“Granny was a great bluff and I’m sure your forensic accountants will confirm the money trail.”
“There is no record of you attending a major casino after the opening of the Shanghai Palace, years ago,” said Choi.
“Casinos are not my thing.” He shuddered. “Too many desperate people.”
“No, grand theft, diamond heists, money laundering, illegal trade in rare antiquities are your stock in trade,” said Rickard. The guy had no sense of humor.
Gino rapped his knuckles on the table. “Enough. We’ve already turned over Cleve’s trading account information, his player identities and histories, and explained how he routed through a network of servers. He’s a card-playing, tax-paying citizen and this is an infringement on his civil liberties.”
Rickard dismissed Gino with a wave of his hand and focused on Cleve. “You’ve fed us bullshit. We’re not bluffing. We know you’re the Shadow. We know about the Sweet Celestia, and with Ms. Harp’s evidence you’re going to live in a worm hole for a long time.”
There was a fine line of moisture at Rickard’s hairline. It wasn’t warm in here. Choi did a fidgety thing with the knot on his tie while Rickard and Gino went toe to toe. Cleve tuned it out. Choi wasn’t a fidgeter. Why didn’t these two look more confident? Why did they want him to know Aria was here?
&nbs
p; His attention snapped back when Rickard slapped a packet of photographs on the table. “Who is this?” Rickard pointed at the first photo.
Not unexpected they were trying to bring his whole team down with him. “My head gardener, Gustav Nossal.”
“Gardener?”
When he wasn’t being an artist of another kind involving cyber wizardry, or hair. “He’s has a genius green—”
Rickard cut him off. “And this?”
“Santino Agregio. My chef.” But also his digital forger. “The last one is Ajax Pol, my personal trainer and masseur.” You’d never have guessed that Ajax gave a superb deep tissue massage.
“And this.” A new photo slapped down on the table by Choi.
Cleve sighed. He should’ve managed things with Brandon better. “Brandon Bartley.” One-time prospect, fulltime snitch and currently on the run, if he knew what was good for him. “I was training him to take over administration of my property portfolio, but unfortunately he didn’t work out.”
The flicker of annoyance on Rickard’s face. Another tie tug from Choi. What did Aria tell them?
“And this.” Another photo placed face up on the table.
Cleve’s heart double-tapped. The shot was taken by a different cameraman, one not so adept at stakeout photography. It was dark, slightly out of focus. It was still unmistakably Aria in her tall boots and short skirt, as she stepped into a cab, dark hair flying around her face and shoulders.
“I don’t know who that is.” And neither did they know they had a whole symphony of woman sitting next door. “She’s quite lovely.”
“You were spotted with her at a nightclub called Nocturne.”
He shrugged. He’d been so distracted by Aria, he’d been unaware Brandon was close by, working to sell him out.
Another photo went down. Two figures in the cab. “This is you,” said Choi.
Cleve studied the photo, grainy, blurred, might not stand up in court. Brandon always took dreadful photos. “Is it a crime to share a cab with a beautiful woman?” Brandon was also a terrible tail, because if he’d been any good at tailing Cleve, there’d have been shots of him and Aria in the alley or at the hotel. He wasn’t sure whether to feel guilty for being such a bad boss or pleased Brandon had screwed it up.
“This is irrelevant. Table new evidence or Cleve walks free,” said Gino.
Cleve had a moment of genuine fear. It lodged in his chest like a fake stone idol. Rickard and Choi had been thorough. They were also not above stringing him out, and Aria had every reason for vengeance.
Gino stood. “Unless you want to charge Cleve for being a successful gambler and womanizer, we’re finished here.”
The agents exchanged a glance. For two men supposedly sitting on damning evidence, they were decidedly lacking in bravado.
“We’re not done,” said Rickard.
But turned out they were. Cleve spent another night and day in custody while more administration was fudged to keep him there, and then he was unexpectedly released.