Savage Redemption (The Caraksay Brotherhood #10)

Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

E than

I peruse the images on the screen. There’s no mistaking our guest, or the fact that Miss Rosie Darke is keeping secrets. I intend to find out why.

“Where is she?” I direct the question to Jack, who came up here with me.

“In their apartment, probably. Do you want me to have her brought to your office? Or even the interview room downstairs?”

He means our underground interrogation suite. I shake my head. “Let’s keep it civilised, for now. We’ll go to their apartment, see what she has to say.”

An ashen-faced Eva Byrne answers the door to my knock. I expect by now Rosie will know what Casey discovered. Sure enough, Nathan is first to speak.

“Savage, there has to be some mistake. Rosie wouldn’t protect him. She just wouldn’t. He’s dangerous, and she knows it…”

I let him make his protests. I’d do the same in his shoes. But it’s Rosie I need to hear from.

“Miss Darke? What do you have to say?”

“She has nothing to say. This is just… mad. How could you even think she might?—”

“Please, let Rosie speak for herself.” I keep my tone low and level, but I will have answers. “If I need to, we can take this discussion elsewhere.”

“No, you?—”

“Dad, please. Let me speak to him.” Rosie had been seated on the sofa, her little girl on her lap, but she has passed the child to Eva and is on her feet.

“Thank you,” I reply. “I have one simple question. When you went to the clinic to see Carlos di Costa, did you know who he really was?”

“Of course she didn’t. There must be some sort of a mistake.” Nathan Darke isn’t giving up.

I’m seriously considering sending him downstairs to cool off while I talk to his daughter.

“Yes. Yes, I knew who he was.” Rosie’s voice cuts across her father’s. “He’s Adan San Antonio, the man I lived with in Madrid, then Tenerife.”

“Lived with! She was his prisoner. We all know that.”

Nathan’s continuing efforts go unheeded.

“Please, go on, Miss Darke. Am I to assume you were aware of San Antonio’s presence, here on Caraksay?”

She nods. “Yes, but I only just found out. He… he followed me down to the beach today and… we spoke.”

“You spoke? What did you speak about?”

“He told me that Kristian Kaminski set it up, made it look as though Adan was intending to harm me, or Erin.”

“Set it up?”

“Yes. It was a lie. I always knew Adan wouldn’t hurt us. He was good to me. He was kind, and gentle. Not the monster everyone made out.”

“Yet still, you took refuge here?”

“Because everyone said I should. They were all convinced, and I was confused. I didn’t know what else to do. I told that other man, the day I arrived.”

“What other man?”

“He came with Casey. Her husband, I think.”

“You mean Jed O’Neill?”

“Is that his name? He was interested, said he’d make enquiries and let me know what he could find out, but I never heard anything more from him.”

I make a mental note to have a chat with Jed. In the meantime, I need to make some sort of sense out of all this. I know Kaminski, for some reason, didn’t kill San Antonio as he originally intended. For reasons I’ve yet to fathom, he decided to release him. Why set him free when he apparently knew his ex-prisoner was out for revenge and presented a danger to Rosie and her child? I could be convinced he didn’t care about that, except that Janey, his wife and previously a member of my household, begged me to offer protection. I did it, for Janey. It’s beginning to sound as though I was conned.

“Why did Kristian let San Antonio go?”

“For the ransom,” Rosie replies. “Adan’s family wouldn’t pay it. They wanted him killed. But Adan said he’d pay it himself.”

Ah, right, the mysterious payments to the Cayman Islands. “How much was it?”

“I’m not sure, but Adan said he’d paid it in full and the debt was now honoured. He wanted out of the deal. He was going to go to Tenerife to tell Kaminski that. He left me down on the beach, came back up the cliff path and?—”

“And spotted the fire.”

“Yes. He must have. He obviously stopped to help.”

I look to Jack, who simply shrugs. Rosie’s account could be true, but still doesn’t explain why San Antonio came here in the first place. I ask Rosie if she can shed any light on that.

“To see me, and Erin. He wanted to be sure we were safe, and having seen the setup here, he thought we were. He told me to stay put until he’d settled things with Kaminski, and that he, Kaminski, was the one who meant us harm.”

“Kristian did? Why would he…?”

“That’s what he told Aidan. It was a threat, to keep Adan in line. He said if Adan didn’t make the payments as agreed, he’d hurt us. Adan was trying to protect me, and Erin. He had kept his side of the deal and now he wanted Kaminski to back off. But until he did, Adan felt I was safer here, that Kaminski couldn’t get to me even if he wanted to.”

“Why didn’t you tell us any of this? I know you recognised him, there in the clinic.”

“And at the fire. I was there when they dragged him out.”

“Okay.”

“I was scared, for Adan. I thought you might… kill him. If you believed what Kaminski had told you.”

She’s not wrong there. I still might.

“Please, let him go. Let him go back to Tenerife to see Kaminski.”

“Why would I do that? And why would you care anyway?”

“I… because I love him.”

I don’t know who is the more startled, but Nathan Darke probably has the edge on me. “That’s fucking ridiculous,” is his contribution to the discussion. “The man’s a monster, a violent child abductor. He… he raped you, for fuck’s sake.”

Rosie shakes her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “He isn’t, he didn’t. I’ve told you, over and over. He was good to me.”

Nathan turns on me. “He’s brainwashed her. It’s obvious. I expect you to put an end to this madness. My daughter needs to be free of that man.”

“Dad, stop it. Why won’t you just listen ?”

I don’t have a daughter myself, but I admit to a certain sympathy for Nathan’s position. Even so, there’s something in Rosie’s apparent desperation that has the ring of truth to it. By no stretch of the imagination could San Antonio’s treatment of Rosie be deemed to be right, but I’d be the first to agree that there are degrees of wrong. I swing my gaze from one to the other, but I’m spared the need to arrive at any decision right now by the bleep of my phone signifying an incoming call.

I check the screen. Megan. I hit the green button. “Megan? Okay, thanks. I’ll be down soon.” I end the call and survey my audience.

“It seems our guest is awake.”

Jack and I leave the Darkes to settle their differences and head for the door. We’re halfway to the stairs when there’s a pounding of footsteps behind us. A breathless Rosie grabs my arm.

“I want to come with you. Please.”

“I don’t think your father would approve of that.”

“I need to see him. Talk to him.”

Nathan appears behind her. “You can’t go down there, Rosie. You need to stay well away from that man. He’s dangerous.”

“Please,” Rose repeats, gripping my arm.

I swing my gaze from one to the other and make up my mind. “Okay. You can have a few minutes. But not alone.”

“Thank you.”

“What the fuck? This is madness.”

Nathan looks ready to start swinging punches. I don’t really blame him, but I don’t have time to discuss this any further. “Jack, please see Nathan back to his apartment and convince him to stay there for the time being. Then you can follow us down to the clinic.”

Nathan Darke is a tall, athletic individual, but he’s no match for my underboss. Jack herds him back along the corridor, and I continue on my way, Rosie trotting along beside me.

The room previously occupied by Nataliya is empty. I assume Megan saw fit to discharge her into Faith’s care. I gather Mrs McRae moved people around a bit and found a spare apartment in the castle for them.

The guard I left is still stationed at the other door but stands aside to allow us to enter. Megan is standing beside San Antonio’s bed checking the monitors and charts. She turns when we enter.

“How is he?” I ask her.

“Fragile,” is the response. “He regained consciousness about half an hour ago, but he keeps drifting off.”

“Can he talk?”

“Maybe, for a short while. His throat is still very raw.”

Rosie darts past me to grasp his hand. “Adan? Adan, it’s me. Can you hear me?”

Megan sends a quizzical glance my way.

I shrug and leave Rosie to it. He may respond to her rather than me.

Sure enough, his eyelids flutter. He opens his eyes, and his mouth curves in the faint semblance of a smile.

“Rosa?” he croaks.

“Yes. I’m here.” She kisses the back of his hand. “I was so scared. You need to get well. I need you to get well.”

He lifts his hand but loses the battle, and it drops back onto the sheet. “Rosa,” he repeats.

“Ethan is here. You need to tell him what happened. Tell him about Kaminski.”

“Kaminski…?” The man looks ready to pass out again.

I take the seat on the other side of the bed. “Adan San Antonio? Is that your name?”

His brow furrows as though he’s trying to remember. “Carlos. Carlos di Santo,” he mutters.

“I know that isn’t your real name.”

“Adan, you need to tell him the truth,” Rosie pleads. “He can help you. Help us.”

Her faith is touching, if somewhat misplaced. At this point I really don’t know what I’m going to decide about this man who has managed to inveigle his way onto my island.

I raise an eyebrow at Megan, who frowns and shakes her head. “He’s still weak. Maybe in a couple of hours…?”

I’m inclined to agree. I get to my feet. “We’ll come back.”

Rosie, tears streaming again, clings to his limp hand. “I want to stay. Can I stay? Please.”

Again, I look to Megan.

“He needs to rest,” she begins, “but some friendly company may help him to come round.”

Friendly? We shall see.

I decide to let her remain at the bedside. “The guard stays. San Antonio doesn’t leave this room, and neither does Miss Darke without my permission.” I step outside, and more quietly, I murmur to the doctor and the guard. “One of you, use your phone to record their conversation then report back to me. I want to listen to what they say in private.” How better to get a genuine idea of how he is with her? “She says they’re close. I want to know if that’s true.”

“Close? But I thought…” Megan is baffled. She’s not the only one.

“Yes. So did I. Seems there may be more to this than we were told. Keep an eye on them, if you would.”

“Of course.”

“Yes, boss.”

I leave them to it and run into Jack just outside. “Who do we have on the island who can translate from Spanish?” Best to be prepared.

“He considers for a moment. “Nico, I think.”

“Tell him to brush up. We may need his skills. Has Nathan calmed down now?”

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly. I suspect he’s considering murdering both of us.”

“Let’s hope his wife can talk him down, otherwise this could end very badly for him.”

“Yeah. And that fire investigator’s in the hall, asking for you.”

Humphrey Burnside is all I need right now, but best to get it over with. “Right. Let’s go hear what he has to say.”

The fire investigator has become even more pompous and self-important. I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but he’s strutting about my hall as though he owns the place. For once, the cavernous space is silent. The children must be playing elsewhere.

“Mr Burnside. How are you getting on?” I enter, my hand outstretched.

He returns the handshake. His touch puts me in mind of a wet cod. “I’ve completed my examination of the site.”

“Good. Now what?”

“Now, I interview the witnesses. I’ll need a list of the names.”

“Jack, could you provide that, please?”

“And a room to conduct the interviews.”

“You can use the library.” That should keep him out of my way.

“I’ll need to come back tomorrow.”

“Really?” I raise one eyebrow but resign myself to the inevitable. “I’ll arrange for a launch to take you over to the mainland and bring you back in the morning. What did your initial examination of the site reveal?”

“The fire started in the bedroom.”

I knew that.

“And there is no sign of any accelerant being used.”

“Which means?”

“The lack of any accelerant suggests the fire started and spread spontaneously, but I have to complete my investigation before I can be definitive.”

“Naturally. I’ll show you to the library, while Jack, here, rounds up your witnesses.” The sooner this odious little man gets on with his task, the sooner I can wave him a fond goodbye.

“So, she was telling the truth. At last.” I’ve just finished listening to Megan’s recording of the happy reunion between Rosie and San Antonio. “That sounded cosy.”

Jack’s mouth purses. He’s less than convinced. “It could be some sort of act.”

Megan shakes her head. I don’t think so. When he came round, they were pretty… physical. Lots of hugging and kissing. Long lost-lovers stuff.”

I turn to Nico. “Are you sure of your translation?”

“I reckon so, boss. He was pleased to see her, and she was frantic to know that he was okay. Some of the sound affects you can judge for yourself.”

I can indeed, and on a sickbed, too.

“Right, so they’re screwing like bunnies, or have been in the past and given the chance probably will again. And Miss Darke seems happy with the situation.”

Nathan loses his battle for self-control, despite my many warnings. “Don’t be fooled. She’s not happy. How could she be? He has some sort of a hold over her, that’s obvious.”

“Is it? Not to me, Nathan.”

“You don’t know my daughter. She wouldn’t?—”

His wife steps forward and lays her hand on his arm. “But it does seem as though she has.”

He rounds on her. “Eva, not you!”

“Nathan, I’m just trying to see things from Rosie’s point of view. She’s told us over and over that this Adan was different from the others. Maybe he was. And that translation, if anything was on the mild side.”

“You speak Spanish?” I hadn’t realised.

“And the rest,” her husband mutters. “I can’t count how many languages my wife speaks.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s quite simple, really. My wife has a natural gift for languages, can pick one up in a matter days. Her repertoire is vast.”

“Well, that’s useful.” I regard the academic with renewed respect. Does she want a job? “And you are inclined to believe Rosie’s latest story?”

She inclines her head. “I see no reason not to believe her.”

“Thank you, Professor Byrne.” I turn to her still fuming husband and inform him of my decision. I know he won’t like it, but that can’t be helped. “Nathan, I’m going to do what he wants. I’m going to let him return to Tenerife to meet with Kristian Kaminski.”

“But you can’t do that!” he protests. “What if he just disappears?”

“Firstly, let’s be clear. I can do what the fuck I like. And right now, I’m inclined to let San Antonio sort out his problems as he sees fit. If he’s telling the truth, why would I not? What does it have to do with me?”

“He’s a fucking criminal.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And?” I cast my gaze around the conference room. “The only people here who aren’t criminals are you and your lovely wife, and just possibly our esteemed doctor, though that’s probably a stretch.” I can see he’s not buying this, but I press on. I’m prepared to explain my reasons. Once. “We don’t have that final fire report yet, but it’s clear already that San Antonio had no part in starting that fire. He actually saved three of our children?—”

“Three?”

“Yes. I have no doubt Tomasz would have gone back into that building if San Antonio hadn’t shown up. He risked his own life, and sacrificed his chance to escape, to get them out. I owe him for that.”

“What about Rosie?”

“I’m going to suggest she remains here. It’s probably safer as we have no idea what Kaminski’s true intentions are, or how he’ll react to seeing San Antonio back on his doorstep.”

“Suggest?” His expression is one of utter incredulity.

“Yes. I think it’s up to her. Don’t you?”

“But what if she decides to go with him?”

I don’t bother answering that. Sooner or later, assuming San Antonio survives his encounter with Kaminski, I’m pretty certain Rosie will be going somewhere with him. Nathan will have to get his head round that.

I’m not unsympathetic. I was equally opposed to the prospect of Janey taking up with Kaminski. I can’t stand the man, and I certainly don’t trust him. He’s an old adversary posing as some sort of ally for the sake of his wife, and I barely manage to tolerate him on the rare occasions the couple make an appearance on my island. Nathan Darke will need to be just as stoical if he wants to hang on to some sort of relationship with his daughter, but I suspect his wife will manage to talk sense to him.

I hope so, but that’s not really my concern either.

“According to the doctor, here, our guest will need a few more days to fully recuperate, but then he’s free to leave.”

“But, what if?—?”

I get to my feet. “It’s decided. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to phone the Richmond to check on Andrej’s progress.”

Nathan is still glowering, but he takes the hint. He stalks from my conference room, his wife at his side. I daresay there’ll be some heated conversations in their apartment later, but my money’s on the professor to make him see the reality of his situation.

He has two choices.