Stolen Love (Beauty in the Stolen 3)

“I’m pretty sure that’s illegal too,” I taunt.

Splaying his crow-like fingers over the desk, he leans in. “True, but who’s going to find out? That’s the beauty of being in isolation. You have no one to complain to.”

I chuckle. “Threatening me won’t get you anywhere, Detective. On the contrary, if you pull Wolfe’s stunts, you can walk out of here right now and hope for the best. I assure you, I have a damn good lawyer.”

“Not even the best lawyer in the world can get you out of this one. You’ll both serve.”

“For theft maybe. You’re yet to prove we’re guilty of murder.”

He pounds a fist on the desk. “After Ms. Joubert went missing, I told Detective Wolfe I wasn’t making any more moves that could come back and bite us in the ass. In any event, I was only involved in the crimes that happened in my area. The minute Ms. Joubert slipped through our fingers, Detective Wolfe went back to head office and carried on with his case. I followed his progress to see if any new evidence about the heist on Sun City or the murder of the bank manager came up, but all I got was a nasty suspicion that Detective Wolfe was hiding something.”

After the long speech, he sucks in a breath. “There. I’ve given you what you wanted. I won’t ask you again. Why did Detective Wolfe go alone to the cabin? Why didn’t he call for backup?”

I have a good sixth sense for bullshit. That’s not what Hackman is feeding me. Good, because what I have in mind won’t work if I’m faced with a dirty cop. If I’m to pull this off, I need someone who plays by the rules.

“You know what I think?” he asks. “I think you set a trap for Detective Wolfe. Ms. Joubert stole the diamonds, knowing Mr. Visser would call Detective Wolfe. Detective Wolfe told Mr. Visser not to call the local police because he’d handle it. Only, Detective Wolfe didn’t call in the robbery. Luckily for me, Mr. Visser was way too concerned about his diamonds to trust only one detective to get them back. He called the police station and reported the theft. Clearly, you wanted Detective Wolfe to come after you. That’s why you went back to the Kloof. What I don’t know is why.”

Of course, if my phone hadn’t been switched off, I would’ve known Mint had called the local police. The police didn’t find the bug in the shop, otherwise Hackman would’ve mentioned it. If they’re doing their job as well as they should, they’ll find it when they dust for fingerprints and swipe the shop. By then it won’t matter any longer, because Hackman will already know why we planted it.

Giving him a long look, I say, “You’re right. It was a trap. We were hoping to get Wolfe there alone. You want to know why? Because Wolfe was going to kill us if he’d gotten to us first.”

He laughs. “You’re crazy.”

“Cas has incriminating evidence against Wolfe, evidence that won’t only prove my gang innocent of the murder of the bank manager, but Wolfe guilty thereof.”

He stares at me as if I’m an alien that just crashed through the roof in a spaceship. “That’s one hell of an accusation.”

“As I said, we have the proof to back it up.”

“What proof?”

“A photo from the security camera that was taken on the day of the robbery. The murderer wore SIU cufflinks.”

He pales. Silences stretches as he digests the information. After another beat, he inhales deeply and exhales through his nose. “If what you say is true, it’s going to cause a shitstorm of epic proportions in the bureau.”

“Can you handle it?”

He dips his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. When he looks back at me, he looks more resigned than angry. “Yes.”

He’s got the kind of face that’s a roadmap to his inner workings. He definitely won’t make a good poker player. His thoughts are written all over his features. They don’t show deceit or pretense. They only show acceptance.

“What do you want?” he asks, tapping his pen on the desk. “If you’re hoping for a deal, I can’t give you a good one. It’s life imprisonment. You’ll be lucky if you get parole in fifty years.”

“This is how it’s going to work.” I lean my elbows back on my knees. “I’ll give you a full confession, everything you want to know. I’ll admit every heist and crime I’ve committed, including the murder of Detective Wolfe.”

He stills his fiddling and drops the pen. “Including the identity of your gang members?”

“They’re both dead. I’ll confess to killing them too.”

He fixes me with a greedy stare. “What about your money laundering partners?”

“No partners. I’m not ratting on anyone but myself. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”