“Glad to meet you, Harry. Wanna tell me what you did to make Cherise kick you out?”
“I was pushy. But I’ve learned my lesson.”
“One always learns their lesson with Cherise.”
“Tell me about her. Maybe I’ll learn something to get me back in her good graces.”
George gave him a long look. “She’s a bitch. Tighter than a drum when it comes to money and has to have everything her way.”
Dirk nodded and took a sip of his club soda. “That’s her.” Dirk paused. “Does she owe you money?”
“Sure does. Can’t get her to give me anything but a few dollars here and there when she has what she owes me and won’t pay up.”
“Why doesn’t she give it to you?”
“Damned if I know. Like I said, she’s a bitch.”
Dirk drained his glass, then waved the waitress over. Give us another round.”
“You paying?”
“Damned straight.”
George slammed his hand on the table. “I like you, Harry. I’m going to the john. Be right back.”
As soon as George turned the corner, Dirk took the empty shot glass, wrapped it in his handkerchief and put it in his pocket. He’d have the lab they used obtain George’s prints.
This could be it. He could be talking to the killer.
But an hour later, Dirk hadn’t learned anything about Cherise except she was a bitch and didn’t pay the guy what she owed him.
Could it be because she didn’t have the money yet?
Chapter Eighteen
After dropping the glass off at the lab, with orders to email the fingerprint results to him ASAP, Dirk went back to the office. He immediately went to see Sky.
She came out of her chair the minute he walked in. “What?”
How could she read him so well? “I may have something. Tell me what you’ve found.”
“You first.”
He told her about George and what he’d learned. “If he was with Cherise when she took the money, he could have been the one who killed Martin.”
“Do you have someone watching him?”
“I do.” It only took two phone calls to get someone to take over. The guys the PI firm hired for surveillance were all ex-servicemen or servicewomen and did a great job. Most of them were wounded warriors and tailing someone was right up their alley. He hadn’t left George until his man came in, saw the two of them and walked out. Dirk’s agent would follow George; find out where he lived, who he contacted, and make a report.
“Do you think he’s the killer and Cherise is the one who moved the money?”
“It’s a lead, Sky. We follow every lead to see where it goes. He could be the one, or he could just be someone Cherise knows. We’ll find out.”
She sat back down.
“Tell me what you found.”
“Steel Financial has dozens of international accounts. Any one of them could have been piggybacked. So far, I’ve found nothing unusual. But I intend to keep at it until I do.”
“Good. I haven’t eaten all day. Is there anything left from lunch?”
“Maybe.” But Sky was back to pounding the keys. She wouldn’t be joining him in the break room.
He made a fresh pot of coffee, found a sandwich in the fridge and sat down. He missed Sky’s presence. Obviously, the feeling wasn’t mutual.
He’d taken his last bite when his cell phone rang. It was Carrie. She spoke so low he could barely hear her. “Stay at the office. I’m coming in.”
Something had happened or Carrie wouldn’t be so cautious and she wouldn’t ask him to wait for her.
Pouring a mug of coffee, he took it to Sky.
He tapped on the door and opened it. “I thought you might need a break.”
She sat back and rubbed her eyes. “Thanks. I get started and don’t remember to stop.”
“It’s past time to give it a rest.”
She looked at her watch. “I didn’t know it was so late.” She started to gather her things.
“Carrie is on her way in. Either something happened or she learned something.”
“Maybe we’ll get enough information to put this together so we can get Dory out of jail. I’m afraid of what will happen to her if we don’t.”
“So am I. Whoever is after the money won’t give up until he gets it or is found out.”
Sky’s cell phone rang.
She had told Dirk the only other person who knew her number besides himself and those at the PI office was her boss.
She frowned when she answered.
“I’m fine, Mr. Parnell.” She looked over at Dirk. “Can’t I do this over the phone? It’s very difficult to come into the bank at this time.”
Dirk shook his head. She turned her back. Sky couldn’t go into the bank for any reason. It was too risky.
“We could Skype. I can tell him all he needs to know and he can tell me what he expects from us. It would work as well as a face-to-face. I do it every day for my international clients.”
Dirk stepped in front of her and shook his head again. No way was she going in.
“I see.” Her voice sounded resigned. She looked at Dirk. “I’ll see you at ten in the morning, then.”
When Dirk opened his mouth, she stopped him. “I have no choice. The man is super wealthy and wants to invest hundreds of millions with the bank. He told Mr. Parnell he wouldn’t work with anyone else.”
“You can’t.”
“It’s not as if I want to do this. It puts everyone at risk. But I don’t know what else to do. If the bank loses the account because of me, I lose my job.”
Dirk slammed a hand against the wall. “Then I’ll be in the office with you when you see him and I’ll have more than one armed person there in case there’s trouble.”
“Whatever you think is best, but you won’t be in the office when I’m talking about trusts and securities with a client. It’s confidential information that never leaves my office. He’ll walk.”
“Sully?”
“Not allowed. The client would be suspicious. And what if he has an allergy? I can’t risk it. I’ll have to go it alone the way I always do. Besides, you’re worrying over nothing. This is routine.”
Dirk watched the stubborn play of emotions on Sky’s face.
She wouldn’t budge.
Which meant he’d better get a PSD, personal security detail, together ASAP. He whirled around and went to his office. He knew who he wanted for the mission, he only hoped they were available. Then he’d make a call to the bank and speak to Parnell. Tomorrow, he’d have armed men in there whether Parnell liked it or not. Screw the rules.
By the time he’d put together his team and argued with Parnell, Carrie had arrived.
He asked Sky to join them in the break room. “I can use this.” Carrie poured a big mug of coffee, sighed, and sat down.
“What’s going on?” As if the day hadn’t been stressful enough, it looked as if there was more to come.
“I don’t know if this even remotely pertains to the case, but here goes. After lunch, Steel screamed for Cherise to come into his office. She didn’t stay long before she hurried out, made a phone call, and one of the employees came in. I could tell by the look on his face he was in trouble. When you see a big guy, his face red, and looking as if he’s going to burst into tears, you know it’s bad. He went in to see Steel.” She took a sip of coffee. “I haven’t heard that much cursing since I left the army. Steel was beside himself. I heard, ‘…thief, you’re fired, I trusted you, and how could you be so blankety-blank stupid?’
“I looked over at Cherise. I had never seen her so pale and shaky. I don’t think she had ever heard Steel quite so upset before. I went to her desk and asked what was going on. I didn’t think she’d tell me, but she did. It seems that Tom Hannidy, one of the company’s advisers, borrowed, his word, fifteen thousand dollars from a client’s account to settle a gambling debt.
“He got caught when the forensic auditors finished th
eir investigation after the initial theft. I got to thinking that if he was smart enough to steal a small amount, would he have the wherewithal to do more? I wanted you to know so you could check him out.”
Dirk sat back, his mind taking in this new bit of information. Were they going in the wrong direction? Was the thief and killer a trusted employee?
“We have to determine if this was a one-time thing, or like you said, did he kill Oates, take the ten mil, and hide it?”
“How do we do that?”
He turned to Sky. How did he answer? Suspects were coming out of the woodwork. “Right now, I don’t know. We’ll put eyes on him for a few days and see where that leads us.”
Carrie stood to leave. “It’s been a bitch of a day.” She turned to Sky. “Did anything from Steel’s computer help?”
“Maybe. I have a long way to go.”
“Good luck then, I’m out of here.”
“Will you be here in the morning?”
She grinned. “Why? I’ve told you all the good stuff.”
Being flip was a typical Carrie response but everyone familiar with her knew her to be the opposite. She took her career to heart.
“Sit back down, Carrie. You haven’t heard what I learned today.” He told her about following Cherise and about George. “Keep your eyes and ears open. See if Cherise says anything about George. I want to know who he is and what his connection is to her.”
“Things are heating up. I like that.” She stood again. “I’ll get back to you if I learn anything new.”
His cell phone signaled that he had an email. It was about the fingerprints from the lab. “I’m going to call Matt.”
He went to his office and sat down. There were too many suspects. He had to weed out the innocent. Fast.
Matt answered on the second ring. “I have some fingerprints that may or may not relate to Sky’s case that I want the FBI to check.”
“I told you before I can’t get involved. Call Hansen.”
“Does anyone ever complain about how straight-laced you are?”
“Only you and Coop.” He hung up.
Maybe it was time to call the FBI. There were two more suspects and the FBI was more equipped to handle surveillance and a deep investigation into their lives than he was. Before he could change his mind, Dirk picked up the phone and dialed. “Do you have anything new on the Steel Financial case?”
“Nothing that takes us anywhere. You? Did you pick up anything we didn’t from the phone records you had to have?”
“Nothing on the phone records, but I’ve come up with a couple of new suspects.” Dirk could almost see the big guy sit up straighter—move the phone to the other ear.
“Talk to me.”
Dirk laid it out. “I’ve put surveillance on both guys, but I need to dig deeper. That’s where you come in. And, by the way, I have George’s fingerprints. If I send them to you, will you give me a call when or if you get a name?”
“Not a problem. You know they can’t be used in court, if it comes to that.”
“I know. In that case you can get your own prints. It won’t be difficult, the guy’s a boozer.” Dirk gave him the name and address of the bar. “My men can tell you where he is right now, as I’m sure you’ll want to take over surveillance.”
“I’ll do that. And we’ll take over Hannidy’s as well. It looks as if the list of suspects is growing. Since Ms. Oates got the hell beat out of her in prison by someone who wanted to know where the money is, I’m willing to look elsewhere. However, she could have simply been beat up, as often happens in prison. If she made up her story, she’s pretty damned smart. It would be a good way to throw suspicion off herself.”
Dirk hadn’t thought of that.
Had Dory scammed them all along?
His heart had gone out to her in the hospital. There was no way she could or would do that to herself, but like Hansen said, she could have spun an ordinary jail beating into something else entirely.
He’d keep that in mind.
By his count, if he added Dory to the list, there were now five suspects.
More than likely only one of them was guilty.
But which one?
Bills were mounting. At least the FBI had taken over surveillance on two of the suspects. But Coop would soon be asking the question of how they were going to recoup their losses. Dirk didn’t have that answer either. Even with a healthy portfolio, Sky wouldn’t be able to handle it.
He’d deal with the problem later.
Chapter Nineteen
The next morning dawned overcast and gloomy. They were in for a spring shower.
Sky took Sully to the exercise yard. Lanie wasn’t there yet, but Dirk was on the field training one of the dogs.
By the time Sully finished, Lanie was there, as was Coop. Sky went to the corner of the field and practiced a few commands. Today, she went with the verbal, as they were easy for her. Pass Huf, she called out. Sully raced over to stand guard at her side. Zei Brav. Good boy. Next, Sprechen, Sully barked until she told him to stop. He was so smart. She wanted to tell him to attack, but was afraid to. Who would he attack? Her? She didn’t think so. Dirk told her the guys took turns dressing in heavy, padded gear for the attack signals.
Dirk came off the field. “I’ll be ready in thirty minutes.”
“I’ll put Sully up and meet you at the truck.” She couldn’t take Sully to the bank and was sorry for it.
When Dirk had changed clothes and was headed toward the truck, she wondered how he could look so good. In creased jeans and sports jacket with a white dress shirt and tie, he took her breath away. She refused to succumb to his charms. She’d keep her distance no matter how yummy he looked or how wonderful she felt when his arms were around her.
“Are you nervous?”
“About?”
“This will be your first foray into public since your apartment was trashed.”
He didn’t say it, but it was out there…a killer had threatened her. “Not at all. I’ll be completely comfortable and safe.”
“Let’s hope you’re right.”
They headed straight for the bank. “You’re not going to the office first?”
“I want to get there early to set up security.”
“You’re being over-cautious. We have security guards at both doors. What more do you need?”
“Leave security to me.”
His mouth was set in a firm line. There was no point in arguing. But Dirk was wasting time and money for more armed guards. “I hope they don’t look like the FBI, all roving eyes and ear buds.”
Dirk’s lips twitched. “Trust me, you’ll never make them.”
“I’m not worried about myself, I’m worried my new client will take a hike if he sees people who are obviously out of place. The man is a billionaire and probably familiar with identifying security people.”
“Don’t worry. My people are good.”
Dirk pulled into a parking space and turned to her. “I won’t have eyes on you while you’re in your office with this guy, but I’ll be able to hear your conversation. If I sense you’re in danger I will come in. Most likely with gun drawn.”
“Don’t you dare. If the client walks, I won’t have a job. Remember that before you play Rambo.”
She got out of the truck and headed into the bank, Dirk on her heels. If he screwed up this deal, she would never forgive him.
When the door opened, a sense of coming home swept over her. This was where she spent most of her time. She knew every nook and corner, as well as every person who worked here, from the janitor to the president.
She couldn’t hold back the smile as the tellers waved and called greetings. “It’s about time you came back to work.” Another, “Missed you.” No one knew the reason for her absence. Then the bank president headed her way, his arm outstretched. Instead of shaking her hand, he gave her a hug. “Good to see you.”
“Feels good to be here.”
“Are you ready? If you get a new
client today, he will be our biggest account.”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She’d stayed up late to look for the most enticing investments, and made three lists, high, low, and medium risk. Since she didn’t know the client, she had no idea of his preference. Whichever way he wanted to go, she was ready.
She headed for her office when Mr. Parnell wished her luck and headed for his own.
It wasn’t yet nine o’clock. The client was due at ten. She went to her desk, plugged in her computer, and printed out the various options she would present, then took the time to look around her office. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed being there. It was her second home, as she was there as much or more than she was at her apartment. The walnut furniture belonged to her and gleamed in the bright sunshine coming through the window. Since she dealt with mostly wealthy clients, she’d thought her office should be a little more upscale than what the bank provided. She enjoyed going to estate sales, which was where she’d picked up many of the nicer pieces for her apartment. Several years ago, she’d attended an estate auction, put a bid on the lovely desk and credenza, and won. Mr. Parnell approved, but just in case he was relocated and someone else put in charge, she kept the receipt in a drawer. Her plants were green and healthy. She would thank Joseph, the janitor, later.
Dirk buzzed around the office scrutinizing everything. “Nice place.”
“I like it.”
He attached a listening device under her desk where she sat and another across from her. There were two chairs in front of her desk for clients. He took one and put it outside the door.
“Why did you do that?”
“I want to be certain where he’ll sit.”
“You said you don’t have visual. Are you telling the truth?” She would die of embarrassment if her, hopefully, new client discovered his confidential information was being taped.
“I am. But I insist on listening. No one else will hear the conversation. Trust me, the financial stuff won’t make a modicum of sense to me, but I’ll know if you’re in trouble.”
“There’s no way he’ll know?”
“None.”
She wasn’t as sure. On TV the devices could be found with a small detector. How would she explain if her prospective client found them?
Wounded at Home Page 15
