Chapter 9: Deductions

"So how was your evening?" Maxine raised a sceptical eyebrow as Gregg came back into the bedroom.

"Don't worry, my dear, my virtue is intact."

"My," Maxine responded coolly, "it's obviously healed while you've been out."

Gregg smiled tolerantly as he stripped off and climbed into bed. "It was very productive. I found out two very interesting things, well three really. Our Miss Leon is on the receiving of a great deal of wealth as we thought, although it's not in her hands yet."

"And the other things?"

"Well, I think she is really Jungle Jane."

"What!"

"And she has guessed that we're behind the robberies."

"WHAT!"

"Don't worry I think we can turn it to our advantage. Listen, her whole background would fit with her being Jungle Jane. She was brought up in Africa. She arrived in town at the same time as JJ. And she let slip something about snakes that made me think she didn't want me to know that she knew more than she was letting on."

Maxine frowned. "She didn't know what? Or she didn't think you thought what?"

"Like I said, don't worry. It doesn't matter. Even if she suspects us she must feel she needs some proof or she would have had the police waiting for me when I turned up at the hotel."

"OK," Maxine said slowly but what are going to do about it.

"I think we should kill – or rather capture – two birds with one stone." Maxine looked blank. "Let's say we kidnapped Ms Leon – we could ransom her for a chunk of her estate, her trustees would, I'm sure be keen to pay up in order to keep her safe; if only to keep their jobs! Then – as part of the ransom negotiations we make it look like Jungle Jane has done it. Victoria won't be able to reveal why Jungle Jane has an alibi without revealing her identity and JJ will have to disappear from the scene! We'll be up a million or so, we'll have Jungle Jane out of our hair and with any luck the Mayor will be even more pissed at the Commissioner than she is now. Quite a result!"

"It is if you bring it off," Maxine sounded unconvinced, it seemed complicated and her general experience was that when things got complicated, things went wrong, "but it sounds like a tall order to me. How are you going to make it look like Jungle Jane is involved, anyway?"

"I thought some misdirection might be applied," Gregg laughed. "Just wait and see."