“What’s in the folder?” Marjorie asked softly. “And why does my husband have all that cash and a gun?!”
“I’m guessing the answer to the first is the answer to the second,” I replied. I spread the first few items from the folder across the desk. They were pictures. Some showed several men at the docks; the same docks I had just been sneaking around. One of the men was the unmistakable giant frame of Maksim Sidorov. Other images showed the same men with open briefcases full of cash. And some others of open shipping containers filled with crates.
“What is all this?” Marjorie had moved next to me and was looking at each picture, one by one.
“I’m guessing your husband took these. Do you recognise any of these men?”
She pointed to one man who showed up in several of the photos. “That’s Learco,” she whispered. “And I recognise some of these others, but I don’t know their names. They are his men. But I don’t know the others.”
“Any idea what is in those crates?”
She shook her head. “Why does Raul have these?”
I moved the picture aside and started looking through the documents. Contracts, ledger pages, maps. I stopped on one page, a letter written on company letterhead.
“Well, that sounds like a thinly veiled threat,” I muttered. I leafed through the other pages, finding more letters, each either increasing in threat or enticing with what looked like outright bribery. Raul had kept copies of his responses, and each was a firmer and firmer rejection. The last letter from Raul stopped me in my tracks.
“Your husband is a brave man,” I said. “Or very stupid.” I handed the letter to Marjorie, and she read it in silence.
“Perhaps a bit of both,” she murmured.
“Did he know about your… indiscretion?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”
“Does Andrade know he is your husband?”
“I don’t know. Like I said, it was only the one time. And Raul was out of town, so Learco never saw us together. I certainly didn’t bring it up.”
I mulled this over and pulled out another cigarette. She lit it for me and sat down in the spare chair.
“So Raul stood up to Andrade and had the nerve to threaten him,” I said, chuckling. “I’d say we know why he grabbed him, then.”
“He wants the evidence,” she said softly. “And is going to hold him until he gets it.”
“Which means you aren’t safe here,” I said. “He is either going to tell them where it is, or they are going to eventually figure it out and come looking for it. Either way, it's just a matter of time before Adrade’s goons come knocking down the door.”
“What about Raul?” I could see the fear in her eyes.
“As soon as they have this,” I held up the folder. “He’s as good as dead. They can’t afford to leave him alive.” I saw tears form in her eyes.
“Can you save him?”
“I’m going to try. Right now, we need to get you somewhere safe. Is there anywhere you can go?”
She nodded, wiping her eyes gently. “My mother lives in Odessa. I can go stay with her.”
“Good. Pack a bag and get going.” I grabbed the cash and pistol from the safe. “And take these with you. Just to be safe.”
She hesitated, then took the gun and money from my hands. We stood there awkwardly for a moment. I picked up the file and all the evidence and tucked them under my arm. “Call my office when you get to your mother’s. Leave the number with my secretary, and I will reach out when I have news. For now, I am going to stash this somewhere safe, and then tonight I will see about bringing your husband home.”
She left the room wordlessly, and I followed her to the front door. As she opened it, she paused, then stood on her toes and kissed me lightly on the cheek.
“Thank you, Mr. Duffy,” she breathed. “Thank you.”
I felt my face flush, and I nodded and went out the door. I hoped she would listen and get out of there quickly. In the meantime, I had work to do.
Inserting the letters is clever.