Shopping is Murder (McKinley Mysteries Book 6)

by Carolyn Arnold

  “I suppose it could be either, but someone came after him and the disc again. The money must not have come through after all and they came to retrieve what was theirs.”

  “That would happen either way wouldn’t it?”

  “Not necessarily. If the disc held information Jerrod didn’t want getting out, the briber wouldn’t want to let go of any leverage he had.”

  “Worth killing over?”

  “That’s something we have to figure out.”

  “Still, this is conjecture. We have no proof that Jerrod paid any—”

  The doorbell rang.

  “Who could that be?”

  “One way to find out.” Sean got up for the door. It opened wide a second later and Jimmy walked in.

  “Evening, Sara. Sean.”

  “Evening.”

  “To what do we owe this visit?” Sean asked.

  Sara picked up on the subtleties in Sean’s tone of voice. Sean would let Jimmy lay out the purpose of his call and then move on to asking for what they needed.

  “I have your information already.” He held up a file folder.

  “On all the names we got from Nicole?” Sara got up and crossed over to the men.

  Sean took the folder.

  “I see you two are drinking.” His eyes skipped to the cognac in the crystal tumbler on the table. “Do you mind sharing with an old friend?”

  “Of course not.” Sara excused herself to grab a glass and came back to pour him a healthy measure. “Here you go.”

  Jimmy took it from her and held up the glass, eyeing it from the bottom side and then lowered it. “You two are getting fancy on me. The real deal to drink from now, I see.”

  “You’re referring to crystal?”

  “That and the snifter.”

  Sean wrapped his arm around Sara and squeezed her in to his side. “Nothing but the best for my Sara, and I rather like the nice things too.”

  “I bet you do.” Jimmy took a draw from the amber liquid and then let out a whistle. “You guys do know how to pick the drink.”

  “Come on, Jimmy, join us.” Sara gestured to a chair as she headed back to where she’d been sitting before. When both men were seated, she asked, “So you looked into all of them? Anything stand out?”

  Jimmy shook his head. “No records across the board. One guy had a couple of parking tickets.” He let out a sly smile. “Really, it appears like we might have hit a dead end. Sorry about such a bad turn of phrase.” He lifted his glass back for another swallow.

  Sara hoped to garner Sean’s attention but he wasn’t looking her direction. She said, “Jimmy, that might not be entirely true. There are always many different angles to go about things.”

  Jimmy sat back into the chair, leaving the snifter in one hand while he patted the arm of the chair with his other. “I take it you guys have some other ideas? You really were great at your jobs. You’re pretty much always on a case anyway. Why not just come back and get paid for it?”

  “No, Jimmy, it ain’t happening.” Sean snickered. “There’s so much more freedom this way.”

  Sara tucked her cheek in toward her shoulder. “And we don’t need the money.”

  Jimmy took in the large great room they sat in. It was monumental, with twenty-foot-high vaulted ceilings and a chandelier that hung in the center of the space. His eyes came back to meet Sara’s. “That’s an understatement.”

  His amusement caused her to laugh. “This way, we can help people, but we encourage them to donate to charity what they would have paid us.”

  “You both really are angels.” Jimmy drained back some more cognac.

  Sara got up and topped him off. “We need your help with something else.” It was funny how even though Jimmy had openly offered his help, old habits resorted to bribery—laying the path to make it easier for him to comply.

  Her efforts weren’t lost on Jimmy, whose gaze traveled from the refill, to Sean, back to Sara.

  “I could have guessed it.” He guffawed and took a sip. “Name it.”

  Sean leaned forward, steadying his glass between his legs. “We’ve been talking more about motivation, and we think that the killer had something on Jerrod Hill.”

  “You think he was bribed?”

  “Yes,” Sara added. “And we believe the information he was trying to get back was on the disc planted at Groovin’ Beat.”

  “All right, I can see that. Where do I fit in?”

  “Since none of those names stood out with a criminal background, we need to go about this another way. Can you see if there is some sort of a connection between Andres Malone and any of the lawyers?”

  “Might take some time, Sara.”

  “And we have something else to ask.” She put on the sweetest tone she could muster.

  “For you, the world.” Jimmy raised his glass in a toast gesture, adding a double entendre as to whether he referred primarily to her, or the cognac.

  “We need you to dig into the Hills’ financials. Of course, if you can’t do it…” Sara baited him. If they needed to, they could always turn to Adam, a genius they had working at their New York company, Universal Acquisitions Corporation.

  “And what am I looking for?”

  “To see if there are any large transfers or withdrawals that stand out.”

  “I’ll get started on that after I see if I can spot a correlation between the tattoo guy and any lawyers on the victim’s hater list.”

  “You’re the best.” Sara smiled as she held up the cognac. “Would you like more?”

  “No, but thank you. Even I have my limits. As it is, I may be spending the night.”

  “We have eight rooms in the place. You’re more than welcome to.”

  Jimmy gave his glass a once-over. “Okay, just top it up a little more.”

  The Truth Is In The Past

  JIMMY LOVED SEAN AND SARA LIKE they were his children, and since he had none of his own, they received all of his parental devotion. He ended up spending the night at their house, but experienced a pang of regret upon waking. The regret not so much for messing up one of their guest beds, but for his cognac consumption.

  He wasn’t getting any younger, and every one of his joints reminded him of this today. It was already nine and the pain pills had been in system for a few hours, but they did little to mute his aching bones.

  To top it off, three coffees into his day, and one more would tip the scales from revving him up to draining him of energy. This was another thing he didn’t have to worry about until he reached his fifties.

  People talked about how everything went downhill in one’s forties. The only reason for that assessment was, they hadn’t reached their fifties. When they did, they’d realize those earlier years were a cakewalk by comparison.

  He shut his office door and settled behind his desk with a big glass of water. He viewed it with suspicion as if it were out to get him. With a couple sips he’d risk the need for a bathroom break. Getting older wasn’t always fun, but even with all the complaints, it was far better than the alternative.

  He had already put in the request for the financial information on Nicole and Jerrod Hill. That would take a while to come back and, in the meantime, paperwork was piling up in his trays as if they served as a dumpsite for every report in the station. He’d have to find time to work on some of those too, seeing as that’s what the city paid his salary for.

  First, he’d take a break. So what if the day was just beginning? There was a large portion of him that said they had closed this case on Jerrod Hill too soon. With the time and resources to back them, Sean and Sara had turned up more than his seasoned detectives on payroll had. Although, he knew his people weren’t to blame—the politics of the department were—but some things would never change. It required working within the confines and still getting the job done, which, to Jimmy, meant the meting out of justice, even with the odds against him.

  He brought up the list of lawyers from the victim’s firm and reviewed their back
grounds. He read their basic information and was about to give up on finding a connection with Andres Malone when he struck gold.

  With the elation, a sickness fell heavy in his gut. He had failed the Hills by closing the case too soon. He picked up the phone and told Sean and Sara to get to the station right away.

  Sara slipped into the chair across from Jimmy, and Sean stood behind her, with his hands on her shoulders.

  Jimmy tossed two files, facing them, on the desk. Sara lifted them and read the labels out loud. “Dale Pittman and Andres Malone?”

  “Yep. I circled the pertinents.”

  Sara skimmed over the reports. “They used to share the same address.”

  Jimmy laid out the details. “That’s right. Dale and Andres were step-brothers. For a period of time Dale’s dad and Andres’ mother were married.”

  “There’s our connection,” Sean said.

  “He got his own brother to do his dirty work.” Sara let out the conclusion on a sigh. She still didn’t think Andres had it in him to kill a man. There was just something about him. But the fact Pittman was a step-brother to Andres, even for a time, would instill loyalty and explain Andres’ refusal to disclose the identity of the other person involved.

  “What about the Hills’ money?” Sean asked.

  “Nothing yet, but I got the request in.”

  “We’ve got to talk to Pittman.” Sara spoke the words, her focus not on anything in particular. After a few seconds she sensed Jimmy’s eyes searching for contact.

  “Sara, I’m afraid things are getting out of control now.”

  “Who are you to say that?” Sean took a step toward Jimmy’s desk.

  “Who am I? I’m a police sergeant for one, Sean. Two, it’s not even like you’re licensed PIs.”

  Sara angled her head. “This isn’t what worries you.”

  “You’re right. I don’t want anything to happen to you two. Besides this should become a police matter again at this point, and it needs to be handled by the proper authorities.”

  Sara glanced down at the information on Dale Pittman. “He lives in New York City. That is outside of your jurisdiction.”

  “Doesn’t matter, if the man committed a murder in my city. You know that.”

  “Please, let us handle this, Jimmy. We won’t let you down. You know you’ll have a heck of a time explaining why you were digging into this anyway.”

  Her words hung in the air for a few seconds before she carried on with her line of thought. “Besides, Pittman isn’t going to talk to you.”

  “Because I’m a cop?”

  Sara shook her head. “No, because you’re a man.”

  Sean, who was standing even to where Sara was sitting, faced her. Jimmy locked his attention on her too.

  She put on a smile she was certain would tease. “What? Is it a crime to use what your mother gave you?”

  The Big Apple

  SEAN RENTED A LIMO AND driver to take them to New York. Sara was sitting beside him, while Jimmy sat across. Sean still didn’t completely understand why his old sergeant wasn’t relinquishing his grip on this one. Maybe he felt like he had failed the widow.

  “Are you sure that the brass is going to be all right with you taking off like this?” Sean asked.

  “I might have made something up about my mother not feeling well.”

  “Jimmy, your mother is in California.”

  It met with a shoulder shrug. “Gives me a reason to be away for a little while.”

  “I’m surprised with you. You know we’ve got this, and we don’t need a babysitter.”

  “I do.” He grinned.

  “You need a babysitter?” Sara laughed.

  Jimmy batted a hand in the air. “A little excitement, truth be told. I needed out for a bit. I haven’t taken a vacation in far too long. And here’s the thing, I have a gun in case it comes in handy.”

  “No one dies today.”

  “Yes, yes, but we don’t know what this guy is capable of. If he’s the one that pushed Jerrod Hill over the railing, he’s already proven himself capable of murder. If you two are on the right track, he might stop at nothing to prevent the truth from getting out. Besides, if I’m around, I’ll slap these on him.” Jimmy reached into a pocket and pulled out a pair of cuffs.

  Sara turned to Sean and laced her fingers in his. “Someone came prepared.”

  “I’d say.” Sean pressed his forehead to hers.

  “I pull out cuffs and you guys get all—”

  “Now, now, don’t read any more into it.” Sean pulled back from Sara and pointed a finger at Jimmy.

  “So, are you going to give me a little tour while we’re in the Big Apple?”

  Sara was grinning and nodding.

  “I suppose we have some time,” Sean said.

  Sara let out a little squeal and clapped her hands. “What, darling? It’s been a while since we’ve been here. We never even got to see Edward off.”

  “Edward?” Jimmy asked.

  “Edward Cranston used to be the CEO of Universal Acquisitions Corporation, but he took retirement. The man would have been hard to replace,” Sean explained, adding the last part for Sara’s benefit. With the statement, he remembered he had received an email naming Edward’s successor, but he couldn’t recall the name.

  “Ah, an older man with a bow tie?”

  “Yes, that’s him. How did you know?”

  “Wild guess. He was at your wedding reception at the house.”

  “Yes, I guess he would have been. We didn’t get a chance to really know him, but he struck us both as a great guy,” Sean said.

  “I seem to remember a young man there also. He said he worked at Universal Acquisitions too. What was his name?” Jimmy snapped his fingers. “Adam was his first name. Yes, we had talked once briefly on the phone during a previous situation.”

  Sean noticed the delicacy Jimmy applied to his wording. The situation referred to a time when both Sean’s and Sara’s lives hung in the balance.

  They remained silent as the three of them peered out the windows at the towering buildings they drove by.

  “Let’s go by the office before lunch and the condo.”

  “The condo?”

  “Yeah, you didn’t think we were staying in a hotel, did you?”

  “Nah, no. Why would I think that?” Jimmy stretched out his arms along the back of the seat.

  Sean loved to see his former boss, and training officer from back in the day, sitting across from him, still a part of his life. What he loved even more was sharing some of the finer things with the man who had been there at the start.

  Grand Reception

  JIMMY DIDN’T IMPRESS EASILY. AT least he didn’t think he did, but looking around this place, he was impressed—in spades. His joints, which had barked at him all morning, were rendered mute by the architectural attributes of Universal Acquisitions Corporation.

  He walked, looking upward. “And you say this is only one of many companies you own?”

  Sean put a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “That’s right, and they’re spread out all over the world. We visited one while we were in Italy.”

  “Italy…” Jimmy knew the word came off his lips as if he were a boy and carried off on the breeze of a fantasy. He had never been a traveler. There were always other ways to spend money, and, when the incoming matched pretty much on par with the outgoing, it didn’t leave room for frivolous endeavors.

  “Maybe one day you’ll come with us,” Sara said.

  “Me? Italy? Not in this lifetime. Wow, this place is truly amazing. Is this what it’s like to be gods?”

  “Jimmy, we wouldn’t know.” Sean removed his hand from Jimmy’s shoulder, and both he and Sara laughed.

  They reached the front desk, and a redhead smiled at them in greeting. “Good afternoon, welcome to Universal Acquisitions. What can I help you with today?”

  Sean took a step ahead of Sara and Jimmy. “I’m Sean McKinley. This is my wife, Sara, and our friend Jim
my.”

  “Mr. and Mrs. McKinley.” She blushed as she put a hand on her chest. “Wow, what an honor to finally meet you.” She shot to her feet and extended her hand. She shook Sean’s and Jimmy’s first, leaving Sara for last. She held on for a few seconds. Only when Sara glanced at Sean did the receptionist seem to notice how she was letting the grip linger.

  “Oh. Sorry.” She took her hand back and awkwardly tucked an imaginary strand of hair behind an ear—all of it was slicked back into a ponytail. “It’s just, you’re so beautiful.”

  This woman had called it right. Sara was the most beautiful woman Sean knew—but he’d been aware of that for years now. And not only was she a work of art on the outside, but her inner beauty was an equal match.

  He put his arm around her and she pressed in to his side. As much as she joked around about using her looks to an advantage, her modesty often had her taking a back seat.

  “Thank you—” Sara began, arching the sentiment to extract a name.

  “Jessica.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” Jessica rearranged paperwork, as if her nerves wouldn’t allow her to remain still. Or maybe she clued in that they were the owners and, by extension, her bosses and perhaps she should appear busy.

  “Would you be able to let Daniel Lewis and Adam Laverty know that we’re coming up to see them?” Sara asked.

  Jimmy shoved between Sean and Sara. “Daniel Lewis? The actor is working for you?”

  “The actor?”

  “Yeah, you know, he’s from England. He played the lead in the movie Lincoln.”

  “There was a movie named after a president?”

  Jimmy let out a deep sigh and shook his head. “She’s beautiful but seems to live under a rock.”

  “Hey.” Sara spun to face Jimmy.

  Jessica let out a laugh that could curl toes. It was high-pitched, with a whirl at the end—both irritating and contagious. “I’ll let them know. Go on ahead. I assume you know where you’re going.”

  “We do. Thank you.” Sean tapped the counter and turned to leave.

  Sara and Jimmy were already in the lead to the elevator banks. Over the clicking of Sara’s heels, Sean could hear her say, “What do you mean I live under a rock?”