“ID?” Bones, apparently the more senior of the two, waved his hand in front of her.
“I don’t have any. I’m not a cop. I’m part of the investigation into—”
“I know your type. You think you’re more important than everyone else. Doesn’t mean you are. Next time plan ahead like the rest of us.” He reached for his coffee cup and eyed Kat over the rim.
“But I’m with the cop. You’ve got to let me through.”
Why couldn’t Cindy have just waited?
“I said no. No boarding pass, no ID. You got no business being here.” Bones gave Kat the once over, moving his eyes up and down, clearly enjoying the power he held over her. “My job is to stop people like you.”
“You don’t understand. I’m a forensic accountant. You’ve got to let me through—it’s an emergency.” It sounded stupid, but Kat didn’t know what else to say.
Bones turned to Baseball Steak.
“George, you hear that? Life threatening accounting problem! What is it? Death by a thousand debits?”
“No—look. I’m not trying to be difficult, but I need to follow her.”
“Move aside—let these people through.”
Baseball Steak smiled benevolently at the elderly couple. They had their passes ready, just the kind of people he liked. Kat’s thoughts turned back to Audrey. She would be at Liberty by now, wondering where Kat was. Confronting Nick alone could be dangerous. Cindy’s detour put their plan in jeopardy.
She pushed past Baseball Steak, just as he was handing the couple back their passes.
“Hey! Come back here!”
But Kat was through, past the guards and into the departure terminal. She ran after Cindy, who was now two hundred meters ahead of her.
“Cindy—wait! Where are we going?”
Cindy turned her head without slowing her pace and wordlessly waved Kat on. Kat jumped to avoid a head on collision with a passenger tram.
“Hey—watch where you’re going!” The burly driver cursed at her as he swerved.
His two elderly female passengers gave Kat a disapproving glare.
“You’re going to cause an accident, young lady. Smarten up!”
She watched Cindy veer left down a corridor just as her cell phone vibrated. She slowed to pick it up.
“Hello?” No one answered, but she could hear noise on the line, like the phone was dropped or jostled around.
“Who’s there?” Kat strained her ears to listen over the cacophony of voices in the airport. She heard two voices, a man and a woman arguing.
“What was that?” the male voice asked.
Kat finally reached the corridor and turned into it. No sign of Cindy.
“Hello?” Kat yelled louder, hoping to catch their attention.
“There it is again—a voice,” the man said.
“I don’t hear anything.”
It was Audrey. Judging by the muffled sound, Audrey’s cell phone must have hit something in her purse and dialed Kat’s cell. Or maybe Audrey had called on purpose, planning to confront Nick on her own?
“The money’s gone Nick, all five billion.”
“What are you talking about? It’s frozen at Bancroft Richardson.”
“Not as of last night. It’s all gone. Look at this. Clara must have died a rich woman.”
“Give me that!”
Kat heard paper rustling.
“Where did you get this? There’s got to be a mistake.”
Kat could visualize every single transaction on the Bancroft Richardson statement. Nick would see the fifty billion dollars in transfers out just as she had last night. That had been her plan with Audrey, to scare Nick into confessing. But Audrey wasn’t supposed to confront Nick alone.
“No mistake, Nick. I checked with Bancroft Richardson this morning. The money’s all gone.”
“What the hell happened?”
“You tell me. You knew what Clara was up to. How could you let this happen?”
Silence. Then a loud knock, followed by grunts and cursing.
“Punching walls is so childish, Nick. Was it worth it?
“Was what worth what? I didn’t take the money!”
“You were part of it. You killed my brother. For what? A cut of the money?”
Kat gasped involuntarily. Audrey was in real danger.
“I didn’t kill Alex. I had nothing to do with that.”
“You were with him. The two of you were seen together the night he died.”
“That’s a lie. I hadn’t seen him all day. Who told you that? Tell me!”
“Stop it, Nick! You’re hurting me!”
Just then Kat reached the end of the corridor to face a windowless door marked Police. She pulled on the handle and stormed inside, preoccupied with getting Cindy out and over to Liberty before it was too late for Audrey. And soon enough to stop Nick from disappearing for good.
She froze in her tracks, unsure of what to do next. It was like the night on the McBarge all over again.
56
“We got ‘em!” Cindy stood by the entrance, smiling at Kat. The outer office was empty, but the office directly behind Cindy wasn’t. Gus glared at her through a glass and wire-mesh window. She could only hope the room he was sitting in had a lock on the door. Platt paced in front of the window, saying something to him. Platt caught Kat’s gaze and emerged from the office, slamming the door behind him.
“Katerina—you’re off the hook. We’ve arrested Gustav Eriksen and Michael Jamieson for the murder of Ken Takahashi.”
“Congratulations on figuring that out. What was the clue?”
“We found traces of their hair at Takahashi’s house. Forensics re-examined Takahashi’s place and found fingerprints. They weren’t able to account for—” Platt stopped in mid-sentence, suddenly aware of Kat’s sarcasm.
Platt owed her an apology but didn’t offer one. Kat didn’t have time for it anyways. She turned to Cindy.
“Cindy, let’s go. Audrey’s alone with Nick. He might do something.”
“Right,” Cindy interrupted. “Platt—you sure you can handle it this time?”
“Yes. It won’t happen again.”
“Good. I’ll see you later.”
Cindy and Kat made for the door.
“I didn’t kill him!”
All eyes focused on Kat’s cell phone holstered to her hip.
“Where’d that voice come from?” Cindy asked.
Kat held a finger up to her mouth for silence.
“There it is again—a voice. What the—hey! It’s coming from your purse! Give me that!”
“Let go,” Audrey cried. “How dare you! You’re hurting me!”
Cindy leaned closer to Kat, listening to Audrey and Nick arguing.
“Give me that purse—now!”
The background noise grew louder as Kat imagined the tug of war between Audrey and Nick.
“Cindy!” Kat whispered urgently. “Let’s go!”
Platt could take care of Gus and Mitch.
“Get your hands off me, Nick! Are you going to kill me too?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t kill Alex, or anyone else.”
“Liar. Maybe you didn’t pull the trigger, but you murdered him all right. You lured him down to the river, lying to him about a secret meeting with Takahashi. You didn’t count on him telling me about your meeting, did you? Alex never trusted you. Now I know why.”
No answer from Nick, at least none that Kat could hear.
Gus scowled and gave Kat the finger as he rose from his chair. Suddenly he jerked backwards. A uniformed policeman ran down the hall, opened the door, and went inside.
“Don’t worry about Gus,” Platt said. “He’s handcuffed to the table. Mitch is already on his way down to the precinct.”
“We’ve got to go,” Kat mouthed.
Cindy nodded as she opened the office door. Kat followed, but not before pausing to blow Gus a kiss. He snarled at her in return.
They were halfway down
the corridor when they heard Audrey’s voice again.
“Answer me, Nick! You were there, admit it.”
“You’ve got no proof.”
“You’re wrong. There’s a witness. Somebody saw you with Alex just before he was killed.”
“That’s impossible, because I wasn’t there. Who?”
“Kat Carter saw you. She saw you leave Liberty together.”
Kat flinched. She had seen them together earlier in the day, but nothing more. She hoped Audrey’s bluff worked. They were finally out of the airport terminal, sprinting across the parking lot to Cindy’s car.
“Her again?” Nick snorted in disgust. “Now there’s someone worth knocking off. She’s nothing but an incompetent nuisance.”
Kat couldn’t hear Audrey’s reply.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
Audrey screamed.
Someone else was in the office with Audrey and Nick. Then the phone line went dead.
57
Cindy pulled into Liberty’s underground parking lot, banging over speed bumps. Kat’s stomach did a somersault as she jumped out of the car and ran to the elevator. Maybe she shouldn’t have assumed Audrey and Nick were at Liberty. That had been the plan, but Audrey’s cell phone could be calling from anywhere.
Kat punched the elevator button repeatedly as Cindy caught up with her. Finally it arrived. While she was glad Gus and Mitch were in custody again, she wondered whether the detour was more important than Audrey’s safety.
She pressed the button for the twenty-second floor. It didn’t light up so she tried again. Then it dawned on her—the elevator was locked off after-hours, and she had no way of getting in.
“Cindy, the elevator’s locked because it’s the weekend. We’ll have to go through the main entrance and hope the security guard is there.”
They exited the elevator and ran through the parking lot, up the ramp and out into the lane. Between here and the airport, Kat felt like she had run a five–miler. They rounded the building and ran towards the glass lobby doors.
Locked. Kat peered through the glass, seeing no one. The security guard must be on his rounds. How could she get him back here? Maybe set off the alarm? She surveyed the concrete planters, searching for a rock to throw against the glass door while Cindy flipped open her cell phone.
A minute later, a security guard emerged from one of the elevator banks. He looked to be in his sixties, slim build evident under his bright yellow Securicor jacket. He hurried to the door and opened it. Cindy flashed her badge.
“We need to get to the twenty-second floor—fast!”
The three of them arrived in Liberty’s reception less than a minute later to more screaming, only this time it was Nick.
The security guard glanced at Cindy for direction, but she ignored him. He stayed at the reception desk and pulled out his cell phone just as Kat and Cindy ran down the hall.
“Get your hands off me!” Nick’s voice boomed down the hall.
“Get him!” Audrey cried.
Who was Audrey talking to?
They ran into the corner office to find two men struggling on the floor.
Audrey stood at the door, looking fashionably vulnerable in a cashmere sweater and dark slacks. She appeared even tinier without the furs.
“Thank goodness you’re here!” Audrey motioned Kat and Cindy in. “This young man materialized out of nowhere and saved my life!”
It took Kat a moment to recognize him with his back to her, holding Nick down in a wrestling pose. Jace.
“Not exactly out of nowhere—I waited outside, but when you didn’t show up, I figured I’d better go with Audrey and make sure she was safe.” Jace grinned at them as he held Nick down on the floor, firmly in a headlock. “I hid in another office until Audrey gave me the signal.”
“But how did you know?”
“Audrey called the house looking for you. Once I realized you were with Cindy, I knew you wouldn’t make it in time,” Jace said, watching Cindy for a reaction.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cindy asked Jace.
“Just that you often arrive in the nick of time.”
Touché, Kat thought. Someday Cindy’s last-minute detours wouldn’t work out. She was both glad and relieved that this one had.
“I should have known you’d be involved,” Nick said, his face red with anger. “You’re going to pay for this. Accusing me of murder—and treating me like a common criminal!”
“You are a criminal, Nick,” Kat said. “You let Ortega steal five billion from Liberty. Did he promise you a cut?”
“You’re such an idiot. That’s why Clara hired you in the first place. You were too stupid to figure out what she was doing. She wanted it to seem like Bryant took the money, but she was just using him.” Nick said as Cindy handcuffed his arms behind his back. He sat on the floor, knees to chest. He leaned against the kid-leather couch with the same arrogant expression on his face. “Get these cuffs off me!”
Evidently Nick wasn’t yet aware of Bryant’s ultimate revenge on Clara.
“Not a chance, Nick. Clara might have ended up with the money, but she isn’t the one who instigated the crime. You did. You cut a deal with her father to launder his dirty diamonds. Ortega brought in Clara to keep an eye on you, and you didn’t like it. Didn’t you think he’d want payment for the diamonds he brought into Liberty? The deal didn’t work out quite the way you expected, did it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb with me. Ortega found out he could get top dollar for his conflict diamonds if he had a way to legitimize them. Funneling them through Liberty let him do that. You agreed to it because it was an effortless way to increase Liberty’s earnings and stock price. A higher stock price enriched you. The only problem was that Ortega realized Liberty was the perfect vessel to launder his diamonds, and you were in the way. Shorting the stock just before the money went missing made him even more money. The Porter takeover was supposed to be the final step in Ortega seizing Liberty for his own use. I thwarted the plan when I exposed Susan as Clara. Who’s stupid now?”
Nick stared at the floor and didn’t answer right away. He appeared to be weighing his options. Then he spoke.
“That’s insane. Why would I take dirty diamonds and pretend they were mined by Liberty?”
“So you could pass off a retired mine as a producing one, and use it to boost Liberty’s earnings,” Cindy said. “We tested some of the diamonds you said came from Mystic Lake. They have the same fingerprint as diamonds from mines from the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Strangely enough, they also match the diamonds found at Takahashi’s house when he was murdered.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with that. Clara’s thugs killed him.”
“We’ve got phone records too, Nick,” Cindy said. “You talked to Ortega about getting rid of Kat.”
“That was his idea, not mine. I never agreed to it.”
“So you admit knowing him,” Kat said. “You never expected Ortega to drive down the share price by stealing the money and shorting the stock, did you? By the time he made a play for the company, it was too late.”
“Clara’s the one that stole the five billion.” Nick’s voice had softened, taking on a tone of desperation.
“That was payment for the diamonds,” Kat said. “Did you think it would come without strings? The money was supposed to be funneled through Opal Holdings and back to Ortega. But it was too tempting to Clara, who tried to steal it from her father.”
“I want a lawyer. I’m not talking to you anymore.”
“Suit yourself,” Kat said.
The security guard arrived with two uniformed policemen in tow. They pulled Nick to his feet and escorted him to the door.
As Nick walked by Kat, he sneered, and Kat caught the scent of peppermint on his breath.
“I still think you’re an idiot. None of this matters because you can’t get the money back,”
he said. “It’s your fault Liberty’s bankrupt.”
Kat wanted to tell Nick everything, gloat over how she had recovered every penny of the money, plus Clara’s ill-gotten profits. But she had to bite her tongue. As much as she wanted to prove him wrong, Cindy didn’t know she had found the money yet.
Peppermint. She wondered if Nick would be able to keep his endless supply of peppermint in jail.
Suddenly Verna’s note made sense. Not a mint plant, but peppermint. Nick Racine had killed Buddy.
58
Cindy and Kat sat in Kat’s office. It was hard to believe it had only been a week since her first meeting at Liberty. It was dark outside, and a light snow was falling, unseasonably late in March. Kat watched the snowflakes swirl in slow motion, feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time. Audrey was safe, Nick was in jail, and she could look forward to money in the bank again. Audrey had insisted on giving her a nice bonus, calling it danger pay. And Cindy was the real Cindy again.
“You did it, Kat. Even if you didn’t get the money, you helped me infiltrate Ortega’s organization and get Gus and Mitch arrested for Takahashi’s murder. And Nick’s confession means we can close the book on Braithwaite’s murder.”
Kat was about to explain about the money when Harry walked in.
“Kat, can I see my bank balance again? Elsie doesn’t believe me. I told her I’m a billionaire.”
“Uncle Harry, not now.” Kat waved him away with her hand.
“But it’ll be gone by tomorrow. I want to print off a copy. I’ll never see that kind of money again.”
“Harry, what are you talking about?” Cindy asked.
“Kat didn’t tell you? She got all the money back from Clara, all of it. Isn’t that great? And she gave it to me for safekeeping.”
Cindy turned to Kat. “Tell me it’s not true.” She jumped out of her chair.
“I’m a billionaire, Cindy. Matter of fact, I’m on my way to being a trillionaire. Kat hacked into Clara’s accounts and transferred it all to me.”
[Katerina Carter 01.0] Exit Strategy Page 25
