Her heart pounding, she approached as casually as possible, letting her shadow fall on his newspaper. When she didn’t move on he looked up.

“Tamara Sterling!” He leapt to his feet to seize and enthusiastically shake her hand. “I was half expecting you.”

“You were?” It was not the response she had expected. There was no sign of dismay in his face.

“Yes, I was thinking about you just last week. We’ll talk business at the bank. Let me get you some breakfast.”

“Tea is fine,” Tam said. She introduced Kip, and Robert gave a casual wave at the waiter, who promptly retreated to the kitchen.

Once they were seated, she said, “I’m afraid I can’t wait for the 220


bank. My business is quite urgent.”

“I was hoping you were on holiday.” His gaze flicked to Kip, mildly speculative.

“No, on business I’m afraid. It’s about the account SFI opened about six weeks ago.”

“That was why I was thinking of you. We had so many transactions pass through, and last week it was such a flurry that our internal monitors tagged it. I authorized them, of course, but it was odd I hadn’t heard from you directly.”

Tam was nonplussed. Robert sounded as if he hadn’t a clue that Tam had known nothing about the account.

Kip, her face like steel, asked, “Who did you hear from?”

“Ted of course.”

Tam tried to breathe in. She was glad her hands were under the table so no one could see them shaking.

If Kip was surprised, it didn’t show. “Ted Langhorn? He set up the account? How?”

“What’s wrong?” Robert’s brows came together. “Ted brought me the paperwork himself. I explained it wasn’t necessary, but he assured me that you felt that we did so much work by computer contact that it was time to see the whites of someone’s eyes again.

Plus, that pretty wife of his was wanting a vacation, and why not put the two together.”

Tam was dazed, and incredibly grateful to have Kip with her.

This was why she’d hired a professional.

Following the playbook of always asking questions and never giving answers, Kip continued, “Did he indicate why the account was necessary?”

“Some inside job you were worried about, but the account was for recovery not outbound. Though I’ve only seen outbound.” He paused while the waiter delivered two pots of hot water, delicate teacups on saucers, and a selection of British teas.

Once the waiter departed, he said in a low voice, “I thought about calling you, Tamara. Not that it didn’t seem all spot on, it was just unusual. We had a system and it wasn’t like anyone at SFI to divert from it.”

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Tam finally found her voice. “I knew nothing about the account. That’s why I’m here. I need the application preserved, fingerprints and all. I had no idea Ted... Kip has been tracking an internal embezzler. That much was true. Apparently, Ted is the one.”Kip shook her head. “No, not him. It can’t be. He travels too much. He simply isn’t in Seattle often enough to be doing the work there.” She turned her attention to Robert again. “Did you talk to anyone else about this account?”

Clearly perturbed, Robert shook his head. “No. I used the usual procedure.”

“I’m not suggesting you didn’t,” Kip said quickly. “But could you tell me what that procedure is?”

“I established the account with the contact information provided on the application. Had there not been an application, I’d have used the contact e-mails that I always used. But since this was supposed to be an internal matter, it made sense that a different e-mail was being used.”

Tam couldn’t help a noise of self-disgust. “The e-mail account. I never thought of backending the e-mail account on the application copy we already have. It would have probably traced back to their contract hacker, eventually.”

“What is this all about?” Robert lowered his voice further.

“Ted Langhorn is embezzling?”

“I don’t think so,” Tam said, in spite of Kip’s warning gesture.

She was not following investigation protocol, but she trusted Robert more than ever. “He’s helping someone who is. It’s not about money. It’s about me.”

Robert Manna gave every appearance of being honest and trustworthy, but Kip remained vigilant as Tam and Robert talked, their tea forgotten. Tam was too involved to keep her distance, but Kip listened closely for equivocation and any sign of rehearsed answers. She heard none, though. Adding to her impression of 222


innocence was Robert’s lack of alarm at seeing Tam again. In fact he seemed almost delighted. If he’d been complicit some dismay ought to have shown.

“It’s highly unusual,” Robert was saying as he got to his feet,

“but not unheard of. Our largest clients are sometimes given access before and after hours, for the sake of discretion. We’d best be going.”

Kip followed Tam and Robert back through the increasingly crowded streets of Nassau. The Bank of Zurich was still closed, and Robert took them around to a side door which he opened with a key. They were all inside when a guard challenged them, but Robert explained and signed them in. Once inside, the security was more stringent, requiring a key card and numeric input to open doors.

Without customers there was a regal hush over the marble floors and heavily draped walls and windows. The air was cool and still. Kip saw that there were a few employees at their stations already, though it was still twenty minutes until the bank opened.

“Please have a seat.” Robert opened the blinds of his neatly appointed office situated just off the top of mezzanine stairs. Rich blue carpet and drapes whispered of old and new money, and the heavy antique desk was clearly of European import. Behind him, photographs of family and dignitaries were clustered on shelves, adding warmth to the room.

“I have a copy of the transactions in question, with the routing numbers,” Tam said. She put the sheet of paper on Robert’s desk, turned toward him. “I’d like to try reversing them. At least see if the money is still at the destinations, just as we’ve done before on SFI cases.”

Robert nodded. “As soon as the manager is in I’ll ask for the four of us to go and remove the application and secure it...”

Kip saw him frown as he studied something on his desk.

“What is it?”

“I have an urgent request. It must have arrived after I left on Friday evening. I had a Governor’s tea... Friday afternoon your 223


embassy conveyed, with gratitude for prompt response, a request from U.S. authorities for information related to recent dealings with Sterling Fraud International, a corporation of United States registration, details provided below... Oh dear. I’m in a bit of a pickle. I can’t ignore this.” He gave Tam a look of concern.

“If part of what they would get is your statement that I didn’t open this account, and the original application for their own testing, then please respond,” Tam said quickly. “My priority is that they know I’m not involved and preserving Ted Langhorn’s fingerprints on that application. If they take me in, we’ll never get the money back. That’s why I took the risk to travel here, yes, under an assumed name.”

Kip interjected, “I want to know the original still exists.

That it’s here.” She wasn’t sure how far Robert would bend, but she played her hand anyway. “I’m the official investigator into this matter from SFI. I won’t interfere with law enforcement requests, but I have a need to see evidence with my own eyes whenever possible. That’s why I’m here in person. And I also used a false name to get here undetected. After that, by all means, accommodate law enforcement. I assure you, the real culprits would rather you didn’t do that.”

Robert scratched his neatly trimmed mustache as he sat down in his desk chair. “This is all really most irregular, but I understand your needs, Miss Barrett. However, under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty I am required to respond in an urgent manner and attest as to who and how this account was opened, plus supply copies of our transaction records.” He picked up the phone before Kip could say anything more.

“Dahlia, yes, it’s Robert at Bank of Zurich. Martin, is it? Is he in yet? What luck.” He gave Tam a droll look. “Martin, I’ve got the request here, will do right away. I was out Friday afternoon.

There is?” He swiveled around, putting his back to them. “I just saw her this morning. Yes, I met Miss Barrett as well. There is?

No, Sterling didn’t open this account. I haven’t had any contact in about three months before this morning. If I see her again, I’ll tell her to visit you promptly.”

224


Kip’s nervous energy wouldn’t let her sit still any longer.

She went to the window, wishing they were getting that piece of paper right now. She listened to Robert explain who had opened the account while she studied the crowded street below her. Everyday tourists looking hot in the morning sun mixed with local police in their unmistakable white uniforms. Strange to glance down the marquees and see Dicky Mo’s and Conch Bakery next to Burger King.

“Sterling told me that she was being falsely implicated, and Miss Barrett, as the SFI investigator, was most interested in seeing that application for herself. This is all a proper mess.

What a way to start a Monday. So indeed, yes, this account was opened by Theodore Langhorn, and not by usual protocol. No, I’ve not seen him since. He could be anywhere.”

Kip blinked. She knew where he was. She was staring right at him. He appeared to be making a beeline for the bank.

Tam’s focus on Robert’s one-sided conversation was broken by an urgent gesture from Kip. She crossed to the window and followed Kip’s pointing finger.