Read Online The Trophy Wife by Diana Diamond - Free Book Online Page B

to eat lunch. Where you live. It seems that they even know what your wife’s daily schedule is like.”
    â€œYou think it’s someone I know personally?”
    â€œMaybe. But more likely it’s someone who knows you personally but who you don’t generally think of as a friend. Your secretary, for example …”
    â€œMiss Carey! That’s ridiculous. Why she’s …”
    â€œI said ‘for example.’ My point is that if I asked you to list your close friends, your Miss Carey probably wouldn’t make the list. You probably don’t even think of her as a business associate. Yet she knows your business activities intimately. Has probably spoken directly with the people at this Cayman bank, as well as the top people at every bank you deal with. And I’ll bet she knows your wife’s schedule better than you do.”
    Walter looked chastened. “You’re absolutely right,” he admitted. “There are probably a lot of people around the bank who understand my job. But … a kidnapper?”
    Hogan again touched the document. “As I read this, the people behind it aren’t doing any kidnapping. They seem to have hired the people who took your wife away and hired the people who are holding her. They even hired the guy who brought you the ransom note. And they’ve arranged it so that none of them knows either of the others. So this could be someone who has never done a violent deed in his life. Just a skillful manager with a few violent friends. Or with contacts among the underworld types who would do these things.”
    Walter was nodding. “So where do we start?”
    â€œWe don’t,” Hogan said. “We follow procedure and take this to the chairman as soon as he comes in.”
    â€œAnd Emily gets buried in a cellar!” Walter flared. “For Christ’s sake, we can’t do that. Not while there’s any chance.”
    Hogan sat quietly for a moment. “You know what this could cost me. I’m paid to enforce security procedures.
Your
security procedures.”
    â€œIt can’t cost you your life,” Walter came back. “We’ve got to at least try. Please, Andrew. I’m asking you as a friend.”
    Despite his years of training, Hogan couldn’t hide his disgust. “A friend …” he said slowly, weighing the irony.
    Walter had to turn his eyes away. “We’re not the most cordial people,” he allowed. “I suppose none of us has … seemed … particularly friendly. We just don’t know many police officials …”
    â€œI’m a cop,” Andrew interrupted, “and proud of it. I’ve gotten my hands dirty. All of you have made it pretty clear that you don’t want me cleaning up in the executive washroom.”
    â€œIt wasn’t that …” Walter was about to say,
that you weren’t good enough for us.
But he knew it was exactly that. Andrew had no reason to think of him as a friend. He had every right to leave him and his fellow senior executives hanging on their own self-righteous policies. “I’m sorry.Truly sorry,” was the best Walter could manage. “I’m begging for your help.”
    Hogan rose slowly, lifting the ransom pages carefully and folding them into the envelope. “I’ll take these. And I’ll need the keys to your house. There are some lab people who owe me a favor and chances are that your messenger left prints all over the place.”
    â€œYou’ll help me?” Walter was gushing with gratitude.
    â€œYeah. Some of the people who dirtied my hands know what’s happening around town. We may just get lucky. In the meantime, you go have lunch in Casper’s window.”
    â€œWhat about my children?” Walter asked. “I have a son and a daughter. They’re close to their mother. I’ll have to tell them something.”
    â€œThis is just until