The Betrayal of Lies by Debra Burroughs Read Free Book Online

said. “Which one was it?”
    Jake pulled his wallet from his back pocket, tugged a business card from it, then he handed it to Colin. “Here, that’s the doc I saw. Go ahead, check it out. I would never hurt Elise. Never.”
    “And what about today?” Emily asked.
    “I’ve been here with clients—one every hour. You can check my schedule with Mandy.”
    “You can count on that,” Emily said.
    “You’re looking in the wrong place, Detectives.”
    Emily moved in closer. “Where should we be looking, Jake?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t know,” he backed up a step, “but not at me.”
    ~*~
    After checking his schedule with Mandy, Colin and Emily left Jake at the health club. Although he was their prime suspect at the moment, they didn’t have enough to take him in, but that didn’t mean they were finished with him—not by a long shot. They were going to dig deeper into the guy—scour his financials, his background, confirm his whereabouts, and keep a close eye on him.
    Colin phoned Ernie and asked him to pull everything he could find on this Jake Mitchell character and get back to him. Then they headed back to the Murphy apartment to see if there were any new developments. Having received no word from the tech specialist monitoring Patrick Murphy’s incoming calls, Colin and Emily assumed the kidnapper had not made contact again.
    When they pulled up to the building, Emily commented on a long black limousine and a couple of black SUVs that were parked, along with the two Sheriff’s cars and Paradise Valley Police cruiser, around the circular driveway in front of the complex. “I wonder which friend in high places is here now.”
    “Probably the Governor,” Colin joked.
    They took the elevator up and Colin knocked on the front door. Ernie let them in.
    “Hey, Ernie.” Colin patted his shoulder as he entered.
    “I’ve got the background info you asked for on that Jake Mitchell. Let me go get it for you. I set up a little office for myself in the kitchen.”
    “Thanks, Ernie.” Colin and Emily went straight to the dining area.
    “Anything new?” Colin asked the electronics tech from the county sheriff’s department.
    “We’re still waiting.”
    Colin looked across the expansive open space and into the living room, seeing Isabel and a couple of men in dark suits seated on the sofas. “Where’s Mr. Murphy?”
    “In the study,” the tech said.
    “There’s a study in this apartment?” Emily looked impressed. “Who’s he with?” she asked.
    “You don’t know?” The tech chuckled. “The Governor.”
    Colin exchanged a smirk with Emily before he stepped into the foyer, glancing down the hallway at the closed study door.
    Isabel joined him in the entry. “Hello, Colin.”
    “Hey, you’re back,” Emily said, walking over to the entry as well.
    “My boss informed me the Governor was on his way over here,” Isabel said. “He figured if his highness was here, I’d better be too.”
    The door to the study flew open and Patrick Murphy sprinted out, heading toward the long dining table, holding his ringing phone. The Governor strode behind him.
    “Everybody quiet!” the tech yelled and the rooms instantly went silent. Then he pointed to Mr. Murphy to answer the call.
    “This is Patrick Murphy.”
    Colin stepped close to the phone. Patrick angled it away from his ear so Colin was able to lean in and listen.
    The caller’s voice was distorted by a synthesizer again, but the instructions were clear. “Bring the money, small unmarked bills, in a green duffle bag and place it in a trash bin at the corner of Fifth and Main Streets in downtown Boise, at noon tomorrow. And there had better not be any cops there.”
    “There won’t be,” Patrick promised, eyeing Colin.
    “If the money is short, I will kill your wife. If there is an exploding blue ink pack in the bag, I will kill her. If I spot any police, I will kill her. Do I make myself clear?”
    “Yes, I understand,” Patrick said.