Page 9 of Fatal Conspiracy

“Does antifreeze kill someone that quickly?” His question was aloud, but he hadn’t intended for her to answer.

“According to our sources, as little as four ounces of it can kill a man. He’d been sipping at the bottle for at least an hour before he collapsed, and it was over half empty by report.”

“The bottle holds twenty ounces.”

“It wasn’t straight antifreeze, though. He would have known if that was the case. It was mixed with something else. The police suspect the chemical caused a heart attack. Now that you’ve mentioned his other heart conditions, that seems more likely.”

“I still can’t believe it.” A shudder went through him at the thought of poor Hugo drinking antifreeze. The saddest thing was that Hugo died with few to mourn him. Sure, he had friends, but true family was nonexistent. Due to hiswork, he never married, and his desire to become one of the world’s richest tech gurus drove a wedge between him and his extended family.

Derek always wondered if that was one of the reasons why Hugo depended on him so much. He didn’t need Derek to do everything for him. He just needed to feel close to someone. Hugo saw Derek as much as a son as an employee. They’d worked together for years, planning and creating apps. Derek moaned. If only he’d talked to Hugo sooner about how he was feeling.

“Are you okay?” Alayah asked as she slowed for the gravel road near his cabin.

“Fine,” he lied, sitting forward again. “Let’s drive past the cabin slowly. It sits to the front of the lot, so we’ll know if anyone is in the driveway besides my sedan.”

“I hope there’s an outlet somewhere because I can’t turn around easily on this narrow road.”

He nodded and pointed straight ahead. “If we see anyone else parked there, floor it to the end of the road. You can turn back onto the highway there.”

“I’m driving, you’re checking,” she said, eyes straight ahead.

Derek could hear the fear in her voice, but he didn’t say anything. She was trying to help him, and while he could go to Duluth, explain the situation to the police, and then try to convince them to take him to the cabin, there was no guarantee they would. He needed the information sooner rather than later if he was going to prove his innocence or, at the very least, give them reasonable doubt.

“You’re doing fine,” he assured her, patting her shoulder. “I’m aware that I’m asking a lot from someone you just met, and I wouldn’t blame you if you just keep driving, butI implore you not to. If we’re going to find Hugo’s killer quickly, the information inside that cabin is imperative.”

“Those guys, though,” she said, and he shook his head.

“Those guys are long gone. Once I bolted, I’m sure they just grabbed my bags and took off. I’d already told him what he was looking for was in my bag, and they couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t call the cops. I would guess they wouldn’t want to be there if I did.”

“That’s fair, but maybe we should call Cal. He could send some guys out to cover you while you go in.”

Derek couldn’t argue that it was a bad idea. It just wasn’t a timely one. For every minute he waited to present to the police, he looked more and more guilty. They might even think he hid the cabin’s address to keep them from finding him. Why would he stick around town if he’d poisoned his boss, though? That didn’t make any sense and was the exact question he would pose to them when he finally arrived in the city.

“I would understand if that made you more comfortable, but do you want to get your employer involved in this?”

The car jerked slightly as it came to a stop. “Secure Inc. is already up to its ears in this, Derek. The equipment in the hatch is meant to help us track down Hugo’s killer faster and more effectively than sitting in the dark by a cabin that’s already been broken into once. I should be back in Duluth doing my job, but I’m here with you instead. We’ve never been more involved in this. Besides, Cal has been involved in cases with much higher stakes than a dead billionaire tech mogul.”

Derek couldn’t deny that. Secure Inc. had been involved in some high-profile cases, with the implications of the most recent Secure Watch cases traveling through the tech industry like a ripple. From a Trojan horse that took controlof video cameras around the world to a hostage situation in a biohazard lab, they’d had their fair share of notoriety when it came to being involved in, and ultimately solving cases like this. Having Secure Watch on his side could only help him, so getting one of their operatives messed up in this probably wasn’t the smartest move. He just wished he had a choice.

“That’s fair, but it’s also a lot of time wasted. Let’s just drive by and see what we see. If all is quiet, I can be in and out in a matter of minutes.”

Alayah let off the brake with a sigh, and the SUV rolled forward at a crawl. As they passed the cabin, he noticed a single light glowed from the back. It revealed his sedan in the driveway, but no other vehicles. She pressed down slowly on the accelerator as she drove down the gravel road.

“There’s a light on in there,” she said, approaching the stop sign at the end of the road.

“It’s in the kitchen. I turned it on right before that guy jumped me,” he explained. “I’m not surprised they didn’t shut it off before they left. I wouldn’t be surprised if both doors were hanging open, too. There weren’t any cars in the driveway, so it’s safe to return.”

“Ha,” she said as they came to the stop sign. “For all you know, one of them is lying in wait for you.”

“Doubtful,” he said with a shake of his head. “They got what they wanted from me.”

“They think they did, but when they figure out you lied to them, they’ll be back,” she said, her voice filled with nerves.

No one could say she wasn’t smart. The fact was, he had no choice, but he didn’t have to drag her with him.

“Let me out,” he said, patting her shoulder. “I’ll go by myself, get what I need, and hightail it back here. I coulddrive into town, but they know my car now. That’s a risk I can’t take this late at night with so few cars on the road.”

Alayah opened her mouth to speak just as ringing filled the car’s interior. Both their gazes darted to the console, where Cal’s name was flashing on the screen. With a grimace, she reached out and punched the button. It felt like a punch to his gut, but he couldn’t blame her. He’d have done the same thing.