“What makes you think she’s involved?”
“Several reasons.” Chloe’s fingers massaged her temples as though she had a headache. “Uncle Jon and Aunt Sarah were married over thirty years when Sarah died of cancer. Lisa weaseled her way into Uncle Jon’s life immediately afterward. Six weeks later, they married. Since then she’s spent money like crazy. Clothes, jewelry, lavish trips, you name it. For some unexplainable reason, Uncle Jon doesn’t see the gold digger beneath the pretty exterior.”
“And you do?”
“It’s rather obvious. Lisa isn’t much older than me, plus she never misses a chance to cut me down with innuendo. Just never in front of Uncle Jon. She’s sweetness itself when he’s around.”
“So she’s jealous of you. It wouldn’t be the first time a pretty young wife resented attention given to someone she considers a rival.”
“I’m his niece!”
It was his turn to shrug. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter.”
“Well that pretty young wife is seeing someone on the side.”
“You’re sure of this?”
“Positive.” Her fingers began tapping on the table. “The woman is beyond crafty. She knows how to cover her tracks, and she knows how to play Uncle Jon. I’ve caught her in a few questionable situations, but she always has an excuse.”
“That doesn’t mean she’s involved in the Fire’s disappearance.”
“There’s more.” She turned her attention out to the bay, her expression troubled. “This whole trip was her idea. She’d found a source for rare black pearls in Trinidad and pushed my uncle to take her to get them. When the day came to go, she backed out at the last minute.”
“Your uncle left without her?” Finn said, surprised.
“Not unusual,” Chloe said and again tucked loose hair behind her ear. “Uncle Jon owns several upscale jewelry stores. He’s passionate about acquiring unique or outstanding gems and minerals. Black pearls would be irresistible. Plus she promised to fly down and join him for the sail back home.”
“So…what?” He was still skeptical. “You think she set up an ambush in St. Lucia? Hired thugs to hit her husband?”
“I spoke to the St. Lucian police this morning. They told me Lisa Banks is the one who called them to report the yacht missing. Then she wasted no time calling Boston Marine to file an insurance claim. What do you think?”
He thought it didn’t sound good. The kind of money at stake here was more than enough motive for murder. It was all too common a story.
“Well, your aunt did one thing right,” he said. “Her enthusiastic call to Boston Marine got me here early enough for a fighting chance at finding your uncle’s boat.”
A ghost of a smile traced her lips. For some reason that made him nervous.
“I might be able to up your odds.”
“Oh? You know which direction the Fire sailed away in?”
“Maybe.” She pulled a folded piece of paper out of her bag. “Team up with me, and you can have this.”
He eyed the paper in her hand with a bad sense of inevitability. “What’s that?”
She unfolded the document and dangled it in front of him. “Last night’s GPS coordinates for the Emerald Fire. So, do we have a deal?”
Chapter 2
“Where’d you get that?” Finn snapped.
The brusque question meant he was interested. She probably wasn’t the only one to hit a brick wall with local authorities.
“Uncle Jon pays for maritime security services.” She handed over the paper. She was smart enough to know when she needed help, and he had a stake in the outcome. A fact that could work in her favor, if she was careful.
“SafeSail is a high level company.” He pointed to the fax header. “Advanced boat tracking, satellite security systems, hired guns. What grade does your uncle have?”
“Not sure,” she replied honestly. “But high enough that I received a phone call at three a.m. to inform me of a breech.”
Really, the man had the most incredible ocean-blue eyes. And lashes any girl would envy, but right now those eyes glared at her with a thousand questions. It made her uncomfortable. She wanted his help, not an inquisition.
“Why are you listed as contact person and not the wife?”
“I’ve always been close to my uncle. I used to sail with him a lot, until he married the pirate, that is.” She was fast warming up to the new nickname for Lisa. “Now she sails with him. I’m sure he wanted someone other than his fellow sailor to be contacted.”
He nodded in agreement with her logic. “So you got the call and rushed on down. Why not let police handle the situation? Why come in person?”
Careful, Chloe. An investigator, and a good one if she believed his boast, would be far too observant.
“I stopped at Uncle Jon’s first to tell Lisa,” she began. “She was furious that I got the call and not her. Funny, isn’t it? You’d think she’d be worried. Her husband just went missing.” Chloe added that to the growing list of reasons to suspect foul play.
“A bad sign, but you haven’t answered my question.”
The guy was certainly focused. Under different circumstances, a girl could appreciate that fact. Right now it was nothing but inconvenient. “I’m here because I’m concerned, Mr. Kane. Uncle Jon is the only decent family I have left.”
And that was the sad truth. Still, she didn’t like the way his stare zeroed in on her, using silent intimidation to wrangle more of an explanation. It was a battle he wouldn’t win. She’d learned the hard way to keep a poker face, reveal only what was necessary. So she just stared back, calm as you please.
He didn’t drop the Mr. Serious Intensity bit, though, and tapped on the GPS coordinates. “Do you know where the numbers mark?”
“The general area. I left rather quickly and planned to pinpoint it once I arrived.”
He rubbed at a heavy five o’clock shadow on his chin, an indication that he flew all night to get here, just like her. Probably on the same plane, though it was odd she hadn’t noticed him.
“Why didn’t you give this to the Port Authority?”
“The man had a condescending attitude,” she scoffed. “Why would I release my one trump card, knowing he’d toss it aside?”
“What makes you think I won’t do the same?”
“You’ve something to gain, Finnegan Kane. You can’t get much stronger motivation than money.”
He scowled. She waited, confident she had him. It paid off.
“We need internet access.” He stood up. “Let’s go.”
She grabbed her bag and followed. “Does this mean you are teaming up with me?”
“It means I need more information.”
She hustled to keep up with his long-legged stride as they crossed to the parking lot. “Look, we both want the same thing here,” she reasoned. “You’ve heard the saying ‘necessity is the mother of invention’?”
He glanced at her sideways. “I have.”
“Well, she’s also the builder of good partnerships.”
“I don’t need a partner.”
“Yes,