Touch & Go (Tessa Leoni, #2)(65)

Wyatt saw her point and it worried him a little, too. Essentially, they weren’t just looking for a professional, well-disciplined predator. They were hunting a professional, well-disciplined team.

“I think they kidnapped the wife and daughter in order to better control Justin,” he said abruptly. “Guy like him sounds like a natural-born fighter. With the lives of his wife and kid at stake, however…”

Tessa nodded shortly, that tight look back on her face. “Limits his options,” she murmured. “Another argument that the abduction team did their homework and came prepared.”

“But no ransom?”

“Nothing yet. Come on. I’ll take you upstairs.”

Upstairs turned out to be the third floor. A lot more evidence placards and signs of a struggle. Tessa walked him through the scene, the Boston cops’ theories on the chain of events. It all sounded good to him. God knows, he’d never had the occasion to use urine drops to diagram a crime scene.

They completed their inspection, then Tessa once more headed downstairs. When they came to the second-floor landing, she was still walking, but he paused.

“What’s here?”

“Family room, guest bedroom, library.”

“I mean, in terms of the kidnapping.”

She shook her head. “There isn’t anything on this level.”

“And the top level, above the third floor?”

“Nothing.”

Wyatt frowned. “Meaning the activity was limited to the third floor, where the intruders got the girl, and the foyer, where they got the parents, then the kitchen, where they stacked the family goods after everyone had been subdued?”

Tessa nodded.

Wyatt looked at her. “Pretty precise, if you ask me. This is what, a six-thousand-square-foot town house? How many levels, how many rooms? And yet, to judge by the lack of evidence on certain levels, the kidnappers never wasted a step. In, out, done.”

She stilled slightly, and he could see the implications sinking in. “We already figure it’s an inside job—or at least, someone the Denbes knew gave out the security codes. But what you’re suggesting…”

“They’ve been here before,” Wyatt said bluntly. “Either as guests, or the same person who gave out the security codes also gave them a personal tour. Enough so they’d know exactly where to find Ashlyn’s bedroom and precisely where to stand to grab the parents walking in.”

“For that matter, they were briefed on the family’s habits,” Tessa added. “Because if Libby had driven, she and Justin would’ve entered from the lower-level garage, but he drove, meaning they used the front door.”

“Who would know such details?”

“The housekeeper, Dina Johnson. I would guess some close friends and acquaintances. Also Justin’s management team, the crew we met last night. I’m told they were all frequent guests in the home, plus it makes sense Justin might have given them security access in case they needed to fetch something for him, that sort of thing.”

“In other words, a decent-size pool of suspects,” Wyatt said. “Who’ve already fed us a bunch of stories.”

They’d arrived back in the main foyer. Kevin was no longer hunched over the floor, having probably worked his way to the kitchen.

“If this is about corporate gain,” Tessa said, “why kidnap? How does abducting Justin and his family assist with taking over Denbe Construction?”

Wyatt considered the matter. “Missing its leader, the company goes into crisis mode, meaning the management team can assume emergency control of Denbe Construction.”

“To what end? Justin is found, he takes it back over.”

“Unless he’s incapacitated. Hurt.” Wyatt paused. “Killed.”

Tessa nodded but wore a troubled frown. “It’s possible. God knows, there have been enough cases involving murder-for-hire by disgruntled business partners. It’s not always easy to understand what some people find worth killing over.” A chiming sound came from her pocket. She pulled out her cell, glanced at the screen. “Excuse me, I have to take this.”

Wyatt nodded, wandering to the family room, where he eyed the hand-carved mantel one last time, then pulled out the thick sheaf of papers from his bag, and set about reading.

Next thing he knew, Tessa Leoni was standing beside him, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“Got it!”

“Got what?”

“The answer to my question. Wait, is that the evidence log?” She pointed to his stack of papers. “You got the FBI to share the evidence log?”

“Not the FBI. Boston cops. I found their jacket, remember, and now I’m horning in on the FBI who horned in on them. Figured the detective in charge, Neil Cap, might feel like doing me a favor.”

Her eyes widened. “Well played.”

“The mountains aren’t all bears and moose,” he assured her modestly. “Sometimes, we deal with foxes, too. Now, your answer to your question?”

“How did Libby discover her husband’s affair?” she said immediately.

Wyatt blinked. Truthfully, he hadn’t thought about it. “The daughter? She visited the building to check out the competition, according to Anita Bennett.”

“Good guess, but according to Libby’s hairdresser, Libby found out about the other woman six months ago, whereas Ashlyn showed up in the lobby only three months ago. So how did Libby find out? Something she saw? Or something someone said?”