by Sarah Biglow
“Hey, AJ,” she called, tugging one earbud from her ear.
Her nephew materialized in the doorway between the front of the store and the game room. “Yeah, Aunt K., what’s up?”
“How did you hear about the hotel development going up on the waterfront again?”
“It was in the paper and, as I said, a lot of people weren’t too happy about it going up.”
“When did all this start? I mean I know I was away for a while but the fact they are moving forward feels kind of sudden.”
“Uh, maybe over the summer. Well, I know Mom and Dad went to some town meetings back in January or February—before Grandpa died—about using the land for the new development. I think they only finalized the deal in like September. Why?”
“It might be relevant to the case. Apparently, Mr. Chase doesn’t work for the real estate firm anymore. I know he did in late September or early October because he helped Nadine sell her house but I called earlier and they said he doesn’t work there anymore.”
“So?”
She handed over the tablet. “His firm is an affiliate company with the developer. I’m thinking maybe he went to go work for them. I’d imagine it paid better I just don’t know what a real estate broker would be doing at a development firm.”
“Maybe call and ask them? It can’t hurt, right?”
“I’m not so sure about that. Remember, the development firm had some Asset Protection manager lurking around while the police were investigating the break-in. When I tried to ask him questions, he blew me off and walked away.”
“Weird. Does Detective Harper know that Mr. Chase left the company?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t told him yet but I know he was going to check into it.”
“As I said, it can’t hurt to call and see if they’ll admit Mr. Chase worked for them. You can borrow my phone if you want.”
Kalina gave her nephew a grateful smile but shook her head. “Your mother would kill me. I’ll use mine.”
She pulled the earbuds from the headphone jack and dialed the company’s main number. It rang twice before a chipper-sounding woman answered.
“Carlisle Premiere Developments, how may I help you today?”
Kalina let out a breath. “Hi. I might have the wrong number but I’m trying to reach Thomas Chase.”
“One moment please.” Static filled the other end of the line. “I’m sorry, he’s not in today and I’m not sure when he’ll be back in. I can leave a message for you if you’d like.”
“No, that’s all right but thanks so much. You have a good day now.”
Kalina stared dumbstruck at her nephew as she ended the call. “Remind me to give you a raise. You are a smart kid. He definitely worked there before … he died.” She managed to catch herself before she said murdered. Sure, it was accurate but it sounded overly gruesome.
“If only we could talk to his boss at the old place, maybe find out why he left.”
“There’s no ‘we’ here. But I might be able to drop a hint or two. Thanks kiddo.”
“I’m here all week. And by the way, you are totally Jessica Jones.”
The bell above the door jingled, signaling a new customer, and Kalina shooed AJ back to front desk duty. She had plenty of reasons to drop into the police station without Chris becoming suspicious of her motives. Besides, he owed her for missing Thanksgiving with her family.
CHAPTER NINE
Kalina waited until after 6:30 to grab some pizza and head over to the station. She’d picked up a couple extra slices in case Jimmy was around. He tended to horn in on their office dinners, even if he didn’t mean to. She found Chris hunched over his computer staring at some file or other.
“Hey, I brought food,” she announced.
He looked up and smiled. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced than they’d been that morning and he looked paler. “Thanks.”
She settled in beside him and handed over a big slice of Hawaiian and a napkin. It was half gone with two bites. She nibbled on a slice of sausage and green pepper. They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes before she set her food down and looked at him.
“I know you can’t say much but how is Savannah doing?”
“She seems to be holding up. She’s going through hell though. First her husband is killed and then her house is ripped apart.”
“Did she know what they were looking for?”
“She claims to have no idea.”
“But you don’t believe her?”
“It just seems odd that a real estate broker would be the target of these kinds of crimes. Especially in this town. Despite the few incidents recently, we aren’t a high crime area.”
“He isn’t working for the firm anymore.”
Chris propped his elbow on the arm of the chair and stared at her. “And you know this how?”
Kalina studied her hands. “I called and asked for him and they said he didn’t work there anymore.”
“I guess I would have found that out anyhow tonight.”
“Oh?”
“Mr. Chase’s … former boss is coming in for questioning in about an hour.”
“That’s late isn’t it?” She took a bite of pizza.
“It fit with his schedule.”
Kalina nodded. “There’s more.”
“Of course there is.”
“There was a guy from the development company looking around and when I called and asked for Mr. Chase, the secretary told me he was out. That all but confirms he worked there. And the real estate firm is an affiliate of the developer. It says so right on their website.”
“That’s definitely strange.” A new message bubble popped up on Chris’s computer screen. He turned to study it, his brow knitting together in concern. “That’s not good.”
Kalina leaned forward to try to read over his shoulder. “What is it?”
“I just got information back on the gun we found at the scene. It was registered to Mr. Chase.”
“And I’m betting Mrs. Chase doesn’t know he had a gun.”
“I’m thinking not.” He rubbed the back of his neck—a telltale sign of stress and frustration—and blew out a breath. “Honestly, none of this makes sense.”
She rubbed his back gently to help ease some of the tension. “I’m sure it will.”
Two sets of footsteps echoed on the linoleum behind them, drawing Kalina’s attention. Jimmy—her go to for inside information—walked by the front desk, accompanied by a man in a navy suit. He was balding with sparse hair left on the sides. It could have been brown at one point but it was grey now.
“Sorry to interrupt, boss, but Mr. Linden is here to see you,” Jimmy announced. He eyed the extra slice of Hawaiian pizza on Chris’s desk.
Chris spun around and took in the realtor before him. Without a word, Kalina grabbed an extra napkin to go with the pizza and offered Mr. Linden her chair. She and Jimmy retreated a safe distance—still within earshot—before she handed over the pizza.
“You didn’t have to,” he said before taking a big bite.
“You guys work too hard,” she said.
Mr. Linden settled into the chair Kalina had vacated while Chris hastily cleared away the pizza remains and retrieved his pen and notepad. Kalina couldn’t keep from smiling at how he clung to old school traditions. It only made her love him more.
“Thanks for coming down, Mr. Linden. I appreciate it.”
Mr. Linden shrugged one shoulder. “Not sure what I can tell you. Thomas Chase is no longer an employee with our firm.”
“So I hear. Can you describe what happened?”
“Nothing to say really. Decided he wasn’t interested in selling homes anymore and quit.”
“So you didn’t have any concerns about his performance?”
“None. He was a good worker. One of our best in fact. It was a shame to see him leave.”
“Were you aware of anything going on in his home life that might have prompted a change?”
�
�Like what?”
“Anything. I know that Savannah Chase is his second wife.”
“As far as I know, things were fine between them. He didn’t talk about her much. Just between us, I thought it was a little strange he married again. They just don’t seem compatible.”
Chris tapped the capped end of the pen against his lower lip. “Did you know Mr. Chase was employed by Carlisle Premiere Developments?”
“No I didn’t know that.”
“Does that surprise you?”
“A little.” Mr. Linden’s cheeks paled.
Even from where Kalina stood, she could see sweat break out on his temple. Chris clearly noted the change too.
“Do you have any idea what sort of work Mr. Chase would be doing for a development company?”
Mr. Linden coughed and averted his gaze. “Can’t say that I do. You’d be better off asking them.”
“Oh, I will be. Is there anything else you can tell me about Mr. Chase? Can you think of anyone who would have wanted to hurt him?”
“No idea. I’m sorry. If that’s all, I need to be going.”
Chris offered his hand and Mr. Linden shook it. “Thank you again for coming down.”
Mr. Linden stood, straightened his suit jacket and strode out of the station without a word to anyone else. The interview had been somewhat illuminating but Kalina realized it was time to talk to Savannah again. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed her husband change careers. And she couldn’t get the image of the developer goon out of her head.
“Hey, Jimmy, can you tell Chris I’ll see him tomorrow? I need to go check in with my sister to make sure everything is going all right at her house.”
“Sure thing, Kal.”
CHAPTER TEN
Kalina texted AJ to let him know he should close up the shop for the night. She’d swing by afterwards to double check the register and handle the books for the day. The lights were on in the living room of her sister’s house when she pulled into the driveway. She pulled in behind Daniel’s car and took the front steps two at a time. She didn’t bother knocking, instead choosing to make a bold entrance. She found her sister and Savannah sharing a bottle of wine in the living room.
“You know doors are meant for knocking, right?” Jillian said before proffering a third glass.
Kalina waved dismissively at the offered glass. “I just figured you’d want to hear what I have to say.”
“Is it about Thomas?” Savannah’s cheeks were flushed from the alcohol.
“Yes. I was having dinner with Chris and he told me that Thomas left the real estate firm a few months ago and was working for the developers who are putting up the hotel and condos on the waterfront.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Jillian scoffed.
Savannah’s cheeks flushed more and her eyes grew bright with unshed tears. “I feel awful.”
“Why?” Kalina sat down on the couch beside the woman.
“I just remembered that he had left the firm. I didn’t realize he didn’t work for the same type of company anymore. Oh God, am I going to get into trouble with the police?”
“Of course not,” Jillian interjected, shooting Kalina a look that clearly said ‘she better not get in trouble’.
“I think if you just sit down with Detective Harper and tell him whatever you’ve remembered, he’ll understand. After all, you’ve had quite a shock the last couple days.”
Savannah nodded and rubbed at her nose with her free hand. The tension in the room eased a little but Kalina was still on edge. She needed to probe a little more about some of the other information she’d gathered.
“There’s something else that Detective Harper found.”
“What now?”
“The gun that was found with Thomas’s body … the one used to shoot him was registered to him.”
“That isn’t possible. He didn’t keep weapons in the house. Thomas hated guns.”
Kalina leaned in a little closer. “Did you have a gun?”
“God, no!” The wine glass slipped through her fingers and smashed against the coffee table, spraying the carpet with red wine and glass shards.
Jillian jumped into action, rushing out of the room and returning moments later with a dustpan and brush to sweep up the shards. She glared at Kalina but Kalina stayed put. Savannah curled into herself on the couch and dabbed at her eyes.
“You could help,” Jillian snapped.
Just as Kalina opened her mouth to fire back at her sister, her phone buzzed with an incoming call from AJ. He must still have been at the shop. Without excusing herself, she stood up and left the living room.
“Hey, you should be home soon, right?”
“Yeah I’m on the way but I wanted to tell you something.”
“OK. What is it?”
“I did what you’d do and did some newspaper digging. There was an article back in the summer about the fear that the property would displace people in the area. And I have a friend, Adrien Parker and his family are moving because the bank foreclosed on their house. And get this … when I mentioned Mr. Chase, Adrien got all pissed off. Said that was the guy who showed up and forced them to accept the foreclosure.”
“Where do they live?”
“Um, not far from the waterfront.”
“Thanks, AJ. You did great. Now get your butt home before your mother has a heart attack.”
Her nephew hung up and Kalina studied the blank screen for a moment. Things were starting to make sense. She didn’t know much about foreclosures and the like but she did know someone who did and she was going to pick their brain as soon as she could make an excuse to get out of the house. But first she needed one final answer from Savannah.
“Who was that?” Savannah asked as soon as Kalina walked back into the room.
“Oh, that was nothing. Just someone calling the shop’s main number. It forwards to my cell. I actually need to get back but I wanted to ask you one last thing. Did you notice if any of your neighbors had been moving away or getting foreclosed on recently?”
“No. Why would you ask that?”
“Well, I was just wondering why someone would spray paint ‘Traitor’ on your front door, that’s all. Sorry about the wine, Jill.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kalina climbed back into her car and let out a sigh. If Thomas Chase was working for the developer and forcing people out of their homes so the hotel and condos could be built that would definitely brand him a traitor, especially to families living on the waterfront. And it might give someone a motive to want him dead. She didn’t quite believe that Savannah didn’t know that her husband had changed careers and had gone from selling people homes to ripping them away from families. She pulled out her phone and dialed the switchboard number for the police station.
“Ellesworth Police Department,” Jimmy said on the other end of the line.
“Hey Jimmy, it’s Kalina. I need a favor from you.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Do you know anything about debt collection and foreclosures?”
“Some. My brother Alex knows more.”
His brother worked as a firefighter in town. A family of public servants. “Is he off shift today?”
“I think so. Why, what’s going on?”
“I’m just curious about some things. With the big development going in on the waterfront I want to be more informed about how it’s happening. Can you guys swing by Geeks and Things in say an hour?”
“I’ll give him a call. Should I let Detective Harper know?”
“That’s not necessary.”
“If you’re sure. I’ll hopefully see you in an hour.”
“Great, I appreciate it.”
Tossing the phone on the passenger seat, Kalina headed back to the shop to make sure she was ready for her late-night visitors. A part of her felt bad leaving Chris out of this investigative mission but he had other things to worry about. Besides, he needed to get some sleep.
Waiting for their arr
ival gave Kalina time to settle the day’s bookkeeping. The shop had done well in profits. Black Friday was officially a success. The bell above the front door jangled and she looked up to see Jimmy and Alex stride in side by side. Alex was older than Jimmy by at least six years and had a broader build.
“Thanks for coming over, guys. Why don’t we grab a seat in the back?”
They settled around one of the tables strewn with pieces of Settlers of Catan. Jimmy fiddled with a few pieces while Alex sat with his arms crossed over his chest.
“So what do you want to know about debt collection?”
“How it works. Why someone might get involved in it.” She pulled out a pen and notebook Chris had given her to take notes.
Alex rubbed his chin. “Well, you get into it for the money. See when the bank or a credit card company has a client who isn’t paying their debts off, they sell the debt to a collector on the cheap. A five thousand dollar loan might get sold for one thousand. Then the collector goes to the debtor and offers to wipe the debt clean if they pay twenty-five hundred. The collector nets fifteen hundred of that for himself.”
“And the bank or the credit card company doesn’t get anything for it?”
He shook his head. “No. They get the money on the front end when they sell the debt package.”
“So someone would have to actually have the money to buy the debt in the first place and then they make it back with collecting on the debts. Pretty lucrative if you don’t mind ruining people’s lives.”
Kalina nodded as she scribbled down the example he’d given. It still didn’t seem like a career a mild-mannered guy in his 60s would suddenly take on. It was also suspicious that Savannah wouldn’t have known if her husband made a huge purchase.
“You know … we found a receipt for a money transfer in the study at the Chase house. Something like thirty thousand dollars,” Jimmy said.
