Drake (Men of Versteck Valley Book 3) Page 17

  “In that case, Munns’ men had better find her first, so I can take care of her personally,” he said.

  “How can you do that?” Faith asked curiously.

  “I’ve taken care of Fran in the past when she’s been sick. The only way she won’t talk to me is if she can’t. I hadn’t thought of that, refused to think along those lines. Now that it’s a possibility, I’ll take time off and care for her once she’s home.”

  “Does your wife mind?” Faith asked.

  His cheeks reddened. “We have an understanding. Focus on finding my Francesca and leave the rest of it alone,” he snapped as he stood slowly. “Fran is my heart and has been for over 20 years. None of this means squat without her.” He looked at Faith. “Do your job and find my woman. If she doesn’t want to talk to me … I’ll adjust in time as long as she’s alright.”

  Faith held his gaze a moment longer and nodded. “We’re working on it, Senator.”

  <<<<>>>>

  Several hours later, Faith and Drake settled in her office so she could speak to Francesca. The doctor agreed that talking to Francesca was a good idea if the conversation was positive and upbeat.

  Asher called. “Ready? Doctor’s got the headphones on her, and the camera is set up. Can you see her?”

  The monitor flickered and then focused. Faith covered her mouth at the sight of white bandages on Francesca’s swollen head. Most of her hair had been cut off, and her eyes were puffy. She didn’t appear to be resting peacefully, more like she was in the midst of a nightmare trying to wake.

  Drake placed his hand on her thigh. His touch steadied her. “You okay?”

  “This isn’t what I expected. Seeing her like this, so still, swollen, no energy…I didn’t expect to see her like this,” she whispered.

  “She’s fighting to live, Faith. Talk to her, feed her hope. Tell her something that’ll help her fight harder. She needs you to be strong for her right now. Soon, when she wakes up, things will be different,” he said, nudging her forward.

  Faith pulled out her notes. She had written a short speech to say and hoped she could get it all out without breaking down.

  “You’ve got this,” Drake said near her ear, his breath tickling her lobe.

  “Hello, Francesca. This is Faith Gardner, your attorney, and soror. I got your letter to open the green satchel and followed your instructions to hire a security company to search for you. They found you on an island in Central America. You’re in a coma but the doctor’s working on you.” She went on the discuss the business proposal for the dolls, the bank statement, and everything she had in Francesca’s file. An hour had passed before she mentioned her visit from Senator Bloom. “He flew to my home to ask questions about you. He told me to bring you back to him. He wants you to wake up and come home so he can care for you. He’s a really nice guy who loves you very much, Francesca. I just thought you should know that.” When she ran out of words and her throat was dry, two hours had passed.

  “Sleep well tonight, heal and get better. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Soror.” Faith stopped talking and disconnected the microphone as she watched Francesca on the bed. Had that helped? It helped Faith for sure, but she wasn’t as certain it helped her client and friend.

  Faith sent up a small prayer. “Please let her get well soon, please.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The meeting with the Senator and the subsequent one-sided conversation with Francesca sent Faith’s spirits spiraling downward. Seated alone in her home office she replayed both events.

  The Senator had sat slumped in the seat as if his grief held him hostage. His eyes had been dulled by pain as they spoke of her disappearance and reflected his love for her when Faith mentioned the words her soror shared with her.

  With everything Francesca knew about the Senator, she could blow his world apart. But why now after 19 years? Would Francesca wake and tell them what occurred the night she disappeared? Had something happened between the Senator and someone else? Men lied all the time. Especially when they wanted something or felt threatened.

  Some men, she corrected. Her experiences with a couple losers had colored her opinion, but Drake was changing that. Heat filled her cheeks when she thought of how he woke her this morning.

  Stop.

  Focus on Francesca. What would she want Faith to do? Would she want Faith to tell the Senator about the coma? What if he was involved with Francesca’s current situation and came to the house to learn what Francesca left behind? Why would he risk himself like that? He could’ve sent a team to do that, she argued. Francesca’s coma left Faith’s instructions in a gray area. Plus, someone had attacked Francesca and killed her guards. Whoever did that was still out there somewhere, probably watching.

  Faith dropped her face into her hands as the enormity of the situation weighed on her shoulders. No doubt the Senator would be more than happy to take Francesca someplace safe and take care of her. It might stop whoever seemed determined to attack Faith’s life and livelihood. She would be able to return to work without a driver or looking over her shoulder. Life would be simple again.

  So why didn’t she make that call and let him know? Trust? Maybe. She didn’t know him. It’s possible, although unlikely, Francesca had grown tired and wanted to break things off with the man. Or the Senator might’ve mentioned something negative about Francesca to a fanatic who took matters into his own hands leaving the Senator with the desired result and no liability, Faith thought.

  No. The Senator loved Francesca. Not only could she see the man was over the moon in love, but Drake agreed the man wouldn’t deliberately hurt Faith’s client. Where did that leave her? Francesca was her client, not the Senator. She would wait to see what happened.

  Drake tapped on the door and stuck his head inside. “You alright?”

  Faith stared at his mouth for a brief second and nodded. “That conversation with him and then her…this whole situation is unreal. There’s no way Francesca prepared for a coma or the inability to make decisions.”

  “As her attorney, you’ll need to make them for her,” Drake said entering with an open box.

  “She has other attorneys,” Faith said unable to keep the whine from her voice.

  “True, but she didn’t trust them with her physical well-being. She trusted you.” He placed the box on the desk in front of her. “Paul brought the mail from your office. Zelda had stacked it on your desk.”

  Faith picked up the envelope on top and read the return address. “This is from the attorney in Atlanta handling Audrey’s restraining order. Probably the bill.” She tossed it on the desk and pulled out a few more envelopes. Either they were bills or junk mail. She stacked the bills to the side to be dealt with later and pushed the box away.

  “He could’ve left that on my desk.” She slumped in her chair, placed her elbow on the desk and leaned her face into her palm while looking up at him. “Should we tell him she’s in a coma? Wait. Before you answer that, put yourself in his shoes. Would you want to know?”

  Drake leaned forward with his palm flat on the desk. “Yes, I’d want to know. He’s not your client, she is. I would wait before telling anyone anything.” He touched her chin with his finger. “It’s your call though. Whatever you want to do.” He remained close to her face.

  Certain he would pull her close for a kiss, she frowned when he straightened and pulled an envelope she had missed from the box.

  “What’s this?” he turned the envelope over. “No return address.”

  She extended her hand.

  “It should be scanned first,” he said heading for the door.

  Faith stood and followed him. “For what?”

  “Anything. Better safe than sorry.” He entered the kitchen and grabbed latex gloves from Franco’s tool kit. Drake ran the mini-scanner over it, took it outside to the back deck and slowly opened it. Faith watched from the kitchen window as he pulled the letter out with a pair of tweezers.

  Seriously? What did he think would happen?
She took a few steps to call him on it until she remembered her brother was still in the hospital because she hadn’t taken any of this seriously. The memories of his battered and bruised face stilled her. Drake and Asher were the experts, not her.

  She took a step backward until she reached the island and sat. Patience. She would find some if it took all day. Minutes later, Drake re-entered and handed her the slip of paper.

  The note mentioned Déesse Noire and a name she hadn’t seen before. Aiden Ramsey. She looked at Drake who typed onto his phone. “Who sent this? And who is this guy?”

  “Running a check on him right now,” Drake said.

  Faith stared at the note, flipped it over. Nothing. “Any idea who sent this? Or why they sent it to me?”

  “Francesca owned Déesse Noire,” he said watching his device.

  “Way before she hired me. You think this is another trigger?” She glanced at him while rubbing the thin white paper.

  “If it is, it’s nothing like the first trigger.” He held up his hand before she could ask the next question. “He worked at Déesse Noire as a manager while Francesca owned it, he’s still there. Asher thinks he was instrumental in the money laundering because of his record. I’m surprised she gave him that job in the first place, he had no experience to manage a five-star restaurant.”

  “Let me see.” She held out her hand.

  “He sent you an email so you can print it out.” Drake handed her his phone.

  She waved it away, turned and logged onto her computer. Seconds later she read Aiden Ramsey’s rap sheet. “Money laundering, runner, racketeering, B&E,” she whistled. “You’re right, nothing here that would qualify him for the job.” Faith looked at Drake. “How’d he get hired? Back then, that restaurant was her baby. Her pride and joy. I don’t see her hiring a thug to run it. Considering her relationship with the Senator, she would’ve done an exhaustive background check on him.”

  “True. We could ask him,” Drake said.

  “What?”

  “He still manages the Silver Springs restaurant,” Drake said watching her.

  Tempted, Faith bit down on her lower lip while staring at the message. “Ask the Senator. He would know.” Going to talk to someone involved in criminal activity made her stomach clench in fear. She had no experience dealing in that world which suited her fine.

  Drake held her gaze for a few moments and nodded. “I’ll contact Munns.” He stepped to the side of the room and placed the call. When he was done, he returned closer.

  “You’ll receive a call in a few moments,” he said and sat on the corner of the desk watching her. “Have you talked to Alex or your father today?”

  “Not yet. I’m going to call them later this evening.” Her father’s anger over her not warning them would lessen over time. This morning was too soon.

  He nodded. “We’ve got men watching them.”

  Faith knew that. “Thanks, that makes me feel better.” Once they landed, they never discussed what happened after she left her brother in the hospital. Even though she would never forget the sound of the explosion, or the sight of the demolished trucks or the fight or the dead men lying on the ground. In her mind, the less said about it, the easier it was to convince herself it never happened.

  Her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and then Drake. “It’s a security company.”

  “They’re patching the call through for him. It’s more secure that way. Ask specific questions and never mention her name,” Drake said.

  “Right.” She answered, and moments later Senator Bloom answered. “Hello, have you found something?”

  Faith hated to disappoint him. “No. I’m sorry. One question. Who hired Aiden Ramsey to work as the manager?”

  “What?” he said.

  She repeated the question.

  “Oliver vouched for him, I think.”

  “Oliver who?”

  “Hart.”

  She wrote the name down, and Drake started a search.

  “Does Aiden have anything to do with—”

  “I’m not sure, just covering the bases. Thank you. If I learn anything, I’ll contact you,” she said and hung up.

  Drake whistled and showed her the photo on his phone. “Recognize him?”

  She frowned while staring at the image. “He looks familiar, who is he?”

  “Davina Bloom’s long-term lover.”

  “The Senator’s wife?” She stared harder. “He’s younger in the photos we have, but you’re right. He’s a Hedge Funds Manager from Atlanta?”

  “A successful one too.” Drake continued scrolling. “We’ll run a deep background check on him. See what’s what.”

  “Was Oliver involved with the laundering? Do you think he knew what Aiden was up to?”

  Drake gave her a cynical look.

  “Just asking,” she said leaning back in her chair. “Is it possible Davina knew about the laundering? She’s high maintenance and probably benefited from the extra money. Can we look into her and the Senator’s background along with Oliver’s? There’s a reason someone sent that name to me with the connection to the restaurant.”

  “Yes Counselor,” he said and winked. “Asher will send them to your vault once they’re complete. Try and get some rest, this may be a long night.”

  <<<<>>>>

  Faith and Drake went through the background reports slowly and methodically, cross-checking with each other as they created a virtual board on the monitor. “Edward Kipling.” She pulled up a photo of the older man so Drake could see him.

  “Cold looking guy isn’t he?” Drake murmured as he looked at the image. “She’s an only child?”

  “Right. The report says Davina and her father are really close, it looks like it from the pictures. You’d think her mom was dead. She’s not. Mildred Kipling isn’t a social butterfly, although she’s got the pedigree, old family, old money. She can trace her ancestry back to one of the colonial ships.” Faith looked at Edward’s image again, took note of his arctic blue eyes and slender build. He looked like a shyster. “Wonder how he talked Mildred into marrying him, let alone having a child,” she murmured.

  “Not a love match?”

  Faith snorted. The disinterest in Mildred’s gaze as she watched her husband and daughter from a seat in the background screamed she wished she was anywhere but there.

  “What do we have so far?” Drake asked sitting back looking at the monitor.

  “Aiden was hired by Oliver, at least that’s what the Senator said and given Francesca was getting her business off the ground, I can see her taking his advice and bringing in someone he claimed to have verified,” Faith said.

  Drake nodded.

  “I think Davina had something to do with it,” she said.

  Drake met her gaze. “Why?”

  “Her father. Asher sent the financials on that family. They were sinking before the restaurant opened.” She pointed to the data. “Systematically over the next five years look how their bank accounts changed. If we had someone who knew what to look for, I’d bet they’d find a correlation between the restaurant, Oliver’s investments, and Davina’s father’s bank account.”

  Drake whistled. “That’s quite a stretch.”

  She frowned. “You don’t think it’s possible?”

  “Anything’s possible when it comes to greed.” He stared at the data for several moments. “Let’s say you’re right, how does that information move us forward to finding out who’s after your client? Asher checked out Aiden already, he’s probably still laundering money, just not in a way we can discover it. What reason would he have to kill Francesca?”

  “I don’t know.” She stared at the two photos. “This picture of Davina and her daddy looks creepy. I can’t imagine staring at my dad like that.”

  “She’s an only child. He probably wanted a son. She craves his attention and validation. Getting her to help shave off a little here and there to help her old man wouldn’t be a problem. She could still be doing it. The
only income her father has is from his lucrative investments. Whatever monies his wife had when they married, it looks as if he blew through it,” Drake said.

  “What a jerk,” Faith murmured.

  “I don’t think Aiden had anything to do with Francesca’s disappearance, but he could know something. We’ll know later tonight,” Drake said.

  “Huh? What do you mean?” she looked at him.

  “Asher sent someone to talk to him,” he said.

  “Without us?”

  “Yes. We won’t do any interviews. That’s what you’re paying Asher for,” Drake said.

  She thought about it, remembered the men who attacked them on the road, and her brother. “Alright. Going through this information is important too.”

  Drake agreed and sat forward while staring at the monitor. “Well, this is interesting.”

  “What?”

  “Initially, Edward Kipling was a member of the group that purchased Francesca’s restaurant. He sold out three years ago.” Drake looked at her.

  “Davina’s father?” she asked trying to recall the man’s name.

  “Yes. Oliver Hart, too.”

  Interesting, but not illegal, Faith thought.

  “Did she tell you why she sold her businesses?” he asked.

  “No. Just that she held the merchandising rights and trademark to the name since they didn’t want to change anything.” Faith now wished she had asked more questions.

  “I want to see those photos again, the ones from the green satchel,” he said and opened the virtual vault Asher set up for the case. He looked at each photo of Oliver and Davina.

  Knowing what she did now about Davina’s background, Faith saw the photos in a different light. “She seems happier than Oliver. I know some guys don’t like taking pictures or smiling a lot, but he looks distracted. The smile isn’t reaching his eyes.” She pointed to the image with the four of them.