Page 196 of Lovers' Dance: Vol. 2

“Kincaid was arrested yesterday,” James gestured to the file.

“And I told you when I split from my wife months ago, to cease all ongoing actions on the Kincaid situation.” Matt leaned forward, annoyed and not in the least curious about what was in the file. Madison was a big girl, she would have to deal with her own problems. “You’d better not be billing me for this.”

“I’m not,” James was quick to reassure Matt. “You know once I start something,” His voice trailed off as he gave a resigned shake of his shoulders. “I’ve been keeping an eye on it, that’s all.”

Matt understood. It was one of the reasons why James was exceptionally good at what he did. Until every aspect had been unearthed, he would not be satisfied.

“Plus you’re still married to her,” James pointed out, unnecessarily mind you, as Matt was patently aware ofthatfact. “And you don’t want to be associated with the fallout, do you?”

With a grimace, Matt rubbed his temples. “No, obviously I don’t, but that’s neither here nor there. My wife is a separate business entity from myself.”

“Didn’t you make a donation to her company last year?” James reminded him succinctly.

Matt scowled at the unspoken inference. “There are many companies that benefit from charitable donations which are made every year by the Bradley Corporation.”

“I know,” James gave him a knowing look. “I’m just pointing out-”

“James, it’s late, get to the point.” Matt demanded.

“Look at the file,” James said, his tone soft yet heavy with solemnity.

Sighing, Matt reached for the folder and opened it, slowly flicking through the pages.

“The resemblance between them is striking, isn’t it?” the P.I mused.

“Yes,” Matt murmured in response. Madison did look quite a bit like her deceased mother. “Where did you get these?”

James shifted in the chair, suddenly giving off an uncomfortable air. “Some from Kincaid’s home computer and other sources,” A smirk crossed his face.

“Do I want to know how?” Matt fingered one of the copied pictures, frowning slightly. It was one of Madison as a little girl with her mum. James shook his head and Matt left it at that.

“There were a lot more pictures of her mother,” James said. “I only copied what was needed to confirm my suspicions.”

Matt laid the file down, still open though. “Yes?”

“It appears he was fixated with her,” James scratched his bearded chin. “Considering he was a friend of the husband.”

“Indeed.” Matt confirmed, glancing at the pictures and starting to feel a sliver of unease.

“Kincaid seems quite fixated on your wife too.” James advised blandly but the warning glint in his eyes increased Matt’s unease. “Like I said, she strongly resembles her mother.”

Matt flicked through the file again. “And?”

“He had all these old pictures of her, of Elizabeth DuMont, a lot of them without her husband.” James stretched over the desk to pull out a photo. It was one of Madison and Kincaid. “She looks just like her mother in this one.”

Matt levelled James with a hard stare. “What is your bloody point?”

“My point?” James returned Matt’s glare with emotionless eyes. “I found an encrypted file filled with some more pictures on his personal computer. Pictures of your wife, pictures which she’sclearly unaware are being taken. It’s worrying. If she was a member of my family, I would be worried. Especially given the fact she trusts him. I’ve been monitoring their interaction since you initially asked me to find out about him. It’s less and less likely he has a fatherly interest in her. I believe it’s a long con, and forgive me for saying this, but between you and me, your wife’s way too trusting.”

Matt needed a second to process James’s announcement. “She can be a tad naïve, gullible for sure.”

James tilted his head sideways and frowned. “No, I think she just believes deep down everyone’s truly kind-hearted. That sort of innocent outlook is great in theory but not in real life. Listen, I’m not here to tell you what to do, I’m making sure you have all the relevant info. My sources at the Met say Kincaid should be going down for money laundering,” James’s frown deepened. “He mightn’t be able to take her down with him but there is a possibility he could implicate her. I’ve assessed the documents you sent me last year and they are within the legal framework but Kincaid’s a crafty fucker. Depending on how he plays this, hemightget away with it but that’s up to how heavy the Crown Prosecution Services go in on him. Serious funds were laundered, but you know how it goes. If you know the right people,”

Matt’s unease had turn into full-blown alarm yet his features remained impassive as James continued.

“Did I show you the original paperwork linked to the year on year investments of her inheritance after her parents died? It’s murky as fuck. He was probably fiddling with those funds too from the get-go, I’m surprised he even handed them over when she turned eighteen. The detective from CID working this case is eager for a conviction and my sources confirmed that they’ll be interviewing under caution a number of Kincaid’s associates, your wife is one of them. A team will be visiting her business premises sometime tomorrow morning with a search warrant. Look I know things didn’t work out between you two, hell, I verified those pictures of her cheating, but,” James stood up. “Kincaid is slimy, a real piece of work, and the thing about people like him is that they’re the best actors and they cover their own arses. No one knows anything until the shit hits the fan. He’s bad news and I don’t know what his exact plans are for your wife, but,”

Matt looked over at the pictures and finished James sentence. “It’s not good.”

---