Fatal Secrets - Desiree Holt Page 0,43
something into her laptop. “Okay, here it is. I have something here that I came on when I compiled every single bit of information about everything at that time. I had already done a couple of smaller stories about the drug operation but without knowing names. Just in case.” She typed again.
“My source told me the real head of the operation keeps an almost nonexistent profile. That’s how he stays so successful and out of trouble. And anyone who might expose him suddenly gets dead. Are you saying there might be a connection with Justine?”
Zoe nodded as she kept typing. “Okay, here it is. Warren Craig was actually about to try a case involving one of the lesser head honchos at that time. A man named Rod Winkler. Justine told me about it. Said Warren was death on this stuff. I tried to dig around, but obviously I couldn’t into the official files. I do know Justine wasn’t happy about something that had to do with the case and was doing some digging on her own. She kept hinting at it but said she couldn’t tell me anything.”
“So what happened with that after her murder?”
“Funny thing.” She shook her head. “Winkler had a sudden heart attack before the trial. When he died, so did the case.”
“A heart attack,” Alex repeated. “Very convenient.”
“Yes. Warren was pissed.”
“And no one thought how convenient it all was?” Hank asked.
“If they did, they kept their mouths shut. No one really believed Justine’s death was a random thing, and they were covering their own asses.”
“Do you know if Warren ever discussed the case with his father?”
“He absolutely did not,” Zoe snapped. “He knew many of his father’s clients did not pass the smell taste, and he hated it. Stayed as far from it as he could.“
“Well,” Alex continued, “apparently, no one is happy about you digging into all this again.” He paused. “Especially a man named George Montoya. I got that from a very private source.”
“Who’s he?” Sadie wanted to know.
“The man who really runs the operation.” Alex looked around the table. “The invisible man who stays in the background and is worth billions. Enough to buy his way out of anything.”
“But not the law,” Zoe protested, “if Warren Craig is involved. He’s very vocal about stuff like that. He had to know the connection, and I’m sure he wasn’t happy about it. But he was moving forward anyway.”
“If this case goes live again,” Hank told her, “Montoya’s entire operation could fall apart. It’s a very little known fact but I managed to dig up that he and Warren’s father have been friends for years. That while Randall Vicks represents him in his legal operations and is publicly known as his attorney, Elliott Craig is Montoya’s personal lawyer and pulls every string he can to keep the man out of jail. Besides, Craig wouldn’t allow a junior partner to handle Montoya’s stuff if they didn’t have a strong connection. I think Vicks is just the beard on this.”
“But Warren would never be a party to covering anything up,” Zoe insisted. “I’m sure Warren and his father had a lot of conflict over that. Probably still do.”
“But that doesn’t tell us who this Jerry McRae asshole is who’s been following Zoe and me. And who probably blew up her car.”
“They did their best to use someone they could put a lot of distance from, and this piece of scum is sure it.” Alex made a face. “My source had to do a lot of digging to find the connection. His father is one of Montoya’s low-level distributors. On top of that, Jerry uses his mother’s maiden name. I guess he thought that put enough distance between them, plus they didn’t need anyone very smart to do a little scaring stuff.”
“Actually,” Hank broke in, “Alex and I figure they wanted someone pretty stupid because they wanted the scare tactics to be obvious.” He looked at Zoe. “I’m sure they assumed the more obvious they were, the better chance they had to frighten you off.”
Sadie laughed. “They don’t know Zoe very well.”
“Yes.” Zoe nodded. “What Sadie said. And guys? I know I have to be smart about this and do what Sean tells me, but I am not letting this go. Maybe we can trip them up some way.”
Hank leaned forward. “The key words in there, little girl, are ‘do what Sean tells me.’ Don’t forget it.”
“If I didn’t like you so much, I’d smack you,” she told him.