by Mary Ellis
Frazier swore under his breath. ‘Those are the people Uncle Julian blamed for his wife’s death. This might have nothing to do with skimming profits. Creery could be helping my uncle get justice for Aunt Ariana.’
‘Then why wouldn’t Creery take vacation time?’
‘I don’t know. But if I can’t get ahold of my uncle, I’m taking the company helicopter to Elysian Island with my own security force. I gotta stop those two before they end up in jail.’
‘No, Mr Frazier, you’re not. If you want your secrets to stay that way, you’ll fly your helicopter to the St Simons Airport. Then Captain Burke will take you, me, and my partner to Elysian like normal.’
‘How will I explain myself?’
Kate voiced the first idea that came to mind. ‘When you couldn’t reach your uncle, you decided to come for the weekend to make sure Julian wasn’t sick or something.’
‘Let me check with the pilot. Don’t hang up.’ Frazier was gone for several minutes. ‘Fine, I’ll leave Atlanta first thing in the morning. I can be on St Simons by ten o’clock. Where should I meet you?’
Kate couldn’t remember Captain Burke’s address off the top of her head, so she picked the next best location. ‘Meet my partner and me by the Seaside Kitchen off the Causeway. The Slippery Eel is docked in that marina.’
‘I know the place. Just remember to keep quiet about the independent audit and voting Creery out as CFO. I want to hear Jonah’s explanation as to why he’s been missing all week.’
‘You’ve got a deal.’ Kate hung up, feeling more optimistic than she had in a while.
Elysian Island. Thursday p.m.
Neither Nate nor Michael was prepared for someone to drop out of the trees like Tarzan. Yet the moment they recovered their senses, they sprang into action. Michael tackled the smaller man, while Nate slipped his arm around Ensley’s neck.
‘We’re private investigators hired by Mr Frazier to find you … if you’re Kurt Ensley,’ Nate added.
‘I … am,’ he croaked. ‘Please get off me. I can’t breathe.’
Nate released the headlock. ‘Where have you been?’
‘Hiding in big trees with plenty of Spanish moss.’
Michael sat back on his haunches. ‘You’ve been in a tree all this time?’
‘Not in the same tree. I’ve been moving around the island. Do you have anything to eat? All I’ve had is a few apples and some raw oysters. And I had to drink from puddles of standing rainwater. I’ll probably die of intestinal parasites, if Frazier doesn’t kill me first.’
‘Here.’ Michael pulled three dinner rolls, several packs of crackers and a bottle of water from his pocket. ‘Eat slowly. It’s everything I could store up.’
Nate watched Ensley eat, unsure if they could trust him. ‘It’ll soon be completely dark, so unless you’ve got a flashlight, we can’t go anywhere until morning.’
‘Frazier took everything away from us.’ Ensley shoved the second roll in his mouth while still chewing the first.
‘Then we’ve got plenty of time to talk.’ Nate leaned his back against a tree. ‘You were Mack Fallon’s court appointment attorney eight years ago?’
Ensley nodded affirmatively while chewing.
‘Then why on earth would you come here?’
The lawyer took a long swallow of water. ‘I received an invitation to spend a weekend of duck hunting and card playing with Hunter Galen, my best corporate client.’
Nate frowned. ‘So you didn’t know Julian Frazier owned the island?’
‘Oh, I knew. I did my research before boarding the flight from New Orleans to Jacksonville. But why would Frazier hold me responsible? I was court-appointed after the fact.’
Nate exchanged a look with Michael. ‘You thought it was a pure coincidence you got invited to the one-time home of Ariana Frazier?’
Ensley finished the water and crumpled the bottle noisily. ‘Why wouldn’t I? I’ve known and trusted Hunter Galen a long time. I’ve considered him a friend besides my client.’
‘Just for the record, Hunter didn’t know about the invitation,’ Michael said wryly.
Ensley leaned into a thin patch of moonlight. ‘I knew Frazier might have found out, but I wanted this nightmare behind me once and for all.’
Nate leaned into the moonlight, too, so there would be no misunderstanding. ‘If you want us to help you, Ensley, I suggest you stop playing games. How are you involved?’
‘As his lawyer, I should have asked for the security tape of the cellblock on the night Fallon overdosed. But I never did. I had so many other cases.’ He dropped his face into his hands. ‘Everybody thought Mack brought the drugs in with him. The guards didn’t watch the tape because they’re the ones who should’ve searched him better. I didn’t request the tape until long after the case was dismissed.’
‘Look, if it wasn’t you who gave Mack the drugs, it was ADA Jennifer Jacobs.’
Ensley lifted his chin and looked Nate in the eye. ‘It wasn’t either of us. That reporter handed the guard a bunch of money to look the other way so he could accompany the ADA to the cellblock. McDowell wanted an early scoop on Fallon’s big confession scheduled for the next day.’
Nate blew out an exasperated breath. ‘You’re saying McDowell gave Fallon a hot dose of heroin so there would be no confession to the cops or the press. Why would he do this?’
Ensley started eating the crackers slower than the rolls. ‘Because someone paid him much more than a boost in his ratings was worth. And, for the record, Jennifer didn’t know what McDowell had done until she read it in the papers.’
Michael grabbed ahold of the lawyer and shook him like a ragdoll. ‘Why didn’t you take that tape to the judge? McDowell has gotten away with murder all these years.’
‘I was afraid the only thing it would accomplish was to get me and the ADA fired and potentially disbarred. After all, Mack Fallon only got what he deserved. And I was young, stupid and … a coward.’
‘Why the big change of heart eight years later?’ Nate didn’t hide his contempt.
‘I know it’s hard to believe, but nothing has gone right since I covered up that conspiracy.’
Nate snorted. ‘You left the public defender’s office years ago and seem to be doing well as Hunter’s big-time lawyer.’
‘Is that how it looks?’ Tears ran down Ensley’s haggard face. ‘Hunter Galen is my only client. The law firm told me to find more clients or look for another job. Then, last month, my fiancée broke off our engagement because she met someone else.’
‘You think you’ve got it tough?’ Michael sneered. ‘Four people are dead because of your cowardice. The Atlanta detective might have done a poor job, and the ADA shouldn’t have helped McDowell, but they didn’t deserve to die.’
‘I know,’ Ensley wailed. ‘I should’ve done the right thing years ago. But if I can take down the last person responsible for Mrs Frazier’s death, maybe I can look myself in the face without feeling shame.’
Nate and Michael exchanged a confused look. ‘Who would that be? Please don’t tell me Frazier took out a hit on his wife.’
‘No, not Frazier, but his assistant, Jonah Creery. The two probably had some trouble brewing for years, then a tiny blonde sealed the deal between Creery and Frazier.’
Nate remembered the picture of platinum-haired Ariana sipping champagne in very high heels. ‘Ariana?’
‘Maybe Frazier kept his wife on a short leash financially. I don’t know, but Creery fell in love with her. He paid the Fallons to kill Julian so he could marry Ariana. But Mack must have accidentally hit Ariana too hard when he knocked her out.’
Michael smacked Ensley so hard he fell over backward. ‘You’re making all this up. You hadn’t even been appointed Mack’s legal counsel yet.’
Ensley returned to a sitting position and brushed off his hands. ‘I don’t know all the whys and hows of their relationship, but I know Creery paid for the break-in and gave the Fallons the security code. And I’ve got p
roof right here.’ Ensley patted his jacket. ‘I copied the security tape onto a flash drive and brought it with me. I want Frazier to know the truth and then I’ll take whatever I got coming.’
Nate glanced around in the dark. Their path had disappeared, while overhead only a few stars twinkled between the treetops. ‘We’ll have to sleep here and find our way back in the morning.’
‘And if Creery has harmed one hair on my wife’s head, you’ll end up alongside the other four in the morgue.’ Michael thumped Ensley once more for good measure. ‘Try to get some rest, Nate. I’ll make sure this creep doesn’t crawl off into the trees.’
Following Michael’s dire warning, Ensley curled into a tight ball by their feet, while Nate listened to crickets and tree frogs for hours. He couldn’t sleep either. He had to make sure Ensley lived long enough to show Frazier the truth.
St Simons Island. Friday a.m.
With so many things that could go wrong with her newly concocted plan, Kate couldn’t eat a bite of breakfast Friday morning. Yet sooner or later her luck had to change. Using the company helicopter, Alexander Frazier would arrive at McKinnon Airport on St Simons Island at ten o’clock. So she and Eric needed to bring Captain Burke up to speed. For her plan to work, the captain must play his role perfectly.
‘Captain Burke?’ she called as Eric knocked on his front door. ‘It’s Kate Weller and Eric Manfredi.’
After a flurry of activity, the front door opened. ‘Come in, Miss Weller, Mr Manfredi.’ Captain Burke, tousled-haired and unshaven, stepped to the side to let them pass. ‘I thought you would call last night to tell us what’s going on.’
‘I had planned to, but it was late when I got off the phone with Alexander Frazier.’ She and Eric followed the captain to the kitchen where Mrs Burke was making coffee.
Clad in a pink bathrobe and fuzzy slippers, Celine looked as though she had just climbed out of bed. ‘This will be ready in five minutes,’ she said.
‘Sorry, ma’am,’ Kate murmured. ‘We shouldn’t have dropped in so early but I’m afraid we need an early start.’
Eric walked around the room as though checking for clues. ‘You didn’t contact anyone on the island, did you?’
‘Absolutely not.’ Burke ran a hand through his tangled hair. ‘I followed your instructions exactly.’
‘Good. Let’s sit, and I’ll bring you up to speed.’ Kate relayed the gist of her conversation with the nephew, but withheld the details about Creery’s thievery. Even if Burke had no stomach for insider trading, Kate wanted to keep her promise to Alexander.
‘You’re saying the younger Frazier believed you that something is wrong?’ Burke slurped some coffee the moment his wife set down a cup.
‘Yes, Creery hasn’t been at the office all week. So, if for no other reason, the nephew wants to ask him why, besides checking on his uncle.’
‘He’s on his way to Elysian now?’
‘No, his helicopter will create too much fuss. He will meet us at the Maritime Center at ten o’clock. You’ll take him over on Frazier’s yacht, taking Eric and me secretly there as well.’ Kate sipped her coffee, hoping for more cookies. ‘OK, you need to tell me everything you can about the Frazier house – the location of doors and ground-level windows, the layout of rooms, and which staff members may be on the island.’
Burke did better than explain. He drew a map to the mansion, then sketched a layout of the first floor. He also marked the location of a cellar door that was usually left open in case the cook’s son locked himself out. ‘Frazier normally has three maids to serve, but Creery had me pick them up late Wednesday night. So the only staff present should be the cook, Mrs Norville, her son, Paul, and the butler, Alfred Compton.’
Kate jotted their names and roles on the side of the map.
Eric scratched his chin. ‘Didn’t you find it strange for Creery to dismiss the maids when Frazier had a bunch of houseguests?’
‘Mr Manfredi, I’m paid rather well not to question anything that eccentric man does. Besides, Creery said the guests doing for themselves was part of the game Frazier planned for the week.’ Burke finished his coffee in one long swallow. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I need to shave and change clothes. If I show up in shorts and a T-shirt, someone will get suspicious.’
While Burke became presentable, Celine fed them cinnamon toast and refilled their mugs twice. She also explained the best sights to see on St Simons for when they return.
If we return, she thought. But when Burke appeared in his starched captain’s uniform, Kate banished her pessimistic thoughts. Nate, Izzy, and her co-workers were counting on them. And if Eric had aspirations of one day joining the Price team, this would be his big chance to prove himself.
‘If you’re ready, let’s head over to the marina and get the Slippery Eel ready.’ Captain Burke positioned his cap on his head.
‘Eric and I will drive there too, since we’ll need a car available when we come back. We’re meeting Alexander Frazier outside the Seaside Kitchen restaurant. Do you happen to own a weapon, Captain?’
Burke’s blond eyebrows knit together. ‘Do you mean a gun?’
‘Handgun, rifle, cannon, bowie knife or bow and arrow,’ Kate said. ‘Eric needs something to defend himself with on the island.’
‘I have an old spear gun for fishing. Will that do?’
‘It’s better than nothing,’ said Eric. ‘Find it and put it on the boat.’
‘Thanks for breakfast, Celine,’ Kate called on their way out.
Burke disappeared into the garden shed and reappeared with a gruesome-looking weapon which he waved in the air.
Kate gave him the thumbs-up. ‘Whatever happened to a worm, bobber, and bamboo pole?’ she muttered under her breath.
Her question went unanswered on their short drive. Eric might have beaten Captain Burke to the marina, but not the nephew’s helicopter and subsequent taxi. Three impeccably dressed men stood waiting under the covered canopy of the marina’s retail area.
‘Check out the suits,’ Eric said as they approached from the parking lot. ‘Frazier and his staff look ready for another board meeting, not a friendly visit to his uncle’s island.’
‘Hold up a second.’ Kate pulled her vibrating phone from her pocket. ‘I can’t believe this. It’s a text from a number I don’t recognize.’ Staring at the screen, Kate read the cryptic words through twice.
‘What does it say?’ Eric tried to read over her shoulder.
‘Price team fine. But four other guests dead. Bring help. Trust nobody here but us.’ She and Eric locked eyes. ‘Holy cow,’ Kate said, for lack of something better.
‘How do you want to handle this?’ Eric asked.
Kate glanced over at Frazier who kept shifting his weight from foot to foot. ‘I guess we have the proof that law enforcement needs to storm the island. I’ll forward that text message to your phone. As soon as you get it, head to the sheriff’s office and show someone in charge. Four people dead ought to rally them to action.’
‘Come with me, Kate. Let Frazier’s nephew go to the island alone.’
‘No, it might take time for law enforcement to implement a plan; time that the Price team doesn’t have. I’ll go over with Alexander and gauge the situation at the mansion.’
Eric shook his head like an angry bull. ‘I won’t allow it! It’s too dangerous.’
‘Look, I love you too, partner.’ She stretched up to kiss him. ‘How ’bout if I promise not to do anything until you storm the ramparts with the cavalry?’
Eric glared at Frazier who was walking in their direction. ‘I don’t like this, but OK. Just remember your promise – stay out of sight until I arrive with backup.’ He kissed her again, then strode back to his car.
Kate smiled and waved at the impatient-looking man. ‘Mr Frazier? Sorry we kept you waiting. My partner got an urgent message he needed to take care of. I’m Kate Weller.’ She stretched out her hand, noticing that Frazier wore a Rolex to accompany his expensive suit, but at least
he had on Sperry’s instead of hard-soled shoes.
‘Nice to meet you, Miss Weller.’ Frazier shook hands, shot his cuffs, and finished introductions. ‘This is Baker and Nguyen from my personal security staff.’
‘Are you gentlemen armed?’ Kate asked, noticing that both Baker and Nguyen also wore boat shoes.
Both stared as though she’d grown a second head. Baker answered in a soft drawl. ‘We wouldn’t be much use to Mr Frazier if we weren’t.’
‘Of course, I’m just making sure everyone understands the danger we might run into.’ Kate looked toward the water as a blush rose up her neck. Fortuitously, she spotted Captain Burke waving a hundred yards down the dock and waved back. ‘Captain Burke has the Slippery Eel ready for our trip to Elysian. Shall we get going?’
Accustomed to taking charge, Alexander Frazier rattled off orders. ‘Baker, walk back and cancel the idling taxi. Nguyen, please see what Captain Burke needs to get under way. And Miss Weller, would you please walk with me?’
‘Of course.’ As soon as his men headed in opposite directions, Kate took Frazier’s right side. ‘I hope I didn’t offend your staff with my question.’
The nephew smiled. ‘Not at all. The question might have surprised them, but a trained security team knows better than to take anything for granted. And I agree with your assessment of the island. Things could turn ugly in a hurry.’
‘Is there anything else I should know?’ Kate asked.
‘Only that my uncle is dying. He has non-operable, non-treatable cancer. This could be why Creery is up to something. Maybe Creery is afraid of being left out of the will, or that he’ll be replaced in the company once my uncle is gone. Maybe he fears his shenanigans will be uncovered. At any rate, I wouldn’t underestimate either Creery or my uncle.’
As they neared the slip for the Slippery Eel, Burke stepped onto the dock. ‘Watch your step, Miss Weller,’ he cautioned. ‘We are at low tide. You’ll have to use the ladder down to the yacht.’
‘We’ll manage, Captain,’ said Kate. ‘Have you met Mr Frazier’s nephew, Alexander?’
‘Yes, many times,’ Burke replied. ‘Nice to see you again, sir.’