Shadow's Hostage (Shadow Island FBI Mystery Series Book 6) by Mary Stone

Author:Mary Stone [Stone, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-01T16:00:00+00:00

22

“Mr. Benton, could you step out of the car, please?” Rebecca walked around to the driver’s side, ignoring Vale.

Jeff Benton turned off the car and stepped out. He flashed an even brighter smile than before and held out a business card.

“Is there a problem, Sheriff?” Benton seemed vaguely familiar. Had their paths crossed before?

If Coastal Properties was eager to snatch up the land, it would make sense for him to want to find out what was happening here. Simple due diligence. But Rebecca’s intuition was buzzing. Had Vale rebuffed their attempts to reach out to him because Benton was here on the island?

Maybe they were hoping we’d destroy the lighthouse in a hail of bullets?

Nah. Surely not.

“We just have a few questions about why you’re here.” Hazzard passed the business card to one of his men. “Do you have state ID as well?”

“Of course.” Benton reached into his back pocket. “But as I’m sure Mr. Vale told you, I’m Jeffrey Benton. I’m interested in the future of the island and what my company can do for it.”

“Can you step over here, please, so we can have a talk?” Rebecca indicated a spot about ten yards away. Vale took a step in that direction. She held up her hand. “No, sir, you can stay there. We only need to speak to Mr. Benton.”

Hazzard passed Benton’s ID to the same man he’d handed the card to. “Check him out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Watching the man walk off with his cards, Benton followed Rebecca away from his car and Vale.

“I apologize for taking you away from your work, but I’m sure you understand how important it is that we understand what’s happening here.” She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

His expression mirrored hers all the way to the tired eyes. Her smile wilted slightly. His did the same.

Mirroring and matching. No wonder he looks like such a salesman, using those tactics. But I’m not in a position to buy anything from him. So why is he trying to build a rapport by mimicking me?

Hazzard nodded for her to begin.

“We’ve been up all night, so I hope you won’t mind if we make this quick.”

“No, of course, Sheriff. I’m sure you’ve got a lot on your plate with,” he wiggled the fingers of one hand toward the lighthouse, “all this going on. Feel free to ask me anything if you think it will help end this travesty.”

She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. “Do you live on the island?”

“No, but I’ve rented a house here for the past couple weeks. Why?”

She ignored the question. “Why are you with Mr. Vale this morning?”

He frowned and looked like he might argue, but the big smile reappeared. “We both have a meeting on the mainland at seven, so I offered him a ride.” He winked. “Trapping a client in a vehicle for ninety minutes is a good sales strategy, you know.”

Rebecca nearly gagged on the smarm coming from his mouth. “When did you first connect with Mr. Vale about

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