Page 36 of Once a Hero

As for his old compromised SIM card, he had tossed that one in the trash can back at the hospital.

“I received word that the SFPD have finished interviewing the waitstaff and kitchen crew,” Helen added.

“Any persons of interest?” Jake’s hair was still damp. He sat crossed-legged on the bed, facing the laptop that he had placed facing him on top of a pillow.

“They want to talk to all the customers there at that time, but the restaurant kept no record of people paying in cash.”

“Including the woman at the table next to ours.” Jake didn’t want Beatrice to get into trouble, but he couldn’t be sure she was involved in Philomena’s death.

“No one has any idea who that person is. Grainy camera. Possible wig.” Helen shrugged. “However, the woman at the other end of the room is ex-CIA.”

“Raynelle Dryden, who works for Beatrice Glynn.” Raynelle had been how Jake had spotted Beatrice in the crowd at the Fisherman’s Wharf. “I suspect Beatrice was at the table next to me.”

“Did she admit as much when you met her at the wharf?”

“She didn’t say.”

“Maybe she has several women working for her.”

“Her team in town seems to have only three people on it. They’re always together.” He recounted the forest fight. “Which leads us back to the café. Kenichi was probably in the van. Raynelle is Beatrice’s bodyguard so she goes where Beatrice goes.”

“You think it’s Beatrice Glynn.”

“Yep.” Usually his instincts were right.

“That’s all I have for now.” Helen hesitated. “Look, Jake. With Earl in the hospital, I don’t have enough manpower to send you a new partner. Can you go solo for a little bit?”

“How long?”

“A couple of weeks.”

“All expenses paid?” Jake studied her demeanor on the laptop screen.

“Please don’t be high maintenance,” she said.

“Me? Nah.” He laughed, even as he recalled how much it had cost Helen to rescue him at sea and fly him back to the States to chase after informants.

“Make sure you fill out the expense reports twice a week,” Helen said.

“That often? Am I going to spend that much?”

“Oh, I don’t know. You tell me. Two flat tires. One tow truck. Gunshot wounds—”

“That’s Earl, not me.”

“Lost brooch. Dead informant. I could go on.”

“Speaking of informant, I need to go over everything we know about Philomena.”

“The fact that she showed up means we’re getting close to the fire. I’ve gone over your phone conversations with her so many times, but I can’t tell if she was telling the truth about Chisolm Wright.”

“What she said makes sense though.” Jake leaned back on a couple of pillows. “They lived a quiet life in the cabin for years until Chisolm received some sort of letter in the mail. He left and never returned. It has been two years. Without any income, Philomena started selling what they had in the cabin.”

“Including the brooches.” Helen made a face. “Since Chisolm had been hiding from Molyneux, I don’t think he would have kept all three brooches in plain sight in his cabin.”

“Philomena said he hid them in a safe in the basement.”

“Still…”

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