Chapter 34
Landon
We’re mid-air on the way home when Jim’s phone rings.
“Okay, I understand,” he says. He listens a moment. “Yes. Fiona is with me, and we’re an hour out. Find out where they’re taking him. What does the media look like?”
Everyone stops and tries to hear the conversation.
Jim ignores us and stares at the carpeting on the floor. I can’t follow what he’s saying. Fiona has moved to the seat next to him, my guess is to hear his part of the conversation over the jet engines.
Jim looks at his watch. “We land in about an hour. Keep me posted.” He hangs up.
Fiona looks at him, waiting.
“Nate was arrested when he landed.”
“What? Why?” Tinsley asks.
“He was arrested for the murder of his wife last October.” Jim looks at Fiona.
They seem to know something we don’t.
I sit back hard in my chair. We had a great time with Nate in Montana. Whenever his foundation or Cecelia was mentioned, a dark cloud covered his face. I know he still hurts when it comes to his wife. They were an incredible team together. The Las Vegas PD is in a cluster, and I guess they just decided they needed to make an arrest.
Nate mentioned over Memorial Day weekend that he was a suspect. But we were all suspects—everyone who was together when she disappeared. No way he was involved in her death. They had a special kind of love that blooms from shared experiences, trust, and understanding. I was also with him when he learned Cecelia was missing, and I would have bet my last dollar he was devastated and surprised.
I play poker with that man. I know his tells. It broke him when they couldn’t find her, and devastated doesn’t even come close to describing him after he learned she’d been murdered.
Why would they think he had anything to do with it? “Holy crap,” I breathe.
Jim bounces from phone call to phone call for the remainder of the flight, and Fiona does the same. I learn that the police surrounded the plane when they landed. Jackson Graham and his girlfriend, Corrine, as well as Viviana and her date were there.
“Damn it. All they needed to do was ask to speak with him, and we would have made him available,” Fiona screams into her phone. “This is a publicity stunt for the stupid cunt mayor. God damn it. Totally unnecessary. I’m going to make it my job to see that she suffers. Nate and I and everyone we know will be donating to her opponent in the next election, and I will run a PR campaign that shows her to be the self-serving idiot she is for trying this stunt to hang this on Nate Lancaster.”
I’ve seen Fiona mad. Most of the time, that anger is focused on me. Though I also saw her upset dealing with a less-than-scrupulous immigration officer. She went to town on him, and he lost his job, but this is as angry as I’ve ever seen her. A part of me almost feels sorry for the Las Vegas mayor and police department.
Tinsley gets up and brings her some golden liquid in a glass.
Fiona looks at her gratefully. “I shouldn’t…” She reaches for the glass. “…given what I’m walking into, but thank you. I’m absolutely helpless here on the plane.”
Fiona downs the drink.
“Would you like another one?” Tinsley asks.
“Yes.”
Tinsley stands, but Fiona reaches for her arm.
“But I won’t. When this happened, I planned for this scenario and several others. We knew he’d be the number-one suspect after it happened. Honestly, we expected this in February. Not almost a year later.”
“Why would they suspect him? He adored Cecelia,” I implore.
Fiona knows whatever she tells me is violating confidentiality, but she must figure it’s going to come out with the arrest, because after a moment she sighs. “The Mayor has set up a press conference once they secure his transfer from San Francisco to Las Vegas. Cecelia moved a large amount of money out of their account, and they’ve asserted that she was preparing to divorce him.”
“Where did she move it?” Tinsley asks.
Jim shakes his head. “We’re not sure. We can’t figure out where the money went. It bounced offshore and through several banks without any ability for us to follow it.”
My phone pings.
Jackson: Let Fiona know I’m sending over my criminal attorney, Damien Lewis. He’s good and helped me when LVPD came knocking. He’ll irritate the crap out of them until she can get there.
I pass the message on to Fiona.
She nods. “I’ve heard of Damien. He’s over at Colfax Day, and he’s good. He was on our shortlist. Knowing he’s already dealt with the Las Vegas Police on this matter makes it even better. Tell him we need to know where they’re taking him. Nate’s arraignment is going to be a circus. I’ll make plans for the getaway.”
I relay the information to Jackson.
Fiona has her phone to her ear. “Damien and I may need to get to Vegas. After you guys drop me, can we hitch a ride? If their plan is to extradite him to Vegas tonight, I need to be there. “
I nod. “That’s not an issue. Do what you need to do.”
Fiona’s fingers fly over the keyboard on her phone. As we come into our final approach at the airport, I see easily twenty police cars below, with lights flashing.
“Are they still dealing with Nate at the airport? I would’ve thought he’d be long gone by now.”
Fiona reaches over me to look out the window. “God damn
