Novels by Harlotte

Gordon stared at her for a good fifteen seconds.Cathy didn't move from the middle of the road. A car behind him honked twice; Felix shot the driver a look and the honking stopped."Let me think about it." Gordon rolled the window up halfway and made a call. It lasted less than a minute. Then the window came back down."Get in," he said. "We'll talk somewhere else."Carter and Felix exchanged a glance. Carter nodded. Felix moved his car out of the way and followed Gordon's car deeper into the old industrial district, stopping in the empty lot of an abandoned factory. Most of the paint had peeled off the exterior walls, and the tin roof had more holes than it did roof — the wind made a faint whistling sound through it.Gordon got out without the paper envelope. Left it on the back seat. Cathy noticed."So," Gordon said, leaning against his car with both hands in his pockets. "What do you want to know?""The envelope," Cathy said.

Peter Hayes called on the third morning. Felix picked up, and there were a few seconds of silence on the other end before a hoarse voice spoke: "I've made up my mind. Get the money to me first, and I'll tell you everything I know."Felix didn't ask questions. He hung up and sent someone over with the money. Peter Hayes took it, sat down on that worn old sofa, rubbed his hands against his knees like he was working up the nerve."I thought about that document again," he said. "When Gordon had me lock it away, I caught a glimpse of the first few lines. There was a name. I remember it clearly.""Who?""Edward Conrad." Peter Hayes said. "The opening line read 'To Mr. Edward Conrad.' I didn't dare read further, but there was a date in there. I remember that date very clearly, because Gordon's hands were shaking when he handed me that document. He was always steady. His hands never shook."When Felix passed the date to Carter, Carter's fingers rested on t

It took two days of surveillance before Felix's people made contact with Peter Hayes.The neighborhood was run-down—houses with peeling paint, trees along the roadside growing crooked. Peter Hayes went out every morning to the corner convenience store for the cheapest breakfast they had, then went home. In the afternoons he sometimes sat in a nearby park. He was always back before dark.On the third morning, Felix's man "happened" to run into him on the way back from the store."Peter Hayes?"He stopped, wary."I'm with the Langley Group." No beating around the bush. "A few minutes of your time. Whatever you say, this money is yours."A check. Not a huge amount, but enough to keep Peter Hayes going for a year.He stared at it for a long time. His fingers moved, then pulled back."What do you want to talk about?""Somewhere we can sit?"Peter Hayes hesitated, then nodded.They found a sma

Jane set the organized materials on Carter's desk."These three shipments went through four stages from port arrival to release," she said, pointing to one page. "Customs broker, port storage, inland transport—the first three are clean. The problem is the fourth.""Who signed off on the fourth?""A man named Marcus Reed. Mid-level supervisor at a logistics company under the Conrads. He signed the release forms when the cargo left the warehouse."Carter flipped through the file. "Can this man reach the Conrads' inner circle?""Not necessarily," Jane said. "But he definitely knows who arranged the cargo. The release stage requires confirming the receiving party. He signed, which means he saw the authorization documents from the receiving side.""Look into him," Carter said. "See what his relationship is with the Conrads. Find leverage.""Already on it," Jane said. "He has a younger brother who was charged with financial fraud last

Gordon stayed quiet for another week.Felix's people watched him and found that his routine had settled back into a steady rhythm. Every Wednesday afternoon he went to the lawyer's office, occasionally to the company, and spent most of his time at home. The bodyguards still followed him, but they weren't as jumpy as before."Edward saw him again last week." Felix briefed Carter. "At the club. Less than half an hour. Gordon looked a lot better when he came out than he did going in.""So he's been pacified," Carter said."Mm. The Conrads are still using him. They're not about to cut him loose." Felix said. "Gordon knows it too, so he's back to his old routine."Carter thought for a moment. "Then we take advantage while he's relaxed. Let Cathy get a look at him. Every Wednesday afternoon he goes to the lawyer's office. Fixed route, fixed time. There's a café across the street—the window seats have a clear view of him getting out of the ca

After the council meeting, Gordon went quiet. Felix’s people watched him for several days. He went to the office as usual, came home as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary.“He’s too quiet,” Felix said over the phone.“Quiet is normal,” Carter said. “Barry and Wilbur were removed. Gordon has to know it’s connected to him. But there’s nothing he can do right now. One move and he exposes himself.”“So we just wait?”“We wait,” Carter said. “The Conrads won’t leave him hanging. Gordon has done too much for Edward. Now that Gordon’s in trouble, Edward may not want to deal with it, but he’ll at least send someone to check on him.”Felix acknowledged it, then added to the man on surveillance: “Keep a close eye on him. Wherever he goes, whoever he sees, write it all down.”The Conrads moved faster than expected. On the fifth day after the council meeting, Edward’s assistant arranged to meet Gordon at the club the next afternoon. Gordon agreed.Gina heard about it from Kevin. Kevin was still i