Page 79 of Building Courage
After a moment’s thought, she printed off a copy of the news story and wrote the name of the cabin cruiser on it. Then she reached for a pad. She wrote that the events she had captured by accident might not have anything to do with what had happened to the woman, but that she’d felt compelled to share the pictures with him. She slipped the story and the note into the envelope with the pictures and sealed it.
She called Liam Bryant’s office to get the address, shut the computer, and gathered the packages.
Outside the police department, Brynn parked in one of the spaces just outside but rested her forehead on the steering wheel. Just the idea of walking into the lobby turned her stomach and had nausea rolling up her throat.
Dropping off the photos seemed the coward’s way out, but she couldn’t get involved. How many times had she gone over the facts of her attack? How many questions had she answered? Every interview had felt like another assault. If the detective found out who she was, he’d ask questions, even if the past had nothing to do with the pictures she’d taken. She couldn’t go through that again.
Plus, she wasn’t exactly a witness to the act. She’d just found something strange happening on a boat in one of her photos. She’d leave the pictures at the desk and go from there. With that plan in mind, she grabbed her sunglasses, shoved them on, and exited the car.
Though it looked nothing like the police station in Saranac, it had a similar heavy, cold atmosphere. Or was she just recalling the cloying smell of fear, despair, and anger that had lingered in every interview room she’d been in?
She approached the lobby’s reception area and stopped before the officer there. “This is for Detective Hernandez.”
The man reached for the envelope. “What does this pertain to?”
“He’ll know when he opens the envelope.”
She turned and walked away.
She was shaking as she got back in her car and had to sit for a few minutes until the tremors eased. Liam Bryant’s office was twenty minutes away. She drew deep breaths to calm herself, then started her car.
Liam Bryant’s office was in a large, glass-faced building downtown on the tenth floor. Exiting the brass-lined elevator, she saw that each floor had two offices. She approached the frosted glass door with Bryant Industries written in gray masculine script. The office was sleek and modern, the furniture matte black and blocky. She was surprised by the look because it was so completely different from the tasteful décor of the yacht.
She approached the receptionist, an attractive brunette about her age.
The woman smiled. “Can I help you?”
“I’m delivering these photographs Mr. Bryant ordered. I’ve attached an itemized statement for everything on the box.”
“Wait here, and I’ll take them in. I’m sure he’ll want to speak with you while he looks at them.”
She bit her lip. She’d hoped to collect her check and slip away. She had little time to prepare when Liam followed the receptionist out of his office and approached her.
“Do you have a minute? I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”
Though nerves snatched at her breathing, she forced a smile. “I have a few minutes.”
*
Tucker filed in behind the other three pallbearers. There were four on each side of the coffin and they practiced their slow march forward, synchronizing their movements. They’d be carrying the coffin to the chapel for the funeral, then accompanying it to the plane at the San Diego Airport to load it. It was a simple task, but… He didn’t want this for his family. He would make arrangements to have his body cremated so they wouldn’t have to go through this.
Thirty minutes later, he walked to his car but didn’t get in. Instead, he leaned back against the vehicle, pulled out the phone, and turned it back on. He’d had two messages, one from Denotti and one from Brynn. He listened to Brynn’s message first.
“I found some pictures of the cabin cruiser from the day of our first dive, some from the marina, the yacht, some from a day I did a shoot of the sea lions at Point La Jolla. I was able to clarify some of the images with some software. One of the pictures shows two men on board, and one shows a woman being shoved down onto the deck as one of the men strikes her.
“A woman’s body was found on the beach a few days after our dive. She fell overboard and drowned, but no one notified the Coast Guard or the police. I got the name of the detective in charge of the case from a Crime Stoppers number. I’m dropping the pictures off at the police department. After that, I’m going to drop off some photos with Liam Bryant, then head home.”
“Jesus!” Tucker breathed. Concern shot through him. He pushed Brynn’s number, but the call went to voice mail. He swore and got into the car. The burner phone wasn’t equipped to look anything up.
He called Denotti. “Are you home?” he asked as soon as he picked up.
“Yeah.”
“I need an address for a Liam Bryant. He’s a local entrepreneur. I need his business address.”
“Okay.” Half a second later, Denotti rattled off an address.
Tucker put the phone on speaker, got in the car, and started it.