Chapter 36

Baby Girl and her brood were very happy to see me when my detail rushed me aboard the yacht. They followed me to the master stateroom and clustered around me on the bed, while I worked at lowering my heart rate and blood pressure. Just holding Baby Girl calmed me down. Playing with her babies kept me calm. When the police captain arrived I was feeling more normal, but still terribly wired, which was probably for the best, as any investigator would expect me to be upset after being attacked.

The captain – inspector was polite, formal and brief. “Lord Terrance, on behalf of the Crown Council of Monte Carlo, please accept our formal apology for the events of this evening. We are very concerned about the safety of our special guests.

“Please be assured, sir, that the person who attacked you was unknown to us. As far as we can determine, though it is very early in our investigation, the attacker carried no personally identifying information. His fingerprints have not matched anything in our system, and we are awaiting response from INTERPOL and several other international organizations.

“The Crown Council of Monte Carlo takes their responsibility for safety very seriously, and every possible avenue of investigation will be followed as we determine if any other criminals were involved in a plot to rob our guests...” He was very concerned that I might spread unkind reports of the hospitality and efficiency of the Crown, but I assured him I held no spite against anyone other than the man with the gun.

He barely touched on the actual events, concerning himself with getting the facts from my security staff rather than hold me up as I informed him of our intention to depart to avoid any others wishing me harm. His national pride was offended at the thought of a royal guest running off in fear, and he spent a long time promising that the Crown was in complete control and guaranteed my safety no matter how long we might stay.

Blessedly done dealing with official Monte Carlo, we sailed off to somewhere far from prying eyes, eavesdroppers, or electronic surveillance. It was killing me waiting for Jack to report in. He flatly refused to have any communication of any kind whatsoever, choosing to make me suffer until we could meet face to face, without prying eyes, or electronic records.

Eventually Jack managed to fly to an undisclosed location, charter a plane, fly it to another undisclosed location, and rent a fishing boat, so he could take a leisurely cruise out to some barely known fishing grounds, where he used a Zodiac to join me on the yacht. He looked understandably tired and frustrated. It occurred to me that whatever he was holding back must be a doozy. Jack was so exhausted that he fell asleep over a hot meal and strong drink. Rather than attempt to rouse him, I helped him to a stateroom and gently left him on the bed, fully clothed, and snoring loud enough to wake the dead.

Baby Girl and her brood kept me company while I waited out his sleep deficit. We romped around the upper deck, played tricks for treats and generally had a wonderful evening. Jack awakened sometime after midnight, but we were fast asleep and he had to wait until morning to share his news.

“Deirdre tried to have you killed.” Jack spoke with authority. Obviously, despite the efforts of official Monte Carlo, word of the attack on my filtered out to the world press. “She did you the greatest favor in the world by trying to have you murdered.

“The international law enforcement community that descended on the Late Duke’s estate following the shocking discovery of Lady Deirdre’s dead body immediately connected the dots to both events and concluded beyond any doubt that the attacks were connected. Their efforts are totally focused on finding connective tissue between the poisoning of Lady Deirdre and the attempted shooting of Lord Terrance.” Jack succinctly summed up what the international news had reported just moments before he woke from his enforced slumber.

“How good did your guys cover their tracks?” I had to ask.

“Let’s see ... My team was completely tied up shooting wild animals in Africa. Our guys were so successful that local newspapers ran photos of them with tribal leaders, as they turned over the carcasses to be used for food and hides. The locals were so grateful that they held a feast just for our team, and provided sleeping huts for everyone involved while the celebration continued without them, due to exhaustion from the extended hunt.”

I guessed that Jack wouldn’t be volunteering anything more than that, but he surprised me, once more. “Deirdre succumbed to a fatal dose of a poison found among tropical plants. It apparently found its way into her morning milk and slowly shut down her kidneys and liver, while failing to show much in the way of physical affects. I was kind of surprised that the investigators caught up to the poison as fast as they did, but that is probably because Deirdre sent that shooter after you at the most perfect time. She provided an unimpeachable trail for the investigators to follow.”

Jack smiled a truly ugly smile, then. “When the identity of the shooter unravels, and we have secretly provided just enough information for authorities to piece together his identity and his movements, they will discover that he was paid handsomely by Deirdre to kill you. They will also figure out that the same people she reached out to in order to hire the shooter, were the ones that put her down.”