Carolyn Arnold - McKinley 03 - Money is Murder

by Carolyn Arnold

  “Then why steal her files? Why come here? Why hold a gun on us?”

  Robert kept his hands up and maneuvered over to the desk chair where he dropped down. “Everyone figured I killed her. I didn’t.”

  “You sure appear guilty.” Sean pulled a tissue from a box on the desk and dabbed at his bleeding nose.

  Robert’s eyes slowly lifted to match Sean’s. “I know what it looks like and that’s why I’m trying to take care of some things.”

  “Don’t you mean cover your tracks?” Sara arched a brow.

  “Like I said, I know what it looks like, but it’s a dangerous world out there. Being involved with Universal is like putting your life at risk every moment.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Everyone looks out for themselves.”

  “Why did you run from your office this morning? Who told you we were coming up?”

  Robert looked up to the ceiling and exhaled deeply.

  Sean pressed his fingers delicately to the bridge of his nose and was happy it wasn’t broken. “Were you in on killing Cindy with someone from the company?”

  “I told you, I never killed her.”

  Sean took a step closer. “Why lie about the sleeping pills?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We know what you said to the cops, Robert. She died from an overdose of sleeping pills. You told the investigating detective it was common for her to take them.”

  “I never said that.”

  “Cindy had asthma,” Sara said. “She can’t take sleeping pills.”

  “Exactly why they killed her. Listen, I don’t know what you expect to find, but I know everyone will be pointing you in my direction.”

  “There’s usually a reason for that. Why did you take the files from Cindy’s office computer?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Sara pushed the gun forward.

  “You’re going to threaten me into speaking?”

  “Whatever works.”

  “Then you’ll need to shoot me.”

  “Do you think Cindy killed herself?” Sean asked.

  Robert shook his head. “She had a lot of people who hated her, but it didn’t faze her. She carried on, and she was successful because of it.”

  “Who would have a reason to kill her? And if you thought she was murdered, why let her death be ruled a suicide?”

  “I fought to have her case stay open, but the detective wouldn’t listen to reason. I told him she had everything to live for. He told me to get out of his face.”

  “So you gave up?”

  “I never did, but with you two here I knew I’d better get the answers before you accused me of killing her.”

  “I must say you’re looking guilty.”

  “You never really answered our question about the sleeping pills,” Sara said.

  “When they told me they found those by her bed, I knew someone killed her.”

  “Still, why not tell the police?”

  Robert’s face paled. “I did.”

  “So you’re telling us the detective on the case lied to us?” Sara thought on the statement for a few seconds then turned to Sean. “The detective would have known that Cindy was asthmatic, why tell us Robert said it was common for her to take sleeping pills? If there was a cover-up, why not just book Robert for murder? Get away scot-free?”

  “You do know I’m right here, and I didn’t do it.”

  Sean glanced at Robert but went back to Sara. “You’re thinking we’re looking at a dirty cop?”

  Sara nodded. “It’s who might be pulling the strings that concerns me even more.”

  “Well, there’s one area a cop’s always hurting.”

  “Yep, the bank account.”

  “Wonder if Jimmy would do us another favor?”

  “Doesn’t hurt to ask.”

  Robert stood up. “Can I go now?”

  “Why were you here? We know that you took the files from her computer.”

  “I didn’t.” He waved a hand in the air. “Never mind, neither of you believe a word I say anyway.”

  “Answer the question, why are you here?”

  “I’m not saying.”

  “You know who is behind this, don’t you?”

  “I’m not saying another thing. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to figure things out for yourself. Just know, I didn’t kill her.”

  Sean watched his eyes—the truth was always there. He spoke the three words he never would have verbalized as a cop. “We’ll trust you.”

  “Just be careful because you don’t know who you’re messing with. They have money and power, and they’re not afraid to use it.” Robert brushed by Sara and left the room.

  Sean took the gun from her. “What do you make of all this?”

  “I think he’s telling the truth.”

  “Me too.”

  “We’ve got to figure this out, darling, before anyone else gets hurt.” She touched his cheek. “Are you all right?”

  He took her hand and kissed her fingertips. “You’re kidding, right? I’ve been through worse.”

  “Maybe we should have given Robert his gun back. I have a bad feeling.”

  He kissed her forehead. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  Calling In The Reinforcements

  SARA STUDIED CINDY’S HOME OFFICE. “Robert went through all of this, why? Was he looking for her laptop, or something else?”

  “This is going to come off as left-field, but why didn’t the doorman, or the one in the elevator, tell us someone was already in Cindy’s flat?”

  She pressed her lips. “Robert could have asked them for discretion, or paid them off.”

  Their eyes locked. Seconds passed.

  Revelation struck Sara. “Darling, you’ve done it.”

  “What?”

  “The case files stated that they had interviewed the night doorman. He wouldn’t comment on anyone coming in or out of Cindy’s place. He said that it was a confidential matter and he would take it to his grave.”

  “Seems more likely that our good detective and the doorman got a kickback.”

  “Robert’s right. Whoever is behind this was playing for keeps.”

  “Here’s the thing, though, why not lock up Robert West and let him take the fall? If he was charged with Cindy’s murder, the real killer would be free.”

  “Oh, good point.” Sara chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Did the real killer need Robert to remain a free man, and if so, why?”

  “Questions we’re going to have to answer, but first—” Sean pulled out his cell phone.

  “You’re going to try Jimmy again?” She smiled. “Let’s hope he’s really enjoying the cognac. He’s going to want a full stock all the time you know.”

  “Whatever it takes. Maybe we could write it off as consultant fees.”

  They both laughed.

  Sean held up his index finger to Sara and spoke into the phone “Jimmy, buddy ol’ pal. Yes, I know you got us pretty much everything…there is something more you could help us with though.”

  Sara listened in until she left the room. She was setting out on a hunch. She placed herself in Cindy’s mind. If she had valuable information on a laptop—something that anyone could easily walk off with—where would she put it? The office was an obvious choice. If someone broke in, they’d have it easily.

  She entered Cindy’s bedroom and experienced the sad, tangible quality to the air, feeling as if she were an intrusion into the woman’s life. With everything that had happened since they first got here, she hadn’t the time to acknowledge these feelings until now.

  She took in the room. There was a king-sized bed occupying most of the space, two nightstands, a huge dresser, sofa chair, and a side table. But Sara went to the walk-in closet first.

  Cindy had it organized in immaculate fashion. Everything was set out based on season and then in color, and she had endless drawers for intimates and valuables. Touching the fabri
c as she walked the vast interior, Sara realized that she could squash any jealousy she felt toward this woman’s extensive wardrobe. Hers had quadrupled since her newfound fortune, but Sean’s place was getting awfully congested. A large house might be a nice thing, at least one with a closet like this. The hint of a smile dusted her lips, blooming fully when she found a drawer with a keyhole.

  “Sean!”

  He came into the closet next to her, the cell still pressed to an ear. “Jimmy, I’ve got to go. Yes, I know, no one dies today. I promise we’ll be careful.” He clipped the phone in its holder.

  “I think her laptop’s in here.”

  He scanned her eyes and she noticed light flicker in his.

  “What led you here?” he asked.

  “I was just thinking like Cindy. If I wanted to keep my laptop safe where would I put it?”

  “You came up with the bedroom closet?”

  “Yes, darling, and as you can see,” she gestured with both hands to the locked drawer, “voila!”

  He laughed. “We still don’t know if it’s inside.”

  “You better get on picking the lock then.”

  “And you’re sure you can’t tap into Cindy’s mind and find the key?”

  “Very funny. The bedroom’s the best place to keep valuables. If a burglar’s going to come into your room, there’s evil intent. It’s likely that you’ll be murdered, and, well, if you’re dead, you’re not going to miss your stuff.”

  “Smart logic.”

  She beamed. “Sometimes I have it together.”

  He kissed her cheek. “Not sometimes, dear, all the time.” He pulled back and winked at her, then took a good look at the lock. “I’ve got this. Pin?” He held out a hand to her.

  “You’ve got it or I do?” She laughed as she handed over what he asked for.

  He worked the lock and wiggled the drawer. Seconds later, it was open. “Looks like you were right,” he said. “Now, you’re not going to say I told you so?”

  “Never, darling. There’s no need. You already know.” She smiled at him.

  She pulled out the laptop and pressed the power button. Nothing happened.

  “You might need this.” He reached behind him and pulled out a power cord.

  “Where were you keeping that?”

  “I found it, rooting around in the office while I was on the phone with Jimmy. I tucked it into the back waist of my pants.”

  Files And Motive

  THEY WAITED ON THE LAPTOP to boot up.

  Sean studied his wife’s profile as she kept her focus on the screen. She had such delicate features. He ran a hand down the length of her brown hair, and she turned to smile at him, but quickly went back to the computer.

  “Jimmy’s going to do what he can to rush the results,” he said.

  “So, he’s looking into both the detective’s personal account and the doorman’s?”

  “Yeah. He wasn’t thrilled about the doorman. Said he had to go back to the files to get a name.”

  Sara made a pouting face.

  “He also said he heard about a really nice scotch.”

  She laughed. “See, I told you. We’ll be his bar for the rest of his life.”

  “Rather cheap labor if you ask me.” Sean smiled at her.

  “As I thought. She’s got it password protected.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a folded-up piece of paper. “Good thing I got this from Adam before we left.”

  “You really do have it all together.”

  “Was there any doubt?” She narrowed her eyes and smirked, then typed in the code. They had access. “All right, I’m going to look for a folder with the same name as the one at Universal. Oh, here it is. Easy.” She opened the folder and sub-folders appeared beneath it. “There’s one here marked potential clients.” She clicked on it, opening up another listing. “Hmm. This is an interesting file. Look at this.” She opened a jpeg image.

  “Cindy’s signature.”

  “Uh-huh. It would be very easy for the killer to add this to the end of a suicide note, even if they copied it by placing it underneath the paper. We should see if it matches.”

  “Print it off.”

  “On it, darling.”

  The printer fired up in the office next door.

  “You know, the thought just occurred to me…Robert didn’t know his ex-wife that well, did he? If he did, he wouldn’t have been in her office. He would have known she kept her laptop in her closet.” Sara looked at him, her brown eyes dancing over his face, stopping to press his eyes.

  “Maybe we’re not looking for something that was taken from the computer after all.”

  “He said he didn’t steal those files. What if he’s telling the truth? What if he was here for something else?”

  “For some reason, I think he was. What address did Adam say the file transfers went back to?”

  “He just said to Robert’s home.”

  “Interesting.”

  “You think Adam’s involved somehow?”

  “It’s interesting how he showed up at the right time.”

  “I called him remember?” Sara glanced at the laptop, back to Sean.

  “Yes, but he was more than eager to come down and help.” Sean hooked air quotes around the word help.

  “All right, but what would his motive be? You think he killed Cindy?”

  “Either he killed her, or he’s trying to cover up who did.”

  “I’m not sure I like that look in your eye.”

  He wasn’t going to tell her what he was thinking quite yet. He preferred not to have the suspicion himself.

  “You’re not going to tell me are you?”

  He shook his head.

  “Come on, Sean, we always work best as a team.”

  “I don’t even like the fact that it went through my mind again.”

  “Edward Cranston?” Her eyes scanned his, locking with them. “We did mention him before.”

  “I know. I just wonder. I mean, he held back the fact she was married, but he hasn’t hidden the fact he doesn’t like Robert West.”

  “You think he killed Cindy, or had her killed?”

  “Or maybe, he sincerely believes Robert did it. I’m not sure exactly.”

  “All right, what would his motive be? If he thought Robert did it, why not just put him behind bars? And Adam? He figures in because he’s Edward’s brains behind the operation—or has he been paid to cover things up too?”

  “I don’t know everything yet. Let’s first see if we can figure out what Robert was looking for.”

  Sara laced her hand in Sean’s as they headed back into Cindy’s home office.

  “That’s another thing—Adam said Robert was downloading the files at home. How could he get from there to here that quickly?” she asked.

  “Good question.”

  Questionable Intent

  SARA SURVEYED CINDY’S OFFICE, SOMETHING she never had the time to do before, with Robert’s gun pointed on them and Sean in a struggle for his life. It was decorated in minimal fashion with a mahogany desk and matching lateral filing cabinets.

  Framed pictures were showcased on top of them—Cindy in various poses, and in every one, she had a large, sincere smile on her face. In a couple she was with girlfriends, in another it looked like the photo had been taken at a lunch business meeting and Cindy must have closed the deal because she was beaming. On the wall, an enlarged photo of Cindy with her dad was on display. They had their heads butted together, both of them smiling and there was such pride in their eyes.

  Sara ran her hand down the side of the brushed-aluminum frame, her mind being yanked into the past, imagining what Quinn’s life had been like. Had he devoted so much time to building his businesses that he’d failed to take time to enjoy life? He had made sacrifices for his daughter, and following generations. How sad that his familial line ended with Cindy, but he had made it possible for thousands to have jobs. He had made her and Sean’s dreams come true.

  �
��Well, I think I found what Robert was looking for.” Sean held up a file labeled Reid Incorporated. “It still has paperwork in it. We must have stopped him.”

  “I don’t remember seeing that name on her laptop.” Sara angled her head and went over to the closest cabinet. Its second drawer was ajar. She opened it the rest of the way and found numerous folders labeled with business names.

  She rooted through them and noticed a pattern. “I think Robert got what he came for. Is there a USB stick there?”

  He looked down to the file. “Nope.”

  “He’s got the one belonging to Reid then. All of these files are businesses and they have pages like the one there, but they also have a data stick.”

  “I wonder why Cindy wouldn’t keep Reid on her laptop, and by extension, I would assume she didn’t keep it on the company server. Let’s think about this. We know that Cindy excelled at buying and selling businesses.”

  “Yes, so much so that other executives were upset by it.”

  “Enough to kill for?”

  “We still have to answer that with certainty.”

  Sara’s eyes went to the file Sean held. “What does it say about this company?”

  “Let’s see.” Sean sifted through the sheets and, after a few minutes, gave the summation. “According to Cindy’s notes, Reid was on the verge of bankruptcy. She put ‘steal’ in the margin, the word both accented by an exclamation mark and double underline.”

  “Okay, so let’s say somehow Reid ties into the reason Cindy was killed. How? Why?”

  “Questions we need answers to, that’s for sure.”

  “I think we need to get back to our condo and revisit all the evidence we have so far. Did Jimmy say when he’d have the results?”

  Sean shook his head. “He just said to leave it with him.”

  “All right, we’ll carry on without it then. On our way, let’s try to make friends with the front doorman. Maybe something will slip out.”

  “He clammed right up for the police.”

  “Darling, you know how it works, but these days we’re just your average citizen.”

  Sean wrapped his arm around her waist. “Yes, average, if most have billions in their portfolio.”