check on both names, and a search to see if he had any other bank accounts. I’ll also get the guys to show his photo round the hotels, see if anyone recognizes him. I don’t like it, Jack. My gut tells me t his case has all the makings of a chimpanzee’s tea party . ’
Jack raised an eyebrow. ‘ Another one of your quotable quotes, eh? What’s this one mean, Mike? ’
‘ It means anything can go wrong , so be careful . ’
‘ Don’t worry, Mike , I will. ’ Jack headed for the door.
‘ Before you go—things any better at home? ’
Jack frowned. ‘ No, and Rosa’s not go ing be happy when she learns I’m taking on another case. It means she’ll have to actually take care of Emilia. ’
Mike didn’t respond immediately. When he did, his face was creased with lines of worry. ‘ If your personal life is going to interfere I can always assign someone else to look after the widow . ’
‘ It won’t . Grace barely trusts me. You assign another agent and she’ll fly back to London faster than you can order a pizza. ’
‘ Okay, Jack. But any problems, you let me know. I’ll ask Chrissie to drop by your apartment in a day or so to see how Rosa’s coping. Now get going before Grace starts getting agitated. ’
CHAPTER EIGHT
Throughout most of the two-hour drive to Gasparilla Island Grace stared out of the window. Apart from th e other vehicles on the highway, there wasn’t a house or building in sight, just mile after mile of tarmac, tall sawgrass and marsh.
‘ This place looks godforsaken . ’
‘ Not surprising. Th e road is known as Alligator alley, ’ said Jack. ‘ It runs right through the E verglades. If you look carefully, you might see one on the bank of a marsh, but the most I’ve ever seen in a bunch of egrets. ’
‘ I don’t like it. ’
‘ I don’t either. I wouldn’t recommend taking a walk in there, that’s for sure. ’
Unseasonably hot, Grace wiped her damp palms on a tissue . E ven with the air conditioning on, the air inside the car was oppressive .
‘ Have you been to the island before? ’
‘ No, but I’ve heard of it. Jed Bush, onetime Governor o f our state, has a place there . It’s also famous for the Tarpon fishing tournament held each year . The town is name d Boca Grande . ’
‘ What Grande? ’
‘ Boca. It means ‘mouth’. Grande means ‘big . ’ It’s Spanish for ‘big mouth’ and comes from the waterway at the southern end of the island. ’
‘ Oh, ’ said Grace, and continued staring out of the window. The deep orange sun slowly sank toward the horizon as Jack brought the Explorer to a halt at the tollbooth . He paid the four-dollar fee, and then drove across the swing b ridge .
‘ Sand Dollars— I wonder why Daniel chose that name . ’
‘ I think it’s rather apt . ’
‘ How do you mean? ’
‘ A S and D ollar is type of burrowing sea urchin. The name comes from the shape and colo u r of the skeleton, which resembles a silver dollar. They are very popular with shell collectors, but pretty hard to find, especially whole. ’
Grace frowned. ‘ I still don’t understand why he chose that name. ’
‘ I think your husband was sending a message to anyone who tries to trace the money . T he truth of where the money came from is buried deep, like a Sand Dollar. ’
‘ Oh, I see. Will you be able to find the house? ’ Grace asked.
‘ I memorized the zip code from the transfer deed and entered it into the Sat-Nav , ’ Jack replied , as they crossed another bridge . ‘ That will take us right up to the front door. The island ’s only a few miles long . ’
Grace stared at the large colonial styled houses silhouetted against the setting sun. No two properties appeared the same, although m ost had wide verandas, and windows bordered with plantation shutters. Occasionally , sh e caught
Jack raised an eyebrow. ‘ Another one of your quotable quotes, eh? What’s this one mean, Mike? ’
‘ It means anything can go wrong , so be careful . ’
‘ Don’t worry, Mike , I will. ’ Jack headed for the door.
‘ Before you go—things any better at home? ’
Jack frowned. ‘ No, and Rosa’s not go ing be happy when she learns I’m taking on another case. It means she’ll have to actually take care of Emilia. ’
Mike didn’t respond immediately. When he did, his face was creased with lines of worry. ‘ If your personal life is going to interfere I can always assign someone else to look after the widow . ’
‘ It won’t . Grace barely trusts me. You assign another agent and she’ll fly back to London faster than you can order a pizza. ’
‘ Okay, Jack. But any problems, you let me know. I’ll ask Chrissie to drop by your apartment in a day or so to see how Rosa’s coping. Now get going before Grace starts getting agitated. ’
CHAPTER EIGHT
Throughout most of the two-hour drive to Gasparilla Island Grace stared out of the window. Apart from th e other vehicles on the highway, there wasn’t a house or building in sight, just mile after mile of tarmac, tall sawgrass and marsh.
‘ This place looks godforsaken . ’
‘ Not surprising. Th e road is known as Alligator alley, ’ said Jack. ‘ It runs right through the E verglades. If you look carefully, you might see one on the bank of a marsh, but the most I’ve ever seen in a bunch of egrets. ’
‘ I don’t like it. ’
‘ I don’t either. I wouldn’t recommend taking a walk in there, that’s for sure. ’
Unseasonably hot, Grace wiped her damp palms on a tissue . E ven with the air conditioning on, the air inside the car was oppressive .
‘ Have you been to the island before? ’
‘ No, but I’ve heard of it. Jed Bush, onetime Governor o f our state, has a place there . It’s also famous for the Tarpon fishing tournament held each year . The town is name d Boca Grande . ’
‘ What Grande? ’
‘ Boca. It means ‘mouth’. Grande means ‘big . ’ It’s Spanish for ‘big mouth’ and comes from the waterway at the southern end of the island. ’
‘ Oh, ’ said Grace, and continued staring out of the window. The deep orange sun slowly sank toward the horizon as Jack brought the Explorer to a halt at the tollbooth . He paid the four-dollar fee, and then drove across the swing b ridge .
‘ Sand Dollars— I wonder why Daniel chose that name . ’
‘ I think it’s rather apt . ’
‘ How do you mean? ’
‘ A S and D ollar is type of burrowing sea urchin. The name comes from the shape and colo u r of the skeleton, which resembles a silver dollar. They are very popular with shell collectors, but pretty hard to find, especially whole. ’
Grace frowned. ‘ I still don’t understand why he chose that name. ’
‘ I think your husband was sending a message to anyone who tries to trace the money . T he truth of where the money came from is buried deep, like a Sand Dollar. ’
‘ Oh, I see. Will you be able to find the house? ’ Grace asked.
‘ I memorized the zip code from the transfer deed and entered it into the Sat-Nav , ’ Jack replied , as they crossed another bridge . ‘ That will take us right up to the front door. The island ’s only a few miles long . ’
Grace stared at the large colonial styled houses silhouetted against the setting sun. No two properties appeared the same, although m ost had wide verandas, and windows bordered with plantation shutters. Occasionally , sh e caught
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