Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
She nodded slowly, still mulling over my offer. Finally, she started speaking, “She was beaten severely. A few of her injuries might be the result of her going overboard but the majority were caused by kicks and hits. The police are convinced she’s a prostitute because of her outfit. She wore very high heels with straps around her ankles and calves and a very short dress. They probably won’t be too invested in solving the crime.”
“Did she have other injuries than the beatings? Signs of rape or torture?”
The woman shook her head. She didn’t blanch or hesitate. A nurse would see a lot of ugly things, and most of them weren’t even related to the underworld.
“No, not that we could tell, but she’d been in water for a while. That washes away certain traces.”
I nodded. Water was always a good way to dispose of a body if you weighed it down. Otherwise, things like this happened. The person who’d tried to kill Imogen had either acted in acute anger or he simply didn’t have any experience disposing of a body. Even in anger I couldn’t imagine forgetting the most important basics of getting rid of proof. “Is there a chance of her waking up?”
“It’s hard to say. She has a brain swelling, and she’s been without oxygen for some time. But again we can’t be sure for how long exactly. The water in these coasts isn’t cold enough to prevent brain injuries for long. If she wakes, it’s very likely that she’ll have some brain damage. Once she’s more stable, the doctors will probably attempt brain surgery.”
After my talk with the nurse, I went into Imogen’s hospital room. I wouldn’t have recognized the person in the bed. Her face was discolored and swollen, her head wrapped in a bandage with tufts of hair sticking out. The color was indistinguishable because of the traces of blood in it.
Considering Aislinn’s worry for her sister, this would wreck her.
Once my men had arrived to watch Imogen, I left the hospital and drove to the marina. Maksim’s yacht was anchored at the same jetty again. This time, three bodyguards guarded it. Either Sergej didn’t trust my restraint, or Maksim was trying to guarantee his safety.
The guards barred my way when I reached the end of the jetty. I gave them a harsh smile. If Sergej wasn’t involved, I would have kicked their asses. My brothers always believed I didn’t have any self-control but I wasn’t a teenager anymore. “I’m here to talk to Maksim.”
A couple of minutes later, Maksim appeared on deck. His expression was tense, almost fearful. Even if he’d ruined his face with too many plastic surgeries, he wasn’t stupid. He knew I’d find a way to kill him if that’s what I wanted. There was a reason why Five-Leaf-Clover was hired for the difficult contract killings.
“It wasn’t me.”
“You were the last person I saw Imogen with. Maybe she blackmailed you.”
He gripped the rail of his yacht. His wedding ring flashed mockingly in the sun. “My wife knows about my affairs. As long as she has unlimited access to my money, and I’m discreet about it, she doesn’t care. We’ve been married for a while. There was nothing Imogen could have blackmailed me with.”
I believed him. But maybe his sexual preferences got out of control or he was an aggressive drunk. That would explain the messy job of disposing of the body. “What happened?”
“We anchored in St. Barth and I had a meeting with an old business acquaintance. Things got a bit out of hand. I spent a night at his villa with a couple of prostitutes. When I came back to the yacht the next day, Imogen got angry because my shirt was covered in lipstick and I smelled of other women.” He snickered. “Did she think I would be faithful?”
“Go on,” I gritted out. I couldn’t stand him for long.
“She said she’d met someone else who appreciated her more. Can you imagine? She had been looking for dick even before she knew I had fucked the prostitutes!” He shook his head in disgust. I didn’t think he had any right to judge her but I didn’t interrupt his rant. “I guess she found an idiot with even more money who promised her eternal love.”
“You don’t know who he was?”
“I didn’t bother asking around. To be honest, at that point I was glad to be rid of her. There are more willing girls out there, and many are far less trouble than Imogen was. She packed her things and left. I never saw her again. I don’t know if she boarded another yacht. It would explain why she ended up ashore.”
I nodded, then turned and left. I had a feeling torturing him wouldn’t bring me any closer to finding out what happened to Imogen. Maksim wasn’t the type who killed. My flight to New York was leaving the next morning. That gave me tonight to ask around a bit more.