Numbers Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 7)

by Cindy Bell

  “Maybe not, but I am very good at getting people to talk.” Samantha smiled. She peeked into the office and saw that Jimmy was on the telephone. She leaned close to the glass. “It’s too thick, I can’t hear anything.”

  “Maybe if we get inside, we’ll get an idea of who he is talking to.”

  Samantha nodded and grabbed the handle of the door. She didn’t knock, she just pushed the door open and stepped inside. Jimmy shifted in his chair to look at her with the telephone still pressed against his ear. He glared but then turned away again.

  “I’m doing everything that I can. You have no idea what I am dealing with. I’ll have to call you back later.” He pulled the phone from his ear and set it on the desk beside him. As he turned to look at Samantha she tried to get a glimpse of the screen of the phone, but Jimmy’s elbow blocked it. “What is it?”

  “I was just wondering if you could tell me about Magnus’ normal schedule. Would he usually be here so late?” Samantha asked.

  “He kept odd hours, he would come and go as he pleased, but I guess I would say that it was a little on the later side for him to come in. What does that matter?”

  “Maybe he came in at that time for a reason. That might give us a clue as to the motive of the murderer,” Samantha said.

  “The motive was that the guy got caught doing something he shouldn’t have been doing. That could be motive enough don’t you think?” Jimmy grimaced.

  Samantha gripped the strap of her purse and looked into his eyes. “Do you think there was some problem that he came in to deal with? Maybe someone called or sent him an e-mail?”

  Jimmy chuckled and shook his head. “No, if there was he would have just called me, I was always the one to handle any issues, especially after hours. Magnus only ever did things that benefited him.”

  “Maybe that had something to do with it?” Samantha leaned a little closer to him. “Maybe he had his hands into something less than legal?”

  “Not a chance.” Jimmy locked his eyes to hers. “Magnus was a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. He wouldn’t risk losing the entire company and his fortune over a few broken laws.”

  “Thank you for your time.” Samantha nodded.

  “You didn’t exactly give me a choice.” Jimmy turned back to the computer. As Samantha stepped out of the office Eddy held the door for her. They walked quickly towards the exit. They didn’t exchange a word until they were out of the building.

  “So, what do you think?” Eddy lifted an eyebrow.

  “I think that Jimmy is hiding something. I also think that Magnus had a few secrets.”

  “I agree.”

  As they walked back towards the car Samantha tapped her fingertips against the side of her purse. The repetitive sound drew Eddy’s attention. He glanced over at her in the same moment that he opened the car door for her.

  “What is it? I know that look,” Eddy said.

  “I don’t know. Everything seems too simple.”

  “Simple?” Eddy walked around to the driver’s side and settled into his seat. Then he looked over at her for an explanation.

  “Magnus just happens to walk in as an intruder is sifting through the computer?” Samantha shook her head. “It seems like an impossible coincidence.”

  Eddy started the car. “You think that Magnus might have known there was an intruder?”

  “Maybe. Why else would he come in at such an odd hour? Maybe something or someone tipped him off to the person’s presence there,” Samantha said.

  “Interesting. We’ll have to look into the security systems that are in place.”

  “He might have had a private security system of some kind. If he was the paranoid type.”

  “Seems to me that he had reason to be paranoid,” Eddy said.

  “Well, if he didn’t have much in the way of family, then his employees, the people he worked with every day are going to be our best resource,” Samantha said.

  “I agree.”

  “I’ll see if I can get a list of all of the employees that work for the company. From there we can narrow down who might have had access to the building during the time of the murder.”

  “Good idea. I’ll see what I can find out about the crime scene, and whether any witnesses have been found,” Eddy said.

  “Good thinking.”

  “Sometimes I wonder if wealth only leads to these kinds of problems. I used to be a little bitter about not doing more with my life, but when these types of things happen, I’m glad all I have is my old chair and my little villa.”

  “That seems like a lot to me.” Samantha smiled wistfully as she looked out through the car window. “There was a time when I didn’t have a place to call home. I was moving between hotels chasing stories. I love my little villa. And the friends that I’ve made.”

  Eddy glanced over at her and smiled. “It is nice to have each other to turn to. Especially at times like this. I just hope that our friendship will be enough.”

  “We’ll get Walt through this, I have no doubt in my mind.”

  “That’s what I respect about you, Samantha. I give you a hard time about your optimism, but your confidence is so unwavering. It makes me think that there might still be good things in the world.”

  “You’re not really that jaded are you, Eddy? There must be some things that still inspire you.”

  He gripped the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles grew white. After a moment of silence he looked over at her again.

  “I still get inspired by trying to make sure that justice is served.”

  “Well, that’s important,” Samantha said.

  “Call me with anything you find. I’ll talk to Walt. We should all get together and discuss this when we have a little more information.”

  “Okay, I’ll drum up every connection I can find at the company, and I’ll also look into Magnus’ personal connections.”

  “Okay, I’ll see if Chris can give me any more information.” Eddy nodded.

  Samantha stepped out of the car and waved to Eddy as he pulled away.

  Chapter Five

  Samantha unlocked the door to her villa with her thoughts spinning. Time mattered in this situation. If she didn’t find something fast then the focus could easily remain on Walt. She settled in front of her computer and navigated her way into the company’s website. On the surface it was a simple site designed for large clients. She tried to find her way into the system to access the employee files, but they were highly protected.

  “Dead end.” She frowned as her phone beeped. It was a text from Eddy with a picture attached.

  Couldn’t get employee list yet but this is from the company files. I thought it might be helpful.

  Samantha decided to print out the list. She looked at the list which was of four digit numbers. She looked through it but couldn’t see the number 6886 on it. Another dead end.

  After a deep breath she refocused. Maybe the list from Eddy and the website couldn’t provide her with what she needed, but there were other ways to get the information. She conducted several searches on different social media sites with the name of the company. After a few dead ends she came up with several posts about a baseball team made up of company employees. That gave her several names. Those names allowed her to search individual social media sites, which allowed her to find several more names connected to those that listed their workplace as the company. By the time she was done she had over one hundred names. From her research it appeared that some of the people on the baseball team no longer worked at the company, but she kept them on the list in case they could provide some information.

  It was easy to discover just how Magnus’ employees felt about him as well. There were several posts about his merit as a boss, and none were flattering, though she didn’t notice any that went to the extreme of implying a threat. However, there might have been some she missed. With the new list she began to search each individual to find contact information. By the time she was done she had a nice list
to work from. It would give them a lot to discuss at the meeting. She picked up her phone and dialed Jo.

  “Hi Jo. Just wanted to update you. We went to the company this morning, but didn’t find too much to go on. I’ve got a pretty thorough list of employees though.”

  “That’s a good place to start. Many people want to murder their bosses.”

  “I think most are just joking.” Samantha raised an eyebrow. “At least I hope so.”

  “Maybe, but you never know. I wouldn’t be surprised if whoever murdered Magnus is on that list.”

  “Maybe.” Samantha sighed and looked over the list again. “But it’s a very long list, and we don’t have a very long time.”

  “Divide and conquer, it works every time.” Jo’s voice lightened. “I’m sure that we can all do our share.”

  “That’s a good plan. I have to tell you that Eddy and I are both pretty worried about Walt.”

  “Well, that makes three of us. I’m pretty worried, too. When are we meeting?”

  “At three.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there.”

  “Thanks Jo.” Samantha hung up the phone and picked up her list of names. As she counted up the names she noticed the piece of paper with the four digit codes on it. It seemed to her that there were about the same amount of codes as there were names. Maybe the codes identified the employees? She paper clipped the two lists together to investigate it later.

  Samantha made herself a small lunch and set a notepad on the table beside her. She often found that she came up with the best ideas when she wasn’t looking for an idea. As she enjoyed her sandwich her mind slowly went over the events of the morning. Jimmy, annoyed at being thrust into his position, and not the least bit hurt by his boss’ demise. That was enough to make her suspicious of him. Even if someone didn’t like their boss, they would likely feel something about his death. Did Jimmy’s lack of concern make him a sociopath? Or was it psychopath? Or was he just grieving in his own way?

  Samantha sighed and took another bite of her sandwich. As she chewed the lists of names and numbers flashed through her thoughts. If each of those codes was assigned to each of the employees that might mean that there would be a way to tell who entered and exited the building around the time of the murder. That would certainly narrow down the suspect list. That’s presuming they used the front entrance, but maybe they broke in or there was another way to access the building without breaking in. She finished her sandwich then picked up the phone to call Eddy. He answered around a mouthful of his lunch.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi Eddy, sorry I caught you in the middle of lunch.”

  “It’s all right. Did you find something?”

  “I came across a good amount of information about the employees. I think the list of four digit numbers might correlate to each of the employees. I was wondering if your police contact that sent it to you had any information about that. Maybe the police spoke to Jimmy and found out whether that four digit number is a code or not. Maybe it was connected to the keycard the murderer used to get inside. If that’s the case we might be able to narrow down our suspect list. What do you think?”

  “I think you’re brilliant as always, Samantha. I’ll check into it right now. I wanted to get an update on the case before I talk to Walt anyway. We’re still meeting at three right?”

  “Yes, and Jo is eager to pitch in.”

  “Great, we’re going to need all of our guns on this one.” When he hung up the phone Eddy picked up the last of his grilled cheese sandwich. It was a bit too greasy for his liking, a result of his distracted mind. He took the last bite then dialed Chris’ number. After three rings he answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Chris, it’s Eddy.”

  “Oh, Eddy I was just about to call you.”

  “Yes?”

  “I’ve got an update for you.”

  “Great. What is it?”

  “Firstly, it doesn’t look like the building was broken into in anyway so it is likely that the murderer accessed the building through the front door.”

  “Interesting,” Eddy said. “And secondly.”

  “It’s good news. They have another suspect.”

  “Oh great, who is it?”

  “Jimmy.”

  “Wait, Jimmy Barker?”

  “Yes, that’s him.”

  “Wow, we just talked with him this morning.”

  “You did? How?”

  “Samantha and I went to the company to check out the crime scene.”

  “You are bold, you know that?”

  “I try not to disappoint.”

  “What if you had been caught?”

  “Don’t worry. I would never turn you in, Chris.”

  “Did you ever consider that I might not be as worried about that, as I am about you ending up behind bars? At your age?”

  “At my age?” Eddy snapped. “I’ll have you know, at my age, I’m still perfectly capable of handling myself behind bars.”

  “I didn’t mean any offense.” Chris sighed. “Just be cautious.”

  “I intend to be. Now, what is this about Jimmy being a suspect?”

  “It turns out surveillance cameras caught him entering the building around seven in the evening.”

  “Okay, but that’s before the estimated time of death.”

  “Yes, and he’s seen leaving about fifteen minutes later. Then an hour later he is seen entering the building again.”

  “Well, that should do it shouldn’t it?”

  “It should, except as of now he has an alibi.”

  “How can he if he’s on camera?”

  “A man in a baseball cap is on camera. His face isn’t visible. Jimmy belongs to a baseball team and he and his teammates were at a dinner during the time frame of the murder. He says he lost his keycard some time after he visited the building, but he can’t pinpoint the exact time and he said he didn’t enter the building a second time. It’s a convenient story, but because of the alibi we need to establish that the alibi is false in order to make him a viable suspect.”

  “Yikes, that doesn’t make him a great suspect.”

  “No it doesn’t, but it’s something.”

  “Walt has a good alibi, too, so maybe there will be less attention on him.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Can you see if you can get a list of Jimmy’s financial transactions so we can see if there are any discrepancies?” Eddy asked.

  “I’ll try.”

  “Thank you. Did you find out anything else?”

  “It looks like that financial software was the only part of the program targeted. It handles the billing and collections.”

  “So, he was trying to transfer funds?”

  “I don’t think so actually. We’re still trying to get a good grasp on the system, but it appears to be more about checks and balances than actual funds. Maybe it was a first step before he tried to crack into the bank account information.”

  “Interesting. I have a question for you.”

  “Sure.”

  “That four digit code list, did you find out any more information about it?” Eddy asked.

  “Yes actually. The four digit code represents an employee’s ID number. However, that code in particular is not currently associated with anyone at the company.”

  “What about the keycards, do they use the same four digit code?”

  “Yes, they do. But again, the code itself isn’t associated with anyone.”

  “But you should be able to tell by the numbers who entered the building through the front door around the time of the murder?”

  “Yes. At least I think so,” Chris said.

  “Is there any way you can get me a copy of who entered the building and the surveillance video?”

  “Hm. I can try. This is pretty high profile so I have to watch my step. If I manage to get it, I’ll get it to you as soon as I can.”

  “Thanks Chris.”

  “You’re welcome. Next time you do some
thing risky like going to the scene of a crime how about if you tell me first? That way I can at least have your back.”

  “That’s why I don’t tell you, Chris. You do enough as it is. I won’t have you taking more risks for me. Okay?”

  “You don’t have to worry about me, Eddy.” He hung up before Eddy could argue. Not that there would be much of an argument. Chris always did whatever he pleased. As soon as Eddy hung up he dialed Walt’s number.

  Walt picked up the phone on the first ring.

  “Yes? What is it? Did you find something?”

  “Walt, are you okay?” The high-pitched tone of Walt’s voice surprised Eddy.

  “I might have had too much coffee.”

  “I can tell, Bud.” Eddy shook his head. “Listen, there is another suspect, the acting CEO, Jimmy Barker.”

  “Oh wonderful.” Walt sighed with relief. “Did he do it?”

  “We’re not sure yet. It looks like he has an alibi.”

  “Then how can he be a suspect?”

  “It’s complicated, but his keycard, which he claims was stolen, was used to access the building around the time of the murder. The person, that we believe is Jimmy, was caught on surveillance wearing a baseball cap when he entered the building earlier as well as around the time of the murder, so I’m guessing he might have found a way to fake his alibi. There’s something else, too.”

  “What is it?”

  “The software that was accessed was a financial program that handled the billing and collections for the company. It made me think of you.”

  “You’re kidding!” Walt’s voice grew even higher. “Unless he updated the program over the years, that is likely the same system I installed for him.”

  “Maybe that has something to do with why he wrote down your name on the piece of paper.”

  “Maybe it does. Maybe.” Walt sighed. “But this doesn’t improve my situation does it? Now, not only did Magnus write down my name, but presuming it hasn’t been changed the software accessed was installed and customized by me.”

  “It doesn’t mean too much, other than, you might be able to figure out why the intruder was in that software. What could he have been looking for?”