Mary clenched my arm. “What do we do now?”
I hadn’t really thought about how we could get out. We couldn’t see him, and there was no way to tell when the coast was clear. If he started to exit and saw us here, then he would know we’d been listening.
Brian rounded the corner, saw us sitting up against the wall, and rolled his eyes. He gestured us to one side. “Cold, if you are ready, I can interview you.”
As Cold came into sight, Brian moved to his far side, constantly talking to Cold, keeping his attention pointed away from us before stepping into the hallway and out of sight.
I let out the breath I was holding and stood up, dusting myself off. “That was close.”
Brian’s voice in the hallway was raised in a shout. “Just go down to the corner and wait for me there.” He stuck his head back into the cafeteria. “That’s the opposite of staying out of trouble. When I am done talking to Cold, I want to talk to both of you. Got that?”
We nodded and he disappeared back down one of the hallways.
“Geez, of course he would catch us.”
Tiger ran a hand through his hair. “When he started to leave, I freaked out a little bit. I don’t trust him, and I’m not sure what he would do if he caught you.”
“Hi, guys.”
I whipped around to see Kandi had joined us. “Hi, Kandi,” I said, but she was looking past me at Tiger.
“I was hoping to grab some food from the kitchen, but with a murderer running around, I am too scared to be alone. Tiger, could you come with me?” She crossed her arms and rubbed her hands down them, pushing her cleavage to dangerous heights.
Tiger’s eyes were lowered and locked on target. “Of course, Kandi, I wasn’t doing anything anyways.”
“So much for having Tiger help us.” I said to Mary after they went into the cafeteria.
“That’s fine. We only have one person left on the list: Loggin.”
“Did I hear my name?”
I turned around and Loggin had snuck up on us. “Yes, I was wondering how you got your name. We were about to sit down. Did you want to join us?” I gestured to the empty room.
Loggin took two huge strides, placed a hand on the half wall, and bounded over it. “Love to.”
Mary and I took the long way around to join him.
“My name’s an accident. When I started competing, I would make tons of posts about my training schedule like ‘Logging in at the range’ or ‘Logging in at the weight room.’ No one warned me that people were obsessed with nicknames, and next thing I knew…” He shrugged and pulled up another chair to prop up his legs.
I couldn’t help but notice an attitude change from earlier today. “You sure are chipper. Did you get everything worked out?”
“Pretty much. Few more details to iron out, but I’m confident it will get taken care of.”
“I think after the way you snapped at us this morning, we deserve an explanation.” I tried to keep my voice light and teasing with a big smile on my face as I said it.
“Sure, why not? Little over a year ago, I met Mac from MacSights, and we started talking about being a sponsored shooter with a contingency plan.”
I interrupted. “What’s contingency?”
“They agree to pay you if you get a certain placement or better at tournaments on their list. It’s a pretty standard setup between pro archers and their sponsors. It’s a rare archer that gets paid just to be on staff. MacSights is a big company that does really well, so I figured they would be solid. We hammered out a great plan. It wasn’t that great if I did okay, but if I placed in the top three, it paid very well. So I trained hard. First tournament of the season, in Vegas, I won. That’s a huge pay-out. I get these gigantic novelty checks from my sponsors, including MacSights, but when I get home, the check from MacSights bounces. It’s like six months’ rent.”
“Ouch, did you find out what happened?”
“I call Mac first thing. I thought he was being honest when he said that he had no clue how that happened. He said he would take care of it. I figure that he’s legit. I decide that I’ll do the entire 3D schedule and every other tournament I can, which is a big commitment, but with the Vegas money, I should be able to swing it. I quit my job so I could train and travel. I had my entire budget worked out, but it was based on getting that Vegas money from MacSights.”
“Oh oh, I think I see where this is going.” I chewed on a fingernail.
“Ya, it seems obvious in hindsight but I have a good excuse. The next tournament I placed and got a much smaller check from MacSights, and that one went through, so I figured they would be good on their word. They sent the big check again a couple months later, and it bounced again. Mac made excuses again, but all the smaller checks I was getting were legit. But without the money, I had to give up my apartment. I just couldn’t get the ends to meet, and I was halfway across the country competing. Do you know how embarrassing it is to move back in with your parents? All my stuff is sitting in their garage right now while I work this out.”
“Hey, me, too. My circumstances are a bit different, but most of my stuff is sitting in their garage in Texas right now while I work here and finalize my divorce.”
He reached across the table and offered up his hand for a fist bump. “You know this sucks. I got three bounced checks, and my bank was starting to look at me sideways. Then Mac starts dodging my phone calls. I’m still trying to practice full time, compete, and get my life back home squared away. I couldn’t even afford to fly home to move out of my apartment; my brothers had to do it for me. Do you know how much I owe them? I’ll be stuck helping them move until the day I die.”
“That sucks. Did you ever get an explanation from Mac?”
“I don’t know what happened, except that one day, like a month ago, I call, and Mac says that they were bought out by Westmound and it was no longer his responsibility. He tries to claim that it was an unrecoverable debt and I should write it off on my taxes.”
“Whoa, is that how it works?” Something didn’t seem right about that.
“No idea, probably not, but he blocked my number. The secretary wouldn’t put me through, and I couldn’t afford an attorney. I tried getting ahold of Westmound, but they couldn’t do a lot to help me yet since MacSights was in the process of being purchased. I didn’t want to talk about it too much because I didn’t want to get a reputation of bad-mouthing sponsors. But when I heard about this event, I figured I could drive over and crash it. If I could just talk to someone high up, I could get them to listen.”
“And?”
“And it totally worked. No thanks to Mac.”
“You’re still pretty mad at him. Did you see him today?”
Loggin chuckled. He wadded up a napkin from the dispenser and bounced it between his hands. “I know what you’re getting at, and no, I didn’t kill him. That wouldn’t get me the money he owes me, and that was my goal. I’ll tell you who I think did it—M.C. or Kandi. He was a crook so they were probably crooks, too.” He swatted the napkin hard, and it sailed over two tables and landed neatly in a lone coffee cup.
He leaped out of his chair, arms held high. “Did you see that? That was awesome.” He did a quick little dance that reminded me of a football player after a touchdown.
I couldn’t help but laugh. Mary giggled, as well. He was a fun guy when he wasn’t sulking around.
He finished his dance and turned back to us. “So, I still need to apologize to the little red-head, you heard my story so now you owe me.” He turned a smile on us that probably got him whatever he wanted.
“Okay, come on. She’s down the hallway. Come on, Moo.”
We got up to leave, and Loggin played with Moo, asking questions about him. Moo seemed very fond of Loggin, and that was probably a better indicator of his character than anything Loggin could have said.
As we passed the conference room, Liam called out my name. With a huge smile, I told Mary and Loggin on go on without me while I ducked into the conf
erence room.
“Hey, I have barely seen you all day. How are you holding up?” I asked Liam as I pulled a chair out across from him. A noise from out in the hall brought my head up, but it didn’t happen again, and I focused on Liam.
“Pretty well.”
He seemed a bit more distant than normal, which was saying something because he was quiet in the best of times. I cast around for something to discuss. “So you and Orion are good friends? Did you meet when he started working at Westmound?”
“No, we were college roommates.”
“Oh, random chance?”
“A little bit. We were on the same floor my freshman year. He’s a year older. There was a big group of us that liked to go jog, hike, or play sports together, and second semester, we took an elective together. Beginning Film, I think it was called, and we did a group project together. Basically everyone bailed but us.”
“What kind of project was it?”
“Short film. There were two girl parts. At one point, I complained about having to wear a dress, and Orion said, ‘If it’s good enough for Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams, then you can suck it up.’” Liam chuckled at the memory. Whatever had been weighing him down was disappearing.
“How did it go?”
“It was pretty awful but good enough to pass. But more than anything, we realized that we had each other’s back.”
“And he got a job at Westmound after he graduated?”
Liam nodded. “In spring of my junior year, my dad died suddenly. Grandpa had passed away like six months earlier, and Mom was already overloaded with that. She wasn’t sleeping or eating. I thought she was going to die of a broken heart. I never went back to school.”
I nodded along, and he continued.
“Orion packed up our apartment with all my stuff I left behind and drove it to my mom’s house in Salt Lake and basically moved in.”
“How did he end up working at Westmound?”
“Mom told him that if he wanted to start at the bottom and work his way up, that was an option. She obviously had a ton of respect for him. Few people want to start at the bottom, but Orion was thrilled to. That is what I did, as well. We have done almost every job at Westmound. Assembling equipment, sales, marketing, et cetera. Trust me, Orion has his current job because he earned it.”
He was quiet for a second, staring off into space before he stood. “I need to go.”
As he got up to leave, I realized he might be able to solve a mystery. “Liam, when Westmound bought MacSights, did you do a financial audit?”
“Of course we did, and it’s interesting. If you want to take I look, I’ll send it over. Hey, M.C., you need something?” Liam was looking beyond me.
I twisted around to look at the conference room entrance to see M.C. leaning in the door.
“Just wondering where the bathrooms are?” he asked with a strained smile.
I pointed in the general direction of the entrance where the bathrooms were located next to the front desk. He gave a wave as he walked away.
I looked back at Liam. “I guess the huge bathroom sign in the hallway needs to be about three times bigger.”
As we exited the room, we ran into Brian.
“Where’s M.C. off to?” Brian ran a hand through his hair, looking exhausted.
“To the bathroom,” I answered
“Not unless he is planning to go in the parking lot. He just raced out the entrance.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I ran down the hallway toward the entrance, with Brian close behind. I passed Minx and Loggin chatting on the floor of the hallway, and Mary let out a startled, “What’s going on?” as I ran past my office. I hit the entrance doors hard and burst into the clear night.
The snow had stopped, and the sky was clear overhead, a solid blanket of black and twinkling stars. The air bit into my skin immediately. They said that the clearer the sky, the colder it was in winter. There were footsteps in the snow interrupted by a huge mess in the otherwise-smooth snow—it looks like a snow angel created by someone with no control over their limbs. The footsteps continued again then halted into another failed snow angel.
Mary pushed out the door next to me and followed my gaze. “I guess those fourteen-thousand dollar boots aren’t good for running in the snow.”
Minx, who came out the door with Loggin, pointed out across the empty field. “There he is. Why is he running like that?”
M.C. was barely visible in the parking lot lights. He was running with a wide-legged pace, as though he were smuggling bricks in his pants.
“I think he is trying to keep from falling over again. But where is he going? It’s freezing, and there is nothing that direction for hundreds of miles.”
Suddenly, Moo took off. Huge galloping strides tore across the distance between him and M.C.
Tiger and Kandi stepped up to join to group. I took a deep breath and started to call after Moo, but Liam shushed me.
“Let Moo take care of this.”
Our group huddled close to watch Moo as he caught up to M.C. and hit him from behind. M.C. went down hard. Moo danced around him, jumping on his back, looking to play.
I rubbed my hands together in the cold air. “Jinkies! I think we found the killer.”
Brian burst out laughing, and after he caught his breath, he turned to us and said in an over-the-top stern voice, “And he might have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for you meddling kids and dog named Scooby-Moo.”
We laughed and groaned in unison.
Brian jogged away, snickering to himself. “I’ve been waiting for that all day.”
Kandi looked around the group. “What just happened?”
“We know who killed your husband.”
“But why?” She asked, snuggling under Cold’s arm after he came out to join us.
“That’s a good question.”
***
It had been a week since M.C. had been arrested, and I still wanted answers. After Brian handcuffed him, the snowplows and police had arrived. The rest of the Westmound Summit was relaxing after that.
I finished packing a light suitcase for my trip home. I was going to Texas to be with my parents for a short Christmas break. Jess was taking me to the airport in a few hours, but first, I needed to take care of two gifts.
Walking to the center, I passed Brian in his squad car. I gave him a wave around the packages I juggled in my arms.
He rolled down his window. “Di, come here for a second.”
I maneuvered closer to his vehicle. “You gonna tell me all about the murder?”
He chuckled. “You’ll want to talk to Liam. I had a question about why you asked me if Mac was poisoned. Did you see or hear something?”
The memory card was long gone. I swallowed hard. “No, nothing. Why?”
He examined my face closely. “The coroner had some suspicions. I’m not sure if they will follow up on anything, but if you had some evidence to share…”
I shook my head. “No evidence.”
“Okay then. See you after Christmas.” He rolled up his window and drove off.
Brian had been scarce since the arrest, but the fact that he had been here today hopefully meant that he had some news to share. I stepped into the center and jogged down the hallway of the center until I reached the equipment room.
Knocking on the door, I saw Liam working at the far side of the room. I called out, “Did you get any dirt from Brian?”
Liam turned around and waved me in. Moo came over for scratches. I don’t know what I was going to do not seeing their fuzzy faces daily.
“I did. And it explains a lot of things. Now, don’t repeat this to anyone.”
I crossed my heart. “I promise, no one except maybe Mary.”
He chuckled. “M.C. had been embezzling for years under his dad’s name, but when the company sold and we did an audit, he was worried that we would catch it. If his dad was dead, then he could blame it on him. I think he freaked when he heard us talking about
financial records, figured we knew something.”
I laughed. “We might have figured it out eventually. Did Brian tell you how Mac was killed?”
“Only in a really vague sense. M.C. used a hunting knife on display to stab his dad and used some shirts somehow to block most of the blood. Then he rinsed off in the bathroom. If the forensics had been able to get there sooner, it would have been an easier case.”
I nodded. “That’s it?”
“Yep, maybe we will get more details in the future, but for now, that’s all I know. Hey, I got you something.”
I perked up. I had been unsure about giving him a gift, but now I felt confident that I made the right decision. “Me too.”
I extended my gift as he turned around with a stack of company catalogues and a sandwich bag on top.
A blush crept up my neck, hot and awkward. “Oh, I thought you meant…” I had asked for information on all the companies that Westmound owned to research during my vacation. I picked up the sandwich bag with a memory card in it. I felt uneasy. “What’s this?”
“The night of the murder, Moo got sick, and guess what I found?”
“A pile of vomit?”
“Yes, and it was disgusting, but there was also a memory card. I figured you would know what that meant?”
I looked at the baggy distastefully. A vomit-y memory card was new to me.
Liam chuckled and took the presents I had offered him. “And I also have this for you.” He pulled out a wrapped gift about the size of a phone book and handed it to me.
I pointed to the larger box. “That one’s for Moo.” Anxiety knotted my stomach as I waited for his reactions to the presents.
He opened up a rubber bone and a black backpack screen printed with the words “Crime Stopper.” Moo walked over to sniff the backpack then took the bone out of Mac’s hand. He lay down and starting chewing on the corner.
I rushed to explain. “I read that Great Danes are working dogs, and having a job helps.”
“Did you get him a job at the police station?”
“No, you put like rice or sand in the backpack, and it helps the dog to feel accomplished. Plus, he has helped solve two murders. He has earned it. Now open yours.”
Death at the Summit Page 10
