“And, as soon as Cynthia knows the reason for her kidnapping and about Shawn’s affair, all hell will break loose. They’re going to chase Cynthia and Shawn to the point of a nervous breakdown,” Kiara said.
“It’s going to be tough dealing with a divorce and a media-induced nervous breakdown simultaneously,” Jake quipped, bringing back attention to him. But to Kiara’s surprise, Carlson didn’t get angry. In fact, the nervous expression came back to his face.
“You’re right. If the divorce happens, it’s going to bring the attention back to Amy, and I’m going to get the orders to keep her out of it,” Carlson said with frustration. “This case won’t end for me today after all.”
“Do you want us to find her?” Jake asked with excitement.
“No … no,” Carlson said immediately. “The only thing that I want from you is the report that I need to file.”
“That won’t be a problem, sir,” Kiara replied.
“Anything else, sir?” Jake asked. He just wanted to get out of Carlson’s office.
“No, that’s it for now,” Carlson said with a faint smile. “You guys need some rest too. Go home early today.”
Jake looked at his watch. It was already half past seven.
“Thank you, sir,” Kiara said and got up before Jake could have made a snide remark. Jake put his phone in his jacket pocket and followed her.
“What’s your problem?” Kiara asked as they reached their desks.
“What? I thought you were going to praise me,” Jake said.
“For what?”
“For predicting that she’ll come back safe.”
“Seriously. You think you knew that? You were just making up theories to irritate me,” Kiara said.
“What? Can’t you see the pattern?” Jake asked with surprise.
“What pattern?” Kiara asked.
“The only people who knew what exactly happened to her have been killed conveniently. You believe that fifteen of our highly trained officers couldn’t bring a single kidnapper alive?” Jake said firmly.
“So, you think that all the people holding clues have been killed?” Kiara asked.
“Yes,” Jake replied.
“What about Lorenzo and Cynthia?” she asked.
“Lorenzo is a seasoned player. He has executed such crimes for the last three decades. He’s not going to give any names. Besides, the Italian government will never agree to extradite him. In a few months, the case will die its natural death, and everybody will move one. I bet Michael Campbell will drop the charges too. He doesn’t want to get his ties with the Italian-American community go sour again. And, as far as Cynthia is concerned, she may not even remember anything about the kidnap. They might have kept her unconscious the whole time,” Jake said in a single breath.
Kiara got up and pulled her bag from the drawer. “Carlson is right. We do need some rest. You lost your mind yesterday itself and your theories are going to play with my mind too.”
“Don’t tell me that you think there is nothing else to this kidnapping,” Jake said angrily.
“I never said that. But, to assume that everyone, including Carlson, is involved in it, is absurd. Let’s see how our meeting with Cynthia goes. And, don’t forget one thing that after tomorrow’s report filing we’re out of this case.”
Jake nodded. “Okay, you’re right. If this is our last meeting, we should make the best of it, whatever the outcome may be. Tonight, let’s think about what we need to ask Cynthia.”
“Yeah, and by thinking, you mean thinking alone at our houses, right?” Kiara asked.
Jake shook his head. “No. I’m heading to a bar downtown, and you’re not invited,”
“Does that mean that you’re not going to disturb me tonight?” she asked as they walked to the main door.
“Not a chance. If you want, I can even delete your number.” Jake said and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
“That won’t be necessary. I believe you,” she replied with a smile and pushed the door.
After two days of mayhem, they were finally getting some time to themselves. Kiara hoped that Jake won’t get any crazy ideas, at least for the next twelve hours. Jake, on the other hand, was too engrossed in deciding what he was going to drink.
As soon as he made up his mind, he gave a beaming smile. Kiara knew that he wanted her to ask why he smiled. Before Jake could have said anything, she drove away.
“What would you like to have?” the bartender asked as Jake settled down.
Jake gave a smile. “Usual number two, Tom.”
“Martini it is, then,” Tom said, “And, would you like it shaken or…”
“Cut it out, Tom. It’s getting old,” Jake said with frustration.
“But it suits you,” Tom said as he made the drink. “I mean, you have the same profile as Mr. Bond.”
“It’s not even close,” Jake said in a low voice. “It only looks cool on the screen.”
“You know, you’re the only person I know who has two usuals,” Tom said as he passed the drink to Jake.
“Yup, just like Bond has two Bond girls in every movie. One is on his good side and the other one on the wrong side, but he loves both equally.” Jake winked as he took the first sip. “This is good.”
“Yeah,” Tom humored him and looked at the other customers. “Gotta go. Let me know if you need a refill.”
Jake nodded and looked around the bar. The bar was full, but still a bit quiet. He looked at his watch. It was almost nine o’clock.
He started thinking about the case. By now, the media should have swarmed the hospital, and there must be a hundred theories going around just to fill the breaking news slot.
A thought crossed his mind - Most of the family members would be at the hospital. Will anyone tell Cynthia about Shawn’s affair? Or, is it too early?
Anyway, he had nothing to do with it. At least, not until morning.
He took one more sip when Tom noticed that his glass was almost empty.
“Another round,” he said. Jake nodded and looked as Tom prepared the drink.
Suddenly, he remembered his earlier discussion with Tom. He looked at his watch one more time and gave a smile.
“Your drink,” Tom said.
Jake snatched the drink and finished it in one sip.
Tom looked at him with surprise. “I didn’t know you liked it so much,” he said with a smile.
“I really do,” Jake said and threw some bills at him. Tom collected them and looked at Jake with surprise. Jake smiled and stormed out of the bar.
He looked at his phone and smiled again while scrolling down.
“Couldn’t even wait for two hours,” Kiara said from the other end.
“Where can we meet?” he asked immediately.
“My place. What is it?” Kiara asked.
“What are you making for dinner?” Jake asked as he called a cab.
“Nothing. I ordered pizza.”
“Okay. Order one more,” he said.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
Jake disconnected, making her grunt in anger. Kiara knew they were going to have another long night.
“What made you go crazy again?” Kiara asked as she kept the pizza boxes on the table.
“Let’s say Shawn Hansen was James Bond,” Jake said while taking a slice.
“What?”
“Just assume, please,” he insisted.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. But, okay,” Kiara agreed reluctantly.
“If he were 007, then who will be the Bond girls?” he asked.
“What?”
“Come on. Just play along,” he urged.
“Cynthia and Amy, I guess,” she said thoughtfully.
“Right. But, that would mean if Cynthia is the nice one, then Amy is the dangerous one. I mean, Amy would be the one working for the Bond villain,” Jake added.
“This is all going over my head,” Kiara said with confusion.
“My point is th
at just as the Bond girl who has an alliance with the villain, Amy had a close relationship with our Bond … Shawn Hansen. But, she actually worked for the villain: the person who played this whole game. He could be the same person who transferred the money to her account from Shawn’s account, and maybe he is the same person who hired Karl Bennett and probably Lorenzo too.”
“Okay … I get your point. Can we move away from the Bond references?” Kiara said, shaking her head.
“Just one last time. What happens to the bad Bond girls in the movies?” Jake asked and looked at Kiara in anticipation.
Kiara thought for a moment. “You’re saying that Amy was murdered too?”
“I’m not sure. But, she isn’t going to come back. That’s why Carlson isn’t that concerned about her whereabouts and Michael Campbell didn’t stress much on her whereabouts either.” Jake concluded.
“You’re saying that someone else had access to Shawn’s account and paid Amy to bring the affair in public?” Kiara asked. “And, once the job was done, he eliminated her.”
“Yup, we just need one link in the chain. We get hold of it, and the whole chain will break down,” Jake said.
“Surprisingly, that makes sense. We should discuss the transfer of money with them tomorrow,” Kiara said as she took the last bite.
“See, I made some progress. What about you? You got something?” Jake asked.
“I just thought that we found everything about Rafael, but we’re still not clear about Karl Bennett’s background. Let’s assume that there is nothing suspicious about him not using a computer, but not using a cell phone even in this day and age, defies logic. What do you think?”
“Absolutely. We should investigate it. Maybe, the neighbors will have some clue,” Jake said and got up.
“What happened?” Kiara asked with surprise.
“I think I’ve given you good leads. Now it’s your time to think about the next steps. I’m not going to ruin my night any further,” he said and pulled his jacket off the couch.
Kiara looked at her watch. “Going to the bar again?”
“No, I have a better plan than that. I’m going to sleep for ten hours.” Jake said and winked. Kiara walked him to the door and kept looking at him till he got into the elevator. She gave a smile and closed the door.
Jake had undoubtedly given a great spin to the questions that they needed to ask Cynthia.
Before retiring for the night, she thought of checking the news one last time. As expected, the news of Cynthia’s safe return was hogging the coverage.
“Cynthia Hansen, the granddaughter of ex-senator Michael Campbell, returned safely today after she was rescued by an operation by the FBI. Cynthia Hansen was kidnapped four days ago from her plush apartment in Liberty Plaza. The speculations about the involvement of her husband, Shawn Hansen, were unfounded once the ransom calls were made two days ago. Lorenzo Oldani, the mastermind of the kidnapping, has been arrested by the Italian authorities and the US government is trying to get him extradited for further questioning.
“Though Cynthia has returned safely, the kidnapping has brought into light the affair of her husband with his secretary, Amy Brooks. It has raised questions in everyone’s mind. Will their relationship survive this turmoil? Or, is today the last day of matrimony for them? However, we don’t have to wait much longer. Tomorrow afternoon, Cynthia and Shawn Hansen will jointly address a press conference and answer all the questions. Till then, reporters are being cautioned to stay away from the family as it involves a lot of influential names. We wish good luck and a speedy recovery to Cynthia.”
“You bet,” Kiara said and switched off the TV.
CHAPTER 9
Kiara was woken up by the sound of Carlson’s message. She looked at the clock, which showed six in the morning. She rubbed her eyes and read the message. Cynthia had been brought back to Liberty Plaza early in the morning, and the family had agreed for questioning at ten o’clock.
“Another hour of sleep,” Kiara mumbled and pushed the phone under the pillow.
The ring of the phone woke her up again in fifteen minutes.
“Rise and shine,” Jake said from the other end.
“What’s it?” she replied angrily. “You, of all people getting up so early?”
“Check the news,” he said enthusiastically.
Kiara sat up immediately. “What happened?”
“They brought her back.”
“I know that. Carlson texted me. He has fixed a meeting at ten with Cynthia,” Kiara said irately.
“Of course, he texted you and not me,” Jake said. “But there’s more to it. Shawn wasn’t allowed to meet her at the hospital. The reporters saw him coming out of the hospital within minutes.”
“What?” Kiara asked and then thought about it, “That’s not a surprise, though. Michael won’t let him come near her. But, how come she went to Liberty Plaza and not to Michael’s villa, then? Both stories don’t corroborate.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was trying to say,” Jake said. “Something happened at the hospital that we need to find out.”
“Maybe, she didn’t believe what her family said about his affair and wanted to talk to him in person,” Kiara replied.
“I don’t think so. I think she believed them and went to Liberty Plaza at her family’s behest so that she and Shawn can be on the same page, and there is no mudslinging. That’s why a joint press conference is being organized,” Jake stressed. “They want to handle it diplomatically.”
“That’s a possibility,” Kiara said. “But, this could have waited for half an hour more. You called me on purpose.”
“Actually, I also got Carlson’s message. I just couldn’t sleep after that,” Jake said with a chuckle.
“You are so mean,” Kiara shouted.
“See you,” Jake said. Kiara could hear his laughter before he disconnected. She shook her head in anger and tossed the phone to the other end of the bed.
By the time Jake and Kiara reached Liberty Plaza, the media had covered all corners of the street. They tried, but had to abandon their car around hundred feet away from the main gate. As soon as the reporters saw their car, they rushed toward them.
“Agent, what is the latest update on Shawn and Cynthia’s story?” one of the reporters asked.
“Seriously,” Shawn replied.
Kiara tapped on his wrist. “Don’t answer anything.” Jake nodded and kept walking.
“Are you investigating Shawn and Amy’s affair?” another reporter shouted.
“No comments,” Kiara replied as they pushed their way through the crowd.
As they reached the gate, they overheard one of the reporters questioning the guard.
“How did she look? Was she in distress or she was angry?”
“This is insane,” Jake murmured, and showed his badge to the security guard, who opened the gate at once. Kiara and Jake sneaked in before anyone else could have entered.
“Wow!” Kiara said. “How can these people sleep at night after harassing everyone?”
“You bet,” Jake said as they entered the building and walked toward the elevator.
“What do you think?” Kiara asked as Jake pressed the button to the twentieth floor.
“About what?”
“Cynthia’s feelings at this moment,” Kiara asked.
“You’re joking, right?” Jake said, raising his brow.
“No, I’m not. I just want to see whether she’s feeling the same way that we’re anticipating,” Kiara explained.
“Maybe, she’s still in shock after three days of being kidnapped, and maybe she is in a bit of disbelief about Shawn’s affair too. So, if we ask her about the kidnapping, she’ll show signs of … I don’t know, fear and nervousness. And, if we ask about the affair, she may break down or request not to ask anything about it.”
“Yeah, that’s what I felt,” Kiara said as they reached the Hansen’s apartment.
As they had expected, the house was quiet. The blinds
on the windows facing Central Park were down. Maybe some of the reporters were stationed there to keep an eye on any movements inside the apartment.
“It’s awfully quiet in here,” Jake said while looking around the living room.
“Well, the Campbell family has nothing to do with Shawn now, and Shawn’s parents must be giving them their privacy. That leaves Shawn and Cynthia, who must be in one of the bedrooms. The question is which one?”
“I’ll find that out,” Jake said and walked to the end of the living. “Mr. Hansen?” he called out firmly.
There was some movement from the bedroom at the extreme end. Shawn walked out of the bedroom and looked at them.
“Cynthia isn’t fully recovered yet. It would be great if you can ask the questions in here,” he requested.
“Sure,” Jake said.
“He sounds scared,” Kiara mumbled.
“Yeah,” Jake said tersely and started walking toward the bedroom.
Cynthia sat up as they entered the bedroom.
“They … they’re from the FBI,” Shawn said in a frail voice.
Cynthia nodded.
“You look a lot like your mother,” Kiara tried to break the ice.
Cynthia gave a faint smile. She looked graceful though the tiredness was visible on her face. Kiara looked at Jake, who was lost in admiring the grandeur of the bedroom. Just like the hall, the bedroom reflected the riches of the Hansen family. The furniture looked imported—maybe Italian,—and the floor was made of some stone that Jake had no idea about. The vases and the paintings looked like they cost a fortune, maybe even more than what Jake’s apartment was worth.
Kiara faked a cough to draw Jake’s attention, who was moving his fingers across the large wooden chest. Kiara noticed the family photographs of the Campbell family atop the chest.
“I’m sorry,” Jake said sheepishly. He had done it twice in a row in front of Shawn. Though Shawn didn’t mind. He was lost in his thoughts.
“Don’t mind my partner,” Kiara said with a little anger and then looked at Cynthia. “How are you feeling now, Mrs. Hansen?”
Davenport Mysteries 03-Perfect Crime Page 11
