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“Good,” he said, as Reggie started to look around.
“What now?” I asked.
Isaac pulled Reggie up by his shoulder, dragging him so that he was seated, his back to a workbench. “We find out who hired your cousin.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I suspect your cousin was a pawn to whomever set out to ruin Rolls-Royce. He took advantage of his connection to you and the company to steal the forty-fifty.”
His words stunned me, since it meant that I was also a pawn.
Mr. Bell must have noticed my expression. “All is not lost, Payton. Chess happens to be one of my specialties.”
Reggie glared. “I’ll never cooper
ate.”
Isaac Bell spared him a look and gave him a dismissive smile. He walked me to the door, his voice low. “I intend to question him further. I’d like to know what happened to the rest of the money stolen during that train robbery.”
“It wasn’t in the chest?” I asked. “I saw them load it onto the lorry.”
“At least half of the money’s missing. I’d say half a million. No doubt hidden away.”
“Then what was in the chest?” I asked.
“Engine parts, to get the Silver Ghost up and running.”
It didn’t occur to me until that moment how devious Reginald’s plan had been. With the Grey Ghost missing, and no parts to spare, Rolls-Royce would never get the Silver Ghost finished in time for the Olympia Motor Show. Yet one more blow to the company we’d invested everything in. If not for Mr. Bell, Reggie’s attempt to ruin Rolls-Royce would have succeeded.
About to leave, I gave my cousin a parting glance, recognizing his smug look. “You know where that money is, don’t you?” I asked.
His expression darkened, his smile cruel. “Since you helped me hide it, that makes you complicit.”
“I did no such thing.”
“You’re a fool if you think otherwise.”
Horrified at the thought, I wracked my brain, trying to determine if there was any possibility that I might have taken part in his dastardly plans. I could think of nothing and looked to Mr. Bell for guidance.
“Perhaps,” Bell said, “you should determine if Miss Atwater is safe.”
“And what of him?” I asked, nodding toward Reggie.
“As I said, your cousin is only part of the equation. I intend to use him to find out who was really behind the theft of the Grey Ghost.”
Reggie’s face twisted with triumph and hate. “Perhaps you didn’t hear me. I don’t plan on cooperating.”
“Fortunately, I don’t require your cooperation.” Bell’s smile had a rather devious edge to it. “In fact, I don’t even require you to be conscious.”
65
The plan was simple. Once inside the office, Remi would come up with a way to find out the location of the warehouse holding the Gray Ghost while Sam acted as lookout. Oliver and Chad would wait in the car, ready to pick the Fargos up for a quick getaway.
At the moment, Chad was finding a suitable place to park that wasn’t too far. Remi, Oliver, and Sam were seated on a bench in the shade of a chestnut tree, Remi reading up on the import/export business on her phone. A row of motorbikes parked in front of them offered some cover, just in case anyone in Rossi’s building across the street happened to look their direction.
Oliver eyed the windows across the street. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked. “Those are armed guards in that lobby.”
“They’re for the bank,” Sam said. “After what happened at the villa, I’m more worried about what Remi might find upstairs in Rossi’s offices.”