Kee Patterbee - Hannah Starvling 02 - The Gourmet Who Kept Diamonds in the Kitchen (22 page)

“
You better believe it,” the elder Starvling said with a smirk, “in more ways than one.”

When Hannah stepped out of the shower, she dried and dressed
in short order. Exiting the bathroom, Hym gestured for her to be quiet. His chair was next to the door separating his from hers and his ear placed on it. Hannah stood unmoving as he listened. The handle jiggled as someone on the other side attempted to open it.  Hym never moved from his position.  Within a few minutes, there was a knock at the door and Gran called out. “Clear.”

Hym opened it and Gran stepped in once he was out of the way.

“Like I said, I can charm my way out of anything.”

Gran explained that it was the
Brandons looking for Hannah. “They said someone fitting your description was there.”

“
A lot of people fit my description.”

“
I disagree, but get what you’re saying,” Hym said. “They know it was you and they’re after you, so now what?”

Gran
re-inspected the bandages for good measure. Looking them over herself, Hannah remarked, “I’m going to stand out like a sore thumb.”

“
I’ll tell them you fell over me,” Hym said.

“
For you is more like it,” she said. She gave him a quick kiss. “I love that you’d lie for me.”

Hym rolled back and looked at her.
“So how deep into the department do you think this goes? Betts’ men are watching over Elias. Is that a concern? These Brandon brothers work under her, don’t they?”

“
Under Chief Toody. Betts’ boss. I met him before. Nice enough, but I doubt he has the wherewithal to involve himself in all this.” Hannah wiggled her nose. “I still don’t think Betts has anything to do with this. You were right, Gran. The money involved is not enough. This is bigger than just the truffles. This has to do with a whole operation. Someone has hired guns.”

“
So, are you going to let Betts know about all this? That you were a witness?”

“
I am, after we talk with Lukas. If I go to her before, she’ll have me down at the station. It will expose the Brandons. Everything will be out on the table for our side, but whoever is behind this will still have cards to play.” She again looked at her phone. “I’ll give him a call, and then we’ll go.”

Hannah got up and headed for the
balcony. Hym turned to Gran and smiled. “She just got shot at and acts like someone lobbed a snowball at her. Your granddaughter is something else.”

“
Get used to it. There’s little that throws my girl.”

Hym looked back across the room to
Hannah, who stood on the balcony. She talked as one hand tapped the railing, and her brow furrowed.

“
Yes indeed,” he said in an admiring tone.

Moments later, Hannah tapped off her phone and reentered the room.

“He wasn’t pleased with you two coming, but he agreed when I told him it was all for one. Brunch is out. We’re meeting him on his boat in forty five minutes instead. Let’s go.”

Hannah
moved to push Hym to the door, but he stopped her.

“
Sorry, but I’m taking the crutches, so no arguing. This thing on the boat is too much, and there is no way I’m letting you two go alone. Besides, my butt hurts. I need to give it a rest.”

Hannah moved to
protest, but Hym cocked his head to one side and glared. She blew out a frustrated breath and handed him his crutches. She shook her head and kissed him on the cheek.

“
Stubborn.”

“
Look who’s talking,” he responded.

Chapter 17

Reaching the lobby, Hannah again was not surprised to find Ducky.

“
You driving?”

“
I can be. Give me a moment.” Ducky disappeared behind the registration area to talk with the manager on duty.
Small. Bespeckled. Thinning salt and pepper hair. 50s. Bow tie and pinstriped suit. Looks out of place.
As Ducky talked with the man, he tugged at his collar.
Nervous
. He gave a quick glance to Hannah and company before nodding to Ducky. For the sleuth, he seemed oddly complacent with the forceful body language of his employee. It was as if Ducky were in charge of the conversation. The manager turned to the desk, retrieved some keys from underneath, and handed them over. Ducky patted him on the arm and nodded once before heading back over to the group.  Smiling, he said, “The shuttle is on a run. We’re taking the VIP car. I’ll be back in just a moment. If you don’t mind, meet me up front as usual.” With a smile, he exited the front and disappeared out of sight.

“
Give me just a second,” Hannah said as she headed for the registration desk. Hym and Gran waited as she spoke with the manager. Hym observed to Gran that her granddaughter used a great deal of charm to get her way.

“
That smile opens a lot of doors. She gets that from you?”

Gran grinned.
“The trick is from me. The smile is from her mother.”

A few seconds later, Hannah returned and gestured for them to follow to the front. Along the way, she explained.

“Ducky’s been working here for about three months. The manager didn’t want to give many details, but just my asking made him nervous.”

             
“And that’s important, how?” Hym inquired.

             
“I like him, I do, but don’t you get the feeling that something is off with him?”             

             
Gran agreed. “It does seem odd that he can get his way to do what he wants. The manager seemed unnerved by him.”

             
Hym glanced toward an approaching vehicle. “I agree, but he didn’t seem threatened, just reluctantly cooperative.”

             
Seeing Ducky driving the car, Hannah gave a wave. “A conversation for later. He’s here.”

             
Ducky pulled a long, large black limo into the loading area. The doorman came and opened the door for them all. Soon, they were off to the pier.

             
“Same place as before,” Hannah informed him. “Lukas Grimm’s yacht. Do you know which one it is?”

             
“Not exactly, but I can make a pretty good guess. There’s a fifty footer called the
Die dunkle Dame
.”

             
“The Dark Lady,” Hym chimed in.

             
“Exactly. Grimm. Dark. I’m not sure, but I’d be willing to bet that’s it.”

             
Hannah’s mind kicked into inquiry mode.
Fifty Footer. The name. For someone who professed not to know boats, you spend a lot of time around them.
She peered over to Hym. “You know German.”

             
“Some. My grandparents were German, so I picked up a little here and there. Spent some time there in the service. Sometimes it pays off,” he answered with a smile.

             
Hannah returned to the driver. “And you?”

             
“Can’t you tell? My parents were German too.”

             
Everyone laughed. Hannah used the levity to refocusing the conversation. She asked about Grimm. Per usual, he declined much knowledge, but professed a lot.

             
“He’s been meeting with various individuals at the festival. Word is he’s looking for new investment opportunities. I suppose that is why he met with Ms. Doyle. With her chain struggling, I’d imagine he’s eyeing it for takeover and restructuring.”

             
“I didn’t know they knew each other.”

             
“I guess so. Seems to be a little more than just business, if that’s not too rude to say. They’ve been spending a lot of time together.”

             
“Did they ever meet with Elias Babel?”

             
Ducky affirmed. “A few days ago. They met in the lobby for a bit and then I took them all up town to Brattain’s on Main for lunch.”

             
Gran interjected. “Did they talk about anything along the way?”

             
Ducky shrugged. “Just this and that about the festival.”

             
The car turned into the parking lot area. Ducky exited and pointed to a sleek, midnight blue hulled craft.

             
“That’s her. Do you need any help getting aboard, Mr. Miles?”

             
Hym declined and Ducky made his goodbyes. “Call me when you get ready to return. I’ll come.” With that, he got into the vehicle and exited the lot.

             
Making their way down to the pier, Hannah scoped out the area. Escape routes. Opposition operatives. Suspicious activities and characters. She agreed to the pier because it was open air, public, and familiar. If something went down, she could pursue the suspect on foot. Water surrounded three sides of the location. One route led to the escape.
Unless he likes taking a swim
, she affirmed to herself in a smug manner. The location also offered security. If she, Gran, or Hym needed help, all they need do was cry out. 

They spotted Grimm moving about. Seeing them, he waved and gave his glowing white, toothy smile. As he moved about, Hannah tried to make some judgments based on his gait and present expression.
Calm. Collected. Confident
. It all seemed to stem from something other than a massive ego built upon extraordinary looks and wealth. She encountered this before. It was a combination of things, military among them.
Law enforcement
, she determined.
He was telling the truth
. Questions flooded her mind. She remembered Lukas saying he once worked as an investigator for the Swiss military. Now, she wondered if it were possible that they still did.
The black market for truffles is international,
she posed to herself
. Could he still be working for them undercover? What does Elias have to do with this? Was he working with him? Or against? What does he want with me? Is he attempting to get to Elias through me? Does he think I had something to do with the fall? Or know something?
It then occurred to her that there existed a flip side to her inferences.
He may have worked as an investigator, but became corrupt.
Is it possible he’s responsible for Elias’ accident?
Thinking of the man’s physicality, she determined that Lukas held the capacity to do so.

“
Too many questions,” she mumbled to herself, before putting a halt to the considerations.  She regrouped herself, deciding she would set it aside for the time being.

Grimm lowered a walkway, allowing
all on board. He greeted them with a firm handshake each. As he looked back toward the lot and around to the other anchored craft, he said, “I hope you don’t mind a trip on the lake. I feel it would be better for all.”

Though everyone agreed, Hannah was at first hesitant. The agreement was to meet on board, not go for a lake stroll. Her inner fears stirred.  The water offered opportunities she did not care to think
about. One hard lesson learned years earlier always kept her on her toes.
Situations that seem safe are not always so
, echoed through her head. Though curious about what Grimm had to say, she remained vigilant and cautious.

Hannah gave the yacht the once over.
“Nice. Whatever you do must pay well.”

“
It pays enough,” Lukas said as he stepped up to the cockpit and started the engine. Once away from the pier, he put the craft to full throttle and started out away from the shoreline. Hannah removed her top hat and held on tight. She glanced over at Lukas and observed once more.

He steered one handed, sunglasses resting on the edge of his nose. His
casual dress in a light blue button down and khakis spoke more about the pursuit of fun than business. Still, she was willing to ride the situation out if it got her any closer to finding out what was going on with Elias.  Considering it all, Hannah wondered how much use he would be to her.

Having gone a distance onto the lake, Lukas tried to engage his guests in some light conversation. He was playing the
“get to know me game,” which annoyed Hannah more than it intrigued. Everyone listened to his banter with a pleasant smile as he drove toward some undisclosed location. Tired of the ‘Story of Lukas Grimm’ as she deemed it, Hannah could not hold her tongue a minute more. “Mr. Grimm, why am I here?”

All
of a sudden, Lukas turned the engine off and let the yacht coast along. It all happened so quickly, Hannah was at a loss for words. As the ship slowed, Grimm turned to his guests. His face was serious and his eyes widened ever so slight. He leaned back against the ship’s wheel.

“
I need to know everything you know.”

“
About?” Hannah asked.

“
I don’t have time for games, Ms. Starvling.”

Hym leaned forward. He put his arm around Hannah and urged her to move closer. With his other hand, he took hold
of Gran’s hand and did the same. Hannah knew he was in full protective mode due to the intensity of Grimm’s voice. Though his leg remained in a brace, she was sure he would act if necessary. While it made her feel safe and proud of her love, it sent a tinge of fear along her spine.

“
You want to know what we know, tell us why you need to know.”

Lukas pulled one eye down and curled the corner of his lip on the same side. He assessed
Hym, as the lawman returned the same. The air between the two went frigid.

“
Let’s start again. Can I get anyone something to drink? A beer, perhaps?”

Never taking her eyes
off Lukas, Hannah responded, “Water, no ice.”

“
None needed,” Lukas issued in a low tone. Looking to everyone else, Gran declined. Hym agreed to a beer. Lukas disappeared into the interior of the ship.

Hym glanced over to the
ladies. “I don’t plan on drinking it, but the bottle might come in handy,” he said with a smirk.

Gran motioned to Hannah.
“I like him. He thinks ahead.” She leaned back over to Hym. “Speaking of thinking ahead. I’m not getting any younger and would like to see a few great-grandbabies before I go.”

Hannah rolled her eyes.
“Gran. Seriously. Now?”

“
No time like the present. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Lukas returned with the water and two beers. Handing one to Hym, he said,
“Swiss imported beer.” He held his out, and he and Hym clinked them together. He turned his attention back to Hannah.

“
I have checked into your backgrounds. And I am satisfied that --”

Hannah sat up straight and interrupted.
“You checked into our background? Who the hell are you?” she exclaimed in an audible, irate voice.

Lukas motioned her down.
“Please, let me explain. Trust me. There’s a reason.”

Settling down, Hannah crossed her arms. In a lowered
register, she spewed, “I’m not the trusting kind.”

“
Can’t say I am either,” Hym expressed.

“
I can see that. I’m not so trusting myself. That’s why I checked you out,” he stated as he scanned the area. “Look, I have things you need to know.”

Hannah
’s face tightened as she considered the man before her. She could not yet draw a bead on him. Something about his voice made her play along for the moment. Again, he scanned the area.

“
This has the appearance of a casual business meeting. I conduct meetings here all the time. All we need to do is keep the appearance up for a while. We won’t be long and I’ll have you back.”

H
e smiled, looked around, and then faced the river.  “I should not be telling you this, but I am not one big on rules.” He readjusted his sunglasses. “I am working undercover. Elias is part of the operation. Initially, we were onto a ring of food smugglers.”

Hannah raised her eyes to look at him. She could not decide if he was telling the truth, or if this was some elaborate hoax
, a ruse to get a handle on what she knew. She decided to push against him and see what came of it.

“
A spy for Swiss military, I presume. Seems kind of big for that kind of operation. What does this food smuggling involve?  State secrets hidden on the back of mushroom recipe cards? Nuclear weapon plans laser etched into white truffles. Oh, wait, world domination via controlling the black truffle trade? Right? How is Blowfeld these days, by the way?” Hannah gave a scurrilous look.  “Tell you what, Mr. Bond, how about some credentials?”