“That would have worked,” Lamont said thoughtfully. “Once the story was public, killing you would be pointless.”
“That was the theory.” Ewen gestured at the documents. “But I needed that last source. The quality control supervisor’s testimony would have been the final piece. Without him, I just have a lot of strong evidence on paper, but nothing that puts a human face on the manufacturing fraud.”
Lamont studied the spread of documents again, mentally arranging the pieces. “We need to figure out who paid for your abduction. The woman who questioned you, from what I could see in the brief time I was in the factory, I would guess she’s a professional, and so were the guards. That level of security doesn’t come cheap.”
“You think it was Hardline?”
“It could be, or it could be one or more of the congressmen trying to protect their careers. Of course, it could also be someone we haven’t identified yet who has even more to lose.” Lamont picked up one of the bank statements. “Did you find any other unusual financial transactions on any of these? Payments to security companies, private military contractors, even umbrella or shell companies - anything that might connect to the people who took you?”
Ewen’s eyes widened slightly. “I didn’t look for that specifically. I was focused on the bribes and the procurement fraud.”
“Then that’s where we start.” Lamont settled into the chair beside the desk. “We find out who’s bankrolling your kidnappers. Once we know that, we’ll know exactly whose cage you rattled hard enough to make them come after you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Ewen had never really worked in depth with anyone else on one of his stories before. Even in the collaborations he’d done early in his career, he and whoever he was working with would do their own thing, and then bring it all together at the end to create an article. But working with Lamont seemed effortless.
Lamont had a curious mind and an amazing memory, catching details Ewen had glossed over and asking questions that opened new angles of investigation. When Ewen found a suspicious wire transfer buried in Winters’s daughter’s consulting firm records, Lamont immediately cross-referenced it against the timeline of Cortesi’s accident. They moved through the documents in tandem, passing papers back and forth, building connections without needing to explain every thought.
“Here.” Lamont tapped a bank statement. “Paulson’s campaign received a donation from something called Clearwater Strategic Consulting three days after the House Armed Services Committee approved Hardline’s latest contract extension.”
Ewen pulled Lamont’s laptop closer and started typing. “Clearwater Strategic. That’s new. I don’t have them in my notes.”
“Delaware LLC.” Lamont was already scrolling through a search on his phone. “It’s definitely a shell company. Want to bet we can trace it back to Hardline’s CFO?”
“I’m not taking that bet.” Ewen’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “I’m checking the Secretary of State’s business registry now.”
They fell into a rhythm. Lamont would spot an anomaly, Ewen would dig into the digital records, and together they’dunravel another thread of the conspiracy. The stack of flagged documents grew steadily higher.
Ewen’s fox hummed contentedly in the back of his mind. Working alongside their mate felt right in a way Ewen had never experienced before. Every story he’d ever chased had been solitary work. Part of that was through being a journalist. It was the nature of the game to trust no one. Ewen trusted himself and relied on his own instincts, making sure he double-checked every source so that he knew he could be certain of anything he submitted for publication.
This was different. Better.
Lamont leaned over to examine a document Ewen had just pulled from one of the many piles they had on the desk and his shoulder pressed against Ewen’s. The casual touch sent warmth spreading through Ewen’s chest. He’d spent three days recovering in Lamont’s presence, sleeping beside him, sharing meals and stories. But working together, minds moving in sync toward a common goal, felt intimate in an entirely different way.
“Look at this.” Ewen pointed to a series of payments highlighted in yellow. “A monthly retainer to Arcturus Group. Twenty thousand a month for the past eighteen months.”
Lamont’s dark eyes narrowed. “Arcturus Group. I know that name. That’s a private security firm, very high end stuff, dealing with executive protection, asset recovery, and corporate intelligence.”
“Corporate intelligence.” Ewen’s stomach clenched. “That’s a fancy way of saying they handle problems for people who can afford to make those problems disappear.”
“Exactly.” Lamont’s jaw tightened. “And twenty thousand a month buys you a lot of problem-solving capability. When did these payments start?”
Ewen checked his notes. “Eight months ago. That’s...” He flipped through his timeline. “That’s when I first got in touch with Cortesi.”
The implication hung heavily between them.
“They knew.” Lamont’s voice went flat. “Someone at Hardline or in the DoD knew you were sniffing around almost from the beginning.”
Ewen’s hands trembled slightly as he set down the paper. “Cortesi died three months ago. The payments to Arcturus continued afterward.”
“Because they were tracking you next.” Lamont reached over and laced his fingers through Ewen’s. “The woman who interrogated you in Egypt, the one who looked out of place with a professional, organized, well-funded support team. That’s Arcturus.”
“So Hardline paid for my abduction.”
“Or someone connected to Hardline who has access to their accounts.” Lamont squeezed Ewen’s hand. “Either way, we’ve got them. This paper trail connects the defense contractor directly to a private security firm, and the timing links that firm to Cortesi’s death and your kidnapping.”
Ewen stared at the documents spread across the desk. Months of work, dozens of sources, hundreds of hours of investigation - and in a few hours together, he and Lamont had found the missing piece that tied it all together.