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“So, what have you got? Anything interesting there?” Jack asked.
Her eyes snapped to Chad’s and he knew she was thinking the same thing he was.
She was thinking about how interesting things had gotten between them last night.
Chad shook his head, clearing his thoughts and focusing on the call with Jack. Last night with Jennie had been one night. Just like she’d asked for. He had to move on now.
Chad set down his water bottle. “Not really. The resort is busy and the service and rooms are first class. The restaurants have been good. It seems like business is strong. I can definitely say the nephews don't seem to do much to earn their keep. It appears the managers are running the show. We’ve seen the nephews partying and schmoozing, but that’s all they seem to do. They’re kind of what you’d expect on a Girls Gone Wild video, but a little more subdued, given the high-class nature of the resort.”
“I had a feeling. I wonder what their uncle plans to do with them after he sells the resort. It’ll give Peter an immediate savings in expenses, though. He’ll be happy to hear that. What about the marina? That whole thing still seems odd to me. Were you able to spot any reason for setting things up the way they have?” Jack asked.
“No,” Chad said. “They definitely only have that setup for the marina, though. The other tours are all set up traditionally, with the reps working the lobby and running their own billing. More along the lines of what I’ve seen at other places.”
“We’ve looked into ownership of the company running the marina and it’s owned by a company called Florifish, Inc. It’s a privately held company but, here’s the thing. It’s owned primarily by the Masters brothers and a guy named Rick Bandon. Bandon is a building inspector in Florida,” Jack explained. “There are a few other small shareholders as well, but those three are the main players.”
“I wonder if Jonathan Masters knows his nephews are owners in a company that seems to be taking advantage of his resort. The contract Florifish has with the resort hardly seems equitable. The resort is doing all the work for very little return,” Chad said.
“There are also tax implications for all that money the resort is running through there. It doesn’t make any sense from a business standpoint to take on the workload and tax burden for such a small cut. It’s a lot of work. They’re booking five fishing boats a day, seven scuba tours on the smaller boats. That’s a lot of work when they could turn the work over to the marina company and charge a flat rate for the lease or even a sliding scale lease based on sales and use,” Jack said.
Chad knew he was mostly talking to himself now, mulling over the scenarios in his head.
“Three fishing boats,” Jennie said.
“What?” Chad and Jack asked as one.
Jennie leaned toward the phone. “Three fishing boats, five of the smaller boats they use for the scuba and sightseeing tours, twenty-seven kayaks.”
Jack was quiet for a minute but they could hear papers shuffling.
“No. They have bills showing five fishing boats, seven rigid inflatables going out on dive tours three times a day, and forty-five kayaks,” Jack said.
Jennie was shaking her head even though Jack couldn’t see her through the phone. “That’s not what they have. Unless maybe they have boats at another spot? Maybe some of the tours leave from somewhere else?”
“We never thought to ask that,” Chad said.
Jennie stood. “I’ll go ask one of my friends at the desk.”
“I want to get Andrew in on this. Chad, stay by the phone. I’ll call you back. Jennie, see what you can find out. If they’re billing for stuff that doesn't exist, I want to know about it.” Jack cut the connection as Jennie looked under the couch and around the floor for her sandals.
Chad crossed to the front door and picked them up. He handed them to her with a wry smile. They were always right where he put them, but Jennie still hadn’t figured out to look for them there.
“Oh! Thanks.” She grinned then slid her feet into the shoes and opened the door. “Be right back,” she called over her shoulder.
Chad sank onto the couch and waited for Jack to call them back as he thought about the night before. Other than a few uneasy looks here and there, she was acting as if everything was normal. God, he hoped she was okay with last night.
In a way, he wanted to regret it. He wanted to feel like he’d done something wrong, and on the one hand he did, but a part of him couldn’t be sorry for what happened.
Having the chance to hold Jennie in his arms for one night had been incredible. He didn’t know if she could ever give him more than that, but he’d take what he could. He’d take the memory of one night with her if that’s all he could have.
The phone rang, pulling him out of his thoughts. Chad picked it up, knowing it would be either Jack or Andrew.
“Yeah, guys,” he said.
“Chad, I want you guys out of there. The jet’s on standby. Get to the airstrip and get out of there now,” Jack said, the urgency in his tone sending cold disquiet through Chad.
“They’re laundering money,” Andrew explained. “That’s the only reason to run that money through there like that and the only explanation for billing for boats that don’t exist. And, whoever the hell those idiot nephews have gotten into bed with won’t be nice people. Nice people don’t need to clean their money. My guess is the building inspector, Bandon, they’ve partnered up with is taking bribes.”
Chad was already up, grabbing his backpack and Jennie’s purse then heading for the door. If they had time to get back and pack their stuff, they would.
