it.
‘I think I should go alone. No – ’ She put her hand up, to forestall his objections. ‘I know Jeff. He’s no threat, but if I have another man with me he’ll jump to the obvious conclusion.’ A flash of uncertain humour crossed her face. Devlin clenched his fist. ‘I’m his ex -wife, but that doesn’t mean he won’t strut his stuff as the previous owner. And you’ll respond, and all that testosterone will just get in the way.’ She tapped the table for emphasis. ‘Jeff has to be relaxed, unsuspecting, when we meet. Then we follow him, or get him somewhere quiet and persuade him to talk.’ The grin was ferocious. ‘I leave you to decide about that.’
Devlin leaned back, sorting options. Everything Kaz said made sense. He didn’t have to like it.
‘I think we follow,’ he responded after a moment. ‘Priority one is finding Jamie. If you can convince Jeff that he has nothing to worry about, he could lead you straight to her. And you’re right. You will be better alone. If he realises I’m the one who found the crash site, it won’t take much to work it out. But I won’t be far off, and I’m going to get us some backup. A few guys I know.’ He answered the question in her eyes. ‘Are you sure you’re going to be okay with this today, with Phil and everything?’
He’d checked the story on the Internet. It had been a clean, professional kill, over in seconds. Phil himself would barely have had time to react. Ice-cold nerve and complete confidence. The shooter had simply done the job and walked away, to disappear in the Park. No witnesses. Or none who were admitting anything.
Kaz was nodding. She’d finished her breakfast, pushed away her plate. ‘It doesn’t seem real, but being a policeman, it’s always been there. The possibility of him getting hurt. Or killed. It’s just so … He wasn’t that far off retirement.’ She stopped. Devlin saw the confusion and the glitter of tears. ‘He was married twice, no kids. He didn’t know much about children, but when we went back to England, he did his best to be a father to me.’
Devlin reached to take her hand. ‘If you’re not ready we don’t have to do this today. We have the whole weekend.’
‘I don’t want to wait.’ Her eyes were dark with intent. ‘If Jeff is going to be at that restaurant, then I’m going to be there, too.’
Kaz sat at the counter, sipping acqua minerale , watching the traffic of customers in and out of the restaurant. There’d been no sign of Giuliana waiting tables. Kaz’s tentative enquiry to the bar tender about her had been answered with an indifferent shrug. She chewed her lower lip. The clock over the bar showed it was quarter-to-three. The lunch trade was all but over and she was going to have to admit defeat in the next few moments.
There had been a few men eating alone. Once her heart had started to pump when she spotted the back of a dark head but when the man turned it wasn’t Jeff. The disappointment had been like a punch in the face. She hadn’t realised how much she was depending on this.
She shifted uneasily. Devlin had done a walk by about fifteen minutes ago and the men he’d recruited were somewhere around, though she didn’t know who they were. Or where. They were doing all this on the say-so of a woman who had probably quarrelled with Jeff. Who knew what game she was playing? Or Jeff himself? Maybe he –
‘’ Scusi ?’ Kaz looked down. A small boy had come up to the bar, from somewhere in the back. He had dark floppy hair, falling over one eye, and an envelope clutched in a small hand. ‘You are Katarina Elmore.’ He pronounced the words carefully, as if he’d been coached.
He looked up anxiously, breaking into the widest smile when Kaz responded. ‘ Si. Di dove sei? Did someone tell you to look for me? How –’
‘This is for you.’ The boy thrust the envelope at her and turned quickly.
‘Wait! Ferma !’ Kaz slid off the stool, reaching
‘I think I should go alone. No – ’ She put her hand up, to forestall his objections. ‘I know Jeff. He’s no threat, but if I have another man with me he’ll jump to the obvious conclusion.’ A flash of uncertain humour crossed her face. Devlin clenched his fist. ‘I’m his ex -wife, but that doesn’t mean he won’t strut his stuff as the previous owner. And you’ll respond, and all that testosterone will just get in the way.’ She tapped the table for emphasis. ‘Jeff has to be relaxed, unsuspecting, when we meet. Then we follow him, or get him somewhere quiet and persuade him to talk.’ The grin was ferocious. ‘I leave you to decide about that.’
Devlin leaned back, sorting options. Everything Kaz said made sense. He didn’t have to like it.
‘I think we follow,’ he responded after a moment. ‘Priority one is finding Jamie. If you can convince Jeff that he has nothing to worry about, he could lead you straight to her. And you’re right. You will be better alone. If he realises I’m the one who found the crash site, it won’t take much to work it out. But I won’t be far off, and I’m going to get us some backup. A few guys I know.’ He answered the question in her eyes. ‘Are you sure you’re going to be okay with this today, with Phil and everything?’
He’d checked the story on the Internet. It had been a clean, professional kill, over in seconds. Phil himself would barely have had time to react. Ice-cold nerve and complete confidence. The shooter had simply done the job and walked away, to disappear in the Park. No witnesses. Or none who were admitting anything.
Kaz was nodding. She’d finished her breakfast, pushed away her plate. ‘It doesn’t seem real, but being a policeman, it’s always been there. The possibility of him getting hurt. Or killed. It’s just so … He wasn’t that far off retirement.’ She stopped. Devlin saw the confusion and the glitter of tears. ‘He was married twice, no kids. He didn’t know much about children, but when we went back to England, he did his best to be a father to me.’
Devlin reached to take her hand. ‘If you’re not ready we don’t have to do this today. We have the whole weekend.’
‘I don’t want to wait.’ Her eyes were dark with intent. ‘If Jeff is going to be at that restaurant, then I’m going to be there, too.’
Kaz sat at the counter, sipping acqua minerale , watching the traffic of customers in and out of the restaurant. There’d been no sign of Giuliana waiting tables. Kaz’s tentative enquiry to the bar tender about her had been answered with an indifferent shrug. She chewed her lower lip. The clock over the bar showed it was quarter-to-three. The lunch trade was all but over and she was going to have to admit defeat in the next few moments.
There had been a few men eating alone. Once her heart had started to pump when she spotted the back of a dark head but when the man turned it wasn’t Jeff. The disappointment had been like a punch in the face. She hadn’t realised how much she was depending on this.
She shifted uneasily. Devlin had done a walk by about fifteen minutes ago and the men he’d recruited were somewhere around, though she didn’t know who they were. Or where. They were doing all this on the say-so of a woman who had probably quarrelled with Jeff. Who knew what game she was playing? Or Jeff himself? Maybe he –
‘’ Scusi ?’ Kaz looked down. A small boy had come up to the bar, from somewhere in the back. He had dark floppy hair, falling over one eye, and an envelope clutched in a small hand. ‘You are Katarina Elmore.’ He pronounced the words carefully, as if he’d been coached.
He looked up anxiously, breaking into the widest smile when Kaz responded. ‘ Si. Di dove sei? Did someone tell you to look for me? How –’
‘This is for you.’ The boy thrust the envelope at her and turned quickly.
‘Wait! Ferma !’ Kaz slid off the stool, reaching
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