“Come into the house.”
She unlocked the door and flicked on a light as she entered the kitchen. Jo followed. Sabrina plunked her purse on the counter and gestured for Jo to sit at the table. Then the woman hurried into the living room. Clearly, she assumed Jo wasn’t a threat, and that was a mistake.
Sabrina returned, her face pale. She stood near the refrigerator, arms crossed.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I’m asking you the same thing. I know you hid a hundred thousand in cash, and I know you met a man at the mall yesterday, and he gave you money.”
Sabrina glanced at the envelope on the desk. “You’ve been following me.”
Jo nodded. “I won’t deny it. I need to know what’s going on.”
“Why?”
“It’s for my own safety. That’s all I’m going to tell you.”
Sabrina bit her lip, glancing toward the living room window. Then she stepped closer to Jo, where she couldn’t be seen from the front window. They stared at each other in silence. Seconds ticked by.
“You’re mistaken about the money,” Sabrina said.
Jo shook her head again. “Do you want me to show you where you hid it in the attic?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The woman wasn’t a good liar.
“Was the man at the mall the one from the bank with the European accent?” Jo asked.
Sabrina chortled. “Is that what you think?”
Jo tapped the table emphatically. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
She smiled grimly. “You’re wrong.”
“Then tell me who he was.” Jo’s voice took on a hard edge as she pulled out her phone. “You have about five seconds before I call the police.”
Sabrina’s face twisted up as she considered her options. Jo imagined that every conclusion she came to wasn’t good. She was in a pickle, but at least she seemed to realize that. The woman moved to the table, pulled out the other chair, and sank onto it as if her legs had given way. She put her hands to her face, visibly fearful.
“What if they’re listening?” she whispered.
Jo held up a hand, signaling that she should be quiet. Sabrina didn’t move a muscle as Jo tiptoed around the kitchen, searching for listening devices. When she’d been in the house before, she’d checked for cameras, but not audio. At that point, she’d figured Sabrina might be an accomplice to the bank robbers; no one would care about Sabrina’s conversations. Now, Jo wasn’t so sure.
However, even after a more thorough search, she didn’t find any surveillance equipment, so she slipped into the living room, Sabrina quietly following her. Jo made sure the front window was locked, then closed the blinds and rooted around. She didn’t find anything, so she checked the bedrooms. Still no surveillance equipment. She made sure all the windows in the house were locked, as well as the front door. They returned to the kitchen together and reclaimed their seats at the table.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Jo said.
It took Sabrina a moment to answer. “That man at the mall is my ex-boyfriend, Brendan.” She spoke in a low voice.
“What was in the envelope he gave you?”
Sabrina wouldn’t make eye contact. “He owes me money.”
“A final payment.”
She stared back at Jo and snorted. “He thinks it’s a final payment, but it’s not. He owes me a ton more. He’ll probably never pay it all back.”
Jo glanced toward the ceiling. “He paid you a hundred thousand?”
“Not anywhere close.”
“I’m only going to ask once. Where did you get that much cash?”
“You’re not with them?”
“With who?”
Sabrina swore softly but didn’t answer the question. “I needed the money. I have to pay off all this debt Brendan left me with.”
“By helping them.”
“If I talk to you, I don’t know what they’ll do to me.”
“You’re in trouble regardless, but if you tell me what’s going on, I might be able to save your life.”
“How?”
Jo let the question hang in the air for a moment. “Those men in the bank don’t know who they’re dealing with. But if I don’t get to them first, they’ll get to you.”
“You’ll tell the police about me?”
