Page 37 of Dirty Liars

“No,” Mr. Kelso said. “From my understanding they were only staying the one night and were scheduled to leave early the next morning. The Vasilios private plane was going to take Theo and Chloe to Tahiti for their honeymoon, and there’s the private airfield that’s not far from here.”

“The villa where Theo and Chloe were murdered isn’t far from here,” Jack said. “Did you hear gunshots that night? See anyone unusual lurking about?”

“We went straight to bed as soon as we arrived,” Mr. Kelso said. “We slept late the next morning because we flew in from London for the wedding and were still jet lagged. We didn’t realize something had gone wrong until management knocked on our door to inform us about the situation. They also mentioned that certain areas of the resort would be off limits while the police investigated.”

“We really have to be off for our appointments,” Mrs. Kelso said, coming to her feet. “It’s tragic what happened to Theo, but this is the kind of thing that happens when you surround yourself with riffraff. We’ll of course stay in town for Theo’s funeral. A wedding and a funeral in a matter of days.”

“Quite tragic,” Mr. Kelso repeated.

“Just one more question,” Jack said. “Did you know anything about Chloe? Maybe you overheard something about her background or met some of the guests at the wedding that she invited?”

“Not likely,” Mrs. Kelso said, rolling her eyes.

I was mesmerized by her face, waiting for the arch of a brow or the slightest crinkle in her forehead. But the only thing that moved on her face were her eyelids.

“Cecelia told me Chloe didn’t have any family, and she didn’t really have any friends. She told me the only people Chloe insisted receive an invitation were two men. I don’t know who they were, but no doubt she was probably sleeping with them. Cecelia also told me that she’d once overheard Theo talking to Chloe about where she’d grown up, and Cecelia said it sounded like some kind of commune.” Mrs. Kelso shuddered delicately. “Filthy people.”

Jack handed Mr. Kelso a card and said, “If you think of any information you think might help us find who did this to Theo give me a call.”

“I don’t want to discourage you, son,” Mr. Kelso said. “But you might be out of your league with this one. Might be best to hand it over to higher authorities. Nicholas has excellent contacts with the State Department. I’m sure he’d make sure you received some of the credit.”

“We appreciate your time,” Jack said, not acknowledging the comment.

CHAPTERELEVEN

“Interesting groupof people we’ve been talking to,” I said once we were back inside the Tahoe. “They certainly have a different way of grieving a loved one. They didn’t look like they’d even shed a tear over the loss.”

“I’m not sure she’d have been able to cry anyway,” Jack said. “Her face didn’t move the entire conversation. We need to talk to Cecelia Vasilios once she’s not medicated. I want to know about the man she saw Chloe with.”

“And I want to know who besides Dickie was on Chloe’s guest list,” I said.

“Derby left me a message,” Jack said, reading his phone. “Let me call him really quick.”

Derby answered on the first ring. “Got your info, Sheriff. I ran the check on Max Ortega like you said. He’s a retired Army Ranger and served two tours in Afghanistan. He’s got a long list of commendations.

“He went to work for Nicholas Vasilios about fifteen years ago, but it looks like he made the transition to the son about nine months ago. Nothing pops as unusual about him yet, but I can pull his financials and see if that shakes anything loose.”

“What about the ex-wife?”

“Vivica Vasilios,” Derby said. “She lives in London full-time and had a flight schedule for yesterday afternoon, but it looks like she cancelled it.”

“Probably planning to stay in town for Theo’s funeral,” Jack said. “Where’s she staying?”

“She’s got a house in Dupont Circle,” Derby said.

“Okay,” Jack said. “We’ll reach out so we can talk to her. Maybe she knows about the tattoo. Thanks, Derby.”

Jack disconnected.

“Have you been able to get the information you need on Theo yet?” I asked.

“No,” Jack said, and I could see the irritation in his eyes. “Nicholas Vasilios is using every connection he has at the State Department to block me from investigating. Not only can’t I get the information I need from them on Theo Vasilios, but I can’t even access NCIC because I’ve been flagged.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“It means I’m pissed off, and I’m tired of Nicholas Vasilios trying to force me to give over the investigation to someone else. It makes me wonder why he wants it out of my hands so badly. Because if he spent all that time doing research on all of us, then he knows my background and knows we won’t stop until we find the truth.”

“Maybe that’s what he’s afraid you’ll find,” I said.

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