T is for Temptation (43 page)

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.

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.”

“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
South
Beach
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
Brodick
Castle
. 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.”

“What about parents as role models? We’ve never had any experience. You can’t count the priests. Parents don’t take a vow of chastity.”

“I don’t know about that. Between you and me, we were parents to the rest of the gang. The other three would never have made it without us looking after them.”

Surprise had him meeting Alex’s somber gaze. After a moment of careful consideration, he said, “I never thought of it that way.”

Hands digging deep into pockets, Alex rocked on his heels. “The best day of my week is Saturday when I coach under-six soccer. Working with those kids washes away the sins of the world for me. When you dole out millions to trust fund heirs who don’t deserve a cent, a six-year-old’s point of view clarifies life’s priorities. Don’t get me wrong, I like our lifestyle, the goodies money can buy. But, when it comes down to it, your friendship, your respect matters more to me than any luxury car, any waterfront mansion. At the end of a long day dealing with
Palm Beach
types, I want to go home to a woman who adores me, and who I adore, and a passel of kids running about.”