Jason pointed. “Leland put him in the trunk.”
Knox looked at the back of the sedan, rocked back on his heels, and nodded. “Cool.”
“Go stand by the road and flag down the police. Hopefully, someone will be here soon.”
Knox unwrapped a piece of gum and popped it in his mouth. “You don’t need to worry about that guy. There’s plenty of air in the trunk.”
“I’m not worried about him. I want to get Tayla out of here as soon as possible.”
Knox gave a thumbs up. “Gotcha. I’ll go stand in the road.”
When he was gone, the man spoke up again. “Would you like some free advice?”
The guy’s cocky attitude was grating on Jason’s nerves. “No.”
The man laughed. “I’ll offer it anyway. You need to steer clear of that particular woman,” he said, nodding toward the SUV.
“What do you mean by that?”
The man cocked his head, looking very pleased with himself. “I’ve watched you. Listened to you, especially tonight. You think you care about her.” He looked toward the SUV even though he couldn’t see Tayla from his position in the sand. “Ah, I can’t blame you. I can see what could attract a man. She’s beautiful. And sweet. But I’ll warn you, she’s bad luck. Very bad luck, that one. And not too bright either.”
This guy was probably just trying to rile him. But maybe if he kept him talking, Jason could learn something.
“Care to explain?”
The man stared at him for a long moment. “You know, I had no intention of meeting you tonight. But I know what you want. And I believe it would benefit us both if I shared something with you.”
“More advice?”
The man dropped the innocent act. And the smile. “Not about Tayla. She’s a separate matter completely. You’re looking for who killed your associate, Gus Branch. Correct?”
Jason tensed. “You said you wanted to share something.”
The man nodded. “You are wasting your time looking at me for that. Frederick Kost, the focus of so much of your attention tonight, did, in fact, hire someone to protect his interests in the basement of that orphanage. Only a bunch of fools, though. I heard you shot at them yesterday.” He looked genuinely amused by that fact. “Anyway, those poor fellows didn’t kill Gus Branch. I’ve heard it was a mercenary hired from somewhere in South America.”
“Hired by whom? And why are you telling me this?” Not that Jason would necessarily believe anything he said, but the man intrigued him.
“By whom? That, I don’t know. But I make it my business to know what goes on here on the Morghana islands, and I’ve heard that piece of information from more than one source.”
“And why tell me?”
“Frankly, to get you off my back. After our misunderstanding tonight, I’m afraid I will jump to the top of your suspect list. That would be a mistake.”
“Since you’re being so forthcoming all of a sudden, explain to me again what really happened tonight. Or you will definitely stay at the top of my list.”
“Very well. I thought Tayla remembered me tonight. From a completely unrelated situation. Turns out, she didn’t remember a thing. I shouldn’t have worried.” He made a show of leaning forward like he was going to share a secret and lowered his voice. “Some of my business ventures operate outside of the law. No specifics.” He sat up again, straightening himself the best he could in the sloping sand. “But I know now that I don’t need to worry about Tayla, and it would be best for everyone if you forgot all about me. Focus on this character from South America. I heard he went to a little bar on the west shore a couple of times this week. Um, The Sand Bar, I believe.”
“The Sand Bar? Seriously?”
“I didn’t say it was a creative name. I just said he was seen there. Very tall man, dark hair. South American accent.”
Very tall with dark hair fit the description of the sniper at the cottage. He may have already met Gus’s killer. And the police let him go.
Chapter 11
“I’m going to order some tea. And something to eat. Does anyone else want anything?” Tayla picked up the hotel phone in the kitchen of their suite. She turned to face two very surprised expressions.
Leland and Jason likely expected her to retreat to her bedroom when they got back to the hotel. Hide under her covers. Cry herself to sleep.
