Page 13 of Abra's Acquisition
“Yes, this is Cleo Golubrev. I’m interested in participating in the auction for Maison des Cinq Chênes. Yes. Thank you. May I ask how many are participating? I see. I don’t suppose you could share their names?” Cleo chuckles. “No, I didn’t think so, but I thought I’d ask. Yes, I will see you then. Thank you.”
“Okay, we’re up against four other bidders. I’m guessing one is Erickson. Any idea on who the other three are?”
Cicero shakes his head. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to find out, but I haven’t made progress.”
“Oh, I might be able to help,” I say, turning my attention to Abra. “Where are the papers you took from Erickson’s desk?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN: ABRA
I locate the folder that I took from Erickson’s desk and hand it to Rey. She flips through the folder before speaking.
“Erickson told me he had a private investigator researching the other bidders. He’s broken the bidders into two groups. The first group consists of those he doesn’t consider a threat. Meaning they don’t have the money to compete against him. Three of the four are in that group. The only one he’s concerned about is Jasper Benoit.”
“Who is Jasper Benoit?” Hex asks.
“A bastard,” Rey responds.
“Dirty crook,” Cicero adds.
“Someone my father approved us,” Cleo says.
Hex scowls. “If your father approved of him, then he is a bastard. But who is he?”
“He’s a defense lawyer,” Rey says. “He prefers his clients to be guilty, but only if they’re loaded. He offered me a job after I passed the bar exam, but I turned him down when my brothers gave me the dirt on him.”
“Does he have the money to outbid you?” Hex asks Cleo.
Cleo shakes her head. “He has money, but he isn’t a threat. Or at least I don’t think he is. Did Erickson consider him one?”
Rey nods her head. “Benoit and Erickson are on equal financial footing, but Erickson’s private investigator toldErickson that he believed Benoit wasn’t acting on his own behalf. He thinks Benoit is working for someone. Erickson is afraid that whoever that person is has more funds. Erickson instructed his private investigator to keep digging.”
“I’ll see what I can find,” Pirate offers.
“Huh,” Rey says, drawing everyone’s attention. However, she doesn’t seem to notice as her eyes busily move over the paper in her hands.
“Want to share with the class?” I ask her.
Rey jolts and looks at me before looking around the table. “Sorry. There’s a note in the file that I find interesting. The detective mentions that Charles De Villiers had a stepson. His wife, Sarah, was the boy’s mother. His name is Ryan Sinclair. The detective asked Erickson if he wanted him to locate the man, but Erickson confirmed that Ryan Sinclair was out of the picture.”
“You should find Ryan,” comes a voice from behind us. I turn to see the woman we rescued from Erickson’s house, along with Rey, coming down the stairs.
“You speak English?” Rey asks.
The woman nods. “I’m sorry about lying to you, but I didn’t know if I could trust you.”
Rey stands and hugs the woman. “You don’t need to apologize. I’m grateful that you didn’t tell him about the plate.”
“What plate?” Hex asks.
Rey explains how she withheld a plate from the breakfast tray and broke it in two so she could fashion two knives. Hex guffaws at her action while my brothers nod in appreciation for her willingness to fight her way out.
Brigitte offers Rey a small smile. “I wasn’t sure what you were going to do with it, but I had hoped you would escape.”
“Would you like to sit down and have something to eat?” Cleo asks, directing Conor to bring her a chair and Danny to bring food.
Brigette sits and smiles at everyone. “My name is Brigette Marcone. I worked as a nurse for Charles de Villiers before he passed away. I started as Sarah’s nurse. Charles kept me on after she passed. He probably knew he wouldn’t last much longer than her.”
“You made Erickson believe that you couldn’t speak English,” Rey says, grinning at the woman.
