Tourist Trapped Read Online Free PDF Page B

Cancun and then deal with Matt head-on when she returned.
    Besides, maybe he wouldn’t win the primary.
    Dream on . She had witnessed the influential people behind Matt. Unless more powerful people like Gordo stomped on him, Matt would be the Republican candidate for the Illinois senate seat.
    Deal with Cancun, then deal with Matt.

FIVE
    Wednesday December 9, Morning
    “Ms. Sloane is leaving for Cancun, Mr. Harding,” Jonathan Wallace said, at the other end of the connection. “A coworker will accompany her, a Chad Cooper.”
    Gordon Harding’s assistant crept in and slid a cup of freshly brewed Imperial Formosa Oolong tea onto his desk, setting it in on the leather coaster in the upper right-hand corner of the smooth, mahogany surface. As always, the tea had been brewed for one minute, at precisely one hundred and eighty degrees.
    “Is he a problem?” Gordon asked.
    “We don’t know; we’re starting our investigation. He’s relatively new to the law firm.”
    Gordon scanned the view from his fifty-seventh-floor vantage point, amidst a cobalt-blue sky, high above the ordinary lives of the fools buzzing about the city, doing whatever mundane activities filled their existence. Streams of cars on South Wacker followed each other like a line of ants, stopping for lights and then proceeding again. Boats plowed deep wakes through Lake Michigan’s waves.
    “Is the problem under control?”
    “There’s no doubt plan A hit a snag, but plan B is running as expected. If you’d prefer, we could bypass all of the chasing around and execute plan C.”
    “Is she that close?”
    “There’s no indication they have any proof that you’re involved with Command Commodities or that they’re on the verge of obtaining any evidence.”
    “Then let the two plans play out for a day or two. See if she’s smart enough to let up on the case. One more thing. Confirm with our, um, associate, that I expect my investments to pay off. If plan A fails, so will he.”
    * * *
    “Sorry this is so last minute, Cooper. Thanks for coming,” Amanda said, settling into the first class section of the airplane. “I want to keep moving on Celeste’s case while out of town.” Certain they’d find a connection between Gordon Harding and the Miami condo housing the Gabriel Carter painting, Amanda didn’t want to risk slowing down the investigation while roaming the Yucatán.
    “Duty calls, but I have to say, getting a call from Jasmine at eight o’clock telling me I needed to be at O’Hare by six the next morning—with my passport—was a little unexpected.” Cooper swung his feet. “This has to be the first time I’ve sat in a plane without my knees jammed into the seat ahead of me.”
    “You normally fly coach?”
    “Yes, with the rest of the mortals.”
    Cooper looked presentable in his Levi’s and slate blue polo shirt, like a regular guy instead of a mascot for the nerd nation. Wonder if he knows the shirt brings out his eyes or if he’s clueless and his wife bought it for him?
    He pulled out his phone and checked his email. It was the second time he’d done it since they met at the airport.
    “Waiting for something?”
    “I have…um, a friend…working on a personal project for me so I check in on occasion.”
    “What is it?”
    “Looking for long lost family. I’ll tell you the story sometime—why are we heading to Florida first?”
    “Jaz couldn’t book us straight through on such short notice. The best we could do was to complete the first leg today and finish the trip tomorrow. I thought we’d take advantage of the situation to stop in Florida to touch base with my father, and to handle some other business.”
    Amanda pulled out the print of the portrait and handed it to Cooper. “I think there’s a link between that Miami condo where we caught Lamont frolicking with the femmes, and Gordon Harding.”
    “You think Harding’s been a guest?”
    “He’s big on the artist, a Gabriel Carter, and Celeste said