“I kid you not, when you saw Evangeline laughing and playing—actually, from the moment she was born—it was weird … there was an aura about her. She seemed to sparkle with happiness. It was like one of those filters on your cell phone.” T.A. closed her eyes tightly, as if to shut out the memories.
“What the island children did, she wanted to do, and Manny took advantage of the trust our parents had given him and taught her a skill he’d taught the children in the village.”
Giving a bitter laugh, T.A. opened her eyes to stare at him. “We thought it was cute when Manny taught her to sing the island songs; first in their language then in English. That was before we found out he was teaching her to keep other secrets from us.”
Reaper wanted to tell her to hurry. He needed to be on the chopper, yet he remained silent, captivated by Ginny’s childhood. Every detail T.A. was sharing could be useful when dealing with the man who wanted to kill her.
“Manny might have taught Evangeline to sing out of the goodness of his heart, but he wasn’t above using it for his gain. I can’t blame him; he didn’t know the man who controlled the island was so dangerous. None of us did—until it was too late.”
“Who was he?”
“Gabriel Allerton.” T.A. gave him a wry smile. “You’ve heard of him?”
Reaper was shocked by the information. Gabriel Allerton was always in the news. He was known as the man with the Midas touch. Whatever business he invested in or developed turned to gold. Twenty-eight years ago, he sold his business with the intention of retiring, but then founded and headed a worldwide charity.
“Who hasn’t? He’s one of the richest men in the world. You said he was the one who convinced your parents to move to Clindale? I wasn’t aware he owned the island. How could he own and control Clindale Island if there are native islanders living there?” That he owned an island had never made the news, as far as he knew.
“He doesn’t own Clindale; he owns Sherguevil Island, which is the sister island. If you think they are taking Evangeline to Clindale, you’re mistaken. No one gets near Clindale without Allerton’s permission. You are taken to Sherguevil Island first, then to Clindale by a boat operated by his men, and unless you have permission, you won’t be allowed within ten miles of Sherguevil or Clindale Island.”
“He doesn’t own the ocean,” Viper interrupted.
T.A. shook her head, as if she was dealing with a child. “The government does, and Allerton has them in his pocket. Don’t you watch the news?”
Allerton’s charity included high profile, wealthy men and women from around the world.
“He’s been photographed shaking the hands of the last four presidents of the US, and he’s just as chummy with high-ranked officials in governments and regimes from around the world. The officials might not be endorsed members of the charity, but they do his bidding. They use huge amounts of money donated to Allerton’s charity for aid, as well as grease the wheels of the foreign governments where their ‘donors’ want to build their companies. The governments look the other way when regulations are loosened. The charity might spend a few million to pay the officials, but in return, they’re raking in billions in illegal builds and destroying natural habitats and resources. Whatever wealth they are giving away isn’t a quarter of what they are getting in return. Evangeline will only be allowed on Clindale Island if and when Allerton lets her.”
“Give me a second, T.A.” Reaper stopped her from going further, reaching for his cell phone. “Train, the plane Ginny is on will be charted for Sherguevil Island, not Clindale.”
“Got you,” Train said before abruptly ending the call.
Reaper replaced his phone in his pocket. “What else did Manny teach Ginny?” Trying to speed up the gathering of information, he wanted her to get to the point when their idyllic life changed.
“Not only had Manny taught Evangeline to sing, but he had also taught her how to steal. The islanders from Clindale were allowed to take boats over to Sherguevil Island during the day to sell their fresh food and crafts at the market square.
“Manny’s father, Gyi, would take a load of fresh fish over to the Sherguevil, and he brought Manny and some of the island children along for the ride. Allerton didn’t care, and the visitors were charmed by the children and would usually give them money, which they’d take home to give to their parents. In turn, they’d use those funds to purchase supplies from boats docked at Sherguevil. It kept everyone happy on Clindale Island since there was no other source of income, other than bartering with each other. Allerton never hired the villagers to work on his island, and his staff were not allowed to visit Clindale.”