gut. Was that because she was the mother of his child? Or was this just ordinary garden-variety lust? He’d fought the feeling all night long, sleeping on a lumpy sofa in her enclosed patio, knowing she was right down the hall.
“Let’s start with Lourdes Jimenez,” Lucy said. “We needed to go to a Level 3 background check, because no such woman seemed to exist.”
“But you found her,” he said into the speakerphone, not looking away from Maggie.
“Of course. The problem was that no one with that name was documented as being related to Alonso or Ramon Jimenez. Level 2, which accounts for marriages, divorces, and changes in Social Security docs, also came up empty. But then we tackled legal name changes and bingo.”
“So who is she now?”
“Lola James, the president and CEO of a Miami-based shipping company called Omnibus Transport, a rapidly growing freight and cargo company,”
Dan snorted. “Don’t tell me she’s gone into the family business of drug smuggling?”
“Yes and no,” Lucy said. “Omnibus is one hundred percent clean, without even a shadow of a misdeed. Ms. James has a perfect record, with no obvious ties to the drug world. The company is highly profitable, she’s a welldocumented workaholic, and her employees are loyal and long-standing. But here’s where things get interesting.”
“They always do,” Dan said.
“Omnibus Transport is a new name for an old company that Lourdes bought, formerly known as AJ Cargo. The original warehouse is still listed as property owned by Omnibus, although her offices are downtown. And the house once owned by her father, Alonso Jimenez, is also an Omnibus asset, although Ms. James lives in a condo on Brickell Avenue. The house wasn’t confiscated by the feds because Jimenez paid his fine in cash, and Florida law prevents the government from confiscating property of a felon if they pay.”
“Who lives in the house?”
“As far as we can tell, no one. I’ll send all this in an email with documentation and addresses, phone numbers, et cetera, Dan. You can check it out.”
“Will do. What else do you have? Anything on Constantine Xenakis? I wasn’t entirely sure how to spell that name.”
“I know how to spell it,” Lucy said flatly. “And I already had a file an inch thick. An employee file.”
Dan shot forward. “He was a Bullet Catcher? When?”
“Briefly, before you joined the company. He did one job, a diamond drop. Then I let him go.”
“Why?” Despite his suspicions about the guy, Dan could easily see him as a Bullet Catcher. No wonder he’d moved over when he heard Dan’s name. No doubt he recognized it.
“I let him go on gut instinct, nothing tangible. Some diamonds were missing from the drop, but they later reappeared. There was just something about him I wasn’t sure I could trust, despite some exemplary skills. But it was early in the start of this company, and I didn’t think he was what I wanted.”
“So what’s he doing now?”
“From what I can tell, living well in Tarpon Springs, Florida. But not employed. Not gainfully, anyway.”
Dan dropped back on the sofa. “My guess? He’s a professional thief, a hired mercenary. He doesn’t want the fortune,” he said, directing his comment to Maggie. “Someone’s paying him to find it.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Lucy replied. “But, beyond what I just told you, I have nothing new on him, except that I assume he freelances his services, so he could be working for anyone. Oh, and I know you were going to arrange access to the evidence files in the FBI’s Miami office. I’m friends with the new SAC there, Thomas Vincenze. Have you ever met him?”
“No.” But who wasn’t friends with Lucy?
“He’s just taken over that office after some time in Los Angeles. He owes me a favor, so I put a call in. He’s expecting you in an hour.”
“Great. I’ve already been in touch with Joel Sancere, my partner on the case. He knows I’m coming in.”
“Now pick up privately, Dan.” It wasn’t a request.
He took the cell phone off speaker and put it to his ear. “ ’Sup?”
“I know you’re on leave, but I may have a job down in Florida. Since you’re already down there, I thought you might consider it.”
He looked at Maggie, who was still curled on the zebra stripes, studying him carefully.
“I don’t know.” There was a lot of ground to cover with Maggie, and he hadn’t even started yet.
He heard a soft sigh. “Dan, when are you coming back to work?”