Vanished by James Delargy (free novel 24 TXT) 📕

a stately-looking man, his red tie neatly pinned. ‘She’s the one pestering me at my home.’

‘You invited us in, Mr Iannis,’ said Emmaline.

‘’Cause I thought you were a stripper,’ said Nikos. ‘Before the boob job.’

Emmaline smiled. ‘Are you the After shot then?’ she said and nodded towards the open shirt and prominent man-boob cleavage.

With a stony silence descending after, she ran through the formalities of where they were and who was present, the lawyer announcing himself as Vasilios Drakos, from the firm Drakos and Galanis. He was in his sixties, with thick eyebrows that shielded his face like a sun visor, oddly jet black as opposed to his nearly pure grey hair.

Emmaline jumped straight in. ‘Do you know why you are here, Mr Iannis?’

‘The same reason we all are, Detective. Failed to win the lottery.’

‘You have been identified on CCTV at a petrol station just north of Kalgoorlie on the thirtieth of December,’ said Emmaline, pushing the image towards him. The resolution wasn’t perfect, but with Nikos practically staring at the camera, it was clear enough for identification.

Nikos studied the page. Emmaline waited for the denial. In preparation for this, Rispoli had already interviewed the petrol station owner who had identified Nikos too.

Vasilios got to work. ‘My client does not wish to—’

‘Yeah, it’s me,’ said Nikos.

Vasilios turned to him. ‘You do not have to—’

‘I know what I don’t have to do, Vasi,’ he snapped. He faced Emmaline again. ‘I was out there.’

‘On the thirtieth?’

‘I’ll take your word for that.’

‘What were you doing out there?’

‘Whale-watching.’

‘Mr Iannis, may I remind you that this interview is being recorded.’

Nikos laughed. ‘Okay, snake-whispering. I heard it was a good area to find them.’

‘Are you referring to Lorcan Maguire?’

Nikos stayed quiet, smirking.

‘How did you find him? Through one of his work colleagues?’

Having lured her with some information, Nikos clammed up, basking in having Emmaline scramble for more, a wry smile on his face. Emmaline supposed this interview room was no different to hundreds he had been in before. Now he was studying the corners, looking for anything to distract him. She had just the thing, something he hated most of all – disrespect.

‘You wanted to talk to him about the missing information, didn’t you? You wanted to find him. For making a complete fool out of you.’

Nikos’s head whipped sharply around. This had stung. He wouldn’t be able to resist biting back.

Spotting the danger, Vasilios attempted to interrupt. ‘My client hasn’t confirmed he was even there. We would need a line-up, a focused—’

It was Emmaline’s turn to interrupt. ‘But I get the feeling he fooled you again? Didn’t he?’ A thin smile crept onto her face, one designed to antagonize Nikos.

Nikos’s nostrils flared. His teeth clamped shut. He looked to Vasilios, silently asking him to shut this down.

‘Did you pay him money, Mr Iannis? To get back the information. But he double-crossed you? Maybe he’d already sold it to someone else. His double pay-off for your company’s hard work. For your hard work. That wouldn’t look good, would it? Fleeced by one of your employees. Some geek behind a desk. It would look like you were losing your grip without your brother in control. But there’s not much he can do from a sickbed, is there? Can’t hold his little brother’s hand anymore.’

‘These aren’t questions—’ said Vasilios, but Nikos had had enough, his face blazing red with anger.

‘He swore he didn’t have it,’ said Nikos.

‘Nikos, you don’t—’ started Vasilios but his comforting hand was batted away. Nikos had a rep to defend.

‘He said he’d destroyed it.’

‘And you believed him?’

‘It was hard to believe anything that rat bastard said.’

‘That “rat bastard” was shot dead soon after, Mr Iannis.’

He shrugged. ‘These things happen. He should have been more afraid of me.’

‘What does that mean?’

Nikos went quiet again, his rep defended to those in this room and on tape. There was anger but no fear. He was confident that he couldn’t be linked to Lorcan Maguire’s death. He had spilled the motive but knew that Emmaline lacked any evidence.

The door knocked. Neil Templeton passed her a sheet of paper. It made for some interesting reading.

‘You’ve threatened people before haven’t you, Mr Iannis? What do you want to tell us about Georgina Harbles?’

Nikos said nothing.

‘What has this got to do with—’ said Vasilios.

‘Demonstrating that your client has prior in this area,’ said Emmaline. ‘Significant prior. Miss Harbles had a case against INK Tech for harassment regarding threats issued over social media. Personal, nasty stuff. Then the company she went to work for had a fire. The building burnt down with a guard inside. It looked like arson but it couldn’t be proved. It had all the hallmarks of a message not to mess with the Iannis family.’

‘Allegations, Detective. Never proved,’ said Vasilios, finally allowed to finish a sentence. ‘I ask that you either charge my client, or let him go. He has co-operated fully. Even if it was against my council.’

76

Emmaline

After Nikos had been discharged – they had nothing firm to hold him on – Emmaline had Zhao set up a conference call with Rispoli and the others in Leonora. It was time to strategize angles of attack. And defence. They had managed to limit the information leaked to the press regarding Lorcan Maguire for three days, but the result of the nationwide voice request had leaked and the newspapers were now asking if Mike Andrews was the main suspect. This had led to people in Queensland talking and now the press wanted to know if Stevie Amaranga was under suspicion too. Which meant calls from their families that ranged between pleading and apoplectic that their progeny would never do such a thing. Thankfully Ian Kinch’s name remained out of any discussion for the moment. But worst of all the press wanted an update on the progress of the investigation. And Emmaline had nothing but strands.

‘So do we treat Andrews and Amaranga as our main suspects?’ asked Rispoli. ‘They were in Kallayee, we know that. Andrews