Chapter 13
Frederick was late.
Jason repositioned his water glass on top of the paper brunch menu to keep the breeze from whisking it off their table. Knox held his menu. And didn’t seem at all concerned about Frederick not meeting them on time.
Jason chose a second-floor restaurant at The Mandeville for their meeting. The restaurant’s small terrace jutted out from the building, providing outdoor seating overlooking the ocean.
Leland, Rowan, and Tayla were back in their Mandeville suite, monitoring the camera feeds around the terrace restaurant.
“They have mango pancakes,” Knox said. “Hmmm. I’m not sure about that. Maybe I should stick to strawberry pancakes.”
“Allie says you should be a more adventurous eater.”
Knox’s eyes snapped to him, full of the fire Jason intended to ignite with his comment.
“I am allowed to say her name,” Jason said.
Knox returned his focus to his menu. “I didn’t say you weren’t. And I’m plenty adventurous when it comes to dining. She’s just frustrated that I don’t like oysters.”
Jason knew he was pushing his luck on the topic of Allie. But he had good reason. “When did you talk to her last?”
“Yesterday.”
Good. He’d hoped they were still talking often. “How is she?”
“Healing.”
Jason took a sip of his water, and set it back in the pool of condensation ruining his menu. “One thing I didn’t mention last night . . . “ He waited until Knox met his eyes. “Eric said he was planning on reinstating Allie for active duty if the doctor gives her the all-clear tomorrow.”
Knox’s brows inched up. “I knew the doctor was going to reassess her tomorrow. But I didn’t know Eric wanted to call her back in so quickly. She might need more rest.”
“Maybe,” Jason said. “But, that’s not our call.”
Knox’s expression did not agree.
Jason lifted one eyebrow. “Is it?”
Knox huffed. “That’s up to Allie. And the doctor. And, I guess Eric, but I don’t want him pushing her into too much too soon. She’s been through—”
Jason raised a hand to quell the irritation in his friend’s voice. “I know. And I’m not saying you shouldn’t offer your input on the matter, but step lightly.”
“What does that mean?”
Jason shrugged. “I get the feeling Allie is ready to get back to work. And I think you’ll regret it if you try to sideline her. “
Their waiter appeared, and Knox sounded less enthusiastic about his pancakes than he did a few minutes ago. Though their conversation hadn’t lessened his appetite.
“And could I get a double side of sausage, some toast, and two eggs? Over easy.”
“Of course, sir,” the waiter said. He looked at Jason. “And you, sir?”
“The vegetable omelet with a side of bacon. And coffee, please.”
“Of course, sir. Can I get you anything else? Are you still expecting a third person?”
Jason looked up to see Frederick hurrying over.
“My apologies,” Frederick said to Jason as he approached the table. He then assured the waiter he didn’t plan on ordering food, but ordered a cappuccino.
One glance at Frederick Kost told Jason a few things. The man was well-groomed and fit—not like he could handle himself in a fight—more like he spent time in the gym to look good in his tailored clothes. Late thirties, short blonde hair, unnaturally white teeth. And eager.
Frederick took his seat and watched the waiter walk away, supposedly to confirm he was out of earshot before he started speaking again. When the waiter entered the kitchen, Frederick looked relieved. “Thank you for meeting with me. And again, I apologize for my tardiness. It couldn’t be helped.”
Jason gave a slight chin lift. “Not a problem. Now, tell us what’s on your mind.”
“Of course.” Confidence danced on his face.
Jason was intrigued. What could this guy possibly have?
“I have Gus Branch’s cell phone,” Frederick declared in a quiet, proud voice, his chest puffing out—not unlike a peacock.
Okay. That’s interesting.
Jason answered the questioning look on Knox’s face. “We didn’t find his phone. It seemed likely it had fallen into the ocean, given the . . . circumstances of how we found Gus’s body.”
Knox nodded.
Jason turned back to Frederick. “And how did you acquire the personal cell phone of a murder victim?”
“Hey there, don’t sound all accusatory about it. I didn’t kill him.”
“How do we know that?” Knox asked.
Frederick looked a little scared, and a little annoyed. “Well, for one, there’s no way I’d come talking to you guys if I’d murdered him. I’m not that stupid.”
Jason sat back and steepled his fingers. “How is it that you know who we are?”
Frederick relaxed in his seat and smirked. “What you gentlemen need to understand about the beautiful island country of Morghana is that there is only a small pool of men for hire for . . . delicate matters.”
“Ah,” Jason nodded. “Let me make sure I understand. The goons you hire to shoot at people are also sometimes employed by Drakos, Enzo, or a handful of others.”
“I don’t appreciate your tone, but yes, you get the idea. Although some of Drakos’ security are very loyal and only work for him.”
He paused and eyed Jason with curiosity. “Interesting you mentioned Enzo. I heard you two had a misunderstanding yesterday.”
Jason fixed a hard stare on Frederick, but said nothing.
Frederick appeared even more curious. “I only mention it because he’s one of the few people I’m certain has no interest in my belongings in Drakos’ possession. So, that raises the question, why were you interested in him last night?”
“We’re not here to discuss Enzo. Unless you think he’s linked to the attacks in the past few days.”
Frederick shook his head. “Oh, no. He hasn’t been involved in any of that. He has other interests that occupy him. I will say, you’d do well to steer clear of him from now on. He can be a dangerous man.”
No kidding. “Thanks for the tip. Now, get back to your explanation about how you know who we are.”
“Certainly. Fortunately for me, a few of Drakos’ men do talk enough that I eventually learned about you.
Yesterday. I was told Drakos hired a fancy security team from the US.
Like the American FBI. Only I bet you get paid more.
WhiteRock, isn’t it? Drakos didn’t just round up some help from another island, like I thought. ”
Knox looked at Jason. “We’re fancy? I don’t think we’ve been called that before.”
Frederick wagged a finger at Jason. “But as far as shooting at people, my men were only hired to scare you off. They weren’t going to hurt anybody. You were the only one who shot someone.“ He narrowed his eyes at Jason. “I had to pay that poor man’s medical bills. If you hadn’t been such a cowboy—”
Frederick was ridiculous. Jason was starting to feel as irritated as Knox looked. He leaned into Frederick’s personal space. “He pointed a gun at us. After breaking into my suite. Drop the subject. That’s not what we’re here to discuss.”
The waiter chose that moment to bring the coffee and cappuccino. As if anyone at the table needed caffeine.
Jason took a sip, giving the waiter time to return to the kitchen. He had to admit, the coffee here was very good. He should take some back up to the room for Tayla. Or not. What would that look like? Never mind. He needed to focus on Frederick.
He set down his coffee and angled toward Frederick. “If you do have Gus Branch’s cell phone, how did you get it? You act like you have a bargaining chip—for what, I don’t know—but why would we want his cell phone so badly?”
Frederick’s proud grin returned. “I was there. At the orphanage when he died. I probably came across the same intel that he did—that someone was coming to appraise my father’s items in the basement.”
“Appraise them?”
“Yes. Someone wanted all the items valued. They hired some sort of assessor who flew in from France. Drakos didn’t hire him. And neither did I.”
“And you don’t know who it was who hired the Frenchman?”
“Unfortunately, no. But the gossip mill in these islands is reliable, albeit limited.”
Jason nodded. “So you came to stake out the same meeting Gus was staking out.”
“Yes. I arrived early. I had one of my men drop me off so no one would see my vehicle. I let myself into the orphanage—”
“You have a key?” Knox asked.
“Let’s not get sidetracked on trivial details.” He looked back to Jason. “I hid in the basement. I wanted to hear everything—who they were and what value they were attributing to my belongings.”
“So, you got an appraisal for free,” Knox said.
“Yes. And I will say it was much higher than I previously thought.”
Jason sipped his coffee while he studied Frederick. “How much higher?”
Frederick traced the handle of his cappuccino cup, looking rather smug. “Three million more than my estimate. But that’s not any of your concern. What I came to tell you is this—there is a video on Mr. Branch’s cell phone you will want to see. It clearly shows who killed him.”
All of Jason’s muscles tensed. He had to remind himself of all the reasons he shouldn’t lay a finger on Frederick Kost right now. Though the temptation was strong.
Knox looked like he was about to fly out of his chair.
Jason fought to temper his response. “You could have handed it over two days ago and saved us all a lot of trouble.”
“Well, I didn’t. Let’s not dwell on the past. Would you like to hear my offer?”
“Wait. Does the video identify who was making the appraisal? And who hired him?”
Frederick rolled his lips in and out. It was probably a nervous habit. But it made him look like a panicked fish. “Probably.”
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. And prayed for restraint. Because he really wanted to hit the man. “Frederick,” he said, like he was speaking to a young child, “how are you sure Gus’s killer is on the video, but you’re not sure if the other men are? Have you actually watched the video?”
Frederick sighed, not unlike a child. “I was hiding in the basement on top of some boxes near one of the narrow windows near the ceiling.”
“Why is that significant?”