Secrets of a Prince (The Princes of New Sargasso #3) - Carol Moncado Page 0,52

her stomach. It seemed odd that the king wanted to see the six of them.

What on earth could he want with all of them?

Grateful his brother would bring Minnie with him, Joss hurried toward his father’s office. Once again, traffic had made him later than he wished.

He was the last one to enter the attached conference room. After stopping long enough to bow slightly to his father, Joss took a seat next to Minnie. It wasn’t just the seven of them like he’d expected. Several others he recognized as people who worked for his father were also there.

The king nodded at one of them. When he stood, Joss could see the badge that identified him as a member of the New Sargassian Bureau of Investigation.

“Thank you all for being here,” he started. “All of you are involved on one level on another, so we wanted to bring you up to date.” He clicked a remote that put a picture on a screen. One of the others turned off some of the lights so they could see better.

“We’ve been working for years to bring down two of the most notorious con artists in New Sargassian history. Mrs. Roberts has cooperated to the best of her ability, but it’s turned out that she didn’t know everything that Mr. Roberts did, including some of the accomplices. She has corroborated some of details.”

He turned to look at Minnie. “The Earl of Waterford was arrested a few minutes ago.”

Joss reached over and took Minnie’s hand, knowing it would have to be hard despite the fact that she didn’t have fond feelings toward him.

“The earl was one of Mr. Roberts’ key henchmen, though Mrs. Roberts didn’t know the extent of his involvement.” The picture on the screen shifted from Kari’s parents to Kari’s father with a line straight down to the earl. “From there, several others were a part of the targeting plan.” He clicked the button again and three more pictures showed up with lines heading to the earl.

“That’s the guy I dated,” Rosie told them, pointing to the one on the left. “And the guy I trusted to handle my accounts.” The one in the center.

Minnie’s hand gripped his harder. “Both of them were at that dinner party. The one on the left is the one who gives me the creeps, and I’m pretty sure was watching me.”

The official nodded. “They’re all in custody.” He clicked the remote again and ten more people showed up with lines to the three men. “So are these people. There are a couple more minnows in this pond, but they’re out of the country and have been for some time. We believe it’s possible they won’t return and, in fact, may not be alive.”

“Are you saying my father is a murderer?” Kari’s voice sounded strangled.

Joss saw Gideon wrap an arm around her shoulders.

“No, ma’am. We have no reason to believe he’s been involved in any murders. It is possible that one of the lower-level men had something to do with it, if they are dead. It’s also possible they died of something completely unrelated.”

The relief on Kari’s face was minimal. She still seemed stressed, but that wasn’t surprising.

“We’ve been able to recover the vast majority of funds. Everyone will be returned almost everything they lost.”

“Can I refuse my portion?” Rosie asked. “I don’t need it anymore, now that I’m married to Caleb. Can you use it to give everyone else a bit closer to everything?”

The official exchanged a look with the king. “We’ll look into it, ma’am. Some, like the earl, will be forfeiting theirs. That will increase the total pot.”

Rosie nodded.

“It will be a while before the trials are all over, years even, but we believe we’re able to bring this part of it to a close.” The official looked a bit relieved.

“That’s going to be a huge relief to everyone.” Caleb also held his wife’s hand.

“That’s the hope.”

Joss wanted to ask what it meant for Minnie, as the daughter of the earl - to their house, his title, and anything else - but he decided it probably wasn’t the best time.

“What about my father’s property?” Minnie asked, preempting his plan to talk to his father in private.

The official turned to the king.

“It hasn’t been decided. I can strip him of his title without the approval of the council. We don’t have to wait for the trial and conviction for that, not with the preponderance of evidence we have. The house would go with the title when