Pearce Hudson: #1 My Italian Devil

34. Killers

"How is that a clue?" Ross titled his head to the side.

"Jack was hellbent on helping the case he wouldn't waste his last breath on 'may God be with you'. Also from the spot where was Jack presumably was the Bible was directly in his view."

Ross plucked the Bible out of my hand. "Maybe he was religious." He opened the book revealing the hollow inside. "This certainly doesn't belong to you."

"That's the red ledger," I whispered. "The Bible is red, the ledger must've been inside!"

"What's the red ledger?" Esposito asked.

"A red book of every kill and shipment of drugs and gun Dante ever had," I replied, then turned to Ross. "He was here to tell me he found it or knew where it was."

"Why didn't he call?"

"He tried but my phone died. You know you may die, you're on the phone trying to leave a hint but you exactly say what in front of your attacker, so say something obvious but not so obvious."

"Dante was in your apartment remember? When you found it bugged? Where did you see the camera?" Ross ran his hand over the Bible.

I moved over to the shelf. "Right here beside the Bible."

"What if he didn't bug the apartment to keep an eye on you but the ledger. Think about it. Your apartment would be the safest place because no one would know to look here."

"That son of a bitch!"

"You think it's still here?" Esposito asked.

"No either Jack or his attacker removed it," Ross replied. "We have to find it."

"First thing's first, who took Jack?" Esposito ran a hand through his hair.

"Not Dante's men," I pointed out. "This attack was desperate."

"Desperate. Just like James's murder. They're tying up loose ends. The same person that killed James also took Jack. They're on the team." Ross took a seat on the couch.

"They also have a key to your apartment," Esposito added.

"Viv has the key to all our places. Only Ross and Jack new about the spare key. Ross also has a key. Jake has one too," I counted off. "We can assume that Ross didn't kidnap Jack."

"Jake?" Esposito squinted.

"Analyst. He lives next door," Ross sighed.

Esposito threw up his hands, "Why are we not questioning him?"

Ross answered for me, "He's only an analyst. Bloom was a trained bodyguard no way in hell Jake could've overpowered him."

"We need suspect lists, we need alibis and considering whoever took Jack probably doesn't want keep him alive, we short window to find him," Esposito added.

Over the next 3 hours we scrounged up a possible suspect list. Anyone on the team with motive, opportunity etc. Creating the list left me with all sorts of questions: did Jessica call Dante to meet me? Did Will purposely get himself shot at Smith's house? Who killed James? Did Jake kidnap Jack?

Jones called us to regroup at the office building. Esposito left with the promise to call if he discovered something. Jake met up with us and we drove to the waterfront. Sitting together around the round table I saw everyone differently. I realized everyone in the room was a trained killer, capable of murder.

"I had spoken to Gibson," Jones folded his arms over the table. "He said if Capaldi doesn't know anything about the investigation then we proceed but if he has a hint that the FBI are in Boston we fly out tonight."

Jones glanced my way. Out of everyone here I knew Jones didn't have anything to do with James or Jack but I couldn't rule him out just because he was friend. "He doesn't know." Everyone turned in my direction.

"Are you sure?" Jessica's eyebrows rose.

"Dante isn't one for foreplay. If he knew we wouldn't be here," I lied. Ross slightly nodded. We had practiced the line all morning. I didn't know for sure if Dante knew.

"So we proceed," Jones declared. "Ross and Pearce you two look exhausted, take the day off. We'll get back here tomorrow. The rest of you let's get the files and boxes."

I didn't argue there. I was exhausted and so was Ross but we weren't going to take the day off.  We had find the mole.

"Everyone looks guilty," I told Ross back at the apartment. I poured Ross his 3rd cup of coffee and my 5th.

"Physically Brad, Jones and Will could subdue Jack," Ross said after a sip of coffee.

"But Brad wasn't even in the FBI when they had a warrant for Dante's arrest."

"Oh damn it!" Ross slapped his forehead. "Of course! Dante was gone before the SWAT team got there. Someone warned him. Who else would except a FBI Agent?"

I stared into my coffee cup not replying. Someone I trusted, someone I knew, someone I'd die for, someone who was my friend and someone who betrayed me.