But it was over now.
Adam and I drove out of the lot after Nate and Helena left. When we reached the base of the hill, I noticed there was no guard at the station. “Was it like that when you arrived?” I asked Adam, who’d been silent up to this point.
“It was. Why? Is there usually a guard there?”
I nodded. “Yeah… There was one there earlier. He was the one who waved us through. Maybe Stowe paid him off…or something.”
Adam shifted in his seat. I knew I’d brought up the subject he planned to get to eventually, but eventually turned out to be right now. He said, “Speaking of Stowe, how did he know you and Helena were at Willow Point?”
“He said he followed us,” I replied.
“But how did he figure out there was a connection with you and Ron Mifflin? Did you say something to him?”
“Of course not!”
Adam shot me a sidelong glance. “Well, something tipped him off.”
Though I’d told Adam everything the day we’d both come clean, I’d neglected to mention my one visit to Fowler’s Motel when I’d taken Stowe with me. I did so now, and as expected, Adam was not amused.
“Jesus Christ, Madeleine, no more fucking secrets. Isn’t that what we agreed?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
Adam slowed the SUV and glanced over at me. “Look, I’m trying not to lose it, okay? I know you’ve had a rough night. And I’m truly thankful you’re all right.” He reached over and squeezed my hand. “It’s just that I heard back from my contact while Nate and I were driving out here, and I finally have some new information on Stowe Hannigan.”
“What did you find out?”
Adam exhaled and stared out at the road before us for a small eternity. “Maddy,” he finally began, “Stowe is involved with a very intricate criminal organization down in Florida. I suspect he’s pretty high up in their ranks; he’s been with them a long time.”
“What does he do for them?” I asked, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.
“He takes care of…situations.”
“Situations? Like Ron?”
“Yes, like Ron.” Adam confirmed. “Apparently he, too, was once part of this organization. I found that out on the way here, too. And that he was still alive. Ron must’ve pissed somebody off, though. They obviously wanted him dead if they sent Stowe after him.”
“Stowe said something to Ron about disobeying orders, and something about violating an agreement. Oh, and he mentioned some guy named Nikolai. Does any of that make sense?”
“That’s the guy who was in charge until recently,” Adam replied. “He passed away in September. Ron was probably under orders to never come back to Maine, especially since he’d assumed his brother’s identity. This Nikolai must have kept him in check, but when he died Ron saw his chance to come back and exact his sick revenge for his brother’s death.”
“Makes sense,” I murmured.
There was one thing bothering me though. Adam knew so much. It was like he was filling in the blanks in the story we had recounted back in the parking lot. “How do you know all of this, Adam? That’s quite a bit of information. Who is this contact?”
“I can only say it’s someone I work with when I’m down in Boston.”
Adam spent a lot of time in Boston; he had from the time I’d first arrived on Fade Island. I knew this man I loved did secretive work, but I was beginning to suspect it went deeper than that. Was it possible Adam was working on projects for covert entities contained, say, within the government?
I’d heard of those types of organizations within organizations, since I’d researched them at one time for a book. But I had ended up scrapping the idea when it became too difficult to find people willing to talk. Would that type of an entity use Adam’s computer expertise to take down an organization like the one Stowe worked for? I had a feeling the answer was yes. Yes, they surely would. And God, did that thought terrify me.
I cleared my throat. “Adam, what do you do when you’re down in Boston? What kinds of things do you work on?”
I thought about mentioning that Wickingham Way text but decided that might not be wise. Adam had told me, after all, to forget I’d even seen it.
Adam chuckled a little. “Maddy, you know I can’t tell you those things.”
“Because you write programs,” I said, undeterred. “You create software that the government uses, right?” I was on a roll, nervous and scared, but I couldn’t stop. “I’ve always heard how a criminal organization—an organization like the one in Florida, the one Stowe is a part of—will use cybercrime to fund its activities. I’ve heard organizations like those also funnel funds to offshore accounts.” I paused. “Adam, are you helping the government go after Stowe?” He raised an eyebrow, and I added in a whisper, “I’m only asking because I’m afraid for you.”
He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Okay, Maddy, I will tell you this much.” He hesitated for a few seconds. “The government isn’t interested in Stowe Hannigan. But, yes, I’ve been helping an agency within the government close in on that particular organization; the one Stowe is a part of. However, I wasn’t aware of his involvement until very recently. Like today, in fact.”
“So—”
“Maddy, I can’t say anything more,” he jumped in, his tone one of warning. “I’ve told you enough.”
“Okay.”
I was amazed Adam had told me as much as he had. And I had to admit it worried me terribly. How much did Stowe know of Adam’s involvement in this agency’s attempts to bring down the organization he’d been a part of for over a decade? If Stowe was fairly high up—as Adam’s Boston contact had recently indicated—then would he just sit back and allow Adam to
