“Bank deposits. Regular payments over eighteen months, all from accounts I couldn’t immediately trace.” Brooks flipped through his notes. “I sent the account information to the FBI last night. They ran it through their databases.”
“And?”
“Shell companies. All connected to the Aldrich operation.” Brooks met her eyes. “Daniel wasn’t just a scared husband. He was on their payroll.”
Vivienne set down her coffee cup. “The bracelet. When I touched Melissa’s bracelet at the shop, I felt fear and secrets from him. Financial strain. But I couldn’t tell if it was about the Aldriches or something else.”
“It was about both. He had gambling debts, got in over his head. The Aldriches offered him money to report on Melissa’s research. Every discovery she made, every lead she followed, he fed back to them.”
“How much money?”
“We’re still tracing it, but preliminary numbers suggest close to two hundred thousand over eighteen months.”
Vivienne was quiet for a moment, her fingers wrapped around the coffee cup. “Melissa trusted him. She was coming home every night, excited about what she’d found, and he was selling that information to the people who wanted to kill her.”
“The FBI wants to interview him this morning. With this evidence, they think they can get him to flip completely. Testify about his direct contacts with Winston, detail how the operation worked.”
“Will he cooperate?”
“He doesn’t have much choice. The evidence is solid. He either helps build the case against Winston or goes down with the family.” Brooks closed his notebook. “But that’s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you.”
Vivienne’s fingers tightened around the coffee cup. “Winston is still out there.”
“I know. Every agency in New England is looking for him. His face is on every news channel. He can’t hide forever.”
“He doesn’t need forever. Just long enough to destroy evidence or eliminate witnesses.” She met Brooks’s eyes. “Ishould be at the shop. If he comes after me, at least I’d have my protections there. Here, I’m just sitting and waiting.”
“About that.” Brooks leaned forward. “Sullivan and I talked this morning. He wants to assign you a police detail instead of keeping you here. Two state troopers, rotating shifts, staying close enough to respond but giving you freedom to move around.”
Relief crossed her face. “I can go back to the shop?”
“With protection, yes. The FBI has already recovered additional evidence and identified more victims. Your work is done for now. There’s no reason to keep you confined when we can protect you just as well at your business.”
“When can I leave?”
“After Sullivan briefs the protection detail. Probably around noon.” Brooks hesitated. “But Vivienne, you need to understand the risk. Winston is desperate. His empire is collapsing. His family is in custody. You helped make that happen.”
“I understand. But I won’t hide while he’s out there. The Hawthorne women have never run from threats, and I won’t start now.”
Brooks had expected that answer. The quiet steel beneath the gentle exterior was one of the things he admired about her. “Just promise me you’ll be careful. No investigating on your own. No following visions into dangerous situations.”
She smiled. “I promise to be reasonable.”
“That’s not the same as being careful.”
“It’s the best you’re going to get.”
Dawn emerged from the bathroom, hair damp. “So what’s the plan?”
“Vivienne gets a police detail and can return to the shop this afternoon,” Brooks said. “You’re welcome to stay with her or head back to your life. Either way, she’ll have protection.”
“I’ll stick around a few more days.” Dawn looked at her cousin. “Someone needs to make sure you actually listen to your protection detail instead of ditching them to chase ghosts.”
“I don’t chase ghosts,” Vivienne protested. “They come to me.”
“Even worse.”
Brooks’s phone rang. Sullivan. “Yeah, Chief.”
