Swindled in Paradise Read Online Free Page B

margarita.
    “Would you like another, Boss?” Phil reached for the glass.
    I put my hand over it. “You’re a guest.”
    “It’s a bad habit.” She smiled.
    “The group’s all family: me, you, Creole, Didier, Mother, and Spoon. You do remember we talked about reinvesting the profits from the trailer court? You said you were content with being a silent partner.” Brad sounded defensive.
    Good riddance to the trailer park, I thought. “I trust you, and I knew that once you found something, you’d fill me in. A family affair. Are you sure you can work with all the diverse personalities?”
    “Just call me ring master.” Brad cracked an imaginary whip. “I like ordering people around. Most are silent partners, like yourself, and will be given regular reports and financials. No background checks necessary since we know every one.” He glanced at Phil, who stopped taking notes. “I’d have wagered my…” He paused, turning red. “Only Didier and I have had dealings with Lauren. None of the others even know her, let alone have reason to kill her.”
    I opened the refrigerator and took out a bottled water, holding one up for Phil and raising my eyebrows in a silent question. She nodded, and I handed her the water.
    “It’s a bigger project than I’d originally planned and definitely required more investment capital. Truthfully, once Didier pitched the idea, I didn’t want to be left out. It was a big ego boost to find out that I could contribute more than brawn.” Brad flexed his bicep. “I used old connections from when Aunt Elizabeth and I had a few business deals going to arrange the financial backing we needed.”
    “Elizabeth would be very proud of you.” I thought of the woman who had changed all our lives. She’d known how to bring out the best in each of us, and because of her, I’d found out I could hold my own in a tight situation. “How is this partnership going to work? Once the deal closes, who takes on the responsibility of construction? The silent partners just sit back and rake in the profits?” That seemed out of balance to me.
    “Didier and I are going to be general contractors on the deal. We’ve already lined up sub-contractors through Spoon’s connections. Creole offered up brawn. All of us but Didier have a background in construction, and we’ll soon toughen up those callous-free hands of his.”
    “I’m available anytime,” I said. “I can’t sling a hammer with finesse, but I can be on hand to check in shipments and run errands.” My ex-husband and I had flipped several houses, and I had learned a lot about how to be useful.
    “We’ll want you for decorator decisions.”
    “My taste runs more to beach casual than waterfront high-rise chic. But I’ll start looking for a decorator, a name with cachet that will look good on the marketing materials.”
    I shook my head when Brad held out a plate. It surprised me that either Brad or Phil had an appetite; my stomach had gotten queasy when Kevin showed up and stayed that way.
    “What evidence could the police possibly have that would give them cause to arrest Didier?” I asked.
    Brad shook his head. “No clue. Didier’s a straight-up guy. The man I know would never murder anyone. He told me that he and Balcazar have been friends for a few years; they were introduced through mutual friends in South Beach during Didier’s rise to fame.” He drained the last of his beer. “Lauren informed us that she’d gotten our offer moved to the top of the list for consideration with the bank representative and indicated that the bank was salivating to make a deal and get the property off their balance sheet. The bid process went faster than we expected; the bank seemed to be on top of it and accepted our offer rather quickly.”
    I eyed Phil, who sat in silence, taking in every word and making the occasional note. “Find out everything you can about Lauren, Balcazar, and 100 Ocean Boulevard.” I took the notepad from Phil and