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“Any connection to St. Louis?” Blake asked.
“My guys are working on that. But Gallagher’s most recent employer was a company called South Star Protective Services.”
Blake frowned. “Never heard of it.”
“Neither had I until tonight. Small outfit. Mostly corporate security. From what we could find, it looks like their biggest client is a company called Meridian Administrative Solutions.”
Devon’s heart skipped. “The billing processor?”
“That’s the one.”
Blake rubbed a hand over his jaw. “So we’ve got a dead professional hired through a company doing business with Meridian.”
“One hell of a coincidence, don’t you think?”
Devon asked next, “Does Meridian know Gallagher’s dead?”
“They will soon enough,” Lincoln warned. “We’re working on warrants and employment records now. Oh, and Claire positively ID’d him as the man who came sniffing around the office. In the meantime, we’ve got another problem.”
Something in the detective’s tone made Devon’s stomach sink.
“What kind of problem?”
“A missing person. Guy named Scott Mitchell. He’s a fifty-three-year-old senior financial officer at Meridian.”
Blake’s gaze locked with hers. “Missing how?”
“He didn’t show at work yesterday, and his wife said he never came home. His car was found this morning in a parking garage near Reagan National, but there was no sign of him.”
“Could’ve left town,” Blake mused.
“Possibly,” Lincoln agreed. “Except two days ago, Mitchell contacted a federal investigator and requested a confidential meeting. He claimed to have information concerning suspicious financial transactions involving several medical billing accounts.”
Devon’s jaw dropped, and her breathing momentarily stopped.
She looked at Blake. “First Carol dies, and now this Mitchell guy is missing?”
Lincoln continued before Blake could respond.
“Mitchell never made the meeting, and nobody’s heard from the man since.”
Blake considered this. “Was he involved in the fraud?”
“Don’t know yet. Could be a whistleblower. Could be somebody trying to cut a deal before the whole thing falls apart.”
Devon added, “Or he’s somebody who realized he’d become a liability.”
A brief silence followed.
“That’s definitely one possibility,” Lincoln admitted. “I’ll update you when we learn more.”
Blake thanked the man and ended the call.
Devon stood with her hand in his for several seconds before she pulled herself free. She crossed the room.
“Dev—”
“How many?” She stopped walking and faced him.
