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Dela thought about why the P.I. had hurt Sherman and threatened Trent when he could have, as Heath said, just followed her around to find out information.
Quinn pulled into a restaurant on the south end of the town. It sat by itself with a good ocean view. The parking lot was a distance from the building, but Dela didn’t mind breathing in the briny ocean breeze.
“Let’s grab dinner and continue this discussion.” Quinn stepped out of the vehicle and came around to the passenger side as Dela and Heath slid out. “I like this place. There’s an ocean view and we can talk without worrying someone from the casino will overhear what we say.”
They followed the agent into the restaurant and he asked for a quiet corner table. They were given one on the far side of the restaurant. It was nearing dinner time but she hoped the restaurant didn’t get so packed they’d have to lower their voices to not be heard at the next table.
After ordering, they continued their conversation.
Quinn placed his forearms on the table and leaned forward. “If I go along with you, that Felicity killed Rowena, how did she do it?”
“She’s strong. She does yoga and works out. There has to be a rope that was used for her to climb up to the second floor and wait for Rowena to come back from the registration office. Then when Rowena’s back was turned, she could have already had the door slightly ajar and quietly opened it before wrapping the cord around my friend’s neck and killing her. Then she looked for the disk and smashed the camera before leaving the same way she came. It would account for the sandy footprint on the balcony. And why all the men we suspect weren’t in the building soon enough.”
“Since finding out Rowena was FBI, I believe she left the card for me and put an empty one in her camera. That would be what was flushed.” Dela had made this determination shortly after discovering Rowena had worked with the FBI.
Heath put up a hand. “But how had they all come to enter the building after she was killed?”
“Hugo could have had someone in the registration office who contacted him about Rowena leaving.” Dela snapped her fingers. “If you believe Agent Leland is being paid by Hugo, he would have known Rowena was FBI. He and Ferris could have gone up to find out what she knew since she’d gone to check out.”
Quinn nodded. “There is that.”
“And what about Reuben being on that floor after she checked out?” Heath asked.
Dela, even though she wanted to sigh, knew that when Heath posed these questions it helped her to see things clearer. “He was either there to check and make sure Felicity didn’t have any trouble or he wanted to make sure Rowena was dead.”
“Why didn’t Felicity go out the door and down the hall, if as you say, she was the killer? She had the cameras all turned off.” Quinn leaned back as the waitress returned with their drinks.
Dela waited until the woman was gone and answered. “That time of night there could have been people returning to their rooms and they would have seen her.”
The food arrived as they debated whether Felicity had normal motherly instincts if she would use her child for bait and then kill someone to keep him safe.
The aroma in the restaurant had started Dela’s stomach growling, now she could savor the flavors she’d been breathing in. The food was delicious, she chewed and watched the waves roll toward the sandy beach and rocky river outlet.
When they’d sated their hunger, Quinn posed a question, “Do you also believe Felicity killed West and did something with Morrison? We know that Ferris beat up Morton and was most likely the person who tortured West and killed him. I’ll give you Felicity might have killed Rowena, but she wouldn’t kill West. I think she genuinely had fallen for him and him for her. Why else would he help her go against the plan we’d provided?”
Dela thought about that. “I think she is a very good actress. She can turn her feelings and her personality on and off like a faucet. She had me and several others convinced she was the victim of abuse. But I would venture to guess she made it look like that to get away from Hugo.”
“When did Hugo’s business really take off?” she asked Quinn.
“You read the information I gave you.” He picked up a cup of coffee and glared.
“Yes. His business didn’t pick up until after he married Felicity.”
“That’s because she brought in capital. She was from a rich family,” Quinn argued.
“Don’t you think she also helped him make decisions?” Dela asked.
Quinn stared out the window for several minutes.
Dela and Heath sat in silence, sipping their coffee as Quinn stared.
Heaving a sigh, Quinn said, “You may have that right. Thinking about the times we brought him in for questioning, it was Felicity who arrived with the books or information that cut him loose. Not an accountant or legal representation, his wife.”
“I think she’s the brains behind it and is trying to get loose of Hugo short of killing him.” Dela thought about that. With all the people she had to know, why hadn’t she just paid someone to knock off her husband? Did she care about him and want him alive? Could they use him to get her to play her hand?
“She wouldn’t want to bring Hugo’s father down on her. He is very influential among the people she and Hugo consort with. If something happened to his son, he’d take it out on her.” Quinn shoved his coffee cup to the center of the table. “I’ll take you back to your room. There is no sense in us sitting here hashing the same thing over and over. I need to check in with Swanson and see if they’ve had any luck with finding Morrison.”
“What about Felicity? Do you still have someone watching her?” Dela asked. She was the person of interest in Dela’s estimation.
“She’s at their home in Portland,” Quinn said.
“Are you sure? I would think she would be with Asher and she can’t have him at the home if Hugo thinks she kidnapped their son.” Dela didn’t for one minute believe she was sitting at home.
“I’ll check in with the agents watching her,” Quinn said.
They all walked out to his vehicle and climbed in. He’d pulled out of the parking lot when his phone rang. He glanced at the name and put an earbud in his ear.
Dela figured it was FBI business he didn’t want her to hear.
“Yeah, I had hoped to be back by now,” Quinn said. He chuckled. “Yes, I told you that I’d be doing less of this kind of stuff.”
Dela leaned around the front seat, peering at Heath and raising an eyebrow. This was not a business call.
“I’m driving and have passengers. I’ll give you a call back in about an hour.” He smiled. “I miss you too. See you hopefully in a couple more days.” He sighed. “Yeah, it’s a tough one.” He smiled. “I’m looking forward to it. Talk to you soon.” He ended the call and the smile remained on his face.
Dela couldn’t help poking at his happiness. “That sounded like a nice call.”
He twisted his head and smiled at her. “It was. I have a special someone in my life and I’m trying to slowly get out of these long intense cases. She doesn’t need two people she loves in dangerous situations all the time.”
The word love coming from Quinn struck her as funny. She chuckled.
“You think it’s funny I found someone?” Quinn asked.
“No, I think it’s interesting that you are speaking of love. I didn’t think that word was in your vocabulary.” Dela couldn’t stop smiling at the way the word had been spoken as if he said it a lot.
“It just takes the right person to bring out the happiness and desire to spend the rest of your life with them.” Quinn smiled as he continued driving toward the casino.
“I agree,” Heath said from the back seat.
Dela felt awkward. She used the word love with Heath in everyday conversation, but she’d never actually told him she loved him.
Quinn pulled in front of the Otter building. “Talk to you tomorrow when I have updates.”
“Thank you for listening to us,” Dela said, getting out and standing beside Heath. Her body was tightening up from her crash to the asphalt earlier. What she needed was a good hot bath. Or a shower if Heath joined her and helped her stand.
They closed the door and entered the building.
“I’m glad Quinn found someone to want to grow old with,” Heath said as they stepped into the elevator.
Dela peered up at him. “Me too. It’s nice to have someone you can trust to lean on.” She stepped closer to Heath, and he hugged her as the elevator bounced to a stop on the second floor and the doors opened.
Walking down the hall, Dela spotted someone lurking in the shadows of the door across the hall from their room. “To the right,” she whispered.
Heath nodded. As they approached their door, Hugo Benedict moved out of the shadows.
“Mr. Benedict, what are you doing hanging around our room?” Dela asked.
“I have some questions for you and thought we might have a private conversation.” He walked over to the door of their room.
“Aren’t you forgetting you had the maid put a listening device in my room?”
Hugo’s eyes narrowed and he huffed out, “I’m sure if you know about it you have destroyed it.”
“You should know whether or not we’ve found it if you’ve been listening.” Dela remained, not opening the door. For all she knew he could have Ferris standing in there to deal with them. “How about we go next door to the restaurant and sit at a table in the bar?”
Hugo glanced up and down the hallway. “Yeah. Sure.”
“Lead the way,” Heath said, moving next to Dela and motioning for the man to walk down the hall to the elevator.
“I’d rather take the stairs and meet you there,” Hugo said.
Dela noticed the wariness that appeared in Heath’s eyes as she felt her chest squeeze with apprehension. “I think we’ll all go down in the elevator if you want to talk with us.”
“I’d prefer the stairs. I don’t trust being in an elevator with people I don’t know.” He again glanced up and down the hall as if he was expecting someone.
His actions made the hair on the back of her neck tingle. Before she could again insist he go with them, Heath grabbed the man’s arm and twisted it behind his back.
“Oww!” Hugo whined.
“We’re all three going down in the elevator,” Heath said, moving Hugo ahead of him down the hall.
Dela fell into step right behind him, glancing over her shoulder every two steps to make sure someone didn’t come charging up from the fire stairs.
When they were outside on the sidewalk, Heath released Hugo, dusting off the man’s shoulders and smiling. “See, that wasn’t so bad and we’re all three standing.”
Hugo glared at him. “I came to talk to you about my boy and you treated me like a criminal.”
Dela moved in front of the man and said, “You were acting like someone was going to come down the hall and assault us. We had to be certain we weren’t hurt. There have been several people associated with your son’s kidnapping that have died.”
Hugo’s head dropped and he stared at his shiny shoes for several seconds before he looked her in the eyes. “That’s what I want to talk to you about. The FBI has it out for me and won’t listen. I have had nothing to do with the body count.”
Heath nodded toward the restaurant. “Come on. Let’s talk about this inside.”
They walked into the restaurant and over to the small bar section. Dela followed Heath to a table in a far corner where they could keep an eye on the door and the other occupants.
Once settled with coffee for her and Heath and scotch and soda for Hugo, Dela studied the man. His gray complexion, wary eyes, and more than a day’s growth of whiskers, said he wasn’t standing up well to his son’s disappearance.
“What did you want to tell us?” she asked.
Hugo held his drink in both hands, peering down into the amber liquid. “If my son isn’t back to me in two days, my father is going to start looking for him.” His gaze rose. Wet, dull eyes stared at them. “My father never lets anything get in the way of what he wants.”
“Are you saying there will be more deaths if your son isn’t back to you in two days?” Heath asked.
Hugo nodded. “What I fear more than my father’s actions is Felicity hurting Asher to make sure I never get to see him again.”
Dela straightened. “Then you know that Felicity has your son?”
“I figured it out. There isn’t anyone else who could have him. I’ve checked up on all the people who would want to hurt me and know she put one over on the FBI, so she has to still have him.”
“Where do you think she would hide Asher?” Dela asked.
“I’ve looked everywhere that I can think of.” Hugo swallowed the contents of his glass and waved the waitress over for a refill.
“I have a question,” Dela started. “Who runs your business? You or Felicity?”
The man flinched. “My father thinks I’m the brains, but it is all Felicity. She pretends to be dense and that I’m rough with her. She tells me to treat her that way. I don’t care for it, but it makes me look like I’m in charge which makes my father happy.”
Dela now knew why Felicity had been drawn to Reuben. She liked the thrill of pain. A shiver swept through her. The two together would be horrid to the boy and who knew what kind of torture they would do to others.
“Did you stay at the cabin thirty minutes north of here?” She wondered if the boy was being kept right under all of their noses.
“No. That’s in Felicity’s name and she keeps her boy toys there. I’m not allowed. But Ferris said he saw her and Reuben Jones go there multiple times.” Hugo’s face screwed up in disgust.
“Do you think she has her claws in Ferris? That he could be helping her?” Heath asked.
Hugo’s gaze shot to Heath. “Why would you say that?”
“She told me Ferris was working for her to get the goods on you for a divorce,” Dela said.
An unkind smile replaced the disgust on Hugo’s face. “Ferris told me everything she said and did. Right up until the kidnapping, she thought she had him believing everything she said. Then somehow, she realized he wasn’t really helping her.” He raised a hand in supplication. “That’s when I started to see she was out of control.”
“What do you mean?” Dela asked.
“I believe once she killed the FBI woman who took the photos, she liked the feeling.”
“We know that Ferris beat up Sherman, a casino security officer, and an FBI agent. What was he doing at the house where West was staying? Did he torture and kill West?” Dela asked.
“He roughed some people up but he didn’t kill anyone. He went to West’s to find out where Felicity had taken Asher. But when he arrived, he found no one in the house and while searching the outbuildings found West near death from someone torturing him. West told Ferris it was Felicity. She’d gone crazy wanting to know what West had told you and the FBI.” Hugo took the drink the waitress brought over and drank half of it before he continued. “Ferris took water and bandages out to West and was getting ready to call the authorities when he heard something. Knowing the FBI was looking for him, he took off. But he said West was alive when he left him.”
Dela wondered if there was anything in the house where West stayed that might give them an idea as to where Felicity might be. She also planned to ask Stedman for a list of all the places under Felicity’s name. She wasn’t hiding, she was waiting for her moment to put the dagger in Hugo and twist.
“Thank you for all of this information.” Dela shoved her cup of coffee to the middle of the table. “My best advice to you is to keep Ferris close for protection. My guess is Felicity won’t be happy until you are either dead or behind bars. That means you will need someone for an alibi or to keep you alive.”
Hugo’s eyes widened. “I can’t go home, that’s probably where she is.”
“I’d go stay with your father, if I were you,” Heath said. “He seems to be your best protection. And we’ll see what we can do about Asher.” Heath stood and put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “It’s not always easy to find the right woman.”
Hugo snorted. “The funny thing. I didn't want to marry Felicity, my father insisted.”