He wore casual slacks and a collared button-down under his baby blue sport coat. Deck shoes covered his feet. No socks. He looked the part. The waitress approached and offered to refill his coffee. He accepted, but asked for decaf. He was wired enough. He checked his watch. Boarding would start in ten minutes. He looked around the café as his forehead beaded with perspiration. The chair across from him rattled across the pavement as it was pulled away from the table. A woman sat down casually.

“Meghan?” the man asked.

Meghan Cobb’s face stayed expressionless. She nodded.

The man sat back in his chair and dropped his head in relief. “Thank God. I thought we missed each other.”

“No, I was just doing what I was told to make sure no one was following me.”

“And?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know? I’m a goddamn interior decorator. This whole thing was sprung on me two days ago.”

“Okay, I’m sorry,” the man said. “I’ve been here for an hour. I think we’re fine.” He looked at the dock. “They’re starting to board. We better get going.”

He dropped cash onto the table to pay his breakfast bill, then they both stood and walked toward the giant cruise ship. Meghan took his hand as they joined the line of passengers waiting to board.

CHAPTER 65 - Manhattan, NY Sunday, July 11, 2021

CHAPTER 65

Manhattan, NY Sunday, July 11, 2021

THE CABIN, JIM OLIVER HAD LEARNED DURING HIS MEETING WITH Claire Montgomery, was owned by Annabelle Gray, a cousin-in-law once removed from Garth Montgomery. The lineage was not difficult to follow once it stared him in the face. Garth Montgomery’s brother was married to a woman whose uncle had owned the Lake Placid cabin located at 777 Stonybrook Circle. The uncle died years ago and willed the property to his daughter—Annabelle Gray, the cousin of Garth Montgomery’s sister-in-law. The hours-long interview Claire Montgomery had given on Friday night revealed that Annabelle Gray was called “Ma Bell” by the Montgomery children. Her cabin had been an end-of-summer destination for the Montgomery clan.

Confirmation that Garth Montgomery was, indeed, the cabin’s current occupant came from the recorded phone conversation Claire had provided to the FBI. It was priceless. If a warrant were going to be granted, the recording—in addition to Claire Montgomery’s cooperation—would be what made it happen.

The call came through at 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning.

“Oliver,” he said into the phone.

“We got it,” Agent Sullivan said.

“No shit?”

“Judge Harris signed it while wearing his pajamas and slippers as he sipped coffee at his kitchen table. We’re on our way now.”

“How long?”

“Ten minutes.”