Daylight

Chapter 67

Pine climbed into her car and sped off. But she merely drove around the corner and parked. She called the number she had been given by Warren Graham. A woman’s voice immediately answered.

“Okay, Agent Pine, we have the wiretaps on her phones — hardline, cell, and a second cell — and all her email accounts.”

“I put the fear of God in her. She should be calling out to Gorman now. Then we can trace the call.”

“Roger that. I’ll let you know as soon as she initiates contact.”

“There are other people in that house. A maid and a cook. What if she uses their phones or email accounts?”

“We have a digital blanket wrap on that house, Agent Pine. Anything coming from there we can sweep up. The warrant was broad enough to cover that.”

Pine clicked off and then called Puller. She told him what she had done.

“As soon as she makes the call, email, or text we can trace it. These days they don’t have to be on the phone for half an hour. The Bureau can make the connection really fast.”

“Where are you now?”

“Outside of Franklin’s place in Greenwich Village.”

“Give me the exact address so I can relay it to General Pitts.”

She did so and added, “But the FBI will be keeping a short leash on her. She’s not going anywhere.”

“Belt and suspenders, Atlee.”

He clicked off.

And Pine waited. And waited. Forty minutes went by. Then an hour.

She called the number again. The woman said, “Nothing, Agent Pine. She’s made no call or email or text. We got one text coming out of there about twenty minutes ago. A Lily Walker. It apparently was sent to her boyfriend because it had some, well, it would be reasonable to call it sexting.”

Pine’s spirits plummeted. How could that be? After their meeting Pine was sure Franklin would try to contact Gorman to warn him. She might try to go see him, too, but that would be far riskier. She would know she would be followed. Had she figured out that her phones had been tapped? Did she have another email account or a burner phone they weren’t aware of? If so, her plan was not going to work.

She noticed movement on the street and tensed. Someone had turned the corner from Franklin’s residence and was walking toward her. When the person passed under the streetlamp, Pine saw that it was Lily, Franklin’s maid. Was Franklin using her as a messenger somehow?

Going with her gut, Pine got out and quickly crossed the street. The rain had stopped but the air was chilly and the pavement and streets slick.

“Hey.”

Lily pulled up, looking fearful at first, and then, recognizing Pine, she relaxed.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Oh, that’s okay. What are you still doing around here?”

“I had some other business in the area. I thought you were hitting the sack.”

Lily smiled. “I took a catnap. But I’m heading to meet my boyfriend. There’s a club in SoHo we want to try.”

Pine looked at her watch. “It’s after midnight.”

Lily smiled. “That’s when things start really going.”

“Ah, to be young again.”

“And my room is pretty small and there’s not much to do. But when Ms. Franklin finishes renovating the other house, she said I’ll have my own sitting room and access to an indoor pool and a home theater. That will be so cool.”

“Other house?” said Pine.

“Yeah, the one next to hers. She bought that last year. She plans to combine it with the existing residence. I don’t know why they haven’t started construction yet. I thought it would have started a while ago. I’m kind of bummed.”

“Lily, is there any connection between the two buildings now?”

“What? Oh yeah, that was the cool thing. Ms. Franklin told me. See, those two homes used to be owned by the same person, like nearly a hundred and fifty years ago. Then, at some point, they were separated and sold as two houses. Talk about minting money. But there’s an old passageway between the two. It goes under both houses. Cellar to cellar. It’s boarded up now, of course. But I’ve seen the door to it. Ms. Franklin showed me a while back.”

Every muscle in Pine’s body tensed. She pulled out her badge and creds. “I’m an FBI agent. And I need to get inside that house now.”

“What?” Lily took an anxious step back.

“When was the last time you saw Adam Gorman?”

“Mr. Gorman?” She looked confused for a moment. “He... he came by last night.”

“Do you know why?”

“No.”

“How long did he stay?”

“I think about an hour.”

“How did he come? By car? Did he walk?”

Lily didn’t answer right away. She stood there looking pensive. “That was the funny thing.”

“What?”

“I never heard a car pull up. I was actually looking out the front window. Then, when I turned and walked back down the hall, there he was with Ms. Franklin, going into the library.”

“Could he have come in the back door?”

“No, they’re all on a chime. I would have heard it.”

Pine was barely listening. “You said there’s a connecting passageway between the two houses?”

“Yes, there is. What is going on?”

“I don’t have time to explain. Let’s go.”

As they rushed back down the street, Pine called the woman at the FBI surveillance center and told her what she had just found out.

“We’ll get a team there as fast as we can, but if it’s listed as a separate residence, we don’t have a search warrant for that house, Agent Pine.”

“Screw the search warrant. I’m going in.”

She texted Puller and relayed the new information. Then they reached Franklin’s house.

“Where is Franklin?” asked Pine.

“I thought she went to her room.”

“I don’t think so. Take me in the back way.” Pine pulled her gun.

“You’re scaring me,” wailed Lily as she glanced at the weapon.

“After we get in there, I need you to take me to the passageway connecting the two houses.”

“And then what?”

“And then I want you to get out of the house and go see your boyfriend. And don’t come back here.”

Lily led her into the back garden and down a set of steps. She unlocked the door and they went inside. Pine made Lily stop and she listened intently. Then she nodded.

Lily led her down a set of steep stairs that ended in a stone passage that smelled of mold and age. At the end of the passage was a door.

“It’s open,” said Lily, looking alarmed.

“Saves me the trouble,” replied Pine. “Now go!”

Lily flew up the steps and out of sight. Pine pulled out her Beretta backup and started down the hall.