“He changes his name with some frequency, doesn’t he? Can you explain why, and tell me which one I should be using?”
She watched Celine’s wheels turn as she tried to come up with a harmless answer to that.
“It’s not a hard question, and I’m sure you don’t want to look like you’re impeding a kidnapping investigation.”
“Lloyd always hated his name,” she finally said slowly. “Who can blame him, right? Lloyd is such an old man name, like an insurance company in human form.”
“Lloyd. That would be Lloyd Mansfield?”
Celine’s face tightened again, and she gave a microscopic nod.
“Good. Thank you. When’s the last time you saw Lloyd? Before you answer, you should know that he is confirmed to have been on Sea Smoke Island in recent months.”
In other words—don’t fucking lie to me.
“I saw him on Sea Smoke, of course.”
“Good. I thought so.”
Twenty yards down the ramp, Jack was quietly making his way up the ladder. No doubt other staff members were onboard, but she couldn’t see any of them, and hopefully none of them would notice Jack. Her heart did a slow somersault in her chest. Please be safe, Jack. Maybe his celebrity status would help him. No one would want to hurt a TV star who suddenly appeared on their boat.
“Is he still on the island now?”
“No, I told you. I don’t know where he is. He left after I, um, after everything happened. I haven’t seen him since.”
That sounded like the truth. Damn it. “Do you know anything about a woman he was seeing?”
“You mean Marigold Olson?” She laughed disdainfully. “As if he would marry someone like her. My brother has very high standards.”
“Then what was he up to? I saw the ring he gave her. I saw the honeymoon suite. It sure looked like it was happening.”
Celine twisted her mouth from side to side. “He was doing me a favor,” she finally said. “Brother to sister. I needed someone to keep tabs on the constable for me.”
At least Tina had gotten that part right. “And what about the other girl he was seeing?”
“Other girl?”
“Does the name Jessie Finnegan mean anything to you?”
“No.” She laughed lightly. “Do you mean to tell me he was seeing someone else while romancing Marigold? That’s Lloyd for you. I told you women fall all over him. It seems he two-timed Marigold and me. Another girl was not part of his assignment.”
Interesting. If Celine was being truthful, maybe she wasn’t involved in whatever scheme Adam was currently up to. Maybe he’d actually fallen for Jessie.
Jack slipped over the side of the yacht and crouched low, out of sight. She caught a flash of his blue shirt as he ducked behind a door that was held open with a bungee cord.
Keep her talking until he gets inside.
“What was your last contact with Lloyd?”
After a defiant stare, Celine shrugged. “Sea Smoke Island, right before you arrested me. He was pissed that my brilliant plans fell apart. I haven’t heard from him much since then.”
“So he was mad because despite his help, your schemes went nowhere. Was there some other enterprise he got involved with to fill the gap? Did he mention a reason for him to stay on the island after you left?”
As she posed those questions, she saw Jack emerge from behind the door and disappear down the hatch. He was out of sight and on his own now.
“I really have no idea,” Celine said, and for the first time, Tina thought she was probably lying. There was a hint of fear in her voice that hadn’t been there before. “My brother’s got his own life and I’m not responsible for him or his actions.”
“Really? Because you’ve always been the dominant one, haven’t you?”
