Frank took another drag of his cigarette, returning hard eye contact with the detective as he listened to his words, his poker face hiding the frustration he was starting to feel build up perfectly. A man like him was accustomed to hiding his emotions under a facade; it was imperative to his work. It did not do much, however, to quell the feelings that still made themselves present in his mind, no matter how hard he tried to keep them at bay.
“ I do have a lot of employees, yes. It’s necessary to make sure that my clients receive everythin’ they need in a timely manner. “ He responded, a tight lipped smile forming. “ I am more than happy to have my secretary send over copies of my employees files to your agency, if that’s what you need. Hell, you can even speak to them yourself if that’s what you need. “ He spoke with quiet confidence, knowing damn well that none of his workers would dare speak against him, ‘less they want to disappear. Another drag, accompanied by a silent sigh. “ That is not true. I’m sure you’ll see that when my girl sends everythin’ over. “
If word had gotten out about his smuggling ring, that could only mean one thing; somebody had decided to snitch. That would have to be dealt with. Not right off the bat, of course, he’d wait until the culprit felt safe before he made his move. “ You don’t really believe silly rumours like that, do you, detective Valentine? “ The con man challenged, his smile faltering in favour of an exasperated expression. “ Rumours like that, they’re always spread out of jealousy, y’see. I own a helluva lot of Rapture’s business interests, that’s common knowledge, I’ve got my charity work which speaks for itself, and I know that there are more than a few people who ain’t takin’ too kindly to the latter, for certain. “
A shrug, passive as though the threat in the words was not terribly clear. Valentine took a drag from his cigarette before answering, holding the moment, weighing his options.
❝ I’m impartial here, one way or the other, ❞ he replied, shrugging, ❝ I don’t know whether the rumors are true, whether to believe ‘em... I just know that there’s a man missing and I need t’ find out what happened to 'im, you understand. That’s all I’m after. ❞
His voice was smooth, confident. He knew he was playing with fire, but he knew how to handle it to keep it from burning him. At the very least, he didn’t intend to cause any undue problems with Fontaine, anything that’d come back to bite him. Of course, there was the trouble of not knowing just how much of a hand Fontaine had in the disappearance he'd come to investigate, or any others besides. Nor did he have any way of knowing whether he was dealing with a kidnapping, or a murder.
❝ It would be a big help if I could get hold of those records, yeah, ❞ he went on, applying a bit of honey to his words, ❝ As I said, I do appreciate you workin’ with me, Mr. Fontaine. It’s not my intention to cause anybody any problems, especially not an upstanding guy such as yourself. ❞