The 6:20 Man

Chapter 49

Montgomery met him at the elevator and Paulson left them. She was dressed all in black, as though she were in mourning. Devine hoped it wasn’t for him, and he suddenly began feeling some nagging doubts about the woman. But he had a mission to perform and he had to get started.

He glanced at the pot of gold in her hand. Here was the whole ball game. He drew a deep breath and said, “Um, Michelle?”

“Yes?”

“Can you help me do something?” He hadn’t asked her this in the text. This was something he needed to do face-to-face. Like Cowl had said. Analog.

“What?”

He took the iPhone he’d bought that day and held it up. It was the same model as Cowl’s, with the same gold cover. And he had made the screen saver the exact same image of the blue Bugatti Chiron. He also had the same icons showing, using the screenshot he’d taken previously of Cowl’s phone as a guide. He had also signed up with the same phone carrier so it would have that name and network bars showing.

“I don’t understand,” she said, glancing at it.

“I need that phone, just for a few minutes. And you can give Cowl this one while I have his.”

She paled and drew back. “What the hell! Are you crazy? No!”

“I am a little bit crazy, I guess. But some men tried to kill me early this morning. And it had to do with something going on here.”

She just gaped. “Someone tried to kill you this morning? Do you really expect me to—”

He took the bandage off his hand and held it up. “I didn’t cut that on a soup can.” He took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeve, and showed her the wound there.

“Oh my God, did you call the police?”

“Yeah, and the guys were long gone by the time they got there.”

“How do you know it has anything to do with Brad’s firm?”

“From things the guy said. He might be freelance, I don’t know.”

“Freelance?”

“Mercenary might be a more recognizable term.”

“What the hell are you mixed up in, Travis?”

“The question is what the hell is Brad Cowl mixed up in. And that’s why I need his phone.”

She looked down at Cowl’s phone like it was a cobra about to strike her.

“Please, Michelle, it might have to do with Sara’s murder, too.”

She looked visibly distressed. “What are you going to do with it?”

“I’m going to get into a place in this building I can’t get into without it. At least I hope it’s the golden key. If it’s not, there’s no harm done.”

“And what are you going to do once you get in there?”

“Just look around. I promise. I won’t take anything.”

“If you’re lying to me—”

“I’m not lying to you. I don’t want to do this. But I have no choice, not now. Those guys didn’t get the job done this morning. They’ll be back.” He added, “Look, we better get going or he’ll be suspicious.”

“But he’ll know I switched—”

“It’s an exact duplicate, complete with screen saver and apps.”

“But if he tries to use it?”

“He won’t use it while I’m meeting with him. And once I’m gone, just keep him busy. I won’t be long. Then I’ll sneak back up and switch them back.”

“My God, do you know how many things could go wrong with that plan? And I would be in so much trouble.”

“It’s the only way to get to the truth, Michelle. If there were another way, I’d do it.”

“Look, Travis, I don’t really know you that well. And I’ve known Brad much longer. I know he can be a prick, but—”

“The Locust Group.”

“What?”

“The Locust Group. It owns your building. It owns the Lombard Theater. And it owns the brownstone where your buddy Christian Chilton lives.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Sara told Jennifer Stamos to check out the Lombard Theater. She was worried. She was scared. Then she ended up murdered. I checked the property records and found it was owned by the Locust Group. Just like your walk-up. I’m pretty sure Cowl is the Locust Group.”

“It’s not a crime to own property.”

“It is a crime to kill people, Michelle.”

“But you have no proof that Brad—”

“Give me the phone and I’ll try to find that proof. The fact is there’s an entire floor here that’s off-limits. I thought it was the firm’s high-frequency trading platform, but it’s not. It’s something else. And I need to find out what it is. I’m betting Cowl’s phone, which he uses like my security card, will get me in there.”

“But why are you doing this? Because of Sara Ewes?”

“Partly.”

“Were you more than just professional colleagues? And don’t lie to me.”

“We were more. We... I thought she could be the one, in fact. For me.”

“Did you sleep together?”

“Once. And then she broke it off. Now I think I know the reason.”

“Which is?”

“She was in love with someone else. A woman.”

Montgomery drew a long breath. “What’s the other reason you’re doing this, besides Sara?”

“You just have to trust me on that, Michelle. I took a big risk telling you all this. You could easily run to Cowl and tell him everything. But I trust you not to. Will you do the same for me? Will you trust me?”

An excruciatingly long moment passed, and Devine held his breath for all of it. Then she slowly held the phone out. He took it and handed her the fake one.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

She didn’t look at him.

The security app was already pulled up on the phone screen. Cowl had no doubt done that before handing the phone off to Montgomery. Devine used it to get them on the elevator.

They rode it up, and when the doors opened into the foyer there stood Cowl. He used the wand on Devine, but didn’t go below his calves.

“Make this fast, Devine.” He nodded curtly at Montgomery and held out his hand. She passed him the fake phone; he didn’t even look at it. “Follow me.”

They walked into another room, where Cowl set the phone down on a table. “Thanks, Michelle,” he said, waving her away.

She walked off down a hall.

He sat on a couch and motioned Devine to join him. “Well?” said Cowl.

Devine sat across from him. “Some men came to see me, really early this morning.”

“Men, what about?”

“One of them had earlier pretended to be an NYPD cop assigned to Sara’s case. But he was an imposter. They came to make me tell them things about this firm. I refused, so they attacked me.” He showed Cowl his wounds.

Cowl barely looked at them. “What sort of things did they want to know about this firm?”

Devine had been watching him closely, because it was not outside the realm of possibility that, despite what Hancock had said about other people being out there, he was actually working with Cowl. He would certainly have a motive to get rid of Devine once and for all. But Cowl seemed surprised, and, more important, worried. Not for Devine, of course, but for himself.

“What was Sara really doing here,” he lied. “Who had killed her and why. That sort of thing.”

“And you told them nothing?”

“What could I tell them? I didn’t know anything. And do you think they would have cut me up if I had talked?”

“No, I guess not,” said Cowl absently, his mind clearly leaping ahead.

“So, what do I do if they come back?”

“I’ll make some inquiries.” Then Cowl looked at him closely. “You can tell me, Devine, just between friends, or business partners, I guess is what we are now.”

“Tell you what?”

“Why you killed Sara.”

“I didn’t kill her.”

“Come off it already!”

“Look—”

“No, you look!” barked Cowl. “Your card was the only one that showed up on the entry log that night. And your picture was on the video.”

“Because you put it there!”

“That’s what you say.”

“You cloned my card and had somebody walk in the door with my face on their body. Come on! You bought a company that can do exactly that.”

“I know I bought the company, but the thing is, Devine, I didn’t have anybody do what you’re accusing me of. I didn’t mess with your card or put your face on another body.”

Devine’s gaze bored into him. “You really expect me to buy that?”

Cowl shook his head, his expression resigned. “Hell, maybe I would have done that manipulation stuff, but the fact is, I didn’t think of it, okay? You’re right, when I saw the video and the entry log, I was going to send your ass right to the cops and get this problem off my back. But then you hit me with a shot to the gut with the pictures and video of me and Jenn. I just thank God I didn’t turn the stuff I had on you over to the cops before you showed me your hand. I’d have had nothing to hit you back with.”

Devine, for reasons he could not entirely understand, believed the man, because everything with Cowl was transactional. So if the man hadn’t tried to frame him, who had?

Cowl continued to grouse. “I need to get better people advising me. Not one of them even mentioned the possibility of framing you using the technology I had just bought and paid for. Useless pricks.” He sat back on the couch and stared off, clearly pissed.

“Let me know what you find out,” said Devine.

“Yeah, right. Okay, we’re done.”

Devine rose, but Cowl said, “Wait a minute, I got to let you on the elevator with my phone.” Cowl rose, too, and started to the table to get his phone. Only it was the fake one.

Devine hadn’t thought of this and his mind went blank; his panic level hit the top floor.

“I’ve got it, Brad,” said Montgomery, who suddenly appeared from around the corner, where she must have been listening.

She snatched up the phone before Cowl could get there, and led Devine out.

“I owe you,” breathed Devine.

“More than you’ll ever be able to repay. Don’t ever forget that, Mr. Devine.”