Red After Dark (Blackwood Security #13) - Elise Noble Page 0,23
blah, blah.”
I pulled the nearest pre-prepared meal out of the fridge without bothering to check what it was. The Post-it note stuck to the top said to heat for three minutes, and I used the time to open a can of energy drink and pour it down my throat.
“Wish I had your job. Apparently, Rafael’s going to play drill sergeant tomorrow, so I might not make it through to the evening. Do you know him?”
“Rafael? Yes, I know him.”
“What’s he like?”
“Tall, dark, and grouchy. And also a little scary, but he has a kind heart.”
“I’m not sure whether that description makes me feel better or worse.”
Hallie forked pasta into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. She had a pile of papers spread out next to her—typed notes with what looked like photos peeping out from underneath. On the other side of the plate lay a notepad and pen.
“You’re training with Emmy, right?” Hallie didn’t wait for an answer before she continued. “I guess if you want to learn all kinds of freaky stuff, Rafael would make a good teacher.”
That was something, at least.
“Are you still working?” I nodded at the papers.
“I got curious. This stuff was in with the other cold case files. How much do you know about what’s happening in Kentucky?”
“They’re looking for a painting. Two paintings.”
“Red After Dark and The Girl with the Emerald Ring. Plus a missing pay-off—ten million dollars in cash and jewels. It just vanished. Poof. And after the botched exchange, Emerald disappeared again too. The perfect crime.”
“Is there such a thing?”
“Well, Emerald’s still missing and so is the money. It’s kinda fascinating. Before I got this job, I was a true-crime junkie, podcasts and documentaries, but now I’m right in the middle of things.”
The microwave dinged, and I juggled the hot dish between fingertips as I carried it over to the table. I hadn’t yet found a pair of oven gloves.
“Where do you think the money went?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. And don’t forget, it wasn’t simply stolen—it was swapped for a fake pay-off. Counterfeit hundred-dollar bills and diamonds in an identical briefcase.”
I hadn’t realised that part. “So someone was clearly organised.”
“Highly organised. The briefcase was only out of Alaric’s sight on four occasions. The first came after it was packed at FBI headquarters when he left it in his office while he used the bathroom. That was before he spent the night at Little Riverley. You’re staying over there, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but now I wish I wasn’t. That walk’s the last thing I need after dinner.”
“Nobody’ll mind if you sleep here.”
Nobody except me. Changing rooms would mean admitting defeat, and I hated to lose. That was the only reason I hadn’t quit.
“Nah, I can’t be bothered to move my stuff.” Which had grown to three or four suitcases’ worth. I’d brought a single bag from England, but Bradley had already given me more clothes than I’d ever owned in my life. “So Alaric and Emmy were dating?”
“According to Dan. Emmy married Black for a green card, and they didn’t…you know until much later. Which is weird, because I can’t imagine either of them with anyone else.”
“Me neither.” Long term, I couldn’t see any sane person putting up with Emmy’s craziness or Black’s psycho-ness. Was that even a word? “So the money could’ve got stolen from the FBI office or from here?”
“The FBI ruled out theft at their end, and Dan said nobody could have taken it from here. The security system at Little Riverley monitored every door and window, and nobody entered or exited all night. In fact, nobody came or went from the whole estate. There’s a network of sensors that surrounds the entire perimeter. Apparently, there was a breach by a team of professionals a few years ago, but they only got in because some of the motion detectors had been obscured by undergrowth. At the time of the theft, the system had just been installed and everything was working perfectly. Plus there were two men in the guardhouse at the end of the drive and an additional roving patrol.”
“What if it was the guards?”
“Questioned and ruled out. And they’d still have had to get into Little Riverley, don’t forget. Would you want to try sneaking into Emmy’s house?”
Not with the number of guns she kept handy.
“You said there were four places—what about the other two?”
“Alaric stopped for gas on the way here. Rather than lug the briefcase inside when he went to pay, he left it in the trunk. According to