“I hope you enjoy your last days as a police officer, Dot,” Rodney snarled. “This way,” he ordered Lee and stalked down the hall.
Lee glanced at Nhiari. “I see what you mean.” He followed Rodney out of the kitchen.
Nhiari exhaled. “What did he mean about it being your last few days?”
“I’ve been asked to explain everything happening up here and why I haven’t trusted Rodney with all my information.” She tugged her dark hair. “It’s been difficult.”
Oliver ran a hand over Dot’s back. “I’ll speak with whoever’s in charge to make sure they know she’s been doing her job well.”
Nhiari smiled at his defence. “It’s good to see you again, Oliver.” They hadn’t had a chance to talk yet.
“Likewise. It’s been too long.”
She nodded. “We’ll have to catch up when all this is over. I’d love to hear some of your stories.” Oliver had worked on shipwreck expeditions all over the world. She had no hard feelings for him. Not if Dot had forgiven him for breaking her heart, which it appeared she had.
“Do we need to listen in?” Brandon asked, nodding towards the lounge.
Nhiari glanced down the hall. “They’ve closed the door.”
“Perhaps we should make our own contingencies while they’re gone,” Sam suggested. “Depending on what Lucas comes back with.” He glanced at Nhiari.
She understood his unspoken message. They needed to make plans in case Lee was double-crossing them. She nodded. “Let’s talk.”
Chapter Sixteen
LeewalkedpastRodneyinto the lounge room and stood near the coffee table as Rodney clicked the door shut. This man was an unknown. Obnoxious and arrogant from what he’d seen and heard, but with no personal experiences, he wasn’t willing to make a firm assessment.
“Sit down,” Rodney ordered.
Lee stood, legs apart, hands in his pockets, casual and non-threatening. “I’m fine standing.”
Rodney puffed up as if to explode and then relaxed with a smile, his bluster and officiousness gone. “You’ve turned on Lucas.” Smooth and confident.
Interesting. Which was the real man? He had slid into this new personality with no effort.
Lee watched him. Who was Rodney actually working for? “I hear you planted the cannon at Steven’s place.”
Rodney raised an eyebrow. “Something had to be done with it.”
Should he admit to his ignorance? What did he have to lose? “Did you use Lucas’s boat to raise it?”
Rodney smirked. “I believe I should ask you the questions.”
“Just filling in a couple of blanks. Has Lucas spoken to you about the treasure?”
“You’re not planning to double-cross him?”
Not answering the question made Lee think Rodney’s surprise when Brandon had opened the backpack had been real. “Do I look stupid to you?”
“It looks as if you have a thing for Nhiari.” Some derision slipped into his tone. “She has a way of leading men on.”
Lee’s skin prickled but he made sure his fingers didn’t curl into fists like they wanted to. “In my case, it’s the other way around,” he said. “She’s smitten. I hear she’s quite picky about who she dates.”
His shot hit its mark, and Rodney scowled. Enough of these games. “Let’s get to the point, shall we? Lucas wants the treasure. He’s devising a plan to get it. Is his boat in the area?” If it wasn’t, there might not be enough time to get it into position.
“There are plenty of places along the coast we can take the treasure, so it doesn’t matter where the boat is.”
Perhaps he didn’t know or was holding his cards close to his chest. Rodney would have the facilities to track it and the plane down.
