Gone Tropical Read Online Free Page B

sigh. “Do you know where Firth’s headed?”
    “Yeah, he’s gone troppo,” Sarge said.
    Her head ached. She frowned. “Gone what?”
    “Troppo. Tropical. Headed north, they all do. The saying can mean simply that, or it can mean gone mad from living in the tropics.” He chuckled, and then turned serious again. “Best place to hide out, get a job, not too much nosing about into your past.”
    Amy blew out a huge puff of air. Gone tropical, where exactly did that mean? And why would Firth need a job? Oh yeah, a cover . He’d get lost in some god-forsaken part of the country, grow a beard, wear a hat and shades, and keep a low profile. “Any ideas on location?”
    “He was here with an Australian woman, ah, assumed to be his wife,” Sarge said, and looked apologetic. “Not sure though, they registered separately.”
    Amy almost laughed. Firth could have ten wives. All she wanted was to get her father’s money back. And to see Steven behind bars. And to prove a point to the men in her life, but that was another story. She felt Jake watching her. Let him wonder. He worked alone, she could tell.
    “Steve had an affair with an Australian woman,” she said, and faked the right tone of sadness when she met Jake’s eyes. “I believe her name was Meg Thompson.” She glanced over at Sarge. “Are you a private investigator, too, Sarge?”
    Sarge pursed his lips and gave an abrupt shake of his head.
    “He became Daddy’s financial manager. He cheated on me, and I filed for divorce. The woman disappeared. He said the affair was over. Daddy forgave him, I didn’t.”
    “You didn’t believe him that it was over?” Sarge asked.
    Jake’s eyes were on her, but she didn’t look at him. “I didn’t care if it was, or it wasn’t. I didn’t want to be with him.”
    “Fair enough,” Sarge said. “So how’d he get to the company money?”
    “He stayed in Daddy’s employ. Daddy trusted him. I didn’t care about that, because we were no longer living in the same city.”
    Sarge nodded several times.
    “Daddy belongs to the old boy’s club, and he thought it was my fault the marriage failed.” Amy glanced away. Daddy made his choice. He chose Steven. Why she was convinced she needed to set it all right, was another story entirely.
    “Firth embezzled the company out of five million dollars.”
    Sarge jutted out his lips and nodded. “You have siblings?”
    “Two brothers, but they live on the East Coast.”
    “What type of company?” Sarge took a slurp of his coffee, and winced. “Who ordered flat white?”
    “I was preoccupied,” Jake said, with a quick shrug.
    “It’s a coffin company,” Amy said.
    Sarge raised his eyebrows, and put his cup down. “Did you say coffin ?”
    “Yes. It’s in Los Angeles, and it’s called A Perfect Sleep.”
    “Damn. Who’d go into that business?” Sarge muttered. “And it’s that lucrative?”
    Amy flicked an eyebrow. “Yeah, people die. So, what’s the plan here?”
    Sarge fiddled with his hat for a few minutes. “I’m thinking they’re headed for the Daintree—the tropical rainforest—the girlfriend, Meg, her parents live up near Cooktown.”
    Something didn’t stack up. Why wasn’t Jake working with the authorities in Sydney? And why was Sarge doing investigation work? Could he be a federal agent? Did they even have Feds in Australia? “Where exactly is this Daintree, or whatever you call it?”
    “Northern Queensland. Bloody beautiful country, exotic resorts that entice the young adventurers, best beaches in the world, miles of rainforest, and it’s close to the Barrier Reef. Nothing not to like up there, it’s where I make my home. Rugged though, need a four-wheel drive.”
    “Oh.” She glanced over at Jake, who was busy worrying his bottom lip. She narrowed her eyes for a second. Sarge couldn’t have driven from Northern Queensland to Sydney overnight. “How did you get to Sydney?”
    “I’m a pilot. Have a Comanche Piper. Flew out of