"Monica is giving a press conference at eleven this morning," Jag said. "She wanted both of you to see her statement before she gave it.”
Noah tried to focus on the words on the page, but the throbbing behind his eyes from the night before hadn't fully quit, and the letters blurred at the edges. He blinked. They stayed blurred. He set down the page. “Someone needs to give me the short version."
Baxter pushed his glasses up to his forehead. "Monica is recanting her accusation."
Ziggy let out a very loud sigh. "Thank god."
“That’s a huge relief.” But Noah couldn’t relax. "Who hurt her? I mean, someone did that to her face. That wasn’t fake, and whoever did should be behind bars.”
"She says she doesn’t know, and that’s also in her statement,” Jag said. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the island. "Someone attacked her from behind in the parking garage on her way to her car after work. She never saw who it was. When she came to in the hospital, flowers and a card were waiting for her. It wasn’t signed, but based on the contents, we believe it was from her attacker.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Noah wiped a hand over his mouth. “Why did she blame me?”
Baxter tapped the page in front of Noah. “Inside the card was cash and a note. The cops asked all the nurses and staff if anyone had visited her. There had only been one person.”
“Let me guess.” Noah clenched his hands at his sides. “Someone dressed in non-descript clothes wearing a baseball cap, and they couldn’t tell if it was male or female.”
“Actually, they know it was a woman.” Jag arched a brow. “And because of the nature of the crime, this person had to sign in.”
“So, that means you’ve got a name.” Ziggy sat up taller as she shifted her gaze quickly between Baxter and her brother.
“The woman gave them an ID with the name of one of Monica’s co-workers,” Jag said. “Brian Minor went down to question her, and she said she’d been mugged recently. She’d reported that her wallet had been stolen. ID, credit cards, all gone. And, not only was she out of town the day of the attack, but she also no longer works at the same company. She didn’t know Monica had been attacked until she publicly accused you.”
Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. “My father got to know the women he raped and killed. The people who loved them allsaid those young ladies had feelings for my dad.” Noah dropped his hand. “I don’t know how, but my dad is somehow controlling all this from inside prison.”
“I spoke to Brian and Amy,” Jag said. “They researched your dad, and they’re pushing the judge to sign the court order to give them access to visitor logs at the prison. But that’s also based on the fact that the attacker left instructions in that card for Monica.”
“And what were those?” Noah asked.
"Blame Noah Chase, and there will be a big financial reward. Don't, and we'll hurt those you love the same way we hurt you."
Ziggy's hand came up over her mouth. “Oh, my God. That poor woman. She must have been so scared.”
Noah reached for Ziggy’s hand and held it tight while he processed everything he'd just heard. It was all connected. All of it deliberate. All of it his father's work and none of it traceable—yet.
"The day after her accusation went public, a substantial deposit hit Monica's account," Baxter said.
"The feds traced it," Jag said. “It came from shell companies with multiple layers, so it’s going to take some time to find out who exactly sent it. But they expect to have the source identified by Monday."
“My dad had money. But to my knowledge, most of it went toward paying restitution and addressing civil suits. I don’t know how he’d handle paying someone a large sum through shell corps.” Noah rubbed his temples. “But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have gotten some woman to do it for him. He’s so good at manipulation.”
“We’ll have some answers in two days.” Jag put a hand on Noah's shoulder. “And then we can make some moves. But we have to be patient. I know it’s hard, but we’ll get through this.”
“Is it safe for Monica to go public?” Ziggy asked softly. "If whoever did this thinks she's still going along with their plan, doesn’t that buy the police and the feds some time? But if she recants, she’ll be exposed and even more vulnerable.”
"The feds will protect her," Jag said. “And Troy said he can put one of the Aegis Network operatives on her. He’s got a few in the area, even though the office isn’t quite up and running yet.”
Ziggy flattened both hands on the counter. "But won't this escalate things? Whoever’s behind this—whether it’s Matias, or someone else, or both of them together—they’ll know it didn't work."
“I know it sounds crazy,” Jag said. “But that’s exactly what we’re hoping for.”
Noah stared into his coffee. His father was sitting in that cell, running something from inside four walls that had tentacles nobody could see, patient as he'd always been. Escalating the situation meant forcing his father's hand. Forcing his father's hand meant whoever he was using on the outside would have to act. And acting meant leaving a trail.
It was the right play, and Noah hated that.
Baxter pulled another page from his folder and laid it on the island. "We'd like you to give a statement this afternoon responding to Monica's. That you accept her apology. That you're focused on nothing but finding who did this to her and bringing them to justice. We attach the tip line, and you ask your audience to call if they know anything.”
Jag snagged another muffin. "The feds and Seattle PD want Ziggy at your side when you give the statement."