Chapter 40
"Excuse me?" Declan said, stalling.
"Anya," I snapped. I grabbed the fashion mag from the table, flipped through the pages, and showed him a picture of the gorgeous redhead. "That's Kate. That's who I've been talking about this entire time."
The wheels turned behind his eyes, panic sinking in. But Declan was quick on his feet. "Of course, Anya.”
I gave him an incredulous look. "You lied to me."
"I didn't lie to you. I didn't make the connection. You were talking about Kate. Never once did I think you were referring to Anya.”
“How could you not make the connection?”
“I only ever knew her as Anya.”
"What was she doing aboard this boat?" I asked, hoping that would make him squirm.
But it didn't. He had a smooth answer.
Vanessa glared at him with folded arms, waiting for his response. She looked as eager as I was to hear this one.
Declan glanced around, then, in a hushed tone, said, "I have many guests visit this boat.
I'm doing major deals all the time. Sometimes my business associates like to have a little fun when their wives aren't around.
Anya had provided entertainment for my clients on numerous occasions.
Not for me." He looked at Vanessa lovingly.
"I'm very satisfied. I don't need to look elsewhere. "
He reached an arm around her, but she pulled away.
"You knew she was aboard this boat, and you knew she went missing," I said.
"She left the boat in Corazón Bay. Said she was meeting up with friends. What she did on her own time was none of my business.
"I think she was killed aboard this boat. I don't think she ever left. Did you see her leave with your own eyes?"
"I don't have time to monitor everyone's coming and going. That's up to the crew.”
"So there would be a record of it in the passenger manifest.”
Declan swallowed and shifted uncomfortably. "Yes. Of course. Would you like to see?”
"Yes, I would."
He exhaled in frustration. "I don't understand what your connection to this is.”
"I just want to get to the truth.”
"And then what?”
"I want whoever's responsible for her demise to face justice.”
He laughed. "It's cute that you still think that's how the world works." Declan flagged over a deck hand. “I need to look at the passenger manifest.”
“Certainly, sir.”
The deck hand scurried away and returned a moment later with a tablet. Declan scrolled through it and looked for Anya's name.
I don’t know if it was the adrenaline from the attack, the tension on the boat, or the anxiety about everything, but I started to feel ill and lightheaded.
"Here it is," Declan said, showing me the tablet. "Anya. It says right here she departed the boat in Corazón Bay. That's two days before she went missing. Two days before her last phone call to her agent.”
"It wasn’t a phone call, it was a text message. And you've known about this the entire time. Did the FBI contact you?”
His face tightened, and he glanced around again. In a whisper, he said, "Yes. They came by asking questions. I directed them to my attorney, and he answered the relevant inquiry. No wrongdoing was found. I am not a suspect. They have moved on with their investigation.”
"And you just neglected to mention this when I was making a big deal about Kate?"
"I told you," he said, glaring at me. “I didn't connect the two."
Like a snake, he had an answer for everything.
"I hope we can finally put this behind us. I've really grown quite fond of you.”
As he was talking, my vision blurred. His voice echoed. My knees wobbled.
They both looked at me with concern.
"Are you okay?" Declan asked.
That was the last thing I remembered. I blacked out.