Searching For Truth by Barry Finlay

Author:Barry Finlay [Finlay, Barry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

JAKE REALIZED AS he drove home that he hadn’t contacted Avery for a few days, either by phone or text. He needed to rectify that situation as soon as he got home. The day was sunny, and the temperature hovered around minus twelve degrees Celsius, about ten degrees Fahrenheit in Jake’s world.

He greeted Mr. Sharpe, his next-door neighbor who was cleaning the edges of his driveway with a shovel. The white-haired man must have been in his eighties by now and had lived in the house for as long as Jake could remember. Jake offered to help, but Mr. Sharpe declined as he gasped for air, saying it was the only exercise he got these days. Jake wondered if he would find him face down in the snow one day.

Once inside, Jake removed his winter attire and paid attention to Oliver before dialing Avery. She picked up on the second ring. After the usual “how are you?” and “how is work/retirement?” questions, Jake filled his daughter in on the latest regarding his research for the book. Avery had Jake on speaker and Nick listened in. As Jake finished his story, Nick said, “Are you backing all this up on an external drive, Jake? A USB or something?”

“I hadn’t considered that Nick, but it’s a good idea. What do you suggest?”

“I would put it on a USB and keep it in a safe location. It’s not something you want to have to recreate if your computer crashes. Maybe give it to your sweetheart for safekeeping.”

Jake could hear Avery stifle a laugh and himself getting defensive. He said, “If you mean Dani, she’s not my sweetheart, but I’ll take your idea under advisement, Nick, thanks.”

They continued their conversation for another half hour. The time flew when Jake talked to his daughter and her boyfriend, and when she announced they had things to do, Jake reluctantly let them go.

His next call was to Dani. He knew continuing his investigation of the case would upset her. He braced for her reaction as he told her about his conversation with Sarah and the paralegal’s suspicions that something illegal had been going on at Ryan’s firm.

“Can you bring the police into the investigation now?” he asked.

Visions floated into Jake’s head of Dani’s countenance darkening and her eyes glowing like embers in their sockets as she absorbed the information.

She said, “I thought I told you to leave this alone.” Her voice steadily rose. “You’re putting yourself in danger. There still isn’t enough to investigate. Sarah’s suspicions about Ryan and a piece of paper with a password don’t help us. She took an enormous risk. I showed the note to my boss. There’s still no link to the murders, nor enough evidence of embezzlement from the trust fund to launch an official investigation.” Her tone softened again. “I suppose you’ve spoken with Damon Brooks and you’re too afraid to tell me.”

“No, I still haven’t. Maybe he’s avoiding me. I think I’ll pay him a visit to close the loop since I’ve already left messages.

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