Chapter 35

Wait a minute. Olmec. Willard looted an Aztec city that had been abandoned soon after the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The Olmecs were the first known Mesoamerican civilization. They occupied the Veracruz area starting in 1600 BC until about 400 BC. And though the university had acquired a few Olmec pieces through the decades, there had been none in the Willard Treasure since it was a completely different time period. The Aztec civilization hadn't arrived in central Mexico until AD 1300, well over a millennium and a half later.

She stepped to Erik and held out her hand. "My phone."

Hez's blue eyes narrowed as he assessed her sudden insight. "An ongoing laundering operation, not just theft and embezzlement."

"I don't know anything. I just provide the letters—I don't know what he does with things after that. My role is too small for you to bother with."

Hez advanced toward Erik with the tire iron. "Tell us what you know."

He stared at the name, and his eyes turned steely as he seemed to make the same connections she did. And they both knew they had no proof of anything. She hoped Hez had some kind of legal wrangling up his sleeve, because it would be hard to sleep tonight knowing Beckett was out there plotting his next move. And she believed Erik—Beckett might target Simon.

***

Simon started to run after Andersen, but Hez caught his arm. "Let him go. You'll just get hurt if you try to stop him."

Simon tried to jerk free. "But he's my dad! He'll listen to me."

A chilly breeze blew in through the open door and Savannah rubbed her arms. "Should we stay here until the police arrive?"

A little furrow appeared between her brows. "What about the local police?"

"They've been compromised." He told her about Bruno's findings. "I'm reluctant to involve them until I know who we can trust."

Savannah shivered. "Let's get out of here."

Hez nodded. "I'll walk you to your car."

She blinked in the autumn sun as they stepped outside. "Do you think they'll have enough to arrest Beckett?"

Simon snorted. "I can't believe my dad is such a git."

Savannah patted him on the back. "At least you've got a great mom."

Simon frowned. "I can help too!"

Simon jerked free of her arm as they reached her car. "She's my mum!" He opened the passenger door without another word, got in, and slammed it.

***

You awake?

Instead of an answering text, the phone sounded. She swiped it on. "That was fast."

"You okay? You're up late."

His deep voice soothed her agitation, and she sat on the edge of the bed. "I keep thinking about what might have happened if you hadn't shown up. I don't know where Simon and I would be right now if you hadn't busted in. You brandished that tire iron like a sword." Her chuckle ended in a hiccup she barely managed to keep from morphing to a sob. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"Does that mean we might get Jess out of jail?"

"Maybe. With the right breaks, we might have the real culprits in jail and Jess home by Christmas."

"Oh, Hez, that would be wonderful!"

Her tongue dried, and she clamped her lips shut. All she wanted to do was tell him she wanted to put the divorce papers in the shredder and have him move back in with her. She was beginning to think maybe he really wanted a divorce, and the thought made her heart shrivel.

"Savannah, you there?"

"I-I'm here. Listen, I'd better go." She ended the call and held her head in her hands. She wasn't ready for things to end.

Simon had escaped again. No wonder the school expelled him.

She shot him a text. Simon, get out of there now!

"Beckett?"