Page 41 of Billion-Dollar Ransom

THE FINANCIAL-CRIMES GUY, Agent Ross Lindbergh, looked nothing like the stereotypical accountant.

Ross had the build of a college linebacker—which he had been, at the University of Texas at Austin. But Ross said he enjoyed the stats of the game more than the game itself, so when he was recruited by the Bureau, he practically begged to join the numbers team.

And to Nicky Gordon’s mind, Ross was the key member of her task force.

Kidnapping, at its core, was a financial crime.

More extreme than mugging someone at knifepoint or threatening a bank teller with a grenade, but the motive was the same: money.

Nicky needed someone who could ignore the abduction drama and literally follow the money. That was Ross Lindbergh.

“This whole thing is happening at an interesting time for the Schraeder Organization,” Ross said.

“Tell me why it’s interesting,” Nicky said.

“There’s been some fighting over the family investment business. Oldest kid, Tyler, wants full control. He says his father should be declared non compos mentis.”

“Does Tyler truly believe his father is not in his right mind?”

“It’s unclear. Tyler points to his father’s comments in his numerous media appearances, but that won’t be enough to sway a judge. I mean, everybody goes on cable news and says outlandish things these days.”

“And what does Randolph have to say about it?”

“Randolph is refusing to surrender control and is trying to have his son removed from the board. Says he has to wait his turn like the rest of his children. With an emphasis on the word children .”

Nicky could see this from either side. If Randolph was behind these abductions, it would be far too easy to have Tyler removed from the board—permanently—and blame the kidnappers for his death. Cold-blooded? Absolutely. But not out of the realm of possibility. Especially with billions at stake.

From Tyler’s point of view, it would be equally simple to have himself, his father’s wife, and his half siblings abducted.

He had intimate knowledge of the family and their behavior.

If his father bungled any part of the ransom delivery, it would erode the firm’s confidence in his leadership, and it would be even worse if a member of the family ended up dead.

Nicky made a mental note to check on the relationship between Tyler and stepmom number four.

“Can I tell you what’s bothering me about this?” Ross asked.

“That it’s looking like an inside job?” Nicky replied.

“Yes, but on top of that, it’s the billion-dollar ransom. That’s a staggering figure, and it’ll require a monumental effort to gather it, not to mention deliver it. Have the kidnappers given any instructions yet?”

“Not yet. But Schraeder’s men at Capital say he’s already working on it.”

“Kidnappers only ask for what they think they can receive,” Ross said. “So whoever they are, they have enough information about Randolph Schraeder’s assets to know exactly how much he can liquidate in a given amount of time.”

“Which is why I’m wondering if it’s Schraeder himself,” Nicky said, “or his son.”

“Or someone in the investment firm. I’d like to take a closer look at the other board members and see if anything jumps out.”

“Great thinking,” Nicky said. “Do it.”

“One more thing, Ms. Gordon—let me know as soon as the kidnappers give the ransom instructions.”

“You’ll know the minute I share it with the rest of the task force.”

“No, what I mean is, the type of payment they request might give us a clue as to their identities. How much in cash, how much in diamonds.”

Smart man, Nicky thought. He wasn’t thinking about just the handoff of the ransom. He was thinking about eventual prosecution. “You’ll know as soon as I do.”