by Louisa Neil
Mason knew something was definitely wrong. Alice was cool and controlled in almost any circumstance. But this morning, something had her bent out of shape. He turned to Jeff. “You know what’s got her all hyped up?”
“Not a clue. After our soak in the whirlpool last night, I crashed.”
“Hell, she was almost asleep when we went up to bed. Something happened in the middle of the night to wake her up and get her this cranky.” Mason took the last bites of his eggs.
“I guess the sooner we find out, the sooner we’ll get some damage control, whatever it is.” Jeff didn’t finish his breakfast, pushing the plate to the side. “Marilyn,” he started, only to be handed a white thermos jug of what he assumed was coffee.
“You go. I’ll bring lunch around noon. And you’d better make sure that girl eats something.”
“We will. Thanks.” He took the jug and followed Mason from the kitchen.
“I’m almost afraid to find out what’s going on.” Mason walked quickly toward the lab with Jeff beside him.
“Whatever it is, I have faith Alice has it under control.”
“So do I,” Mason agreed. “I’m just clueless as to what happened.”
“I hope the new program we just finished didn’t crash.” Jeff shook his head.
“If it were just that, she would have fixed it and gloated she found the error.”
They rounded the corner and let themselves into the lab. Alice was at her desk, her face set in a scowl. Jeff made a point of pouring coffee into three mugs that waited on the tray near their virtually unused coffeepot and handed them around. Each of the men dropped into their desk chairs and rolled themselves toward her desk.
“All right, let’s have it.” Mason pushed back and lifted his feet onto the corner of her desk.
“You’re not going to like it, but I had to make some instant decisions last night, and I did.”
“I trust your judgment. Just tell us what happened.” Jeff sipped at the coffee but put it aside.
“Okay, a while back I put a program on our charge cards and bank accounts, personal and business, to protect us from any kind of identity fraud. In the middle of the night, I got an alarm.” She paused and frowned at Jeff. “It seems Naomi used your credit card yesterday. At nine p.m. West Coast time, a charge was put through for ten thousand from a plastic surgeon’s office.”
“My credit card,” Jeff said. “How would she get my card?”
“She lived with you, probably grabbed a statement at some point.” Alice paused. “Did you give her permission to use it?”
“No. We always kept our finances separate. She always said she didn’t want to be responsible when our business crashed and burned. It wouldn’t be good for her credit rating.”
“Well, yesterday she used it at a surgeon’s office and managed to have someone in the office wait until nine p.m. her time before charging the card. I was able to cancel the charge and e-mailed the doctor’s office that you would not be responsible for any charges she made to your card or made by using your name, along with the company name.”
“Why would she think I’d pay for her plastic surgery?”
“I think she figured by the time you found out, it would be too late.”
“Do you know what she was having done?” Mason asked.
“Breast implants,” Jeff said. “She always said she wanted bigger boobs. I always told her I liked the ones she was born with, but I guess my opinion didn’t matter at all.”
“But why your card?” Mason asked again.
“Remember her messages last week, how she’d get you back. I figure this was one way of using you again.”
“But you stopped the card from being used?” Mason asked.
“Yes. I also called the credit card company and told them there was someone using your account without your permission. I had it closed. Actually, I had all our credit card accounts closed. New cards will be reissued and should be here by the end of the week.” She paused to sip her coffee. “I’ve also changed all the pin numbers on our personal and business checking accounts and savings accounts. I’ll print out a list of the new codes. I also went a step further. I notified our brokers by e-mail and told them someone had gotten access to our accounts without our permission. They’re to send us new pin codes, along with any transactions that have been done since we left California.”
“What else, Alice. You’re still too hyped up.” Mason was watching her carefully.
“I’m pissed. I should have realized she might try something like this. I should have changed everything as soon as she jilted you, Jeff.” She cringed at her words. “Sorry. Here’s the kicker,” she continued. “Did you know your condo sold, Jeff? According to what I could find out, she used a power of attorney to make the deal. Did you ever give her power of attorney over your accounts, the condo sale, or any money?”
“No, never. Like I said, she wanted to keep our money separated. She didn’t trust that our company would be a thriving business.”
“Well, she was wrong there,” Mason said under his breath.
“I contacted the realtor that made the sale. They weren’t happy, being it was the middle of the night out there, but they listened. I advised them that Naomi had no right to handle the sale or any of the finances pertaining to it. I told them to call you this morning first thing to change how the financial payouts are handled. I put a hold on the deal until they talk to you. From what I can tell, there’s a thirty-day hold while the new tenant gets their finances together and passes the condo approval board. I also left a message with the board about a suspicious person trying to sell your condo. My assumption is that you’ll be hearing from the building management and the realtor this morning.”
“I’m sorry, Jeff. I had no idea she’d go after your money.” Mason dropped his feet to the floor and sat forward. “The business accounts?”
“I’ve gone back three months and don’t see anything strange, but again, I’ll print it all out later for you both to check. I’ve put new codes and passwords on those accounts, too. I think you need to call your lawyer who handled the transfer here and make sure he hasn’t had any contact with her. I wasn’t able to access his files. Jeff, you’ll have to call him and make sure he’s not sending any funds her way.”
Jeff stood and started pacing, pushing his hair from his face. “Christ, what a bitch.”
“I find it amazing she expected you to pay for her new breasts that you’d never get to see or use.” Mason’s joke fell flat. “Shouldn’t she be using her husband’s money for that?”
“That’s how I’d see it. But if she was looking for revenge…” Alice hesitated. “We don’t know that she actually got married or if they’re still together. It might have just been a ploy to get her out of coming here. Or maybe she expected you to fly back and make a big play for her.”
“Maybe she figured he would marry her and something went wrong.”
“Were you able to access the Vegas marriage records?”
“No.” Alice seemed defeated. “I’ll try again, but I might get further by telephone. I’ll call as soon as the time difference is caught up. Even in Vegas, the state offices close. By noon our time, I should be able to find out something, or…”
“Or what, Alice?” Mason asked, holding back a smile.
“I didn’t want to hack into state records if I didn’t have to. I will, but I’d prefer to try this one legally.”
“Whatever it is, I think your phone will be blowing up today. I’ll take the calls if you want.” Alice glanced to Jeff. In the background one of the printers was spitting out sheets of data.
“No. I’ll deal with her myself. Any other bad news?”
“She’s been using your card for service on her Mercedes. So far it’s under a thousand. I’ve e-mailed them, too, saying that the credit card account she’s been using there is now closed, and you will not be responsible for any further charges.”
“What do you need me to do to help?” Mason aske
d. He waited while Alice pulled the pages from the printer and handed them around. “These are copies of what I could access last night. Go over them and make sure the charges are yours.”
Alice glanced to Jeff. “I have a friend who did private investigating work. I can call him and see what he can come up with, if you want. Or we can just pause here and see what happens next.”
“Call him,” Jeff told her. “Naomi will try to ruin me and the business, thereby ruining you two, also.”
“Maybe he can get the records from Vegas,” Mason said, suddenly deep in thought. “Alice, can you backtrack our phone records and texts to make sure nothing has been sent remotely from our numbers?”
“That information is on the last pages of what I just printed out. You’ll have to go over them and see if anything is hinky.”
“It’s nine here on the East Coast. I figure by noon our time, the shit will hit the fan out on the West Coast. I’m going to walk the gardens and clear my mind before I have to deal with her.” Jeff headed toward the door.
“I’ll do it, Jeff,” Mason offered. “Or better yet, have your new lawyer here call her.”
“Actually, I’m not sure I trust this guy. I used him because he was familiar with the house and estate. But for something like this, I think I want someone who hasn’t met Naomi, who hasn’t been impressed with her for any reason.”
“Do you think she’d try to get the house from you?” Mason suddenly sounded afraid.
“I don’t know. I’ll call the estate lawyer and find out, but let’s find someone else we can trust to take care of our needs from now on.”
Alice produced another sheet of paper and handed it to Jeff. “I did some checking last night. These seemed like the most viable candidates. We can interview them, and if nobody clicks, we’ll keep looking. I’m thinking maybe someone from Manhattan might be better.”
“I’m going to call the estate lawyer and make sure Naomi hasn’t done anything about this house and land.” Jeff picked up his phone, but it rang before he could make his call. “It’s the estate lawyer.” He answered the call with a brusk, “Yes.”
Alice looked to Mason. From the look on Jeff’s face, this wasn’t going to be good news. Mason decided the best thing he could do was check the accounts as Alice suggested and stay out of the way. He’d be mindful to keep an ear open if he was needed, but he knew deep down, he was pretty much extraneous at this point. Alice had managed to save the day with her quick thinking and account alerts. He shook his head, realizing yet again how much she actually did for them that went under the radar. He resigned to make a point of thanking her when things settled down. For now, he’d stay on call for the next disaster that came their way.
* * * *
Jeff was astounded and angry. He chose to deal with the basics at hand and retaliate later. After the long call he had with the lawyer from the far end of the lab, he finally turned and walked back to Alice and Mason. “That was the estate attorney. He got a request from a mortgage company to take an equity line on the home. According to what he’s received, Naomi put the application through, saying it was for updating the house. She asked the lawyer not to discuss it with me. She wanted to start the renovations as a surprise.”
“But he called you first?” Mason clarified.
“Yeah. Maybe he isn’t so bad after all. I explained the problems we just found out about. He assures me he’ll contact the mortgage company and kill the application. He said he’ll also flag anything to do with the estate, so it has to have my approval.” Jeff let out a sigh. “He mentioned getting one of those credit services to oversee what’s going on. I told him we already had a private company doing that.” He smiled at Alice. “A new business if you choose to go forward with it.”
“Those companies work, but most don’t contact you for at least thirty days. All of this would have been done deals by then.”
Jeff nodded to her. “Thanks for not saying I told you so.”
“Not the time or place. Maybe down the line when it’s not so fresh,” she told him, giving him a lopsided smile.
“Let’s just clarify this. At this point the lawyer hasn’t seen other liens on the property?” Mason was scanning the pages Alice gave him while they spoke.
“Not that he’s admitting. Although I got the impression this call was only to be polite. He was ready to approve the loan. Now he’s probably going crazy making sure nothing slipped by that he just approved without thinking twice.”
“Wouldn’t he have to have your approval for any kind of changes?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t put it past him to have agreed to some reasonable purchases as long as they seemed legitimate.” Jeff tossed the phone on the desk. “He got an e-mail yesterday from Naomi. She told him that we made an agreement and she had free rein to work on the house and lands. According to her, money wasn’t an issue.”
“And he didn’t call yesterday?” Alice asked.
“He claims the mail came in late, and he didn’t check it because it was Sunday. Then this morning he had a phone message from her, reminding him she had my permission. But when the papers for the loan came through, he decided to check.”
“What do you want us to do to help?” Mason sat forward, watching Jeff.
“For now, let’s just keep going with what Alice has done. Alice, call your PI friend. Tell him to get everything he can—as fast as he can—on Naomi and her husband, if he is her husband.” Jeff’s phone beeped. An e-mail was coming through. He pushed buttons and then scanned the pages. After he had, he handed the phone to Alice. She and Mason read the files sent by the lawyer.
“That bitch,” Alice said. “This isn’t your signature on the power of attorney she’s trying to use to sell your condo or for the mortgage papers.”
“Not many people would know that or bother to check. If it hadn’t been such a large amount, the lawyer might not have bothered to check, either.”
“Oh.” Alice stood and headed to the door. “I have to let Cook and Marilyn know I cancelled the accounts used for running the house. They should have everything straightened out by the end of the week, but I don’t want them to be embarrassed.” She started to leave, but Jeff called her back.
“There’s cash in the safe in my room. Do me a favor. Grab a thousand and give it to the ladies. Tell them to use if for groceries or whatever they need until the new accounts are open.”
“Is Naomi’s birthday the combination?” She had trouble holding back a smile.
“Yeah, I’ll change that later, too.”
“I’ll talk to the ladies. You change your combination later.”
“Alice, you are a marvel. Can you imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t set up the alarms?”
“You’d have thought your identity was stolen.” She thought for a moment. “I guess, technically, it was. Just not by a stranger.”
“Thanks, Alice.”
She nodded and left.
“I’m sorry, man. What can I do to help?” Mason asked.
“Check the accounts to make sure none of yours were breached.”
“Tonight, we’ll open a bottle of single malt and get stinking drunk.” Mason smiled at him. “Maybe the headache tomorrow will make today seem less invasive.”
“I’m up for getting drunk, but after I deal with the phone calls.” As they spoke, Jeff’s phone rang. “This is the realtor. I’ve got to take it.”
Chapter Twelve
Mason went to his own computer and, after checking his accounts, decided the best thing he could do was get back to business and let Jeff take care of the crap he couldn’t handle. In the background, he heard Jeff loudly reinforcing that Naomi had no authority over the sale or the proceeds and that if the realtor didn’t understand that, he’d cancel the sale completely. Mason felt by the end of that call, the realtor would have one hell of a headache.
The rest of the day he stayed at his workstation. Alice was in her own zone, clicking away. He had no idea of what she was working
on and didn’t really want to know. What he did know was that so far, it seemed his accounts were intact. He was thankful for Alice’s forethought and for taking care of their finances.
When Marilyn knocked with their lunch tray, Mason met her at the door. She gave him a questioning look.
“Don’t worry. We have Alice to take care of this situation.”
Handing him the tray, she whispered, “I knew that woman was no good.”
“For now let’s not throw that at Jeff. We’ve all lost our good judgment over a woman or man at one time or another.”
“I’m sorry he was hurt, but it would have been worse if he married her.” She hesitated and asked, “Is there anything Cook or I can do to help?”
Mason was realizing Marilyn was like a den mother. She took care of them in all ways. “Just keep feeding us,” he teased. “Alice talked to you about the accounts?” Marilyn nodded. “We forgot the groundskeeper was supposed to start today. Is he here, and does he know about any of this?”
“He and his workers are here, and no, they don’t know. No need for anyone else to be involved. I’ve told him if he needs supplies to have the bills sent to the house and Jeff would take care of them.”
“Good work, Marilyn. We may not be related by blood, but I feel we’re all lucky to have you as our family.”
She surprised him by laughing heartily. “My family I wouldn’t trust with a dime. You can choose who you want to consider your family, and this a prime example. While I don’t know you and Alice well, I know Jeff trusts you, and that’s what matters.”
“Thank you.”
“Now, take that tray inside and make sure they both eat.” She gave him a look from head to toe. “You, I don’t need to worry about. You eat like there’s not tomorrow but don’t gain.” She turned to leave, adding, “If only I had your metabolism.”
Mason closed the door and put the tray near their coffee setup. Under the cloth he found sandwiches with chips, a plate of fresh oatmeal cookies, and bottles of cold water. He took a few cookies and put them on each plate. Then he grabbed one along with a bottle of water and placed it beside Alice. He touched her shoulder. She glanced up, nodded her thanks, and grabbed a chip. He repeated the process with Jeff, who acknowledged the food but only opened the water bottle while continuing his telephone conversation.
