by Mimi Barbour
Without looking away from his screen, Ham answered. “He’s either talking about their Aunt Jane or the looker who arrived to break up the party. They’re the only females we know of who’re involved in this crime.” An item of interest flashed before him that drew his attention. Excited, he sat up straight. “Whoa, you guys gotta hear this.” Everyone stilled and waited for the detective to share whatever he’d found.
Ham looked around. He saw concern on Kai’s face as he stood behind Aurora, his hand resting on her shoulder, squeezing gently. Cory lowered the cellphone that seldom left his sight and his intense gaze questioned Ham.
“Looks like it paid off going after Ben Stoke’s medical records,” said the big Irishman. “I just received the report we got from his doctor. Three years after Ben left the partnership, he had a massive stroke. Recently, the family moved him into a total-care facility. The poor bastard can neither walk nor talk and has been stuck in a wheelchair for the last twenty years.”
Cory piped up. “He’s still alive then?”
“If you can call it that.” Ham continued to scan the rest of the file until he came to the information he’d been looking for. “He’s at an L.A. nursing home on the city’s outskirts. Got the address here.”
Cory looked toward Kai. “Tomorrow, I’ll hang in here with you.” Then he turned back to Ham. “You take Rory and go see this man. Find out what he knows about what’s going on here. I’m sure you can get the hotel to pick up the cost for the flight.”
Aurora glared at Cory. “Stop with the Rory crap.” She pointed at Ham. “Boss,” she called Hampton that just to piss Cory off. “We could probably use Jeff’s plane if Jonathon could arrange for a pilot, either that or a chopper. It’ll get us there and back in no time at all.”
Cory harrumphed and ignored her, turning to Ham. “Show me the rest.”
He did, including all the files and the three notes. Everything of consequence that they’d been gathering covered the white board set up to keep their crime photos and papers in full view.
Afterward, Cory watched the section of all the tapes pertinent to the case and asked a multitude of questions before he was satisfied that they’d covered all the angles. “So what’s your theory?” Cory switched his keen gaze from one to the other of the room’s inhabitants.
Before anyone could answer, the door flew open and Jonathon appeared. He looked even more agitated than earlier and Ham felt his gut tighten. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Not more bad news.”
“The worst I’m afraid. The worst!” Jonathon theatrically collapsed on the sofa near to Cory. His body, settling next to the big man’s, cringed to make him appear even smaller than normal. As he leaned forward, his arms wrapped around his stomach. One look at the green around his gills, Ham didn’t know if he should get a garbage can for the little fellow or make him a good strong drink. He grabbed the whisky decanter they’d had delivered as per Jim’s orders earlier and swiftly poured a shot to pass to Wimbly.
Jonathon looked at the glass as if he had no idea how it had gotten there, grabbed it and without a word, he lifted it like a shooter. The coughing and spewing took a few moments before Cory’s whack on Jonathon’s back stopped the nonsense and almost knocked the little fellow onto the floor.
Aurora, wearing a smile she couldn’t hide, questioned him. “Jonathon, what’s got you so upset?”
First, he handed her another note. Then in a hoarse voice, one close to tears, he said. “Now Jim’s missing. Both Jim and the money!”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Lisa fumbled behind her until she felt the round edge of the flashlight they’d turned off earlier to save batteries. Jeff, clearly not knowing why she was scuttling around, made questioning sounds but she ignored his worry until her hands found what they searched for. In a few seconds, she’d wiggled the item around until she had the on/off switch under her finger. Since they had nothing else going for them right now, let there at least be light. Lisa swivelled until she could see Jeff’s face and noticed the sweat on his forehead. Wildness still inhabited his eyes as his gaze roamed over her face.
She leaned close, and after she had his full attention, using her eyes and nodding her head, feeling somewhat foolish in her charade-like performance, she indicated that she wanted him to pull off the tape covering her mouth with his hands. His eyes widened but his nod showed her he agreed. Thankful for every yoga class she ever took, Lisa forced herself behind him so that his hands could reach for the tape on the side of her face. Once he had a hold of one end, she whipped her head away and the tape ripped off.
“Ouchsonofabitch that hurt.” Her whispered cuss words made her feel better at once.
“What hurt? What the hell just happened?” Kai’s voice registered at once.
Lisa answered, “Have you ever ripped duct tape off your mouth?”
A sigh came over, loud and clear. “Not recently. Nope, can’t say I have.”
“Asshole.”
His chuckle made her smile. “I’m going to remove Jeff’s now so ignore the language to follow.”
“Will do! Just so you know we have a new lead. It seems that Ben Stokes had a major stroke about twenty years ago and hasn’t been much use to the family since then. They recently put him in a home and early in the morning, Ham and Aurora are going there to question him if it’s possible.”
“Good. Anything we can get from him will help since we’re sucking wind at this point.”
“One more thing you might like to keep to yourself. Jeff’s father has disappeared with the six million.”
“Okay. That’s not good!”
“Funny, that’s what we thought. Talk soon.”
Lisa knew that Jeff had heard her side of the conversation. How the hell could she reassure him about his father and the missing money? Best say nothing.
She felt him nudge her arm. “Good news. They found Ben Stokes.” Then she groaned. “Not good news. He’s in a nursing home as a stroke victim and has been that way for twenty years.”
Jeff nodded and closed his eyes until she reminded him it was his turn to be tortured. “I’ll lay on my side so you can come close enough for me to grab your tape.”
Fumbling and sweating in a closet that now felt like a sauna, she finally had a hold of his tape. Between the two of them, it came off. His control fascinated her. Not one swear word!
“You showed great constraint—no cussing.”
“Nah! Swearing wouldn’t have cut it and bawling in front of my “lady-cop”
might be mistaken for unmanly-like behaviour.”
A nervous chuckle broke from her swollen lips. “Don’t tell me I’ve committed myself to a chauvinist?”
“Do chauvinists cry when they lose a woman that stalks their every waking moment and then invades their sleep?” His voice held a ring of truth that couldn’t be joked away.
Propped with their backs against the wall, she settled her head onto his shoulder. “I don’t know. On the other hand, I do know that’s my kind of man.”
They leaned in for a soft kiss that quenched her hunger somewhat until his tongue searched for hers and she pulled away. No need to start something they couldn’t finish.
Lisa began to feel the pull on her arm and leg muscles. The thought of how Jeff had survived hours of this torture caught at her heartstrings. Poor man! The guy showed a lot of spirit. Not one complaint. How the hell was she going to tell him his dad had gone missing?
“Lisa, why wouldn’t you see me after we had a night that most people only dream of? I know I made you happy.”
“Of course, you did! I’ll never forget it. No man has ever done to me what you did that night.”
His voice turned into pure seduction. “Wait. What did I do?”
Should she answer? Words escaped without her consent. “You taught me what it meant to be a woman who no longer owned her own soul.” For a second, Lisa fretted that she’d gone too far by letting him see so deep into her heart. However, she needn’t have worried.
<
br /> His words turned her to mush. “Wherever your soul ended up, sweetheart, mine there’s with it.” This time his kiss melted everything inside her. Resting their foreheads together, they both had to take calming breaths. Then he continued their conversation. “So why wouldn’t you take my calls?”
“You’ll think I’m crazy.”
“Not crazy, baby. A little strange… maybe.” He chuckled softly then ruffled her hair to take the sting out of his words.
“Okay, I’m normally a chatterbox. Not something I’m proud of but it’s the way I cope. Sometimes drives people around the bend, especially Aurora.” Lisa’s wicked laughter made him join in.
Then he steadied her by his question. “You are?”
“See! That was the problem. When you were around, I could barely think, never mind concentrate on speaking. You made me so nervous my throat closed up and my stomach drove me batty from the constant queasiness.”
“Do you still feel as shy with me?”
“No. I think it’s easier in the dark.”
He laughed. “Guess that’ll work well for our night life. Tell me the type of chatter you like to talk about with your other friends.”
A snippet of news she’d read earlier in the week came to her. Knowing this might keep their minds off their predicament, she shared. “Did you know that recently a researcher has been able to crack the genetic code of the human stem cell to produce neurons they might one day be able to transplant into people with Alzheimer’s disease?”
Unlike everyone else she knew, Jeff shocked the stuffing out of her when he answered. “Yeah, I read something about a former doctoral student named Bissonnette who worked for six years in Kessler’s lab to find the miracle. Seems he lost a grandfather to the disease and was motivated by his death to find answers.”
Whaaa! “How did you know about this?” She couldn’t decide whether to be glad he knew what she’d been talking about or afraid. Either he was very intelligent and would eventually see her for a phoney, or he had a particular interest in medicine. That she could live with.
“I researched it. Alzheimer’s is in our family on my father’s side. I always worried he might one day show symptoms. So far, he’s been fine but being prepared doesn’t hurt either.”
“Oh! I’m so glad.”
His confused stare made her add. “Not that it’s in your family. Just that he doesn’t have the signs. It’s wonderful.” She supposed her babbling relief could be misconstrued, but having to live up to a genius would mean spending even more time out of her busy life reading everything she could put her hands on. “Tell me about your father. Was he a good dad?”
“In the later years he was, not so much when I was a boy or even a teenager. The man worked like a slave. He did things for us rather than with us, you know? I gathered he’d had some bad business dealings early on and it took a lot out of him to bring his mining company around to where it began to prosper. The last twenty or so years have been much easier. Today, we have a good relationship.”
“What is it? I hear something in your voice.”
“I’m not sure. I told you that Sam thinks my dad stole half the company from his father.”
“Yep! But I also told you Jim said it was the other way around. That Ben had been a gambler, and had used company funds to support his habit. Your dad’s board members had the proof. They used it to force Jim to get Ben to leave, threatened to give it to the police if he didn’t disappear.”
“Did you see this proof?”
“Of course. He had his lawyer send us copies. Your father was the victim, Jeff. Ben had dipped into the company coffers, no doubt about it.”
“You don’t know how relieved that makes me feel. When Sam brought it up, he believed his version. I heard the truth in his voice and I began to wonder. I should have known better. My dad’s been an honest businessman all his life. Don’t know why I’d ever doubt him.”
“Well, trust me. You can relax. According to our drunken abductor, this mess will get sorted out by tomorrow and I, for one, will be glad.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ham and Aurora arrived at a care facility that looked to be ancient but functional. At the desk where they showed their badges, a stocky middle-aged nurse presented a grim smile and questioned them. “What is it you want from our patient? Other than grunts and groans, Mr. Stokes hasn’t spoken in over twenty years.”
Being questioned wasn’t something that Aurora tended to deal well with. When Ham cut in and answered the woman’s inquiry, intensifying his Irish charm, she hid her irritation. “The man’s not in any trouble, Ma’am. All we need is to ask him a few questions. A nod of his head will be fine enough for the likes of us.” Most women couldn’t stand strong against a man with eyes so blue that they gave one a glimpse of the beauty in a summer’s sky. Neither could this lady who simpered like a young girl when he bestowed a cheeky wink to add to his naughty flirting.
“Ben’s room’s at the end of the hallway to your right, number twenty-six. You’ll find him resting after his breakfast. I can’t leave the desk unattended but one of the volunteers will be close by if you have any trouble.” So saying, she lowered her eyes bashfully while her hovering smile gave one a glimpse of fading beauty from her youth.
Ham followed his performance with a charming bow and added, “You’ve a good spirit, my dear. Thank you kindly.”
As soon as they were out of earshot, Aurora snorted. “Laying it on a bit thick, my dear?”
“A silver tongue needs polishing now and again. Have to keep in practice.”
“You wink at me and I’ll kick your ass.” She gave a warning that neither took seriously.
“I wouldn’t think of it, me darling. Here’s the room.” Ham stopped in front of a door that sat open. What once was a large man, but now only his shell, rested in a wheelchair, propped by cushioning to keep him upright. They approached him slowly so as to not startle the patient and were rewarded with an inquiring look and his full attention.
Aurora held out her badge and stepped forward. “Mr. Ben Stokes?”
He nodded and then looked toward Ham who was flashing his badge also. Aurora moved to sit on the side of his bed so he wouldn’t need to arch his neck to see her properly. Ham perched on a stool nearby. “We’ve come to ask you some questions.” Ben wagged his head demonstrating he couldn’t speak. “It’s okay, we know you can’t talk, but if you could just move your head yes or no to our inquiries Mr. Stokes, it would be a huge help in our investigation.”
Aurora saw fear and despair fill the man’s eyes. She’d seen that look before. When people believed they were to be told bad news, all they wanted was to stop time and stay in that moment before distressing words could rip their world apart.
Her voice gentled. “No harm has come to your family, sir, at least not yet. Maybe with your help we can stop it from happening.” She waited to see his reaction. He swallowed, his mouth gaping as if he was desperate to say something but only a grunting moan issued from between his parched lips. Aurora stood and fetched the glass of water and straw she’d noticed on the tray by the bed. She fed it to him and waited until he relaxed. Then she proceeded to explain the trouble his sons were in and how they’d be lucky to get out of jail before they started receiving their Social Security checks.
Chapter Forty
When Jonathon Wimbly appeared at the hotel room in the early morning hours, Kai decided a night’s sleep hadn’t improved the little man’s looks at all. The stress he’d been wearing the last few days had finally caught up and his color, normally like that of an under-ripe peach, looked worse from the sleepless nights and hectic days.
“Come in.” He waved Wimbly to sit in the lounge area and followed. “Did Ham and Aurora get away?”
Jonathon nodded. “Yes. I arranged for the helicopter to pick them up at the helipad on the roof. It’s a convenience Jeff and I use constantly.”
They both looked up as someone entered the suite. Cory, his phone to his ear,
approached slowly. A few terse words and he closed down the conversation then drilled Kai with a look that questioned.
Kai knew what he wanted and filled him in. “Nothing new. No one has entered or left next door. Lisa and Jeff are quiet and Ham and Aurora have taken off by helicopter and should be back before noon.”
“Good. Now what about Jim’s disappearance?”
“We had the boys go over the room and they say nothing’s showing up. It’s as if he walked out on his own.”
Cory jerked his head toward Jonathon who’d followed their routine with interest.
Kai turned his attention once more to the nervous manager. “Tell us once more what happened with the money.”
Agitated beyond reason, Wimbly wailed. “I knew you’d ask me again and I still don’t know.” He clutched his face in both hands. “I just don’t know.”
“Look, think back and explain the steps you took? You showed Jim the money after it had been collected, right?” Kai pushed hard. He knew something had to give. “Tell us exactly what happened.”
First, Wimbly wiped his face with a handkerchief and then he clutched his trembling hands together. “We decided that the money had to come from the hotel cash, right? There would be no trace of it and the kidnappers couldn’t accuse us of trying anything by using traceable bank notes. Jim insisted there could be no reason to cause them to be nervous and it made sense to me. We both counted the bills to make sure it was all there.” Wimbly stopped and swallowed repeatedly.
Kai fetched the poor little guy a bottle of water and got one for himself and Cory.
Cory held out his hand for the drink but Wimbly flinched as he afraid he’d be struck. Cory raised one eyebrow that clearly sent a message—really??This action seemed to calm the executive down. Careful to use his inside voice, Cory asked. “Where did this happen?”
“In Jeff’s office. I opened the safe and Jim put it in there. I saw him do so. Then he seemed to relax. And I don’t blame him.
“Who has the combination to this safe?”
