HIGH STAKES

Chapter Twenty One

Real or imagined, Bob's memory was foul and it sickened him. Adam slumped against the wall when the story was over, and tried to keep from retching. Across the room, Finn had lapsed into smoke-induced silence, drawing on cigarette after cigarette with wicked satisfaction. Dark eyes peered through the twisting wreaths, watching the lab rat smugly.

Adam turned away.

I hate you, he thought, with a coldness that he hadn't felt in years. And that was another mark against the man sitting opposite.

"No more talk?" said Bob.

"No more talk," whispered Adam.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

"I got it!" crowed Danny, leaping to his feet. He swung out of the door and raced along the corridor, scattering lab techs like white-coated bowling pins. Jo saw him coming, and her bright eyes filled with hope.

"Oh, tell me it's something good," she begged.

"I truly hope so." He clutched at her arm and dragged her from the lab where she was studying Tang's shirt with driven intensity.

"Danny, wait! I have to..."

"No," he grinned. "Come on. You gotta see this."

'This' turned out to be a simple print match, blinking on his screen. Jo waited expectantly, knowing there had to be more.

Danny folded his arms, enjoying his moment. "This print was taken from inside the Lucky Dragon's private storeroom. It belongs to a man named Jonah McHardy. Jonah doesn't work at the restaurant. In fact, he isn't in the catering business at all."

"What business is he in?" asked Jo, with a twinkle. Danny's glee was infectious.

"He used to be a boxer. Got arrested, too, several times, for brawling in the street. That's how he ended up in the system. These days, he's legit. Works as a bodyguard for high end, mucky-muck clients."

"City men," guessed Jo.

"City men," Danny nodded. He pulled up a list on the next computer. "This is a compilation of all the names that Lindsay gathered from Finn's records. The ones who owed him the most, or seemed to have the most to gain by hurting him. And here," he said, as he highlighted one name with a flourish, "here is our connection."

They stared at the screen together. Jo patted Danny fondly on the back.

"Good work," she said. "I think it's time to pay this Mr. Henry Bonner Jr. a social call - don't you?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm sorry," said the secretary brightly. "Mr. Bonner is currently in a meeting and not to be disturbed."

"You're kiddin' me, right...?" began Danny. Jo stepped forward smoothly.

"Honey," she said. "I really don't want to bore you with the number of times we've heard that particular excuse. What I want to do is talk to Henry Bonner. Now, if you please."

Danny stared at her in open admiration. "How do you do that?" he demanded softly as the secretary buzzed them in without another word of protestation.

"Confidence," whispered Jo. "If you believe it'll work, then invariably it does."

"Nothin' to do with Southern charm, then? 'Cos that's just an unfair advantage."

Jo smiled sweetly. "Hey - if you've got it, use it."

"As your Daddy always says?"

"You're catching on."

"I'm taking notes," he muttered.

Passing through the doorway, they stopped and stared at Henry Bonner's inner sanctum. It was a shrine to greed and heartless opulence; a robber's cave, filled with velvet and leather and shiny, shiny things. Just standing within it made Jo feel oddly guilty, whilst Danny twitched uncomfortably and mumbled something rude beneath his breath.

The CSIs were not the only ones who seemed out of place. Behind a heavy, regal looking desk, sat a middle-aged man with a chubby face and a halo of greying hair. Switching on the false smile of a third-rate charlatan, he stood up to greet them.

"Come in, come in," he cried. Jo studied him shrewdly. His eyes were bright, but it wasn't a healthy glow. Fear was making him feverish, as it leaked from every pore.

You're the one, she thought. But knowing and proving were two different things, and they didn't have any time left for subtle advances.

Bonner hurried around the desk and led them to a cosy nook beside a roaring fire. They settled down together on seats that were so plush, Danny sank backwards in surprise. Jo's attitude was more dignified, as she perched on the edge and folded her hands together, ever so neatly. She looked like an elegant lady - but there was ice in her voice when she spoke. Danny hauled himself up again, ready to join in the fight.

"Mr. Bonner," Jo began. "My name is Jo Danville, and this is Detective Messer. We're from the New York Crime Lab."

"Indeed?" said Henry Bonner. His outward demeanour was placid, but the firelight picked out a throbbing vein in his temple. Danny watched it with ghoulish fascination.

"Indeed," said Jo. "Are you acquainted with a man named Robert Finn?"

Twitch. "It's possible. I meet a lot of people in my line of business. I could have Felicia check my contact records..."

"Don't bother," grinned Danny. "I doubt she'd find him. Unless you've got any listings there for, say, 'Loan Sharks'...?"

Twitch. "I.. just what are you implying?" Bonner feigned indignation quite effectively under the circumstances.

"No implication," Jo said, with a tiger's smile. "We have proof. Finn's own records, full of receipts - signed by you, as a matter of fact. You owed him a lot of money, Mr. Bonner. Thirty thousand dollars, to be exact. Care to comment?"

Twitch. "I... er, no."

"Not good enough," Danny told him. "See, our friend's life is on the line thanks to your little plot. And your two friends are dead already... That leaves you to take the fall."

Bonner's eyes travelled nervously to the door, as though he were planning to bolt any second. "There is no plot. Okay - so I owe Finn money. So do a lot of people, I expect. What makes you think that I've got something to do with... with whatever it is that you're accusing me of?"

"That would be kidnapping," cut in Jo. Bonner's wide cheeks flushed pink, and the vein went into overdrive. "Bob Finn's daughter? Your little ransom plan with John Street and Ethan Tang?"

"I don't know those men," gasped Bonner hoarsely.

Danny leaned in. "You're a terrible liar," he said, as he gave the poor man his most ferocious glare. This time, it was Jo who sat back and let her colleague continue. "Your body language is all wrong. So you might as well come clean. We've got your bodyguard's prints at a crime scene. We've got your dodgy financial dealings. My guess is, you 'borrowed' too much from the family business and Finn loaned you money to cover the hole before Daddy found out. Am I right? I'm right," he crowed, watching the vein for confirmation. "We also have a witness who saw a 'city man' visiting Tang at his uncle's restaurant every night. So I'm thinking - pop you in a line up and see what she says. That sound good to you?"

"Okay! Okay..."

To Danny's infinite disgust, the businessman burst into tears. Jo smirked, and swooped in to finish him off.

"Then you admit it?" she pressed.

"It was never meant to be like this..." gasped Bonner. "I didn't want... We were just dreaming. Of ways to get back at Finn. He... he threatened us."

Slipping a trembling hand into his pocket, he pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Jo's eyes widened in recognition as he unfolded it.

A cross. Marked in blood.

"I've seen that before," she said. "John Street had one too."

"Finn gives them out to anyone who betrays him." Bonner was snuffling by now, a monogrammed handkerchief held to his streaming eyes. "John Street was two months behind. I... I was three. The cross... it means..."

"Death," said Jo grimly. "I know. So - what was the plan?"

"There was no plan. It was all just talk. At least, that's what I thought. Or I'd never have made the suggestion."

"Then it was your idea."

"T-to kidnap his daughter and pay the man back with his own damned money? Y-yes. It was meant to be ironic. A crazy dream, like winning the lottery. John and I have been friends since childhood. I told him my idea, and he shared it with Tang. Meeting together... it was fun. Like playing a game. Just a game. But then Tang called me and he said they'd gone and done it - and what should they do with her now? I... well, of course I panicked. Those fools had no idea who they were messing with. I knew that if Finn found out, he'd kill us for certain."

"Yeah," said Danny. "That much we've seen. He killed Street already. But not Tang..?"

"No," whispered Bonner. "He didn't kill Tang. Th-that was McHardy. I sent him there to try and sort things out. B-but something went wrong. And the next thing I know, he's calling to tell me that Ethan is dead and the Finn girl is locked in his trunk."

"Must have made your day," Danny told him grimly. "So, where are they now?"

Bonner shook his head, pale eyes wide and appealing. "I can't lose the only leverage I have left. When Finn finds out it was me..."

"That's the least of your worries." Jo stood up and dragged the businessman to his feet. "Right now, Finn is up on the roof of Street's building. He's already shot one of my friends, and he's holding another one hostage until he hears that his daughter is freed. You know the man. You know how that's likely to end. So you tell us right now. Before both Isla Finn and my friend become the next unlucky victims of your stupid little 'game'."

Releasing her iron grip, she watched Bonner crumple. "Oh, God. I'm so sorry..."

"Sorry don't cut it," growled Danny. "Where's the girl?"

"My boat." The words were so quiet that Jo had to lean in closer as he repeated them. "She's on my boat. With McHardy. He's waiting for my instructions."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: I chose not to actually describe Bob's 'memory' because sometimes what you are left to imagine can be worse than what you read. And Adam's reaction should give you a clue about how nasty it was! More Adam and Bob tomorrow, as well as Danny and Jo's continuing search for Isla. Thanks for the reviews - they keep me inspired. And I just can't help updating every day. I get too excited!