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

by Cindy Bell

  “I’m not sure what would benefit him. Maybe the details of the contracted company’s payment methods? Even that would be a stretch, as most have enough protection on them that any false charges would be flagged right away.”

  “Anything else then? Maybe a way to filter money between accounts?”

  “No, it’s nothing like that. The program doesn’t provide access to any actual funds. It’s mainly for record keeping.”

  “Odd. Maybe they went into the wrong program?” Eddy suggested.

  “Maybe. If I could take a look at that computer I might be able to figure out more.”

  “I don’t think that’s an option.”

  “Yes, I guess not.”

  “Maybe you can do the next best thing.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Can you recreate the software on your computer?”

  “I think that I could.”

  “If you did, you could experiment to see what the intruder might have been after.”

  “That’s a brilliant idea, Eddy. Thank you.”

  “You work on that, and I’ll work on a few other things. Don’t forget we’re meeting up with Samantha and Jo at three.”

  “Yes. I hate to cause everyone so much trouble.”

  “Walt, we are sorry you’re in this position, but we’re glad to be able to help. Besides this isn’t just about you. It’s about a murder that needs to be solved. Clearing your name in the process is just a bonus.”

  “That’s true.”

  Chapter Six

  After hanging up the phone with Walt, Eddy tried to focus on the case. The best way to figure it out was with the help of Samantha, Jo and Walt. He took some time to clean up after himself then settled in his easy chair. There was just enough time for a nap which he seemed to be needing more and more lately. As he was about to fall asleep, someone knocked on the door. He bolted up out of his chair, half-awake and prepared to defend himself if he needed to. A consequence of working so many years as a police officer, was his jumpy nature. He walked over to the door and opened it to find Jo outside. She wore her long, dark hair in a tight ponytail. Her lips tightened at the sight of him.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Uh, sure. I thought we were meeting at three.” He stepped aside. She moved past him and tilted her head towards the door.

  “Close it.”

  “Okay.” Eddy stared at her as he closed the door. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure if there’s a good way to say this, so I’m just going to say it. How well do you know Walt?”

  “I know him pretty well. Why?”

  “Before I go all out on this investigation, I want to know that he wasn’t involved.” She folded her arms across her chest.

  “Jo, that’s crazy. Walt would never hurt anyone.”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged. “But something I turned up makes me wonder.”

  “What’s that?’

  “Did Walt tell you that he was fired from Magnus’ company?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “No.” Eddy’s jaw clenched and he shook his head. “I’m sure if that were true he would have told me.”

  “I have sources of my own.”

  “I know all about your sources.” Eddy rolled his eyes. He had tried to put Jo’s past career as a cat burglar behind him, but it was often on his mind.

  “Whatever.” Jo shrugged. “If you don’t want to know then I won’t bother to tell you. Walt has supported me on more than one occasion and I came to you first because I know what good friends you and Walt are.” She started to walk towards the door.

  “Wait a minute.” Eddy stepped between her and the door. “Tell me what you know.”

  “Why should I?” She stared into his eyes. “You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

  “I do.” He sighed and lowered his voice. “I do, Jo, you should know that. I’m sorry for the comment.”

  “You should be. I thought we were over the suspicion,” Jo said.

  “Really?” He laughed a little. “You’re telling me that we’re past the suspicion, but here you are questioning Walt’s integrity. So am I supposed to trust you, if you don’t trust us?”

  “You are not Walt.” She narrowed her eyes. “I came to you didn’t I?”

  “Yes.” His shoulders relaxed. “Yes, you did. So what did you hear?”

  “Well, when Samantha mentioned Magnus’ name I thought it sounded familiar. So I looked into it. Turns out this man has made more than a few enemies, especially in the criminal world. In fact, there’s a bounty on his head and it’s only one of the many over the years.”

  “Why wouldn’t the police know about this?”

  “Magnus has remained squeaky clean. No arrests, no suspicions. No reason to dig into his life or the people that might hate him.”

  “That makes sense. But why do you suspect Walt?”

  “I didn’t say I did. When I asked if there were any people that stood out as enemies to Magnus my source told me that the reason Walt was fired was because he was going to turn Magnus in for something unsavory. That gives him motive, revenge.”

  “Walt isn’t the vengeful type. He also isn’t the type to let something go if he knew it was illegal.”

  “According to what I was told, Walt backed off when Magnus threatened him. Maybe he has held this over Walt’s head for all these years. Magnus was manipulative.”

  “That seems impossible. It’s been so many years. Besides, it’s Walt we’re talking about.” He narrowed his eyes. “He wouldn’t keep something like that a secret.”

  “Then why didn’t he tell you about being fired? Did he even tell you why he thought about turning in Magnus?”

  Eddy lowered his eyes. “No, he didn’t tell me anything about that.”

  “See? There might be a reason.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Doubt it all you want but we need to have a plan in case it’s the truth.”

  “What do you mean a plan?” He took a step away from the door.

  “Well, if he took care of the problem, or was involved in some way, we need to be prepared to protect him. Get him out of the country, or something.” Jo shrugged.

  “Are you serious?” Eddy’s jaw rippled.

  “Of course I am. These things go much smoother when you plan ahead.”

  “If Walt was involved, which I’m sure he wasn’t, I wouldn’t do anything to protect him. I’d turn him into the police myself.”

  Jo’s face paled at his words. “Even after everything he’s done for you?”

  “He’s a friend, Jo, but murder is murder.”

  “And you wonder why people don’t trust you?” Jo shook her head. “I wish I’d never told you.”

  “People do trust me, Jo. Because I stand for justice. Even if that means that a friend has to pay the price. Don’t even think of questioning my friendship with Walt. Because you’re the one who is ready to protect him from a crime he didn’t commit, and I am the one who knows with unwavering certainty that he did not commit that crime. I will protect him from false accusations, because I trust him. Maybe you should consider that option instead of looking up which countries don’t extradite.”

  Jo frowned and moved past him towards the door. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have come here.”

  “Wait.” Eddy placed a hand on the door to prevent her from opening it. “The information is good, Jo. It could help us figure out all of this. But I can tell you right now, if you accuse Walt of anything, he’s not going to forgive you for it. He’s an honorable man.”

  “Wouldn’t be right for someone like me to accuse someone like him right?” She peered at him through a few stray wisps of hair that had escaped her ponytail. “Since he’s so honorable?”

  Eddy sighed and straightened up. “That’s not what I meant. Your opinion matters to him, it matters to us all, and it would hurt him to think that you might consider him capable of murder.”

  “Isn’t everyone capable?” She tilted her head to the
side. “Given the right circumstances anyone can be pushed that far.”

  “I don’t think so. Not everyone.”

  “You?”

  “Me. You?” He quirked an eyebrow.

  “Definitely.”

  “But not Walt.” He looked into her eyes. “I promise you, not Walt.”

  “Then I’ll leave this information with you, Eddy. You can decide what you want to do with it. But don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.” She brushed his hand away from the door and opened it. “I hope that you’ll have that same faith in me one day.”

  Eddy could only nod. His trust in Jo certainly increased the more he got to know her, but she did have a criminal past. Walt did not. As soon as Jo left, Eddy grabbed his keys and wallet. He headed out to Walt’s villa.

  Chapter Seven

  Walt’s legs ached from pacing. He sat back down in front of the computer. It was fairly simple for him to recreate the program he’d designed for Magnus. However, there was no way to be sure that it was the same one that the company still used. The more he manipulated the data, the more he narrowed down the motive of whoever might have been using it. There was only one benefit he could see from hacking into the program. That was to erase debt. The company relied on the system to generate bills, current, and past due invoices. If a person’s debt was removed from the system no bills would be generated, and there would be no paper trail of proof of debt. It would essentially vanish. However, it was a huge jump to go from erasing debt to murder.

  Walt’s mind still swirled with anxiety over the phone call in the first place. He had to get control of his thoughts before the meeting. He didn’t want any information to slip out by accident. His personal business was his, no one else’s. He went through the program again, in the role of an intruder. What did he want from the program? What changes could he make that would benefit him? Again, he found that the only benefit was the potential for wiping out debt. He sat back in his chair and sighed. Even though the case centered around him it seemed that there wasn’t much he could do to help with the investigation. He glanced at his watch. Still a half hour before the meeting. With a yawn he stood up and stretched. As he lowered his arms there was a knock at the door. He turned and strode towards the door. When he opened it, Eddy stood on the other side.

  “You’re early, Eddy. Did you find out something new?”

  Eddy dipped his hat down along his forehead some. “You could say that.” He locked eyes with Walt. Walt’s heart skipped a beat. Eddy could be quite intimidating when he wanted to be.

  “What is it?”

  “We should talk inside.” He stepped past Walt into the villa. Walt closed the door and braced himself for what might come next. Were the police on their way? Did they find more evidence against him?

  “Walt, you know that we’re friends, right?” Eddy looked over at him.

  “Sure, of course I do. What’s this about?”

  “If we’re going to investigate this murder, we really need all of the information. Everything that might be relevant.”

  Walt leaned back against the door of the villa and nodded. “I know that.”

  “So. Is there anything you might want to share with me?”

  “Don’t you have secrets, Eddy?” Walt raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know every little thing there is to know about you.”

  “No, you certainly don’t. But I’m not the one who needs to provide information here.”

  “Look, I don’t want to talk about it. It has nothing to do with the case.”

  “It’s going to come up in the police investigation, you know that right? When it does, you’re going to look even more suspicious.”

  Walt swallowed hard. “I hoped it would be solved before it got to that.”

  “So, it’s true?” Eddy sighed. “Walt, why won’t you tell me?”

  “Eddy, it’s not as simple as just telling you. It’s something I’ve tried to forget about for many years.” Walt shook his head. “If I thought it pertained to the case, I would have told you.”

  “Maybe it’s not your place to decide that, Walt. I know you value your privacy, but we’re all putting our necks on the line by looking into this. Magnus was a powerful man. You don’t need to be ashamed.”

  “Ashamed?” Walt looked up at him with surprise. “I’m not ashamed at all.”

  “Not for staying silent?”

  “Staying silent?” Walt shook his head. “I think someone gave you the wrong information.”

  “So maybe you should give me the right information?”

  “Maybe it’s best if I tell everyone at once. I’m sure you didn’t come by this information on your own. If I’m going to tell you, I might as well tell everyone. But first, who told you?” Walt stepped away from the door and closer to Eddy. “Samantha?”

  “No.” Eddy cleared his throat. “It was Jo. A contact in the criminal world gave her the information.”

  “That explains why it’s a little slanted. So why are you here and not her? She didn’t think she could come to me with this information?”

  “I asked her not to.” Eddy shoved his hands in his pockets.

  “Why?”

  “I didn’t want you to think that she didn’t trust you.”

  “Jo?” He laughed. “Jo doesn’t trust anyone. That’s just her nature. Was she ready to turn me in or something?”

  “Quite the opposite.” Eddy smiled. “She was planning your getaway.”

  Walt smiled, too. “That’s the Jo I know. At least she has my back.”

  “I do too, Walt. I just need to know what is going on, so that I know how to look out for you.”

  “I wish none of you had to even think about looking out for me, Eddy. This was a mess when I worked for Magnus, and it’s a mess now. But it’s nothing that you’re thinking. I didn’t do anything wrong, and I didn’t keep my silence. In fact, not keeping my silence is what I regret.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Let’s just say Magnus was powerful then, too. After working with him, and doing what I did, I didn’t get very much business.”

  “He trashed your name?”

  “Essentially. Like I said, we should wait.”

  “It’s about time now. Let’s head over to Samantha’s.”

  “Eddy, it’s not what you think.” Walt met his eyes.

  “What I think is that you should have told me this from the beginning, Walt.” Eddy frowned.

  “You’re right, I probably should have.”

  “From now on, no hiding things, all right?” Eddy opened the door for him.

  “All right.” Walt nodded. As Walt stepped through the door Eddy’s phone beeped. He looked at it to see it was a text from Chris.

  Envelope in mailbox

  “I need to pick up a letter on the way,” Eddy said as he walked with Walt to the mailbox. He scanned his surroundings as he opened the mailbox. Then he reached in and took out the envelope. He took the papers out and looked at the front page then put it back in the envelope. “This is a list of Jimmy’s transactions from his account.”

  “That was quick.”

  “Will you be able to look at them and see if you find anything suspicious?” Eddy asked as he handed the envelope to Walt.

  “Yes, of course,” Walt said as they continued towards Samantha’s villa. “Hopefully there will be a payment to a trained assassin in here.”

  Eddy smiled.

  Chapter Eight

  Samantha eagerly opened the door when Walt and Eddy arrived at her villa. Jo perched on the edge of the couch in the living room. She avoided looking at Walt and Eddy.

  “All right guys, let’s figure this out.” Samantha placed the two lists on the dining room table. Jo stood up and joined them at the table. Walt tried to catch her eyes, but Jo busied herself with the lists.

  “First, I think Walt has something he’d like to tell us.” Eddy leaned his hands against the edge of the table. “Walt?”

  Walt sighed and rubbed his hands together. He began
to pace beside the table. “I was not completely honest at first. I did not intend to lie, I just didn’t think the investigation would be helped by my admission. Now I see that was a mistake.” He looked over at Jo again. “I’m sorry if I gave any of you cause to doubt my integrity.”

  “What?” Samantha frowned. “What are you talking about, Walt?” She glanced around at the rest of her friends. “Why does it seem like I’m the only one who doesn’t know?”

  “Because you are.” Walt cleared his throat. “But not for long. When I worked for Magnus I told you I hesitated to take the job. I knew he was a rough character, that he intimidated people, and I didn’t know if I wanted to be part of that. While I worked for him I noticed that some of the employees would lie in order to avoid his wrath. He was vicious when it came to work ethic, more so than anyone I’d ever seen. I let a lot of the discrepancies go, as they did no real harm to the company. However, I came across a flaw in his old financial program that shaved ten percent off several customers’ repayments. There was no valid reason for the discount. I could have just let it go, but instead, I brought it to Magnus’ attention. He was furious, and determined that someone in his company had gone against his hardline attitude of no discounts, or perhaps was pocketing the difference themselves.”

  “Did he ever figure out who it was?” Samantha leaned forward across the table. She skimmed the list of names in front of her.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think so. He was so irate that he began interrogating his employees. I don’t mean just questioning them, I mean interrogating them. When I overheard some of the threats he made, I confronted him and told him I would go to the police if he continued. Of course, I was fired after that.” He shrugged. “If I had kept my mouth shut my life would have been easier. But I couldn’t ignore what the numbers showed me. I tried to check in on how the employees were after they were fired, but none would speak to me. In fact I was blackballed for quite some time in Magnus’ circle. I lost a lot of clients and potential income because of it.”