Straits of Fortune - Anthony Gagliano [94]
“He does.”
“Good,” Caldwell said. “Clarity is very important, especially in such delicate matters, matters which if they became known to the public could further compromise an already seriously compromised investigation.”
“I understand completely,” I assured him.
Caldwell held up one of those square white envelopes used to protect CDs. “Your attorney was kind enough to provide us with some information you sent her a few days ago. The information came from the computer files of a man currently under investigation, a former client of yours, Colonel Andrew Patterson.”
Caldwell never took his eyes off mine, but I just gave him the cold, blank stare of a confirmed idiot and didn’t say anything. The best thing to do when the cops are quizzing you and the stakes are high is not to give them anything they don’t already know, unless you know that what you tell them can’t hurt you.
“We’ve had the Colonel’s house under surveillance for some time now. You were seen there last week. What was the nature of your visit?”
“He asked me to come out to see him,” I said. “He was looking for his daughter. Her name is Vivian. We used to date about a year ago. He wanted me to help find her.”
“There was a white yacht anchored a few hundred yards out from the Colonel’s mansion. He mention anything about that?” Caldwell asked.
“Not that I can recall,” I said.
“But you do remember seeing it?”
“Yeah, I saw it. Is it important?”
He slid a photograph over to me. “This was taken from a plane the night before your visit to the Colonel,” Caldwell said.
I picked up the photo and examined it more thoroughly than I needed to. It was an aerial shot of The Carrousel.
“Is this the yacht you were talking about?” I asked innocently enough.
He slid another photo over to me, and I examined that, too. There was not much to see, just a shot of open water.
“This was taken at the same location two nights later. As you may notice,” Caldwell said, “the yacht is nowhere to be seen.”
“Where’d it go?” I asked. My pulse had picked up considerably, and I could feel Hackbart staring at me from his side of the desk.
“We were hoping you might shed some light on that for us, Mr. Vaughn,” Caldwell said.
“Call me Jack,” I said. “Sorry. I have no idea what happened to it. Whose was it?”
Caldwell seemed to be getting impatient. “It belonged to Randy Matson, another client of yours. Funny thing though,” he said, “it’s registered in the name of a phony corporation in the Cayman Islands.”
“I know Randy,” I said. “He made porno movies. He didn’t have the money for a boat like that, not even close.”
“Someone he knew did. Tell me this: Did you know a man named Harry Duncan?”
“Never heard of him,” I said. “Oh, wait a minute. Agent Hackbart mentioned his name the other night when I was at Ms. Andrew’s place. Wasn’t that his name, Agent Hackbart?”
“Cut the crap, Vaughn,” Hackbart snarled. “Everything leads back to you. What the hell did you do with that boat?”
“I sold it on eBay, what else? Now, listen to me. If you can’t find the boat you’re looking for, then I’m sorry. But I have no idea what happened to it.”
“Bullshit!” Hackbart barked.
“Please, gentlemen,” Susan said. “Let’s keep it civil.”
“You were pulled out of the Atlantic Ocean a few days ago by the crew of a coast guard cutter after a man in a speed-boat was spotted firing at you with what appeared to be a rifle,” Caldwell said. “You claim to have no idea who it was doing the shooting. Is that correct, Mr. Vaughn?”
“That’s right,” I said. “Just another psycho. You get them all the time.”
“And you stand by that story now?” Caldwell asked.
“That’s right.”
“What about this? The Edgewater police found the body of a Sergeant Rudolph Williams on the beach a few days ago. He was an assistant to Colonel Patterson. I suppose you knew him.”
“Rudy? Sure, I knew him,” I said. “Nice guy, quiet type. Never said very much. What happened to him?”
“He had a broken neck,” Hackbart said testily. “As if you didn’t already know that.”
“My client is prepared to cooperate with you, Mr. Hackbart. You don’t have to try