Putting the Band Back Together

by mascaret

Reddington said it again and closed his eyes in frustration and exhaustion. "It's not Dembe." Cooper frowned. "If that's true – and I don't think that it is - we may have managed to stop the poison, but we are still no closer to figuring out who it is targeting you."

6. Chapter 6

Putting the Band Back Together

Chapter 6

It didn't take long to get Mr. Kaplan up to speed.

"It seems like all of your business troubles are tied to that one account – the one used to pay Stone."

Reddington agreed. "Isabella was told about the cruise liner deal. She stopped that by killing Zack Smoll who was in the process of moving money out of that account into the new one he set up to pay for the liners. The same account was used to pay for my dealing with Stratos. Even the bonds stolen from my courier and used to frame Justin Sperry were purchased with the account that paid Isabella.

Liz chimed in. "So from the sounds of it, all of the information Isabella Stone claimed to have received about your operations could have come from a person with access to that account."

Reddington nodded.

Getting the dry erase board from the kitchen, Liz erased the grocery list. "Who had access to the account that paid Isabella Stone?"

"There are 11 people who had access to that account – the 11 people I invited to dinner that night." Reddington listed them off so Elizabeth could write them down.

"What about Dembe?"

Grudgingly, Reddington admitted. "12 with Dembe."

Just trying to be thorough and considering it a fairly safe hunch, Liz corrected him. "13." She glanced apologetically in Mr. Kaplan's direction before adding her name to the end of the list.

13 was too many. Frowning, Liz asked. "Do any of them stand out to you as more likely than the others?"

"When I called the meeting, Marvin was the only one who didn't show up. The others all came."

"Of course they did. Whoever did this isn't a fool. Running is an obvious sign of guilt."

Mr. Kaplan had a point.

Liz made another. "Dembe is on the run."

"Have you spoken to his daughter? Seen if he's checked in with her?" Mr. Kaplan asked.

Liz was surprised. She didn't know Dembe had a daughter. It hadn't occurred to her that Dembe might have a life outside of Reddington.

"No. I don't want to alarm her. She has enough on her plate with Elle being sick. We save Dembe and then he can decide what if anything he wants to tell her."

Growing frustrated with Reddington's refusal to accept the obvious answer before him, Liz looked at the list again. "Why would you let so many people have access to the same account?"

Reddington grimaced and admitted. "In hindsight … I should have done more to compartmentalize."

tbc

A/N Reviews are greatly appreciated.