“Ms. Hawkins, let me be frank here. This is a nasty situation and we need your help. I’m not here to lay any of the blame at your door if that is what has you so worried. We know your ex-husband was involved in organized crime and used your restaurant as a front to launder money.”
Lena gasped. “You’re kidding me, right?” She stared at Jeremy then turned to Adam.
“It gets more complicated than that.” Sorry, honey.
“Yes it does. Lena, if I may, it seems things started quite some time ago with Cole Franklin. He’s been involved with this crime organization for over ten years that we can trace back to, which just about ties in with when your cousin was sent to jail over the fraud case involving Adam’s ex-girlfriend. The money for your restaurant in Sydney was syndicate money fed through the bank Sally—or Lee-ling, as we know her—worked at.”
She shook her head. “Hang on, you’re losing me. Sally was involved in the bank fraud, I got that and she was Adam’s girlfriend.”
“Right.” Jeremy nodded his head.
“And she was also connected to Cole at the same time?”
“Yes. When she left the country, she returned under a different identity. The reason she was considered overseas for so long and one of the reasons this case has been ongoing.”
“And what you’re saying is that the money Cole borrowed from the bank was syndicate money?” She watched the policeman. “So if that’s the case, am I under suspicion for being involved too then? Is that why you’re here, to arrest me?”
Adam gripped her hand, but she pulled away from him. “Tell me the truth because I’ve just about had enough bullshit over the last few years. I can’t take any more right now.”
Jeremy leaned down and opened his briefcase and took out a folder. “Here’s what we have.” He opened it and handed her a page. “Is this your bank account?”
Lena scanned the page, noting the date and the bank details. She nodded her head.
“Is this Cole Franklin’s account?” He passed over another page.
“I don’t know. I was never allowed to see his paperwork. We kept our own accounts separate. It was the way he liked it.”
“What about the restaurant bank account. Did you have access to that?” Jeremy slid another sheet of paper her way and watched as she looked at it.
“That was his thing. Claimed he was better at figures than I was so I let him deal with that side of the business.”
That was a mistake, probably a good one as it turns out. Adam tried to stay out of it.
Jeremy smiled. “We can verify those facts and we have. I wanted to hear it from you though.” He took back the bank statements and slid them in the folder. “What we have here is a very simple case of money laundering, but on a grand scale. We don’t normally see it done from the inside of a bank either and this is the case here. Sally used your cousin to gain access to the bank and worked her way up to his office. His only crime was to try and cover up her dealings. It was too late and there was nothing he could do.”
“And he died for that.” She screwed up her mouth, bitterness in her eyes. Adam had warned her earlier it would be mentioned and she had to act the grieving cousin.
“I’m sorry. We’ll get these guys and the more evidence we find building up against them the easier it’s going to be. Your father sent me the recording of Cole taking ownership of the poisoning scandal that closed your restaurant down, albeit temporarily. We’re charging him with attempted murder on three counts.” Jeremy’s lips twitched and Adam knew they’d done the right thing handing it over.
“I think he’ll most likely cut a deal to save his own skin, although he would want to be careful of his girlfriend and her family. Their reach is as long as their memories.”
“I say he deserves everything he gets after what he’s done. What do you want from me?” Lena lifted her chin a little and glanced between him and Jeremy.
“I want a statement from you detailing everything you can think of. I’ve prepared a list of questions to ask you and I’ll be recording the conversation. When I get back to Sydney it’ll be typed up and Adam will get you to sign a copy in front of a judge. Later today I’m hoping to have Cole arrested.”
“Fine. Let’s do it then.”
* * *
Lena answered every question Jeremy threw at her regardless of how personal or how close to her heart it was. By the time he clicked the stop button on the recorder, her jaw throbbed with a tightness borne of tension.
It was her turn now. “I have a question.” It had been niggling at her the whole time they were talking.
“Sure, fire away.” Jeremy took a little donut and popped it in his mouth, licking the sugar from his fingers as Lena sorted out her words.
“Cole and Sally, or Lee-ling, whoever. You said they were connected back at the beginning. Was that before he met me?” Please say no.
“Yes, about a year before then from what we understand.”
Lena gripped her hands in her lap refusing to look at Adam. “How were they connected exactly?”
Jeremy glanced at Adam before looking back at her. “They were lovers back then and still are.”
Oh God. Lena saw stars around her peripheral vision, and her ears were ringing with a high pitched wail. She bolted from her chair, heedless of it crashing to the ground and ran from the table, through the kitchen, and out the back door to
