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Toya quickly demonstrated why Auric paid her so generously, tracking the stolen funds to two newly established accounts. Fletcher had transferred half to the Grand Cayman bank and half to Credit Suisse in Zurich.
She also found more than a dozen calls to the same number in Fletcher’s phone history. The number was traced to a burner phone.
The details fell into place quickly after that. Richard Folsom was a pseudonym. No one by that name worked for the state of California as an investigator.
“The most reasonable explanation we came up with is that Folsom was some kind of fixer,” he told Emma after the Auric investigators had the chance to dig deeper. “Fletcher must have called him for help to get out of the country and set up somewhere else.”
“And he got double-crossed?” Emma asked, a line between her brows.
Garrett nodded. “We’ve recovered most of the money he stole thanks to Toya’s skills and Auric’s contacts. But at least a million is missing. We think he took that out in cash and drove down to Mexico, waiting for his fixer to take him to his new life. Folsom, or whatever his real name is, must have seen the cash and taken advantage of the opportunity.”
He had explained how the man had escaped by endangering a child. She understood, of course, and had told him in no uncertain terms that he’d made the right choice. But she couldn’t hide her worry about the man who got away.
“Are we still in danger?” she asked, pressing close to him. “Folsom knows where we live.”
Garrett pressed a kiss to her hairline. “Aside from the money, nothing ties him to Fletcher’s death except our gut feelings. He staged the suicide like an expert. The Mexican authorities have it down as one, too.”
She exhaled. “So, no one is looking for him for murder?”
He shook his head. “If he has half a brain, he’ll stay away. If he dares show his face in these parts, everyone at Auric will be after him. He knows that.”
Emma didn’t look convinced.
Garrett slid closer to her on the couch, pressing his forehead to hers. “We’ll be careful, but if you want to start looking for a house right away, we can do that. Someplace we can easily secure.”
Emma frowned at him. “But this placeissecure. You’ve removed Fletcher’s fingerprint from the smart lock. And we trust everyone else on it.”
His lips parted to argue. Emma put her hand over his heart. “I don’t want to make you move. You love this apartment.Ilove this apartment.”
But he wasn’t convinced. “Stella should have a yard to play in.”
“Stella has a huge bedroom filled with toys and a lifetime pass to the zoo. Not to mention the fact we’re minutes away from Balboa Park—which may be the most gorgeous park in the world. Stella is fine here. So am I. Better than fine.”
Garrett knew she meant it, but he’d also seen the way she had begun to stare at the carpet whenever she was in the living room.
Thankfully, George came up with the perfect solution to their dilemma.
Chapter Seventy-Six
GARRETT
He pressed his nose into Emma’s hair, hugging her lush body to him.
“Good morning,” he murmured when he felt her stir.
“Morning.” She turned around in his arms, hiding from the sun by pressing her forehead into his chest.
“Still not used to the sun on this side of the bed?”
Much to his satisfaction, she burrowed deeper. “Nope. You called the guy, right?”
“I did,” he assured her, taking advantage of the close contact to run his hands all over her. “He’s coming on Saturday to install the contact paper.”
Emma had been right when she said they both loved his apartment. But every time she’d sat in the living room, she’d grown quiet and withdrawn—even after he replaced the carpet. It was as if she couldn’t help but relive her attack.
Garrett wanted to move. He’d even called a real estate agent to start scoping out properties. But Emma took that personally, telling him he was letting Fletcher win. She dug in her heels and refused to move to a new place. Thankfully, her new bestie George came up with a simple plan that solved all their problems.
They switched penthouses.