16. Murray
Kelly had reluctantly gone with London to the ladies’ restroom on the ferry, and I’d taken that opportunity to call my solicitor so she could contact the police to get the info she needed for the emergency order.
Then I called Mum to tell her everything.
She was understandably upset, and I asked her if she could come spend some time with Kelly in the morning.
With that arranged, I hung up and contemplated calling Fraser back, but I had a pounding headache, and I just wanted to ignore everything for a while.
Jack was at the harbor that evening and greeted us as we came off. If he was surprised that I didn’t stop the Discovery to chat, he didn’t show it as we drove away with a half-hearted wave. We were all exhausted.
The last thing I wanted to see was my cousin standing beside his car outside my house.
“What the …” I heaved an aggravated sigh.
“Is that Uncle Fraser?” Kelly leaned between mine and London’s seats.
Technically, he was her second cousin, but because of the age difference, Fraser insisted Kel call him uncle instead.
“Uncle Fraser?” London asked, unclipping her seat belt.
“My cousin. My head of charter and distribution.” I turned off the engine, studying Fraser’s unusually serious expression and dreading whatever he was about to tell me.
What more could I take today?
We all got out and Fraser’s expression softened when he saw Kelly. “You all right, wee yin?”
I frowned because he didn’t seem surprised to see her. “London, will you take Kelly inside?”
“But Dad—”
“I’ll be right in, m’eudail.”
Fraser gave London a nod as she gestured for Kelly to follow her into the house. I waited until they were both out of earshot. “What the hell is going on?”
My cousin looked furious. “We’ve got a major problem.”
“Well?”
“Do you know the lad we hired at the beginning of the season? From Liverpool? Josh Hughes?”
“Vaguely …” I cursed as soon as the word Liverpool registered. “No. Fucking no.”
“He showed up at the office today and said he needed to talk to you. He told me what was happening with Jill and the drug raid at her house. He knew all about it because he’s—”
“He’s a gang member,” I surmised. “Fuck. What the fuck, Fraser?”
“I had no idea. He had what I thought were legitimate references. I called Northern Fisheries for his reference.”
“Or you thought you called Northern Fisheries. So … is this about me, then?”
“I think so. I think they targeted Jill deliberately.”
Suddenly I recalled an incident from last year. A boat that was rescued and then seized by the police because the occupants claimed to be illegal immigrants who were being used as slave labor for drug traffickers masquerading as fishermen.
“He wants to talk to you. Josh Hughes. He insists on it. Tomorrow, 9 a.m., at the office. Do we call the police?”
“Not yet. I think I know what they want. But I want proof first. How clear is the recording device on a phone?”
Fraser’s eyebrows rose in understanding.
“You’ll have to get him close enough to it and make sure he doesn’t see it.
Or you know what … I’ve got a wireless camera that looks like a puffin.
The eyes are two cameras. The wife got it as a joke, but I have the thing on my front porch for security.
It wouldn’t look out of place on your desk. ”
I nodded, my pulse racing, my body heavy with dread but determined. “Meet me at the office at seven tomorrow morning. We’ll rig it up.”
“You think they’re traffickers and they want to use the company as cover?” Fraser surmised.
“I do.”
“Fuck, cuz. How do we get out of that one?”
“By not giving in to whatever threats they’re about to send my way. We go straight to the police with it.”
“This is the last thing you need.”
I looked up at the house where my traumatized daughter was probably avoiding my fake but not-so-fake wife. “Don’t I bloody know it.”