Swindled in Paradise Read Online Free Page A

driveway, before answering, “She’s VP for the 100 Ocean Boulevard Corporation, the real estate developer of the new project we’re partnering on.”
    Fab grabbed her keys and ran to the door. “Call me if you hear anything.”
    I grabbed the back of her shirt before she could disappear out the door. “Where are you going?”
    “I’m going to follow Didier, so when he walks out of the police station, he’ll have a ride home.” Fab looked a wreck, not at all her usual calm and collected self.
    I didn’t bother to remind her that it might take a while. Instead, I said, “Call if you need company.”
    Kevin put Didier into the back of his car and, without a word to Creole, got behind the wheel and sped away.
     

Chapter 4
    “Do you have something to write on?” Phil asked.
    I’d forgotten that she had stood off to one side, listening intently. I knew that if there’d been any illegality on Kevin’s part, she would have spoken up. I pointed to the junk drawer, which really should be labeled “multi-purpose,” as it held a number of useful items, the Beretta, a switchblade, and the large plastic zip ties that could function as handcuffs.
    To keep busy, I reclosed the lids on the takeout containers and made room for them in the refrigerator. Good thing everyone enjoyed leftovers, except Fab, who complained but ate them anyway.
    “Lauren Grace.” Phil scribbled. “What do you want to know?”
    “Who killed her? It’s not Didier; I know that much, it’s not in his character,” I said. “Unearth every piece of information about the deceased and her life and get a list of those who might want her dead. Hopefully the list is short.”
    I leaned over the sink to scan the driveway, figuring Creole had left, but I saw him leaning against the fence as he talked on his phone. He would call in favors for his friend and cycling partner. The two of them loved to ramp up the testosterone, taking exercising to a new level, and recently, they’d included my brother in their insanity.
    “Partner?” I said to myself. I locked eyes with Brad. “On what?”
    “We planned to bring you up to speed tonight.” He ran his fingers through his sun-bleached hair, blowing out a frustrated breath. “Didier and I started talking about working on a project together before I sold the trailer court. He got a tip about a couple of condo developments in Miami Beach that could be had for dirt cheap because the developer went bankrupt before completing them. So we put together a group of investors. You’re one of them.”
    I shook my head and let out a sigh. “I know we discussed doing something but I didn’t realize it was already in the works. Who’s Lauren and how does she fit in?”
    “Didier’s friend Patino Balcazar is the real estate developer who gave him a heads up on the deal. Lauren is his VP. A new title; she just recently got promoted from assistant.” Brad paused to finish his beer.
    Patino? I thought. So there was a connection between B’s—the restaurant with all the bullet holes in it—and Fab’s boyfriend, and she’d kept that tidbit to herself.
    Brad continued, “Nothing gets done without Lauren. She’s the brains of the outfit; Balcazar doesn’t get hands dirty with the details. We were in negotiations to acquire one of the bankrupt properties before it went to auction.”
    “Don’t auctions have pesky requirements—like cash? Are we talking beachfront?” I realized I was holding my breath at the thought of how much the asking price might be and let out a whoosh of air.
    Brad nodded. “With Balcazar’s connections, our bid was accepted before auction. We secured financing from a short-term lender, had a lawyer read the fine print of the contracts, and were waiting for the title company to schedule a closing. Lauren was a bit abrasive and snooty, but she handled the details with extreme efficiency.”
    “Who’s we? How many people are in this investor group?” I slurped down the last of my