The aroma of BBQ and potato salad lingered in the air. Morales said to Rebel, “We’re hungry, no time to stop for dinner. Are those wonderful smells coming from your kitchen or from a local spot?”
Rebel eased a bit, as, of course, she wanted him to, and he told her about Uncle Willie’s BBQ Palace. “It’s in town, maybe ten minutes from here. It’ll be on your GPS. Best place in town.”
Briggs sat forward on the long burgundy-leather sofa, clasped his big hands between his legs. “You’ve been wasting our time, Mr. Navarro. Tell us where your brother is and tell us now.”
Rebel arched a brow. “Or what, Agent Briggs?”
“Or I’ll arrest you for obstruction and take you to Philadelphia to our fine jail.” He added, voice hard, “We’d have social services deal with your nephew.”
It was clear to Rebel the minute Briggs opened his mouth he was playing bad cop, and Morales was his perfect foil, but then again, maybe not. Briggs was very likely playing himself. Rebel sat down in his favorite chair facing the sofa. He eyed the two of them. “I know you’d like me to spit out my brother’s address and burner phone number, and maybe his numbered bank account in Switzerland, but again, as I’ve already told you, I have no idea where he is or what he’s doing. I do know he would never in this lifetime steal from his own company. He’s out of the country on his honeymoon, nothing more suspicious than that.”
Morales said, “He’s been married six months, a little late for a honeymoon.”
“He told me there was so much to get done before he and Sasha could leave for a while. They did take a long weekend after their wedding. They were both very excited. Would you like some potato chips? There are still some in the bag by the fireplace.”
Briggs jerked up his chin, looked Rebel dead in the eye. “Yeah, I’ll bet he had a lot to get done, like stealing his clients’ money. You know lying to us is a federal offense, don’t you? Listen, you tell us the truth and our boss will cut a deal for you with the federal prosecutor. If you don’t, you’ll be in this as deep as your brother.”
Morales cut him off again, her voice polite. If this was a routine, they were very good at it. “When did you last communicate with your brother, Mr. Navarro?”
“Archer and his wife left Tash here with me in mid-June and flew to Paris, on a delayed honeymoon, as I already told you. He said they’d be staying at the Ritz.”
Briggs said, “Yeah, yeah, we knew that, but surprise, they’re not there now. That’s enough, Mr. Navarro—”
Rebel pulled out his cell phone, scrolled down, and handed it to Morales. She read aloud,“Sasha’s in love with Versailles, wants to tour the chateaux and vineyards, wear her bikini in Cannes. Another month. All right?”
Morales continued, “And you texted back,Take as long as Sasha wants. Autumn and I are enjoying Tash and he’s having a great summer. Misses you, of course.”
Morales looked up, frowning. “Isn’t your brother worried about Tash? Has he stayed in touch with him?”
“He calls and texts him. They both enjoy that,” Rebel said. “Tash is happy here and having a great time. Scroll down some more, Agent Morales, there’s one last text from my brother, from this morning.”
She read aloud, “Reports about my wrongdoing are untrue. Someone else has to be responsible. Although I hate it, I have to consider my COO Carla Cartwright. I let her take over management of the portfolios when Celia died, my fault. Can’t come home until all is resolved. Arch.”
“And you, Mr. Navarro, texted back,Where are you?”
Rebel said, “You’ll see he didn’t answer me. He texted Tash that he loved him and missed him. Again, when Tash texted back, he got no answer from his father.”
Briggs shrugged, sounded bored. “Convenient, don’t you think? If all he claims is true, then why doesn’t he come back and prove it?”
Rebel wanted to leap on Briggs, but he held steady. “I’ll bet he’s doing his best to exonerate himself, but obviously he’s afraid to come back until you can find out the truth. But youknow what? Sounds to me like you people want to railroad him, you’ve already made up your minds he’s guilty. What about everybody else at the firm? Have you considered Carla Cartwright?”
Morales said, “Mr. Navarro, we’re interviewing the employees at your brother’s investment fund right now. Our forensic accountants are examining their books. If what your brother texted is true, they should find a trail. We already know large sums were gradually funneled into an offshore investment account that existed in name only. We have to be realistic, Mr. Navarro—your brother has disappeared as well.”
Briggs said, “Seems rather obvious your brother is the mastermind here, don’t you think? You know what? We don’t think your brother pulled this all off alone.”
Rebel looked at each of them. Could the feds be right? Had Archer lost his way so much after Celia died that he’d started siphoning off his clients’ money? No, not possible, Archer wasn’t wired that way. “You know the reason he’s not here, and it has nothing to do with his stealing from his own company. He isn’t guilty. It sounds to me like these interviews you’re conducting are for form only. As I said, you’ve already made up your minds, haven’t you?”
Briggs brushed off his words. “Are you planning to join him, Mr. Navarro? After all, a writer can write his little stories anywhere, right, all’s needed is a laptop.”
Rebel said, “My brother is a very smart man, very intuitive, Agents, a genius with people, and that’s why he’s so successful.” Rebel leaned forward in his chair. “Listen to me. There was no reason for him to destroy what he’d built with years of hard work. If he believes this Cartwright woman or someone else is responsible, my money’s on them. Why are you in such a hurry to convict my brother?”
“Because he’s guilty as sin,” Briggs said. “He was in charge, hemade all the important decisions. He cleaned out his company over a matter of months, then he ran. It can’t get much clearer than that.”
Morales realized Rebel looked ready to leap on Briggs. She said quickly, “Tell us about Mrs. Navarro, Sasha is her name?”
Of course they knew her name, they probably thought she was as guilty as his brother, as guilty as they thought Rebel was.He said, “My brother was devastated by his wife Celia’s death from cancer two years ago. He was lonely and vulnerable. Sasha worked at his firm as an assistant to Carla Cartwright. Let me speak plainly here. I think of Sasha as my brother’s trophy wife. She’s twenty-seven to his thirty-eight and very beautiful. She smothered him with her concern and sympathy, her admiration for him. She was smart enough, sexy enough, to attach herself to my brother.
“To be honest, though it rankles, in the short time they were here, it seemed to me Sasha really cares for my brother. On the other hand, she doesn’t want to be bothered with her new stepson. She pretty much ignores him. Personally, I have no problem with her myself, but like her? Let me say she’s nothing like my brother’s first wife, Celia. She was an incredible woman.”
