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“That’s Bobby,” Jace said, pointing at the screen. “The guy with the rifle. He moves like Bobby and has the same shoulders.”
“And the driver?” Val asked.
“It’s not Ed,” Jace said. “Ed’s a smaller guy. He’s built more like my brother Rick. So that leaves Corey behind the wheel. Why would they try to kill you, Mr.Cardozo?”
And wasn’t that the one-hundred-thousand-dollar question? “At this point, I’m betting it has to do with Bella Butler. Captain Holmes insisted that they kept the knowledge of Bella’s recorded phone call to a minimum, but we know there’s a leak somewhere in the department.”
Val shrugged. “Noni Feldman also knows about the call, since she placed it. Maybe she told the wrong person.”
Val was right. As much as the Feldman woman wanted to protect her source, she might have inadvertently disclosed the truth. “We should talk to Miss Feldman,” Kaj said. “Just to make sure. But there’s also a chance that, even though André was careful about who knew about his interview with Noni this morning, the NOPD leak found out and told Corey and Bobby. Also, André never said if he found out who was standing close to me when I took that call about Elijah’s math meet. We need to ask him about it. We need to find the leak.”
“That might have gotten bumped down the list,” Burke said. “A lot has happened since we first talked about it in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.”
“Antoine?” Kaj looked to the dining room table, meeting Antoine’s eyes. Antoine gave him a wordless nod without him having to actually ask Antoine to hack into the surveillance cameras in the lobby of the NOPD’s headquarters. “Next question. How did Corey and Bobby know we were going to the flower shop? I’m assuming they followed us from the jail.”
“Probably,” Val said quietly. “We were at the jail for forty minutes, tops. If they were informed as soon as we arrived, it’s possible that they could have arrived in time to follow us.”
“No, they couldn’t,” Jace said, then bit his lip when all eyes turned to him. “Sorry. I’ll be quiet.”
“No, Jace. Don’t be quiet.” Val went to sit at the table. “Why couldn’t they?”
“Because I think they came from the bayou. Can you rewind the video, Antoine?”
Antoine did as he was told until Jace said, “Stop. There. When the driver puts his foot on the asphalt, his boot’s covered in mud. It could be old mud, but I don’t think so because it ain’t dry. If it was dry, it would have started to crack and slough off. If he was on the water, it would have taken him more than forty minutes to get to the jail, even if they were told as soon as you got there.”
Everyone was silent, then Burke clapped. “Very good, Jace. You’ve got a good eye.”
Jace blushed. “It’s nothin’. I just... notice stuff, that’s all.”
Val squeezed his hand. “It’s not nothing. It’s a good thing, Jace. I’m proud of you.”
Jace frowned. “But what does it mean?”
Val blew out a breath. “I think it means they were already headed into the city before we got to the jail. Someone told them where we were and they went to the jail, waited, then followed us from there. That person either worked at the jail or followed us there from this house. Is it possible that someone is watching us?”
“André stepped up police presence on the street,” Kaj said. André had insisted on more coverage after the newest online threats came out that—thankfully—they’d managed to keep from Elijah. “They’ve been stopping anyone who doesn’t live on the street.”
“And nobody suspicious has approached the house,” Antoine stated. “I’ve set up cameras on the street to check traffic flow, and I haven’t noticed anyone hanging around. They’re far enough away that we don’t see them, but close enough for them to know when you leave.”
“I’ll talk to André again,” Burke promised. “But what about Noni Feldman? We need to find out what she knows. I’ll go talk to her. She might be more willing to talk with me than she was with the cops this morning.”
“Yes,” Val agreed. “We do need to find out what she knows. But Burke, maybe you should stay here with Kaj and Elijah. Miss Feldman may be more comfortable talking to me. You can be a bit... much. You know... big.”
Burke scowled. “I’m a pussycat.”
Jace opened his mouth, then snapped it shut, but his expression was clear. He was still a little afraid of Burke.
Burke sighed. “Fine. I’ll keep watch here. But you can’t go alone, Val.”
“I know,” Val said. “That’s why I texted Molly fifteen minutes ago and asked her to swing by and pick me up. She’ll be here any minute.”
Kaj gave Elijah another squeeze before shoving himself out of the chair. Damn, his ribs hurt. Phin really did weigh a ton. But he was more than grateful the big man had followed them. Val might not be alive if he hadn’t. Or me.
“You’ll wear a vest?” Kaj asked her.
“Absolutely.”
He pulled her into the kitchen, away from prying eyes. “Be careful. Promise me.”
