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“I don’t know,” Isobel answered. “Could be that Big Tommy never knew about the pregnancy and, when the boy made his appearance, Big Tommy chose to ignore the obvious so he could keep working for the family. Either way, the child could very well be Autumn’s half-brother. And her half-brother grew up, and for some reason I haven’t been able to pinpoint yet, he cut all ties to the O’Banions and went to work for a rival crime family. He’s a low-level criminal for the Maddens. If you think the O’Banions are ruthless, you haven’t heard of the Maddens.”
“The enemy gang Autumn referenced in her note is the rival family. The half-brother is the illegitimate child of Big Tommy Burke and Nora O’Banion. Do we think the “use me” and “trouble” part of Autumn’s message mean the Maddens are using her and her ties to Big Tommy and the O’Banions? I mean if Big Tommy testifies, the Maddens can use the opportunity to take over the O’Banions’ criminal enterprises, so they could use Autumn as leverage to have Big Tommy do exactly what they want,” BB pointed out.
“I don’t know how this is connected,” Isobel confessed. “But either way, Owen was able to track down the illegitimate son’s cell. It last pinged off a tower close to Millforth.”
“We don’t know the motive, but we have proof the guy’s involved somehow,” Gennessey said. “What’s his name?”
“His birth certificate has him as Ryan Doyle O’Banion, but these days, he goes by Ryan Bannon. Seems like he’s tried to separate himself from the O’Banions without completely erasing his ties to them,” Owen said.
“There’s more,” Isobel added. “According to Tristin’s friend in the FBI’s Organized Crimes Division, Bannon has an associate who the police believe is a hired killer, though they’ve never had enough evidence to put her away for any of their open cases. Her name is Lucy Amaya. Her weapon of choice is a long-range rifle.”
Gennessey massaged the furrow between her brows. “All of these names are giving me a headache.” She dropped her hand and stared at BB’s phone as if she could see Isobel on the other end. “Bottom line it for me. Do you have a lead on where we can find Autumn?”
Her question was met with silence for several seconds.
“No,” Isobel finally responded. “Sorry, Gennessey.”
She released a frustrated groan. “All of this information, and we have no leads? What about Cole? He went to talk to the guy at the hotel. Maybe he found out something.”
Jay came on the line then. “Panther just checked in. He and Wings talked to the guy who works for your uncle. He was a dead end. He’s not involved in anything other than providing information for tip money.”
“What kind of information?” BB asked.
“Well, Panther said the stranger was picking the kid’s brain about all the activity at the hotel. The stranger told him he was trying to avoid the tourist traffic while he was passing through town. He thought the hotel was busy because of tourists vacationing in the area. He acted like he didn’t know about the wedding. The only specific piece of information the guy asked for was a place to get a haircut. The kid said the rest of the time, he just asked how he could avoid any big crowds at the hotel or anywhere in town,” Jay explained.
“Wait!” Gennessey exclaimed. “Did you say he asked about a haircut?”
“That’s what Panther said. Why?” Jay questioned.
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, my God! The stranger was tracking Autumn and Cohen. He used the hotel employee to find out about all the pre-wedding activities. Then he asked where to get a haircut.”
BB stared at her. “What am I missing? What does a haircut have to do with this?”
“There are only two places in town to get a haircut, but only one of those is used by the hotel for referrals and special occasions. Occasions like a wedding. The stranger was probably referred to the same salon that styled Autumn’s hair for the wedding. The guy was using the town’s gossip mill to track Cohen and Autumn, so he could tell the shooter when and where to take out Autumn.”
She pulled her own cell from her pocket and started dialing.
“What are you doing?” BB felt like he was missing a critical piece of intel that Gennessey had somehow figured out from the random report.
Once she placed the call and put the phone to her ear, she looked at him with fierce determination shining in her eyes. “This guy used gossip to target my family. I’m going to use it to find his ass.”
BB had no idea what that meant, but he wished Gennessey’s family could see her now. This was the Gennessey he was drawn to, the one who tackled every case with keen intelligence and out-of-the-box thinking until she closed it with satisfactory results. This was the Gennessey who would find Autumn and bring her home.
Even if everyone in her family thought the way she lived her life was a mistake, he would have enough pride in her to outshine all the rest.
BB ended the call with Jay, Owen and Isobel. Then he just watched Gennessey work. She called one uncle after an aunt after a cousin, chasing down rumors like a bloodhound.
From what he heard on his end, she spent the first few phone calls explaining why she was chasing a lead instead of helping out the family. Word must have spread among her relatives of what she was doing because she was getting answers and chasing new intel faster with each call.
The salon led to a restaurant which led to a store to buy a phone charger which led to used car dealerships that also provided rental cars which led to hotels, motels and bed and breakfast inns which led to a bakery, and that led to real estate agents who specialized in rental properties.
BB didn’t know how her mind wasn’t spinning with all the intel because he struggled to keep up with what he heard from her end of the conversation.
Finally, she spoke softly into her phone before turning to him with a look of triumph that seared into his memory.
“Thanks, Uncle Roger.”
She ended the call with a brilliant smile pointed at BB. “I found her. Let’s get the others and bring my cousin’s fiancé home.”
