Chapter 25

Francine pulled into the parking lot at the Williard Hotel fifteen minutes later. She scanned the rows of cars, searching for an empty spot. When she finally located one, she mumbled incoherently under her breath.

Lee glanced over at her as she jammed the car's shifter into park forcefully.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just wondering what the car did to you," Lee pondered as he climbed out of the car.

Francine followed suit, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "I just hate crowded parking lots. Is that a crime?"

Lee gestured toward the front of the building and waited for Francine to pass him before he started walking. "Not at all. I just thought maybe something else was going through your mind and you'd like to share, that's all."

Francine stopped in her tracks and sighed. "I guess I was just thinking about Jonathan and his estate. He did say in his letter that I would know what to do with it, so… I don't know… I'm curious if he does have a will somewhere, or if he expects me to figure it all out on my own. I mean, Lee, ten million dollars is a lot of money to be responsible for."

Lee reached out and, with his hand on her lower back, guided her across the driveway to the entrance of the hotel. "Let's not worry too much about that right now. Maybe, after we've sorted whatever this is out, we can go through his desk and other paperwork and see if there's anything there."

Francine sighed heavily. "You're right. Now is not the time to be concentrating on all that money. No, right now, we need to find the Ambassador and see if we can get any answers from him."

"Let's start with the front desk. Billy did say he was going to call ahead so maybe we'll get lucky." Together they made their way to the hotel reception desk and waited to be addressed.

"I'll be right with you folks," the smartly dressed concierge stated before turning back to his phone conversation. After several long minutes, he returned to them. "I'm so sorry. Some people have all the nerve. Not only do they want to change their reservation at the last minute, they want to change every little detail about it as well. How can I help you folks?"

Lee held up his Agency ID. "We're looking for Ambassador Saif Youssef Al Balushi. My supervisor called ahead to alert his security team that we were coming."

"Well, you're going to have to be quick. The Ambassador is headed out the door right now," the concierge stated with a smile as he pointed toward a small group of men exiting the building.

"Thank you," Lee stated abruptly as he and Francine jogged toward them. "Excuse me, Ambassador. We're from the Agency…"

The men stopped just as a limousine pulled into the carport by the front door. One man opened the back door and inspected the vehicle as another man, dressed in a traditional long white kandurah and gutrah headpiece, turned to face Lee. A third man, dressed entirely in black, although his head was covered by a red and white gutrah, stepped between them.

Lee held up his credentials so the man could read them.

"Ah, yes. You are the man Mister…. Melrose called to inform us about." The man stepped aside, allowing the Ambassador to get closer.

"We'll only take a few minutes of your time, Ambassador. I was wondering if we could ask you a few questions about your business with Jonathan Stone?" Lee tucked his wallet into his inside jacket pocket as he spoke.

The Ambassador nodded at his security team, uttered a few words to them in Arabic, and turned back to Lee. "Of course. Jonathan and I were well acquainted with each other. His business was helpful in establishing a new foothold in the export business for our city."

"And what exactly was he helping export, Ambassador?" Lee smiled politely.

The Ambassador waved his hand dismissively. "A little of this, a little of that. Whatever he could, I guess you could say."

"Were you aware Mr. Stone was murdered the other night, Ambassador?" Francine questioned sharply.

The shock on the Ambassador's face was clear. He took several steps away from the security team, stunned.

"I take it you didn't know," Lee observed as he neared the visibly distraught man.

"No… I just spoke with him a few days ago. He was excited for the new chapter of his life. I wished him happiness. I…" The Ambassador's voice faded and he placed his hands in the air. He muttered a prayer in Arabic, gesturing slightly with his hands and body.

Lee waited until the Ambassador made eye contact again. "Do you know anyone who may have wanted to hurt him?"

As Francine stood near the limousine, movement in the parking lot caught her eye. She turned her head to see a familiar blue sedan, with a spiderwebbed windshield and missing headlight, rolling toward them. "Lee," she called slowly.

Lee was focused on the Ambassador and didn't hear Francine calling him.

"Lee!" she shouted as the car sped up. A shot rang out and the small group of security men immediately swarmed the Ambassador, covering him.

Lee's head whipped around as the car neared the small group. He ran toward the vehicle without hesitation and soon found himself sliding onto the hood of the car. He held on tight to the edge of the hood because his lower half shifted back and forth as the driver of the car tried to swerve him off. He saw Francine running toward them, her gun drawn.

The car stopped abruptly, forcefully ejecting Lee off the hood and onto the ground. He rolled to his right and landed between two parked cars as he heard several shots fired. He could no longer see the vehicle but he heard the screech of tires as they sped away. He slowly made his way to his feet as Francine and one of the other security guards ran over to him.

"I got a plate this time. Are you okay?" Francine scanned his body for any injuries.

"Do you know those men?" the guard demanded.

"I'm all right." Lee brushed off his shoulder and shook his head. "I think we may have just found our connection, Francine."

"To Jonathan?"

"To Brody." Lee stared in the direction the car drove off.