by Jianne Carlo
“I found out a few days ago. Let me guess, two accounts, two companies. Blast it. Those accounts were set up before they were married. Tony set all this up deliberately.”
“We question all directors in embezzlement or laundering cases. Collusion is a natural assumption until disproved. Add to that the fact she was married to Trent, and suspicions were aroused. Tallulah’s circumstances, being Henry’s daughter, allowed me to circumvent normal procedures. Actually, the order to detain her up didn’t come from my office, and at this point, we haven’t been able to find the source.”
“I understand you want to question me also. Let me know what would be convenient.”
“I’ve only one question, young man. Why did you two disappear? Surely, you realized the implications of such an action.”
Hell, now what to do? Mention Tricia, the bitch, convinced Tee she’d be arrested? Did Henry even know about his wife’s phone call?
“In hindsight, I recognize it probably wasn’t the smartest choice. Tee wanted time to think, to prepare for the ordeal.”
Sir Flood’s bushy snow brow arched.
Best defense, as the football phrase goes, he went on the offensive. “Where are we at?”
“Investigating Trent’s colleagues. Money laundering is a dangerous occupation.”
“You may want to start with the caretaker for Henry’s island home. He’s on the payroll for Tony’s company in Trinidad. But, he’s the only employee who doesn’t clock in. Name of Charles.”
“Our caretaker? M’boy, first his name’s not Charles, it’s Singh, and second, he’s seventy if he’s a day.”
“Sorry, Henry. I saw him when Tee and I were at Eight Bells. He’s in his late twenties, early thirties at most. Certainly no older than I am, and he’s listed on the payroll as Charles.”
“I know nothing of this.” Henry shook his head. “Tricia handles all the help. I’m positive she doesn’t know about this. But, we haven’t visited the island home in a couple of years. Tee and I used to go regularly, but between her training and the tryouts, neither of us had the time. Excuse me while I call my wife.”
After Henry left the room, Jake suggested, “There is another individual worth targeting, Graziella Leandro. She and Tony were having an affair while Tee was his fiancée.”
The man’s face blanched, and the freckles around his nose darkened. “I hope Henry doesn’t know of this. It would wound him deeply.”
“He knows. We spoke of it.”
“You were Trent’s partner for a little over five months. Any theories?”
“My hunch is Tony stole the money he was supposed to launder, was preparing to exit, but got caught red-handed before he could disappear. With him dead, there’re only two people who could know what he did with the cash, Tee or me. And she’s the easier target. Whoever did this wants what they think she knows.”
“It’s a theory, but a little far-fetched.”
“Not from what we learned this morning. My lawyer traced part of the money to a Swiss account, and we met with the bank’s management team this morning.” Jake sighed and tunneled both hands through his hair. “It’s a passcode electronic account, requires two passcodes and one optical print.”
“Optical. Not good. Hard to obtain records. If you’re correct, this doesn’t bode well for Henry’s daughter. The Swiss authorities will block any attempt to force revealing the identities of the account holders.”
And you don’t know the half of it, particularly Graziella Leandro’s venom and wrath, Jake thought. Whoever had Tee, the sums involved were staggering. He’d seen greed rape the humanity right out of a person, even the wealthiest businessman.
“I’ll have research start on those two individuals, but I’ll also expand the search to families, close friends. Meanwhile, we’re holding a press conference and establishing a toll-free line to see if we can drum up any leads.”
“Interpol’s investigation led to an Afghan source for the money. Every report I’ve ever read indicates drug kings from that area are lethal,” Jake stated.
“And ruthless. I’m afraid if we can’t turn up a lead within the next few hours, our chances of finding her are slim.”
Sir Flood’s grim expression sent another knife into Jake’s heart. He had to pose the question. “They’ll kill her either way, won’t they?”
“Most probably.”
The terse answer shaved years off his life.
“What can I do?” Jake forced himself to focus on analysis.
“We’re questioning the hotel guests to see if anyone noticed anything. She was drugged and therefore couldn’t walk out on her own accord. We’re checking for the obvious, an ambulance, stretchers, wheelchairs. If they need information from her, our analysts believe they’ll take her somewhere isolated where they can question her.”
“I presume the methods of inquiry include torture?”
Sir Flood nodded.
Jake’s blood congealed, and he shut the images the words conjured out of his mind. He could not panic. It became vital to focus on finding Tee and believing she still lived.
At that moment Henry returned, fingering his silver-dusted goatee, a gesture he succumbed to on rare occasions. Military-trained, his disciplined self-control didn’t allow the broadcasting of anxiety.
“My wife was unaware of a new caretaker at Eight Bells. She checked our bank statements, and as of this month, Singh’s salary was deposited into his account. She called his daughter and spoke with her. Apparently, Tony gave Singh a three-month leave of absence, and he’s travelling the Caribbean. The daughter’s received a couple of postcards, but nothing recently.”
“I don’t believe it for a second. Tony, generous to his employees? No way. He had the old colonial master style of management. We always bickered about employee benefits. Ten to one, the only transactions on Singh’s accounts are the monthly deposits. He got rid of the man.”
“Murder? That’s a big jump.”
“Is it?”Had Tee told him about Tony’s attempts on her life?
“If, as Jake says, over four hundred million passed through that Antigua account, even if Trent only stole a tenth of it, which is the traditional skimming amount, forty million is enough to kill for,” Flood said.
“Certainly enough to warrant setting an example, Arthur, this doesn’t bode well for my daughter’s safe return.” Henry’s brow creased. “Tricia’s hysterical. I’ve never seen her lose control, not in public, and she was in the middle of her crochet club meeting when I spoke with her. I have to get back to her. Excuse me.”
Brought up short by the thought of Tee’s mother un-composed, Jake stared at Henry’s retreating back. Her father obviously loved her, but her mother? Maybe the woman had some redeeming qualities after all. Shrugging off the issue as one of minor importance, Jake decided on aggressive action. It would keep him focused.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked of Sir Arthur.
“Appreciate the offer. Henry and I agreed to use this suite as a base. It’ll be manned 24/7, and of course, the phones are monitored. We’d like to monitor yours as well.”
Jake gave him the number, and Flood returned the favor.
“I’m heading back to Claridge’s. My phone will be on, and I’ll call Henry hourly for updates.”
Less than a mile separated the two London landmarks, and he opted to walk, figuring fresh air might serve to clear his washing-machine-churning brain. The minute the cool air hit his face, the original vision, the one he’d had the moment he met Tallulah Inglefield, burned his pupils, the two of them on a bed playing with a dark-haired, pink-cheeked baby who gurgled and cooed and grabbed chubby feet with tiny hands.
Impossible.
The other image took over, and his pace picked up, an automatic reaction to an increased heart rate. Certain Graziella and the caretaker had Tee, but that she must be unconscious, otherwise she’d escape, he sifted his memory, recalling the three occasions he’d seen Graziella and Tony together.
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br /> Lost in thought, he stared at the door to the Davies suite without knowing how he’d arrived there. Strolling into the spacious living area, he found Alex sprawled on one of the chairs, a cell phone clamped to one ear, while his fingers clicked over a laptop keyboard on his left.
A loud complaint rumbled from his stomach, but a curious disconnect made him realize food had no appeal. Not when thoughts of Tee injured held his brain hostage.
“What’s up?”
“Not much progress,” he replied and sank into the chair opposite and summarized his conversations with Flood and Henry. Checking his watch, he added, “Flip on the TV. The Met’s briefing should be on the BBC.”
To his surprise, Flood didn’t handle the conference. The Interpol finance guy did.
“Who’s the turkey?”
“Head of financial fraud for some Europol/Interpol combined task force. Catch his name?”
“Uh-uh.”
In silence, they listened as Tee’s image and last whereabouts flashed on the screen, followed by a hotline number. The whole event lasted all of a ninety-second sound bite.
“That’s not going to do much.”
“According to Flood, it’ll be on the major evening news and in the newspapers.”
“I’ve been a busy bee and dug up an interesting tidbit. The caretaker and Graziella are related, stepsiblings.”
Stick a Pin
“The caretaker is Graziella’s younger stepbrother, and his real name is Eduardo Frantz.”
Jake’s jaw dropped. Of all the possible bonds he’d considered, a family relationship had never entered his mind.
“German?”
“Uruguayan, but of Germanic descent.”
One pinball hit the jackpot. “Wild guess, they were all childhood friends.”
“Ain’t it just so? This parallels the trunk episode, too many coincidences.” Alex drew his fingers through already mussed hair. “I’ve been making notes all afternoon. We’re missing the connection, but it’s there. Here’s what I’ve got. Tony picked you as a partner for a reason, what?”
“Yeah, why was I the perfect patsy? Next.”
“The whole operation was carefully planned. Was Tony the planner? Did he have the balls and the wherewithal?”
He considered the notion. “Balls yes, gray matter, no.”
“If not him, Graziella or the caretaker?”
A sneer commanded Jake’s lips. “No way. While she has the street smarts of a high school dropout, her organizational skills are nil. Couldn’t decide between playing the slots or twenty-one. Texas Hold’em strategy is beyond her capabilities.”
“The stepbrother?”
“Blast. The second I laid eyes on him, every warning bell went off. I should’ve listened to my gut.”
“Hindsight. Yes or no?”
“He had the build of a SouthBeach bouncer, but people say I do, too. No conclusions there. Next.”
“Three banks so far, the Antiguan, the Afghan, and now the Swiss. Any links?”
“The first two seem obvious, drug running, laundering, or both. Swiss is easy. By the time we get the information from them, the money will be gone.”
“Here’s one other to throw into the mix. Uruguay. Germans. Fleeing Nazis. Swiss banks.”
Knuckling a sudden throbbing at his temple, he said, “Stretching it, buddy. Why even go there?”
“Looking at it from all the angles. I’ll give you that one. Here’re the two things that don’t fit, the marked money, the SEC investigation.”
“They fit. Designed to keep the focus on me and away from Tony. I don’t get your reasoning on that one.”
“He was already dead when both happened. The marked money didn’t turn up until months after.”
“Okay, it’s something to consider. Jesus, Alex, I know this is necessary, but I can barely think. If the Afghan connection is behind everything…” He couldn’t finish the sentence. “Hell, I don’t even want to consider their methods. I keep thinking about when those men knocked her senseless in the stables. They tied her up and put her in that dungeon, and she was helpless.”
“Until you told me about that this morning, I never believed Tee could be held captive. By the way, don’t ever tell me about any visions you have of me. I’m the converted.”
“Yeah, fat lot of good it does knowing a glimpse of what might happen in the future. I can’t help but wonder—will the drugs affect her like the blow to her skull?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. What about the other eight of the witchy women? Wouldn’t they have an idea?”
A smidgen of tautness seeped out of his shoulders. “Blasted Douglas Graham should know, but I haven’t a clue how to contact him. Wait a minute, her friend, Dee, she’d know. Damn, why didn’t I think of that before? Hell, that’s a great idea. I have her home phone. I’ll give her a call.”
Disappointed when Dee’s voice mail kicked in, he left a message stressing the urgency of the situation.
“You’re beat, Jake. Take a time out. How about room service? I’ll order. And it might help to get out of that suit.”
“Yeah. Good suggestion. I think I’ll shower. I need to jump-start my brain. And food will keep us going. I’ll have whatever you are.”
Standing under the hot stream from the showerhead, a wash of despair followed the water’s fall. They’d never taken that shower together in Barbados. What if these few days were all he had? What if he never saw her again?
Twice now, he’d refused to contemplate the notion, too afraid of the consequences, what he’d have to admit. In the short space of five months, his feelings had escalated to the point where he didn’t intend to let her leave, not ever.
All her arguments about moving in with him became null and void if the reverse happened. Instead of closing down the Trinidad operation, why not make it his headquarters?
Straightening from his slump against the tiles, he grinned.
Then scowled.
Her parents.
She’d never live with him in Trinidad.
And he ditched the idea of dating and furtive, snatched intimacy at once.
Marriage.
Tamping away his automatic rejection of the concept, he considered the benefits. She’d be his, legally and in the eyes of the incestuous Trinidadian cocktail circuit. All the men who panted after her at those events would be forced to acknowledge Tee as his territory.
As he shrugged on faded denims and a sweatshirt, a whole litany of pluses pasted a wide smile on his face. When he loped into the TV area, Alex took one look at him and blinked.
“What made you so happy? Another vision? You know where she is?”
“Nothing,” he said. “A shower always invigorates me. And no, I didn’t have another vision. Any news?”
“You missed all the action with that ten-minute shower.” His walnut eyebrow quirked. “Or perhaps you were having your own action?”
“Cut it. As if I’d contemplate that with Tee missing. What happened?”
“Dee rang your cell, and I answered. Interesting woman. Quick on the uptake and logical to the core. What’s she look like anyway?”
“Alex,” Jake growled.
An exaggerated theatrical sigh, one Alex Mayfield favored in the courtroom. “Your sense of humor needs reviving. Here’s the scoop. When Tee loses control, her subconscious takes over, and she retreats to somewhere or someone comforting. Dee thinks a drugged state would produce the same response. She suggested a few places. Their boarding school here in the UK, I have the name and address. There’s a cottage on the property, which acted as some sort of secret girl clubhouse. Las Cuevas beach, which is located in Trinidad, Harbor Lodge in Barbados, and Eight Bells.”
“Tee mentioned the boarding school a few times. That’s a maybe. Eight Bells she now associates with Tony, so that’s out. The other two are a consideration.”
“Stick a pin. And don’t give me that look. I like the way your woman speaks Brit-American. No, seriously. Henry phoned as
well. The hotline received one tip, which appears worth validating. It puts her at a private airport here in the city in a wheelchair. And one of the hotel guests claims to have seen two people wheeling a woman through the lobby.”
Body functions halted, a tic under Jake’s right eye jumped, and his hands balled. “Two people?”
“The best lead. A man and a woman. No description yet. The hotel guest is on a bus tour to some castle and hasn’t returned. He read all about it on his iPhone.”
“When is this guest due back?”
“Twenty minutes.”
“I’m out of here. Did you order room service?”
“Uh-uh, I knew it would go to waste. I’m ready. Let’s roll.”
“It’s less than a ten minute walk, not worth a cab trip.”
“That brings up another anomaly. I found this in the bedroom when I went to get my jacket.” Alex held up a navy Land’s End down coat. “Tee conjured it for me on the way to BrodickCastle. When the chest brought us here, we were in our original clothing. Nothing from the past came with us, at least not with me.”
Knuckling his right temple, Jake asked, “What the hell does it mean? Blast it, every time we resolve one issue, another one rears. Stick a pin, Alex. I’m too tired to analyze this one.”
“Hey, I can tell you’re feeling better. Your sense of humor’s returned from its leave of absence. Stick a pin, it is.” Alex clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “So, I’m ordering the biggest, thickest T-bone Henry’s hotel has on its menu and a loaded baked potato. Hmm, do you think the trifle thing’s a regular menu item in this country?”
A food-focused conversation helped center Jake’s muddled brain, and the combination of fresh air, a brisk walk, and Alex’s unspoken support promoted a sense of serenity. On more than one occasion during the brief interlude, temptation surfaced, and he surrendered to it in the Grosvenor elevator.
“You plan to marry?” he asked as the doors dinged shut.
Dead silence until the first floor button lit.
“Of course, always have,” Alex said, a pink hue staining his flesh. He lifted one shoulder. “I want a family, at least two kids. Been thinking more about it lately.”