I answered, "Okay,” aware of his mild accent when pronouncing Ws and Os. A man who’d spent his summers in Europe speaking French-Swiss.
I listened to Jonquil say how shocking it was, Corey’s overdose. And what a close call for Shay. He regretted not getting to know me better, and looked forward to the two of us hanging out. When he sensed my impatience, he got serious.
“Truth is, I’m glad you didn’t talk to Mother. It’s good for her not to get her way occasionally.”
I said, “If it’s only occasionally, you’re mother has lived an unusual life.”
“You couldn’t be more right. She comes from old money, she and her six sisters. Royal bloodlines-I suspect you know what that means in Europe. On the paternal side, her grandfather was an international industrialist. My own father was a brilliant man, Dr. Ford. I wish you could’ve met him. But the fortune that he… well, let’s say the success my father enjoyed doesn’t compare to mother’s family. My aunts are strong women. They didn’t approve of my father. Some of mother’s family still don’t, even though it’s been two years since he died.”
I said, “Then your engagement to Shay must be quite a shock. Does your mother know Shay’s background?”
“The investigators she hired gave a full report. A father who was a convicted felon. A mother who, as you know, was a…” He hesitated, then left the sentence unfinished. “So of course Mother doesn’t approve. But I think she’s come to admire Shay in her own way.
“Shay’s a leader, and a hell of a good organizer. Mother can’t intimidate Shay-you have no idea how rare that is. But Mother also realizes that politics is a damn tough business. I need a strong wife. So, in a way, she does approve of the marriage. Or did-before the girls had their weekend on Saint Arc.” He let that settle. “Do you care to guess what Mother wants to discuss?”
I said, “I’m a biologist. We’re not supposed to guess-it’s in the handbook they gave us at biologist school.”
He chuckled. “Shay-shay never mentioned you had a sense of humor. But seriously-” He cleared his throat. “Mother’s heard rumors about what the girls did down there. She knows you flew to Saint Arc to make some kind of deal with a man who’s blackmailing them.”
I stopped walking and turned to face Jonquil. “Who would tell her something so ridiculous?”
“It wasn’t me. But Vance Varigono is a fraternity brother of mine. So I know it’s true.”
I smiled; shook my head and waited.
Jonquil maintained eye contact. Pale blue eyes larger because of his glasses, and half a head taller, so I had to look up.
“You’re going to deny everything?”
“I didn’t know I was on the witness stand. Along with my great sense of humor, Shay also forgot to tell you I’m not known for my patience. No more questions until you get your facts straight-okay, Michael?”
“Patience? It was never mentioned. But I heard about the dangerous temper.”
“Dangerous? Me? That’s funny; not something I often hear-I look through a microscope for a living. Maybe a rumor like that will improve my image.”
Jonquil said, “You have no image, Dr. Ford.” Seeing my reaction, he added quickly, “Mother doesn’t hire local hacks when she needs a private investigator. She uses a London agency with contacts at Interpol, and probably organizations they’d never admit. Your name was red-flagged because almost no information was available. What was the term…? A significant pattern of chronological gaps. Yes, it was highlighted. The investigator used an interesting phrase. He said you were like a ghost in front of a mirror.”
I replied, “Selling marine specimens to schools isn’t a high-profile occupation. That’s why I like it. It’s not because I have something to hide.”
Jonquil was shaking his head. “You may look like a college professor, but I’m willing to bet you deal in more than microscopes and fish. Haven’t you wondered why Shay didn’t ask you to give her away at the wedding? It’s because she feels there’s a potential for embarrassment- violence, too. You scare her.”
“Shay would never say that about me.”
Jonquil’s amused expression read, Didn’t she? But he replied, “She didn’t have to. You caught Vance in your house this morning. He told me about it. You scared the shit out him-and not because you almost broke his arm. When the police took him in, they didn’t scare him as much as you did. I’m not condemning you; I admire you for it. Dr. Ford, what you don’t understand is, I don’t want Mother to find out the truth about Saint Arc. I want the whole goddamn problem to go away. I’m offering to help.”
The profanity sounded out of character. So did his earnest manner.
I said, “The only problem you have is your pal Vance. He has a personality disorder. He invents stories to justify his behavior. Tell your mother that.”
“He’s a liar, sure. Vance lies so often that it’s easy for someone who knows him to spot the truth. His wife did get an e-mail demanding more money. The videotape’s real. Shay won’t discuss it, and I wouldn’t allow Mother to question her because of the accident. But Mother will. That’s why I’m asking you to level with me.”
His mother-why did he keep referring to his mother? There are people so poisonous that prolonged exposure ensures contamination; their unhappiness is shared by osmosis. She was that type, apparently.
I said, “I have leveled with you. Now you should stand up like a big boy and tell your mother to mind her own business. Doesn’t it bother Shay that she’s the only one with balls in your relationship?”
The man’s eyes glowed, his nostrils widened. He had a temper, too. Before he got it under control, he said, “If you’re not smart enough to read between the lines, I’ll make it easy. I don’t care about what’s on the tape. The girls went away for the weekend and had fun. Good! What’s the term? Sport-fucking? Shay spent a night with some island jock she’ll never see again. Who cares? I’m not an insecure man. Apparently you can’t relate. I spent summers living in France, so I don’t have all the American hang-ups about monogamous sex.”
I said, “Shouldn’t the German army get credit for that?”
For an instant, I thought he was going to take a swing at me. “This isn’t a joke, goddamn it! I don’t want my mother to find out the truth because she’ll sabotage the wedding. I love Shay. I want to protect her. If there are men on Saint Arc who are blackmailing her? Personally-” Jonquil’s voice dropped. “I think they should be dealt with privately. I think they should be… put away.”
“Put away?” I said it slowly, gauging his reaction. “Jailed, you mean.”
“No. I mean put away-permanently. My family’s done business in the Caribbean for years. There’s no justice on an island like Saint Arc unless you buy it. I’m willing to buy it. I’ll pay the right man to do whatever needs to be done. Or to arrange it-I don’t care how.”
I glanced at the Mercedes, forty yards away. I looked toward the marina. Lots of empty cars on the shell lane; a few people on the other side of the gate, but none close enough to hear.
I said, “Michael, you watch too many movies.”
He leaned closer, his pale eyes focused. “I am totally serious. I have the money. A hundred thousand dollars. A hundred and a half? What’s the going rate? I don’t want that video hanging over our heads after we’re married. I’m running for the Florida House, for Christ’s sake!”
Suddenly, I understood. I had warned Shay about what the video could do to the man’s political career. But he seemed unconcerned what it could do to Shay’s career.
I knew what he was suggesting. But I had to ask, “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I want you to convince Shay she can trust me with the truth-”
“I see!” My tone said bullshit.
“-and because I think you’re the man for the job. You’re the closest thing Shay has to family. You can be trusted. And she’s talked about you enough that we both understand you’re not in a… a conventional line of work.”