She of the Sea

10 of 53 - A New Plan

"What do we know?" Webb asked his crew. After the dressing-down they all received from Doctor Armando about their failures, they had worked the rest of the day running down leads and reassembled in the Verdanx Pharma conference room to coordinate. The sun had set and the clock on the wall displayed ten after seven. All of them were tired and cranky. The room reeked of their collective body odor.

Webb's second in command, Danno Holt, ran a hand over his bald head. His nose resembled a bird's beak which put Webb in mind of a raptor. "We've been able to ferret out some information." He pointed to the screen attached to a laptop and brought up the image of a tall, slender man surrounded by much bigger men as they walked down a street.

"That's Milos Argyros and his goombahs," Claudia pointed out. Her dreadlocks hung loose over a red leather jump suit she had changed into. "He's a Greek tycoon who has business interests in many of the Tarpon Springs establishments, the connection being he is the ex-husband of Marnie Korfu."

Webb had assigned himself the task of running down who had lived in the apartment where Cassandra Drakos had taken refuge. He also researched who owned the building. "So, the landlord and the tenant are ex-spouses. Interesting."

"There's more," Claudia said. "When I ran a background on Milos, I discovered his brother named Adrian, now deceased, was Mya Drakos's husband and Cassandra's father."

The connections had come together. "Our girl, Cassandra, is the niece of Milos and Marnie. It makes sense how she would call on her aunt to rescue her. Her aunt would be aware of the danger to the girl and understand the urgency to run."

Danno faked a gag. "One of those things had a husband? Can you imagine having sex with a creature like what we saw splayed out on the cutting table?"

Claudia pointed an accusing finger at him. "You would have. Mya Drakos was quite the looker in her un-transformed state."

Webb ran a hand over his facial stubble. It had been two days since he had last shaved. "The question is, where would Marnie take her niece, to her uncle Milos maybe?"

"I would bet my next paycheck on it," Nico said. "Take it from me, a Greek. Our families are tight and clannish. We rally around any family member in trouble. They would have gone to him for protection, especially since he's a powerful patriarch."

Webb studied the image of the man on the screen. "Claudia, you say he's a successful tycoon. Are all of his businesses above board?"

She scoffed. "Hell no. The Florida State Police have an open case file on the guy a mile long. Among other things, he allegedly runs an underground railroad of sorts funneling illegals up the coast."

"Allegedly?"

"Law enforcement can't prove anything. He has a reputation for fairness. He never abuses the people he helps and genuinely helps them. In return, they and their families stay silent. Of course, he's well-paid for his services."

Razzy Scott, the Seminole of few words, chuckled. "How about that, a criminal with scruples."

"Don't get the wrong idea," Claudia went on. "Milos Argyros is not a gentleman. He's not opposed to using strongarm tactics when it suits him. He's pressured quite a few local business owners to grant him part ownership in their enterprises. Again, nothing can be proven because legal documents are all signed and proper."

Webb couldn't see how that information would be helpful in locating Cassandra. "What about his legal businesses? What does he use as a front? How does he launder his money?"

Danno raised his hand as if asking for permission to speak. "As you know, Tarpon Springs is the sponge capital of the world. Milos controls the sponge industry. He's got a lock on it. I suspect a lot of his money gets funneled through that enterprise."