by Cindy Bell
“It’s happened before.”
“Maybe, but we can’t be sure that it was David. I think we need to know more about him. Did Bruce mention anyone else that was giving him any trouble?”
“No, he was only focused on David.”
“Do you know of anyone from your shared past that might have had a grudge against Bruce?”
Jo closed her eyes and shook her head. “I try not to even think about it.”
“Now you need to. Did Bruce have any enemies that you know of?”
“There were some people who were rivals, but these were thieves, not murderers.”
“Maybe he crossed someone in the past, after you were out of his life.”
“That’s possible.” She shook her head. “It feels like another lifetime now.”
“I can have Samantha look into Bruce’s and David’s background. I can also get Chris to check up on David, see if he can get any information on him. If there’s something to find, we’ll find it.”
“Great. I have some contacts I can reach out to.”
“I’d be careful with that. We don’t want the police getting wind of you reaching out to people from your past. It may look suspicious to them. Your job right now is to stay calm, keep your head down, and rely on your friends.”
Jo took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll try.”
“Good. And Walt will keep an eye on you.”
“What?” She laughed.
“I’m serious.” Eddy picked up his phone. “He’s going to be your bodyguard until all of this is over. Whoever killed Bruce might know that he talked to you, or might have recognized you from a past connection. Walt will make sure you follow my advice not to contact people from your past.”
“I don’t need a babysitter, Eddy.” She stood up and crossed her arms.
“Maybe not.” He stood up as well. “But you’re going to have one.” He smiled. “Walt will be here in a few minutes. I suggest you sit back and let him clean your house.”
Jo glanced around the mess she’d made when she packed the items she needed to take with her on the bus. “I suppose that could be a plus.”
“I’ll update you as soon as I know anything, Jo.”
As Eddy stepped out of the villa, Samantha stepped back inside. She shot him an annoyed look then hurried over to Jo.
“Did he intimidate you?”
“No.” Jo laughed. “Eddy only thinks he’s scary.” Samantha hugged her.
“I’m so glad he got to you before you got on that bus. What would I do without you?”
“I’m sure that you would be just fine.”
“Your garden certainly wouldn’t. You know I can’t keep things alive.”
“Okay, that’s a good point.” Jo smiled. “I’m sorry for trying to take off on you, I just thought it was the best thing to do.”
“I understand why you did. I can’t imagine how frightened you are. But you’re not alone anymore, we’re here to help you.”
“I see that now.” Jo glanced past her to the front door as Walt opened it. “It’s wonderful to have such good friends.”
“I’ll go get us some breakfast.” Samantha smiled as she headed out the door past Walt. Walt locked eyes with Jo as he stepped further into the house.
“Is it true?”
“Which part?” Jo picked up some of the napkins that were knocked off the kitchen counter when she rushed out the door. When she straightened up Walt was right beside her.
“That you were going to leave?” He looked into her eyes again.
“I thought I had to, Walt. I still think it might have been a better idea.”
“You weren’t even going to say goodbye?” He leaned against the counter and lowered his eyes. “When Eddy told me, I didn’t believe it. But I guess he was right.”
“I left a note.” Jo frowned. “I know that probably seems cold.”
“I just thought, it’s silly.” He sighed and plucked the napkins out of her hands. “Can’t use these now, they’ve been on the floor.” He tossed them into her trash can.
“Walt, don’t be upset with me.”
“I’m not, I just, I don’t know, I thought we were worth more to you than that.”
“You are. I stayed, didn’t I?” She smiled. He turned to look at her, his expression still solemn.
“What if Eddy hadn’t shown up? Would you have stayed?”
“I don’t know.” She brushed her fingertips along the counter. “I wanted to, Walt, more than anything I wanted to stay. I love it here, and my friendship with all of you. But, if you want me to be honest with you, I’d do anything to stay out of prison.”
“I wouldn’t let you go to prison.”
“That’s what Eddy said.” She laughed. “You two seem to think you can control the police and the court system.”
“That’s not what I think. I just know that I would do anything to keep you out of prison, too, Jo. All you had to do was trust us.”
“I’m here.” She met his eyes. “I didn’t take off.”
His lips finally cracked into a smile. “Yes, you are. So let’s start figuring out who the real killer is. Can I use your computer?”
“Sure.” She turned it on for him, then stepped back out of his way. Walt began tapping on the keys and didn’t stop until Samantha returned with bagels.
“Breakfast!” She smiled. Jo couldn’t help but wonder if Samantha thought this was fun. She loved a good mystery and with her investigative instincts from when she was a reporter she probably saw the case as a challenge. If only she could see it that way, too. “A contact e-mailed me the financial records for David. I asked him to see if he could try to get them when Jo asked me about David and they were just sent through.” Walt moved out of the way and Samantha opened the attachments.
“I don’t know how you manage to get the things you do, but this should be helpful.” Walt smiled as he looked at them.
“Don’t you want to eat first, Walt?” Samantha asked.
“In a minute,” Walt said distractedly as he scanned through the documents. Jo nibbled at her bagel as she watched Walt. By the time she finished her bagel Walt walked over to the table and began to fill them in on what he had found.
“It looks like David might be in debt, but that hasn’t stopped him from spending. Buying lavish gifts for females,” Walt said.
“Really, as far as I know David’s single, never been married.”
“Hmm. Well, he has a girlfriend. There are several transactions at a female clothing store, lots of eating out in an amount that would most likely cover two meals.”
“But I thought he was broke. He was in debt,” Samantha said.
“This might be why he’s broke. Whoever he is dating has rather expensive taste.” Walt nodded.
“Interesting.” Jo frowned. “So he’s bleeding himself dry to please his girlfriend. It doesn’t make sense to me that he would go to such lengths, even putting his business at risk, over a woman.”
“You’re not a man.” Walt winked at her. “It depends on the woman.”
“Oh, is that so?” Jo grinned.
“Yes, it is. A good woman can make a man do many things he never imagined he would.”
“I agree.” Samantha walked towards the computer and looked past him at the computer screen. “Is there any way to tell who he was dating?”
“Sorry, not from this information.” He shook his head as he turned back to the computer. “But I can tell you they had dinner at LaRuse last week to the tune of four hundred dollars.”
“Four hundred dollars? For two meals?” Jo’s eyes widened.
“They probably just got appetizers,” Samantha said.
“Ugh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” Jo flopped back in the chair. “Anyone who pays that much for a meal has to have lost their mind.”
“Especially if that person is in the financial bind that David is in. Maybe he’s a fool, but I’d say he definitely has motivation here to make some extra money.”
D
avid had a very high-maintenance girlfriend despite his financial crisis. Even though the finances pointed to him as the thief, his motive struck Jo as weak. Would he really steal from his own business just to provide for a woman whose demands outpaced his means? Would David kill Bruce because Bruce found out that he was stealing?
“So, it’s clear that David is in a bad financial place. However, I checked the finances for the gallery and it is not in as bad shape as Bruce claimed.”
“He said it was a struggle to keep the doors open,” Jo said as she set a bagel down on Walt’s plate and peered past him at the computer.
“It’s not raking in funds, but it has a good base to keep going for several years.”
“I wonder why Bruce would say that then?”
“Have you considered the possibility that Bruce was the one stealing the paintings?” Walt wiped a bit of butter from the corner of his mouth.
“No, I honestly hadn’t.” Her eyes widened at the thought. “Why would he pin it on David?”
“To throw everyone off track maybe. To frame David for the thefts so that he could get David out of the business and keep the profits for himself?” Samantha suggested. “It’s not unheard of, because partnerships usually include clauses that if one of the partners does anything to harm the business their interest in the business can be dissolved. Isn’t that right, Walt?”
“Yes. Maybe Bruce wanted David out and thought he could use you to prove that David was stealing the paintings.”
“That still swings David right back into the position of the main suspect in Bruce’s death. If David figured out what he was doing, then he would have plenty of motive to kill Bruce.”
“You’re right. What exactly did you see last night, Jo?” Walt met her eyes. “Anything unusual?”
“A few hours before the murder a group of teenagers set off the alarm and Bruce showed up to check on it. I let him know what happened and he went home.”
“Or you thought he did,” Samantha said.
“I saw his car pull away.”
“Maybe he went around behind the building and slipped inside while the alarm was being reset? Maybe he planned to steal paintings right under your nose?” Walt said.
“Maybe.” Jo sighed. “I’d hate to think that my judgment is so off.”
“It happens to the best of us, Jo,” Samantha said.
Jo nodded, but she didn’t agree. It never happened to her. If Bruce played her, then he might have inadvertently or even intentionally framed her for his own murder. If she couldn’t prove that David was the killer then she was going to get familiar with bars blocking her view of everything once more.
Chapter 8
Eddy paced back and forth in his living room and pressed the phone to his ear. He’d been waiting for Chris to pick up the phone for several minutes. Each minute that slipped by felt like an eternity with the pressure of knowing that at any minute Jo would be picked up for questioning.
“Eddy, sorry you had to wait, it’s really hopping in here today.”
“It’s not a problem, Chris. Can you run me a list of anyone currently in prison or previously charged with a crime that was a known associate of Bruce’s?”
“I can, but it’s going to take me some time. Do you think this had something to do with some bad blood?”
“I think it might. I’m worried that the detective on the case might be a little too focused on just Jo. I’d like to scrounge up some more options for him.”
“Will do. I’ll let you know as soon as I have anything. There’s something I shouldn’t tell you, Eddy.”
“What’s that?”
“Officers are going to pick Jo up for questioning in about an hour.”
“Thanks Chris. Thanks for the help.”
“If you say she’s innocent I believe you, Eddy, I’ll do what I can to help.”
Eddy hung up the phone then dialed Samantha’s number. He filled her in on the request he made of Chris. “That should give us a good base to start from. But since you can’t start looking into any of those people until we have the list, maybe you can find something else?”
“I will do what I can.”
“Sam, I’m coming over there to get Jo.”
“For what?”
“She has to go in for an interview, and I’m going with her. I don’t want her to get picked up by a patrol car, I’m going to take her in myself.”
“Eddy, do you think she’ll go?”
“I’m not sure. But I hope so.”
After he hung up the phone he drove over to Samantha’s villa. When he opened the door Jo turned to look at him with her face paler than he’d ever seen it.
“I don’t have a choice, Jo, you are either going to be picked up by a patrol car, or you can let me drive you in, but you have to go in to speak to the police.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “I knew this was coming.”
“If you’d rather wait, we can.”
“I’d rather go in with you, Eddy. I know you have my back.”
“Good. Then let’s go. Don’t forget that they can’t have any proof against you, because you’re innocent. Don’t let them con you into admitting anything, or saying anything more than you need to.”
“I think I can handle it. I have no choice but to face this.”
Eddy walked with her to the car and opened the door for her. Jo hesitated for a moment before getting in, then she settled in the seat. When he closed the door she gritted her teeth. Eddy was right, running wasn’t an option. The drive to the police station was short, and quiet. She stared out the window at all of the places in town she was used to visiting. Would she have a chance to visit any of them again? Her stomach tightened. Eddy parked, and then looked over at her.
“Are you okay?”
“I will be when this is over.”
“You’re going to be fine.”
“Or I’m going to be behind bars.”
“No Jo, you’re coming home with me.”
“If you say so, Eddy.”
“I do.” He rested his hand on her shoulder as he led her into the front of the police station. As soon as they were inside Jo walked up to the desk, gave her name and said that she wanted to speak to the detective in charge of Bruce’s case. Within moments she was escorted back to one of the interrogation rooms. She was whisked inside before Eddy had the chance to plead his case to go in with her. In some ways that was a relief to her. An officer remained in the room with her as they waited for the detective. A few minutes later the door opened and a man in his thirties stepped into the room. He wore a brown suit and a gaudy gold watch that clanged on the table as he sat down across from her.
“I’m Detective Rowan. I appreciate you coming in so willingly to talk with me.”
“Of course, yes.” She nodded.
“Are you nervous?” He smiled as he looked into her eyes. Jo wasn’t sure how to take his friendly nature.
“A little.”
“No need to be. I just need to straighten a few things out.”
“Okay.” Jo’s muscles relaxed a little. Detective Rowan appeared to have very little interest in her as a suspect. “Anything I can do to help.”
“I’ve done a little bit of research on you, Jo. Of course we have to do that with anyone that’s involved in a crime.”
“I wasn’t involved.”
“Even if you’re just a witness.”
“I honestly didn’t witness much.”
“I’m sure you can understand, this is all so we can catch a killer. Now, I noticed that you and Bruce have quite a bit of history together.”
“Some.”
“More than some, right?” He smiled as he looked up from the file in front of him. “It was suspected that you two were up to no good together before you were arrested.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“And yet, you were in his gallery when he was killed.”
“After he was killed.”
“You just happened to be t
here to look at a piece of art?”
“My friend and I were going to see a particular portrait.”
“So, Bruce didn’t ask you to look into some stolen paintings for him?”
Jo froze. She didn’t expect the detective to know that and wasn’t certain how to respond to the question. “Uh, I was helping a friend.”
“How nice for you, but that wasn’t the question that I asked, was it?” His tone and demeanor shifted from friendly to stern. “Were you investigating something for Bruce?”
“No, not really.” She cleared her throat. “I was just helping him out.”
“So you lied about the reason that you were at the gallery.”
“I thought it would be easier not to mention it.”
“Easier? It’s easier to lie than to tell the truth?”
“I offered to help an old friend out by looking into something for him, but I didn’t have any way to prove it so I wasn’t sure if it was something I should mention.”
“Now, don’t try to pretty it up, Jo. You lied to a police officer. So, how can I know that you didn’t lie about everything else?”
Jo narrowed her eyes as she realized she’d fallen right into his trap.
“I didn’t kill him, I have nothing else to say.”
“Nothing? What about an explanation as to why you got yourself involved with a known felon?”
“He asked me for help, I wanted to help him.”
“Why? Because you were still in contact? From the paperwork we found at the gallery it looks like paintings have been going missing. Did you partner up with Bruce so that you could steal his paintings? Maybe he wasn’t giving you enough of the cut and you decided to take him out?”
“I am out of that life, and even if I wasn’t, I would never kill anyone.”
“Sure, because a thief has too many morals to do something like that.”
Jo stood up from the table and locked eyes with the detective. “Are you going to arrest me?”
“If I could, believe me I would. Just give me a little time, we’ll get there.”
“You’re wrong.” She shook her head. “You’re wasting your time on me while the murderer gets away with the crime.”
