The Lady Has a Past (Burning Cove #5) - Amanda Quick Page 0,68

We can’t just flail around. Not now. We have to assume we are being watched. I doubt we are in danger here in the hotel, because two more deaths would be very difficult to explain to the police. In addition, if Guppy and her gang are onto us, it’s almost certain they know that our client is Luther Pell.”

“And no criminal in his right mind wants to draw the attention of Luther Pell.”

“Right. The kidnappers must know that we are closing in on them. They’ll panic. If I were in their shoes I would be looking for a way out. That starts with getting rid of Raina, but it will have to be done in a manner that won’t point to Guppy and her spa.”

Lyra looked at him, curiosity overriding her worries. “If you were the leader of the kidnapping ring, what would you do?”

Simon hesitated. “Do you really want to know?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, I do realize we are speaking hypothetically.”

Simon propped his elbows on the padded arms of the chair and put his fingertips together. “Hypothetically speaking, if I thought Pell was closing in, I would shut down the business and disappear.”

“You’re talking about the kidnapping business?”

“Right. I would eliminate all of the other members of the ring—I’m sure it’s a small group—and then I’d frame one person to make certain Pell was satisfied, because I’d know he wouldn’t stop looking until he was certain the ringleader was dead.”

Lyra caught her breath, stopped for a couple of seconds, and then continued pacing. “And Raina?”

“The safest option is to make certain that Miss Kirk does not survive. She’s a huge risk. Even if she has been blindfolded or drugged this whole time, there’s no getting around the fact that she knows too much. She’s a professional investigator, after all. She will have paid attention to even the smallest clue.”

Lyra came to a halt and shuddered. “That sounds so . . . so—”

“Ruthless?”

“Yes.”

“We’re dealing with a ring of kidnappers that is willing to commit murder,” Simon reminded her. “Given the identity of the victim and the fact that there has not been a ransom demand, we have to assume that whoever did this never intended for Miss Kirk to survive.”

“Yes, I know,” Lyra said. “But we were also speaking hypothetically. Your theory assumes that the killers are functioning like a small but well-organized mob. For them the kidnappings are business as usual. If things go bad in business, you do, indeed, close down the shop and let the employees go. But there are some unusual factors in this situation.”

“Believe me, I’m aware of that. The biggest question is, why did they take the risk of grabbing Luther Pell’s lover in the first place? The answers may be in Miss Kirk’s past, but we don’t have time to search for them.”

“We must find Raina first.” Lyra came to a halt again. “We made so much progress tonight. We know we’re dealing with a ring of kidnappers who have been getting away with their crimes for at least a year. We know they’ve broken their pattern. But now we’ve come to a full stop.”

“Every case is like this,” Simon said. “There are times when things move so quickly you can barely keep up and times when you have to wait for more information. You get used to the ebb and flow.”

“I’m not sure I will ever get used to the ebb part.”

“Having second thoughts about becoming a private investigator?” Simon asked.

“I was already reconsidering it after what happened at the Adlington house the other morning.”

“Understandable.”

“When this is over I may decide to pursue another career path. But first we have to find Raina.”

Simon did not respond. Lyra turned her head and saw that he was watching her with his hard-to-read eyes. She studied him intently for a few seconds and then abandoned the effort. She was getting better at reading him, but this time she had no clue to his thoughts.

After a moment he got to his feet and walked deliberately toward her. He stopped directly behind her but he did not touch her.

“For what it’s worth,” he said, “I think you would make an excellent investigator. Raina Kirk told Pell that you’ve got a talent for the work. I agree.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes,” he said. “It’s not just that you’re curious by nature. And it’s not that you have an amazing ability to get people to talk to you. There’s something else that makes me think you were doomed to be