way out of the building and locked the back door. In the passenger seat of Stella’s cop car, he used his phone app to engage the office security system. He performed these functions on automatic pilot. His brain was consumed with only one train of thought.
In what condition would they find Olivia?
His thumb sat poised over the buttons to call Lance. It felt stupid, but he hoped Lance could get to the crash site. He was the closest thing Sharp had to family.
In thirty minutes, would he know whether she was alive or dead? And would he then wish he didn’t know?
What if not knowing was better?
Stella had her radio turned low. He stared out the windshield and listened to the soft chatter. She drove out of town and picked up speed on the interstate. He wanted her to drive faster, but at the same time, he didn’t.
Because most of all, he was dreading arriving on scene in time to identify Olivia’s dead body.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lance pulled over behind two state trooper vehicles and Stella’s dark-blue cop car. “I don’t even know what to hope for.”
“Neither do I.” In the passenger seat of the Jeep, Morgan exchanged her heels for the flats from her giant bag. “What