Ring of Lies (68 page)

Jack broke the connection and turned round. Grace sat on the bed
watching him.

‘
That was Mike. They’ve started the second autopsy.
’

‘
So I gathered.
’

‘
He’ll call as soon as he hears anything,
’
Jack said, and got dressed.

Grace followed him
downstairs to the kitchen. She filled the coffee
maker
and waited for it to brew
.
‘
So where does that leave us?
’

‘
Hip-deep in shit.
’

‘
Tell me something I don’t know.
’

‘
How about we order
some food
and go over what we know so far?
’

‘
I don’t see what good it will do, but if
you think it will
help, why not.
’

‘
A morning
hug and a
kiss
help
me think,
’
Jack said, making a grab for her
, and nuzzling her neck.

Grace tried not to grin but couldn’t help it.
‘
In case you hadn’t noticed, Agent West, it’s
ten after five, almost time for dinner.
’

‘
So?
’

She
stepped
back.
‘
Morning usually starts with the sun rising, not setting.
’

‘
Yeah, but kissing, that’s good at any time
.
’
He ran a fingertip down her cheek and tilted her head. His other hand slid
round her hips
,
pulling her close
.
His kiss was heat and fire. When he lifted his mouth from hers, they were both breathing hard.

Grace
blew out a breath and
looked at him from under her lashes.
‘
Is that one of the skills the Bureau teaches its agents
, because
I’d hate to think you
used the technique to get your suspects to conf
e
ss
?
’

Jack’s laughter was low, throaty.
‘
That’s one I acquired all by myself.
’
He watched
Grace run her tongue over her lips, tasting his kiss. His libido kicked. He closed his eyes
and ignored the blood pumping in his groin
. When he opened them again, the agent was
back
in charge.

‘
You think the coffee is done yet?
’
he asked.

‘
Pot’s probably boiled dry by now. I’
ll make some fresh
while you order a pizza. I think I saw a number for
a
delivery service
pinned to the cork board
by the refrigerator.
’

Jack picked up the phone and punched in the first three digits, then hung up.
Hunched over,
he studied the assortment of business cards
and telephone numbers
pinned to the board.
One in particular caught his attention. He took it down and tucked it into his pocket.

‘
You want anything special on your
s?
’
he called over his shoulder
, as he placed the call
.

‘
Tuna and anchovies. No salami
.
’

‘
T
he guy said twenty minutes.
’
He
took a sip from
the steaming mug
Grace
had placed on the table in front of him. The
coffee was
rich
and
dark
,
just how he liked it.
He pulled a yellow legal pad
and pen
toward him
,
along with the
photocopied
bank statements and notebook
.

‘
Tell me more about Elliott’s business partner.
’

‘
I’ve told you as much as I know already.
’

‘
Tell me again. How did
they
meet? What
’s
his speciality?
’

Grace wanted to bang her head on the table, and tell him it was futile. Instead, she pulled out the chair opposite his and sat down.

‘
Shaun’s surname is Dixon. He and Daniel
spent a year
work
ing
for the same firm, before setting up the partnership.
They’ve been in business
together
for
nine
years.
Shaun deals with personal
taxation,
UK
investments, and company audits
.
’

Jack started
doodling and
making notes on the pad.
He reached for his
mug
, draining the contents.

‘
What about other members of the firm.
’

‘
There are two junior accountants and an auditor. But
I’ve only
ever
met Liz
Shelton
, Daniel’s secretary. She joined the firm about
eighteen
months ago, straight from college.
’

‘
Could she
be Daniel’s mistress
?
’

Grace
was silent for a few moments before she finally
shook her head
and said,
‘
No.
’

‘
You sure
about that
?
’

‘
Liz is a sweet girl. She lives at home with her elderly
, disabled
mother. There’s no way she would
leave her mother on her own
and
accompany Daniel
on a business trip
.
’

‘
O
kay
, strike her from the list of suspects. That leaves Daniel’s clients. Did any of them ever
call
him
at home?
’

‘
Not that I recall, although
…
now that I think about it
,
there was one guy who called a few times.
’

Jack looked up from his notes.
‘
Can you
remember
his name?
’

She sighed, and rubbed her temple.
‘
John… John
Vance…
Vickers… Vines… I’m sorry I can’t remember his surname.
He
came to
the house once, too.
But he
should be on the list of clients.
’

Jack ran his finger down the list.
‘
Nope,
there’s no one with a name like that.
Do you know which
company he worked for?
’

‘
I’ve no idea
.
’

Jack walked to the counter and re-filled his mug, and carried it back to the table. The doorbell
rang,
as he was about to sit down.

‘
That’ll be
dinner
. Wait here.
’
H
e opened the door with one hand and
paid for the pizza,
then kicked the door shut with his foot.

‘
Tuck in
’
, he said
,
and plac
ed
the box on the table
,
help
ing
himself to a slice
in the process
. While he chewed, he read through the notes he
’d
made.

‘
There’s always a pattern
to any crime
,
especially a money laundering scam,
but I just don’t see it
here
.
’

Grace spun the pad around, and
read through his notes before flipping to a new page
.
‘
If the
electronic files
were so important, why didn’t Daniel just hand them over?
’