“Yes, he would,” Tyson said, straightening his tie. “But I’m sure you made copies. I don’t believe there’s enough evidence in that journal, or what’s left of it, to hurt me. Your daddy was gathering materials against the Coonans to gain his freedom. I was an afterthought, and not even a big one at that time. Wasn’t even in public service yet.”

Good point. “Then why take us for Eddie?” Brigid studied Josh, whose intelligent eyes scanned the room and then focused on the doorway.

“Oh.” Tyson coughed. “I see. No. You were an afterthought. It’s the reporter I want.”

An afterthought? “Is that a fact?” Her voice shook. That meant she was expendable.

“Affirmative. In case I need leverage with what’s left of your HDD unit. And I would like to know what’s in the second half of that journal. But it’s Dana’s sources, who she’s talked to and what she’s said, that I require first.”

“About the missing women,” Dana breathed.

“Yep. We’ve been following you for a while and were surprised when you first visited the hole-in-the-wall HDD unit and the Irish rose here.” Tyson double-checked his cuff links and looked her over. “I do like blondes, but unfortunately I have a nasty temper. It’s usually an accident, to be honest. They shouldn’t make me mad.”

Oh, there was no way he’d let them free after this. Brigid’s lungs stopped working, and she struggled to breathe. She was going to die, and she’d never gotten a chance to tell Raider how she really felt about him. He’d never know. She calculated the distance between her and the door. Even if she got past Josh, where would she go? There had to be a phone somewhere.

“You won’t make it,” Josh said, not looking at her. How did he do that?

Tyson chuckled. “Even if you did, I own the police in this town already. A combination of money and blackmail. Get to a phone, call 911, and I promise you’ll disappear quickly.”

Her palms grew clammy. They needed to get free and run. Brigid looked around the basement room. No windows, probably concrete block as the foundation. This wasn’t looking good.

Dana cleared her throat. “Did you kill them?” she asked, softly.

Was she after a story or what? Of course, the longer the guy talked, the longer they’d stay alive. Brigid looked at the man.

He shrugged. “Depends on who you’re talking about.”

“The girl in high school,” Brigid threw out.

“Yeah. We had a fight, I pushed her, and she hit her head. That really was an accident.” He smiled as if in fond remembrance.

Brigid’s stomach lurched.

Dana straightened up. “The doctor in Seattle?”