Page 66 of The Shadow Friends

“It matters because if you arrest the wrong person, you’re leaving me stuck with a problem. The real killer. Are you looking at other suspects?”

“For your information, we did look at who sat next to Maslov on the plane. We’re now going through the entire list of conference attendees and speakers, as well as the employees here, particularly the ones on temporary visas. Most of the foreign workers are from Jamaica and Mexico. Andrei Petrov is the only one from Eastern Europe.”

“And that makes him a Russian spy?”

“Here’s another thing to consider. The Stone Coast Conference announced their list of speakers on February second. On February fourth, Andrei submitted his visa application and applied for the job here. The timing is interesting, don’t you think?”

“That’s when hotels start hiring summer staff.”

“How about this fact. Just before he traveled here, he made a brief stop in Moscow, ostensibly to visit a cousin. Or was there another reason for that detour to Moscow? Say, to pick up a vial of polonium.”

“That still doesn’t convince me.”

“A brick here, a brick there, and you begin to build a case. That’s where we are. Building a case.”

“Or are you getting distracted from someone you should be looking at?”

“Anyone in mind? Come up with a name, and we’ll be happy to consider it. In the meantime, I still need to talk to Ingrid Slocum. Do you know where she is?”

“No.”

“She’s the only member of the conference committee we haven’t been able to interview. That’s starting to seem significant.”

“I’m sure she’s a busy woman.”

“What about her husband? I think his name is Lloyd? He flew off to Amsterdam Sunday night, on a ticket he’d booked just one day earlier. A rather impulsive trip.”

Jo stared back at him. This was the first she’d heard about Lloyd’s sudden departure.

“If you do hear from the Slocums—either one of them—you’ll let me know?” said Minnihan.

“Yes, sir,” she said, still stunned by the news about Lloyd.

Minnihan eyed her for a moment. “As for Andrei Petrov, here’s a word of advice. Don’t believe everything you hear.”

Chapter 25

“We apologize,” said Ben. “We should have told you.”

“I’ve heard that before,” Jo grumbled as she walked into Ben’s kitchen. With the Slocums away, tonight’s meal was a pale imitation of the elaborate potlucks that usually greeted her when she dined with the Martini Club. Ben and Declan had laid out a platter of cold cuts and store-bought potato salad. There was also whisky, of course, and it appeared the two men had already gotten a good head start on that.

Declan set a glass on the kitchen table for Jo and was about to pour a splash of scotch when he paused and glanced at her. “Not on duty?”

“Not tonight.”

“Would you like some?”

“Yes, please.”

Declan poured a generous shot and slid the glass to her. She took a sip and sighed, which made both Ben and Declan smile. While she couldn’t afford to regularly enjoy a well-aged single malt, she was happy to indulge when invited.

Tonight, she thought, they owed her this invitation.

“I felt like an idiot,” she said. “I had no idea that Lloyd jumped on a flight to Amsterdam. You should have told me.”

“We should have,” Declan conceded.

“Why didn’t you? Instead, I had to hear it from the FBI.”