Jed hit the On button. "Tyree here."

"Jed, it's Rafe. You were right about the warehouse where Troy Leone is working. It's owned by Garland Industries. And it's a sure bet that there are drugs going in and out of there on a regular basis, covered up with a legal wholesale business. Supposedly Garland Industries imports all kinds of goodies from South America."

"Yeah, I was afraid the Leone kid had gotten himself involved with the wrong people."

"One more thing…" Rafe hesitated.

"What?"

"I spoke to Sawyer before I called you and it seems when I had Dundee 's do some online checking for me, Sawyer got in touch with Dante Moran."

Jed glanced at Grace and lowered his voice. "Don't tell me-the Feds already know about Garland Industries and are simply waiting for the right moment to pounce."

"Hell, man, you're good. Ever thought of taking up fortune-telling?"

"The Feds don't want to make a move on the warehouses now, not until I help them trap Fortier. They don't want the small fish without the big fish. Right?"

Grace glared at him, then shoved herself away from the tree and came toward him. "I'm heading back to the house for a shower."

He held up his index finger, indicating for her to wait. "Anything else?" Jed asked Rafe.

"The guy overseeing things at the warehouse is Curt Poarch. Ever heard of him?"

"Curt Poarch, huh? Yeah, he was working for Fortier before I left Louisiana. If he's like he used to be-and my guess is that he is-he'd do anything my uncle asked him to do. And I mean anything."

"Moran told Sawyer that Poarch is Fortier's number two man."

"Let me guess-Jaron Vaden is number one. Right?"

"Right."

"Anything else I need to know?" Jed asked.

"That's about it, for now. Except Dom and Kate should arrive before noon today. They'll be in touch."

"Thanks. Later, okay?"

Jed hit the Off button and shoved the small phone into his pocket, then met Grace in the middle of the driveway.

"Troy Leone is working at a Garland Industries warehouse," Jed said. "Garland Industries is a front for a major portion of Booth Fortier's illegal activities."

Grace clenched her teeth together and shook her head. "Damn. This is just the kind of news Elsa doesn't need."

"What she needs is to get her brother out of there… and soon."

"Yes, of course, she should, but-" Grace eyed him quizzically. "What do you know that you aren't telling me?"

"When Fortier goes down, his fall is going to cause some mighty big ripples that will reach far and wide."

"What do I tell Elsa?"

"Tell her what she already knows," Jed said. "Tell her that if Troy continues working at the warehouse, it's only a matter of time before he'll wind up in prison."

Grace nodded, then without another comment, they fell into place side by side and returned to their morning walk, heading for the antebellum mansion Grace had called home her entire life.

"Jed?"

"Mmm-hmm?"

"How long do you think it will be before Booth Fortier finds out that I'm having the accident looked into and that Dundee's is digging into any connection he might have with Governor Miller?"

"A few days, a week at most. Sooner if what I suspect is true."

"What do you suspect?"

"I've been looking at what happened the night of the accident from several different angles and there's something I can't figure out."

"What's that?" she asked.

"How did Booth's hit man know in advance that your family-you, your father and your husband-would be in a car together that night? And how did he know the particular route you'd take?"

"I don't know." Pausing when they reached the front veranda, Grace slumped down on the steps. "I'd never thought about it, of course, because I'd always believed the accident really was just that-an accident. But I suppose he could have been tailing Dean and just waiting for the right opportunity."

"Possibly, but if his orders were to eliminate your entire family all at the same time-Dean, your father and you-then he might have had to wait for weeks. That's not Fortier's style. He gives a couple of warnings, then if they go unheeded, he strikes."

"Well, actually, I wasn't supposed to go with Dean and Daddy that evening. I'd been in bed with the flu and was just barely on the mend, but that afternoon I'd started feeling a lot better, so I decided to join them. I'd never missed any of the St. Camille Annual Charity Auctions, not since I was sixteen, and I desperately wanted to go."

"Did anyone know about the change in your plans, that you were going?"

Grace shook her head. "No, I don't think so. No. Only Laverna and Nolan. I didn't even take the time to phone Joy and tell her."

"Then if someone were keeping tabs on your husband's and father's activities and plans, they would have assumed the two men would be alone in the car that night, right?"

"Yes, I suppose so, but I don't see-"

"Nothing to see at this point," he said. "I was mostly just thinking out loud."

"Well I'm heading into the house. By the time we shower and dress, Laverna will have breakfast waiting for us."

"You go on, I'll be there in a few minutes."

Jed waited until Grace went inside before he punched in Sawyer McNamara's private home number on his cell phone. The man answered on the third ring.

"It's Jed. I need Dundee's to poke around and see what, if anything, can be found on a couple of guys-Willis Sullivan, lawyer, and a Beaumont and Sheffield family friend. Then check out Hudson Prentice, the senior VP of Sheffield Media, Inc."

"And you suspect them of what?" Sawyer asked.

"I don't actually suspect them of anything. Let's just say I'm curious as to whether either man would have had a reason to want to see both Dean Beaumont and Byram Sheffield out of the way."

"I thought Booth Fortier was the suspect."

"He is. Fortier gave the orders. I'm just wondering if someone was feeding Fortier information. Someone close to either Beaumont or Sheffield. After all, we don't know who told Fortier that Beaumont knew about his connection to Lew Miller and that Byram Sheffield was set to expose the proof by using all the radio and TV stations Sheffield Media, Inc. owned. And someone knew Beaumont 's and Sheffield 's plans the evening they were killed. Knew where they were going, at what time and which route they'd probably take." Jed cursed softly under his breath. "While you're at it, run a quick check on Laverna and Nolan Rowley. It's a long shot and I don't think it'll pan out. They're the household staff. Been with the family over thirty years. And might as well add Elsa Leone to that list. I'd say she's loyal to a fault, but the lady has big-time family responsibilities and probably money problems."

"Willis Sullivan, Hudson Prentice, Laverna and Nolan Rowley, and Elsa Leone," Sawyer recited the names. "Is that it?"

"Yeah, for now."

"I planned to call you later," Sawyer told him. "I wanted to give you a message from Moran. He wants you to make a move to get in touch with Fortier sooner than expected. "

"What's up?"

"They need to get word to their inside man at the Fortier house to let him know they've moved up the timetable on their sting operation inside Fortier's business empire. Things have progressed there faster than expected."

"I'll get in as soon as I can. But tell Moran that I won't do anything to jeopardize Grace Beaumont's life."

"Of course not. The lady is Dundee 's top priority. She's our client and she comes first."

"Just remind Moran of that fact."

"Can and will do." Sawyer paused. "I'll run a check on those names and see what we come up with."

"Yeah. Call me when you find out something… if you find out something."

Jed shoved his phone into his shorts pocket, then bounded up the front steps and onto the veranda. When he opened the door and entered the foyer, he nearly ran smack-dab into Nolan. He grabbed the old man's shoulders to steady him.