Chapter 99

The dread that had been simmering in her belly for the past week finally reached boiling point. She sank to a nearby chair at the table. She knew what he was going to say. Still he kept talking, laying out all the details. Giving it to her straight. Just like she’d begged him to do.

“The FBI thinks he hired on with the catering staff. Maybe weeks ago.”

Nolan very carefully hadn’t mentioned her brother’s name yet, she noticed. But was still talking about him in the form of some mysterious unidentified “him.” But she knew who Nolan meant. They both knew.

But she had asked Nolan not to tell her anything until he had proof. Apparently he was taking her at her word. As if by not mentioning Andrew's name, Nolan would protect Candace.

“He was with the catering crew through the initial setup in the afternoon. It’s how he got access to the office. There must have been someone working elsewhere in the building to disable the security system because at some point he was able to slip away unnoticed from the rest of the staff. In the service hall used by the caterers, we believe he entered the ductwork and from there made his way up to Derek’s office. Since it was a Saturday and everyone there was busy getting ready for the fundraiser, none of the Messina Diamonds staff was on that floor.”

She wanted to ask about that security system. The one Nolan had sworn no one could break into. But her question would only sound accusatory and this wasn’t his fault. Besides, she knew Quinn well enough to know that he’d probably already taken on enough of the blame himself without her adding more to that. So she remained quiet.

“He must have cracked the safe and taken the diamonds before any of the guests even arrived. He had to leave through the ductwork, as well. Since the space was small and cramped, he’d have been covered in grime. He couldn’t have returned to the catering job. He must have known that would happen ahead of time because he had someone disable the cameras on the eleventh floor, where he exited the ductwork, changed clothes and made his way out of the building when all the guests were arriving.”

Her mind clung stubbornly to a single ray of hope. “The ductwork was small, you said. My brother’s tall.” Not as tall as Nolan, of course, but nearly five-eleven.

“He’s tall, but he’s lean.”

Irrationally, she shot out of her chair, ready to defend him. “How do you know? You haven’t seen Andrew.”

“But he’s not from the pictures I've seen.” Nolan slowly shook his head, as if disappointed in her defense of Andrew. Still, he flipped open the folder he held and withdrew an eight-by-ten black-and-white photo and handed it to her. “This is a blowup from the security camera in the catering area.”

Despite the grainy quality of the picture, she could see that it was Andrew, dressed in a crisp white chef’s jacket that looked impossibly big on him, emphasizing the narrowness of his shoulders and the leanness of his frame.

She sank back to her chair. “Oh, Andrew, what have you done?”

Nolan lowered himself to the chair beside her and placed his hands over hers. “You’re not responsible for this. Andrew made his own choices.”

Funny, under any other circumstances, she’d be the one saying that. People make their own decisions. You can get them help when they ask for it, but you can’t take responsibility for their mistakes. But this was her brother. And she had found herself making the lame protests family members always made.

“You mentioned other people,” she said. “The people who disabled the cameras and security system. What about them?”

“What about them?”

“Well, they’re involved, too, right? What if you find Andrew first? Talk to him? Convince him to turn himself in so that he can cut some kind of deal with the government? You could do that, right?”

“That’s not how it works.”

“Sure it is. You see it all the time. The witness protection program and all that. People cut deals in exchange for testimony against a bigger fish. That would at least keep him out of prison, right?”

She was waiting, praying that Nolan would agree. But he carefully dodged her question. Instead he reached across the table and cupped her cheek with his other hand.

“I promise you this, Candace. I will find your brother. And I’ll do it before the FBI does. If there’s a deal to cut, I’ll make it work.”

And just like that he stood and made to leave. She dashed after him, catching up with him in the living room.

“Wait a second. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to find your brother.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Absolutely not.”

She practically threw herself in front of the door, blocking his exit. “Yes, I will.”

“No.”

“Nolan, this is important. You’ve got to let me come. I can help. I can talk to him. I know I can.”

After a minute, Nolan gave a tight nod. Her surge of relief was tempered by his next words. “But only if you’ve got a passport.”

“Why on earth would I need a passport?”

Even as she said the words, she realized. Her brother was on the run and hiding out somewhere

Nolan answered her next question before she even had a chance to ask it.

“He’s not at his condo,” Nolan said. “I believe he’s already in the Celestria Islands.”