Page 75 of King’s Ransom

‘Yeah,’ I said distractedly. I was still worried about Audrey.

‘Anyway, while you’ve been down at the bridge with the ­paramedics just now, Bill and I were checking out these bodies and Bill found something.’

‘Sam, look at this . . .’ Bill said.

He crouched over the Grandmaster’s body.

The dead man’s cell phone was peeking out of a pocket of his thick woollen peacoat.

‘Wanna take a look before our FBI friends get here?’ Garrett said.

‘Sure,’ I said.

Garrett picked up the phone in a gloved hand and tapped it a few times, using the basic unlocking code that every private investigator and Apple Genius Bar technician knows.

‘Jesus . . .’ Garrett said. ‘Look at who the Grandmaster’s last ten calls and texts went to.’

I leaned in to look at the phone.

All of the calls and texts had gone to:

yasmina k.

‘Yasmina King?’ Bill said.

We scanned a few of the texts:

Dec 1 at 10:01 AM

SEND THE MONEY AND I’LL

COMMENCE PREPARATIONS.

YASMINA K.

MONEY SENT

RECEIVED. EVERYTHING IS SET.

IT’LL TAKE PLACE ON DEC 21. IN THE

TOWER. BE READY.

Dec 19 at 9:44 PM

TO SELL THE ILLUSION, I’LL NEED

TO PUT YOU AND YOUR SON IN

JEOPARDY (YOU ON THE ROOF,

HIM IN THE ELEVATOR SHAFT) BUT

YOU’LL BOTH BE PERFECTLY SAFE

YASMINA K.

I UNDERSTAND