Page 17 of Evidence of Secrets

“Have a seat,” said Wallace. “Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee? Scotch?”

“No, I’m good.”

Wallace sat at his glass desk and steepled his hands. “I remember your father. He was a good man. Sorry to hear about his passing.”

“Thank you.” Ryan wondered how much Wallace knew about his father, but he wasn’t asking. Some things needed to be left alone.

“All right then. Down to business. You know I spoke with Laura Clark about selling the bistro?” said Wallace.

Ryan nodded.

“As I told you. She wasn’t receptive to selling.” Wallace shuffled some papers on his desk. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t advise you that restaurants generally aren’t a sound investment.”

“True. As I explained to you on the phone a couple of weeks ago, I’m looking for a business in Florida. I like the vibe of the Riverwalk and I really like the idea of owning a bistro.”

Wallace nodded his head. “I can call the owner again; tell her I have a serious offer. How much are you willing to invest?”

How much? Considering the value of the bearer bonds and cash hidden away, he’d offer almost everything he owned, but Ryan wasn’t going there with Ruskin. He had looked up what Laura had paid for the property, how much she owed, what he thought he could offer, and what she might accept. All his intel told him she was having issues, so it might not take much.

“Six mil.”

Wallace stared at him and then at the floor, finally catching Ryan’s eye. “I’m not sure that’s enough. Some restaurants around the Riverwalk go for a lot more.”

“Maybe. But I’ve done my due diligence, and the owner is up to her eyeballs in debt.” Yeah, Laura was definitely in trouble. “Why don’t you inquire whether or not she needs a partner? Maybe that would be more feasible to her.”

Wallace shrugged. “Either way, I’ll find out more and get back to you.”

“Good.” Ryan stood. “I’ll be at the Haywood East Hotel if you need me.”

They shook hands, and Wallace opened the door. Daisy was standing there with a big smile on her face. Wallace must have pushed a button to summon her.

“Mr. Hall, I hope you had a good meeting,” said Daisy as she turned to walk out. “If you’ll follow me.”

Oh, he’d be following Daisy all right. Once he asked, Ryan knew he’d see Miss Daisy for dinner. Then she’d be dessert.

Everything was fitting together perfectly. Ryan liked it when puzzles fit together. The one big piece was Laura. Would she sell or accept his offer of a silent partner? Being a silent partner wouldn’t his first choice but it could work? Or would she blow him off? He really hoped she’d take one or the other. The only other alternative would be killing her if she blew him off. And while he wasn’t averse to killing someone to get what he wanted, it really wasn’t his style.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

It only took two weeks of back and forth before Hank could tie down a date with Laura. Monday, the bistro was closed, so she was available. However, many places in Black Pointe were also closed, but that wouldn’t stop him. He sure wasn’t going to take her to Jake’s Neptune Navel Tiki Bar. Jake had already warned him about dating Laura at the fundraiser. Plus, that would be just plain weird.

The revolving restaurant on the top floor of the glitzy Art Déco Hotel was open. Hank thought Laura might enjoy something a little more elegant. It would be fun to have the city revolve around them while they ate. He’d never been there but heard of the well-known chef, whose food was innovative and delicious.

When he set up the reservations, he asked if they could visit the kitchen and talk to the chef and was told if the restaurant wasn’t busy, they could arrange that. Hank hoped Laura wouldn’t think he was presumptuous in assuming she would like to talk to the chef, but he wasn’t afraid to take a chance. No guts, no glory, was his motto.

Laura lived close to her bistro and Hank’s condo, so it only took ten minutes to get to her house.

He pulled up to a brick building that had seen better days. It wasn’t run-down and wasn’t in a seedy neighborhood, but the area could use some gentrification. The street was quiet at seven o’clock. Dinnertime for most families. He parked his Jeep, walked up to the front door, and looked for a doorbell. Seeing none, he tried the door, and it opened. Sweet mother of God. This was her security? He looked over at the mailboxes. Everyone’s name was printed big and bold.

The elevator had tape across the front. It didn’t take a detective to know that he would have to walk up three flights of stairs. Hank thought about calling Laura and having her come down, but that was plain tacky.

It took him a couple of minutes to get up the stairs and finally knock on her door.

“Just a minute,” Laura called out.

She opened the door, and Hank was floored. Laura looked gorgeous. The woman knew how to dress. She wore a pair of wide-bottom brown pants and topped them with a short-sleeved white top. Her feet were covered in strappy sandals. For jewelry, Laura had on a pendant shaped like a heart encased in copper. She’d pulled her hair up in a messy bun.

Her brows furrowed. “Do I look all right?”

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