Cut and Run by Jeff Abbott

Author:Jeff Abbott
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780748129713
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2011-02-16T11:00:00+00:00

‘Because he doesn’t want Bucks or Frank to know it’s gone.’

‘Because he suspects Bucks but doesn’t want to tip his hand,’ Whit said. ‘Or Frank’s. You said he embezzled from Paul.’ Whit leaned over her, watched the screen. ‘Let’s consider another possibility. She has these files on the disc. But did she also copy these files to the hard drive in return?’

‘Why?’

‘Part of the frame-up on you,’ he said. ‘Bucks could say you were incorrectly cooking the books with this data.’

‘Those files would have a date stamp for when they were placed on the hard drive.’ She clicked the mouse, expanded a view. ‘See. They’re showing as transferred today.’

‘But they could be edited once they were on the machine. Assuming Tasha has the computer know-how, and I’ll bet she does. Bucks didn’t want Frank around when the files were added. So he asks Tasha to do it when they’re gone.’

‘I prefer simplicity,’ Eve said. ‘She’s in bed with Paul, he wanted to know what was on that system without alerting Bucks and Frank. He’s a sneaky ass.’

‘She’s sneakier,’ he said. ‘She had that little gun hidden in a cell phone. Have you ever seen that used?’

‘No, but I’ve heard of them. Paul might’ve given it to her.’ She pointed again at the spreadsheet icons. ‘This bothers me. This data makes the Bellinis look like they’ve got way more income that is being cleaned than they actually do, in lots of places that don’t exist. I don’t believe Tommy or Paul truly has this money. So what would be the point of putting it on my computer or tying it to other Bellini financial records?’

‘What would the Feds do if they got this information?’

‘Start auditing each and every company. Start tracing the money trail. Start shutting down operations, making arrests.’ She pointed at the cooked-book files. This would make them pee in excitement.’

‘Then we have a negotiating point, right? We could put Paul in jail.’

‘And me in jail, Whit.’ She touched the back of his hand. ‘Is that what you want?’

‘I didn’t do the crime,’ Whit said.

‘No, you didn’t. I told you, I go to prison, they’ll still kill me. I have no doubt.’ She stood, walked to the window. ‘There has to be another way to use this to get Paul to back off on having me whacked.’

Whit said nothing for a few moments. He tried Gooch’s cell phone again, calling on his own cell, not wanting to call on Charlie’s home number. No answer. ‘This isn’t right,’ he said.

‘We have to assume they got him,’ Eve said. ‘You said he was pulling away but they may have shot him.’

‘In the middle of River Oaks?’

‘He’s not here, is he?’

‘I messed up,’ Whit said.

‘No. Gooch shouldn’t have shown up there. He told me he was coming straight back here. He didn’t stick to the plan, Whit. It’s not your fault.’

‘He saved me from getting shot, and I left him.’

‘You did what he wanted.’ She touched his face.

‘Where would they take him?’

‘The Bellinis own two houses in River Oaks.

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