Belvedere.
“They’ve found the envelope,” Tom said quietly.
“Ping Excellent. Did they bring anyone from Mercedes along?”
Tom looked across at his companion. “Anyone from Mercedes down there?”
Marike took another peek over the balcony railing, shook her head.
“No,” Tom said into the phone.
“That’s too bad. Ping It might have sped things up. Keep watching,” the man said and rang off.
CHAPTER 21
Hanna took the elevator up to third floor, as she exited she could hear her admin, Amy, hacking, that dry smoker’s cough. Hanna strode down the hall, stopped at her cube.
Amy was shuffling papers with a finesse and speed that seemed to defy the arthritis in her yellowed fingers. She looked up with her usual wry grin. “Must be a juicy case to get our friendly ghost to go out in the sun two days in a row.” She started hacking, again.
Hanna waited until the fit passed. “It’s a kidnapping—a Mercedes executive. We just found the ransom note. They want $50-million.”
Amy popped a Nicorette in her mouth. She had a two pack a day habit. “What’s he got you doing?”
Hanna sighed, “Right now, its mostly background. Call Susan Selts. Have her do a background on Miles Marin.”
Amy grabbed a piece of paper and pencil.
Hanna spelled the last name for her and said, “See if you can buy me a couple of uninterrupted hours.”
“I’m on it.”
Hanna closed the door of her office behind her, placed the piece of paper with the numbered account by her phone. She knew most of the numbering protocols for Cayman accounts, but this was one she didn’t recognize. Her first call would be to Lyman Marleybone, the Cayman commissioner of banking.
“Lovely Hanna,” he said when they finally connected. “I thought you had forgotten me, I have not heard from you in so long.”
“Lyman, you know you’re my favorite Cayman banking commissioner.”
Lyman chuckled. “That’s because I am the only Cayman banking commissioner.”
It was an old joke between them. “But it is still good to hear from you, child. How may I be of service?”
“This account,” she read him the letters and numbers, “turned up in one of our investigations. I’m not familiar with it. Is it a new bank?”
“Hanna, what are we talking here?”
“Kidnapping, Lyman. They may be using this account.”
She could hear him clucking his tongue. Who did that anymore?
“A most unfortunate business. Well, your numbers indicate an account with Cayman Wealth and Trust. This is a newly opened bank run by Liam Delaney, a good Irishman who has the brogue to prove it. Mr. Delaney is very secretive, very uncooperative, I’m afraid.”
“So he wouldn’t tell us who opened this account?”
“Not even with all your considerable charm, Hanna.”
“How about the weight of the FBI?”
“He’ll laugh.”
“Any pressure you can apply?”
“I’m doing what I can. You’re not the only organization interested in Mr. Delaney. I don’t, as yet, have enough to cause the Governor to take action.”
There was a rap on Hanna’s door.
“Listen, Lyman, gotta go. We’ll talk soon. Bye.”
The door opened enough for Susan Selts to stick her head in.
“Okay to talk?”
Hanna waved her in.
Susan quickly settled in Hanna’s visitor’s chair, holding a manila folder on her lap. She blew a wisp of gray hair out of her eyes. “I was kind of shocked when Amy said you wanted me to run Miles Marin.
He seemed nice enough when I met him this morning.”
Hanna braced herself for the worst. It wasn’t like Susan to rush upstairs with information.
“Seemed like this might be an urgent matter, so I thought you’d want to know quick—he’s clean.”
Hanna realized she’d unconsciously been holding her breath. She let it out.
“I checked our database, military, Interpol. Nothing. I finally got something doing a Google search.” She stood, thrust the manila folder at Hanna. “Here.”
Hanna took the folder, thanked her. Inside
“They’ve found the envelope,” Tom said quietly.
“Ping Excellent. Did they bring anyone from Mercedes along?”
Tom looked across at his companion. “Anyone from Mercedes down there?”
Marike took another peek over the balcony railing, shook her head.
“No,” Tom said into the phone.
“That’s too bad. Ping It might have sped things up. Keep watching,” the man said and rang off.
CHAPTER 21
Hanna took the elevator up to third floor, as she exited she could hear her admin, Amy, hacking, that dry smoker’s cough. Hanna strode down the hall, stopped at her cube.
Amy was shuffling papers with a finesse and speed that seemed to defy the arthritis in her yellowed fingers. She looked up with her usual wry grin. “Must be a juicy case to get our friendly ghost to go out in the sun two days in a row.” She started hacking, again.
Hanna waited until the fit passed. “It’s a kidnapping—a Mercedes executive. We just found the ransom note. They want $50-million.”
Amy popped a Nicorette in her mouth. She had a two pack a day habit. “What’s he got you doing?”
Hanna sighed, “Right now, its mostly background. Call Susan Selts. Have her do a background on Miles Marin.”
Amy grabbed a piece of paper and pencil.
Hanna spelled the last name for her and said, “See if you can buy me a couple of uninterrupted hours.”
“I’m on it.”
Hanna closed the door of her office behind her, placed the piece of paper with the numbered account by her phone. She knew most of the numbering protocols for Cayman accounts, but this was one she didn’t recognize. Her first call would be to Lyman Marleybone, the Cayman commissioner of banking.
“Lovely Hanna,” he said when they finally connected. “I thought you had forgotten me, I have not heard from you in so long.”
“Lyman, you know you’re my favorite Cayman banking commissioner.”
Lyman chuckled. “That’s because I am the only Cayman banking commissioner.”
It was an old joke between them. “But it is still good to hear from you, child. How may I be of service?”
“This account,” she read him the letters and numbers, “turned up in one of our investigations. I’m not familiar with it. Is it a new bank?”
“Hanna, what are we talking here?”
“Kidnapping, Lyman. They may be using this account.”
She could hear him clucking his tongue. Who did that anymore?
“A most unfortunate business. Well, your numbers indicate an account with Cayman Wealth and Trust. This is a newly opened bank run by Liam Delaney, a good Irishman who has the brogue to prove it. Mr. Delaney is very secretive, very uncooperative, I’m afraid.”
“So he wouldn’t tell us who opened this account?”
“Not even with all your considerable charm, Hanna.”
“How about the weight of the FBI?”
“He’ll laugh.”
“Any pressure you can apply?”
“I’m doing what I can. You’re not the only organization interested in Mr. Delaney. I don’t, as yet, have enough to cause the Governor to take action.”
There was a rap on Hanna’s door.
“Listen, Lyman, gotta go. We’ll talk soon. Bye.”
The door opened enough for Susan Selts to stick her head in.
“Okay to talk?”
Hanna waved her in.
Susan quickly settled in Hanna’s visitor’s chair, holding a manila folder on her lap. She blew a wisp of gray hair out of her eyes. “I was kind of shocked when Amy said you wanted me to run Miles Marin.
He seemed nice enough when I met him this morning.”
Hanna braced herself for the worst. It wasn’t like Susan to rush upstairs with information.
“Seemed like this might be an urgent matter, so I thought you’d want to know quick—he’s clean.”
Hanna realized she’d unconsciously been holding her breath. She let it out.
“I checked our database, military, Interpol. Nothing. I finally got something doing a Google search.” She stood, thrust the manila folder at Hanna. “Here.”
Hanna took the folder, thanked her. Inside
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