by D. B. Henson
“Well, if things go his way, Brian stands to gain a large profit from Scott’s death. What if it wasn’t an accident?”
Mark reached across the table and took her hand. “Toni, you have to let this go. Brian had nothing to do with Scott’s death. You can’t keep looking for someone to blame. I know you don’t want to believe it, but Scott was the one and only person responsible.”
“That’s not true.”
“I’m sorry, but it is.”
Toni pulled her hand away. “Excuse me.”
She got up from the table and headed for the restroom. She didn’t care what Mark thought. She would keep digging. Brian had murdered Scott. And she was going to prove it.
CHAPTER 8
On Monday morning, Toni went down to the Blanton Hills Police Department and asked for Detective Lewis. The officer at the front desk picked up a phone and dialed the extension.
“There’s a Toni Matthews here to see Lewis,” he said into the receiver. “Okay. Yeah.” He put the phone down. “Detective Lewis is with somebody right now. If you’ll have a seat, we’ll let you know when he’s through.”
The waiting area was empty. Toni sat in the chair nearest to the front desk. She pulled the Washington Times article from her purse and read it again. If a judge had been convinced that Brian was capable of planting evidence just to get a story, then she should be able to convince the police that he might be capable of more. She could get Detective Lewis to reopen the case and question Brian as a possible suspect.
Did they even ask his whereabouts at the time Scott died? And why was Brian at the hotel that morning? Clint hadn’t even had time to contact her before she arrived. How did Brian know? How did he manage to get there before she did?
“Miss Matthews?” The officer at the desk motioned for her. “Detective Lewis is free now.”
Another officer led her down a hallway to a pale green room filled with metal desks arranged in groups of four. The detective’s desk was off by itself in the far right corner.
“Hello, Miss Matthews.” Detective Lewis held out his hand. Toni shook it and then sat down in the chair he offered. “What can I do for you today?”
“I need to talk to you about Scott.”
“What’s on your mind?”
“His death wasn’t a suicide.”
The detective shook his head. “Miss Matthews, I can assure you that we did a thorough investigation –”
“He was pushed.”
Detective Lewis sighed and scooted his chair back. “Wait here. I’ll go get the file.”
Toni looked around the office. There were three other policemen in the room. One was talking on the telephone; another was typing something into a computer. The third man was wading through a stack of papers on his desk. A female police officer came in and handed a message to the man on the phone. She smiled at Toni and then left again.
After a few minutes, Detective Lewis returned with the file. “Now, you were saying?”
“Scott’s death was not an accident. He was pushed off that balcony.”
The detective leafed through the file. “That’s impossible. We have two witnesses who were there when Mr. Chadwick arrived at the scene. He entered the building alone.”
“Someone could have been waiting for him.”
“Miss Matthews –”
“Did you know that Scott’s brother is contesting the will? That he’s in financial trouble?”
The detective sat back and rubbed his right temple. “I know that this is hard for you to accept. But we’ve ruled out homicide. There was nothing at the scene to indicate foul play. Mr. Chadwick took his own life.”
“No. He wouldn’t do that.”
“We have evidence to the contrary. We have a statement from his business partner, a statement from his attorney, we spoke to –” he stopped short.
“Who did you speak to?”
The detective quickly closed the file as if there was something in it he didn’t want Toni to see. “His business associates. They all indicated the same thing. Mr. Chadwick was very distraught over a business deal. He even mentioned the possibility of suicide as a way out. It’s unfortunate that no one took him seriously.”
“They’re wrong. If Scott ever said anything about killing himself, then he was just joking.”
Detective Lewis moved the closed file from his lap and placed it on the desk. “How long had you been acquainted with Mr. Chadwick?”
“A little over a year. Why?”
The detective picked up a picture frame and turned it toward Toni. Inside was a photo of an attractive woman, probably in her late forties, with short brown hair. “This is my wife, Barbara. We’ll be celebrating our twenty-ninth wedding anniversary next month. I love her more now than I did the day we were married. But no matter how close we are, or how much I love her, there are still things she doesn’t know about me. Things she’ll never know.”
Tears of frustration threatened Toni’s eyes, but she managed to hold them back. She realized that no matter what she said, Detective Lewis was not going to change his mind. He thought she was a flake. There would be no help from the police. She was on her own.
“Can you at least give me the names of the two witnesses who saw Scott that morning?” she asked.
He peeked inside the file. “The lead superintendent, Alvin Harney, and one of the workmen, Nico Williams.” The detective started to rise indicating that their conversation was over.
“Can I borrow your pen?” Toni reached across the desk knocking the file onto the floor. She rushed to help the detective pick up the scattered papers. She didn’t see much, only a name. Gloria Keith.
Detective Lewis put the file under his arm and handed Toni his pen. He shot her an accusing look. He knew that spilling the file was no accident.
Toni jotted the names down on a sticky note and stuffed it into her purse. She gave the detective back his pen. “Thank you for your help.”
Or rather, lack of it.
“Do yourself a favor, Miss Matthews. Go home. Have a good cry. And then, get on with your life.”
“I’ve cried enough, Detective. Now it’s time I did something about it.”
Toni left the police station and drove north on interstate sixty-five, toward downtown Nashville and the offices of Chadwick & Shore. She picked up her cell phone and dialed her assistant, Janet.
“How are things going this morning?” Toni asked.
“Well, Dana is on the rampage, as usual.”
“I was expecting that. There’s a contract on my desk that needs to be initialed.”
“I found it, and I’ve already called the sellers. They’ve agreed to the change. Cheryl is going to run the contract out to them this afternoon.”
“Good. I won’t be at the office today, but if you need me, you can reach me on my cell phone.”
“I think we’ve got things under control here. And Toni –”
“Yes?”
“I just want you to know that if you need anything …” Her voice started to break before trailing off.
“I know. And I appreciate it.”
Detective Russell Lewis returned the Chadwick file to the proper cabinet. Fortunately, he had thought to remove all the photos from the scene before going in to meet with Miss Matthews. She had knocked the file off on purpose. He was glad she hadn’t seen the shots of the deceased. They weren’t the type of images you wanted etched into the mind of the bereaved. She was having a hard enough time as it was.
He had seen the same type scenario played out a thousand times during his thirty-year career in law enforcement. The details were always slightly different but the underlying theme remained the same. A loved one was convinced that the defendant, or in this case the deceased, was beyond reproach. That somehow, the police were wrong. The person in question was merely misunderstood.
He remembered one woman in particular who had stood by her boyfriend, believing he was innocent, up until the very day of his execution. It didn’t matter t
hat he had confessed to raping and murdering seven teenage girls. She claimed the police had framed him. They had coerced him into giving a false confession.
Toni Matthews was suffering from the same blind faith. He knew she wouldn’t be satisfied until she had conducted her own mini investigation. She was an intelligent woman. It shouldn’t take her long to gather all the facts. He wished he could have gotten through to her. That she had listened to him. He only hoped she could handle the information she would uncover.
Some things she was better off not knowing.
Chadwick & Shore Construction was located on Commerce Street across from the AT&T building. Toni pulled into the parking garage, below street level, and stopped at the guard station. The attendant noticed the green and gold parking sticker on her windshield and raised the security arm letting her through.
She parked in Scott’s space, next to Clint’s Mercedes, and rode the elevator to the lobby. The twenty-three story building housed several different companies. The offices of Chadwick & Shore filled the top three floors.
Toni crossed the lobby and entered the second elevator along with a well-dressed woman and a small child with strawberry-blonde hair. The little boy, not more than five years old, held a package wrapped in bright red paper.
“My daddy works here. He’s a cow nut,” the boy said. “Today’s his birthday.”
“An accountant,” his mother corrected.
Toni smiled. “Is that so? I bet you’ve got something really special for him in that box.”
“No, this is just a stupid ole shirt. My mom picked it out.”
“Oh, I see. What did you want to get him?” Toni asked.
The boy’s blue eyes sparkled. “I think he needs a puppy.”
The elevator dinged, and the woman led the child out. “Bye,” he called.
“Goodbye,” Toni said.
The image of the little boy tugged at her heart. He looked exactly the way she had pictured her own son would look. A perfect blending of herself and Scott.
When she reached the twenty-first floor, Toni stepped out into the reception area of the construction firm. Five men, dressed in dark suits, occupied the twin leather sofas and one of the wing back chairs. Each wore a grim look. Bankers, Toni betted. An administrative assistant was busy serving them coffee and pastries.
Toni nodded at the receptionist behind the front desk as she made her way to the final elevator that would take her to Clint’s office on the twenty-third floor. She got on and pushed the button. A young woman she didn’t recognize, her arms loaded with file folders, rushed toward the elevator.”
“Hold the door please!”
Toni stuck her hand out, and the doors slid back.
“Thanks,” the woman said.
“No problem.”
The woman bit her lip as if she was trying to think of something to say. “I was really sorry to hear about Mr. Chadwick. We all were. He was a great person to work for.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your saying so.”
When the doors opened at the top floor, the woman disappeared around the corner. Toni continued on, toward Clint’s office.
His secretary was away from her desk and the door to his private office stood ajar. Toni tapped on the door. When she received no answer, she peeked inside. The office was empty. She returned to the secretary’s desk and scribbled a note for Clint to call her. She marked it urgent and put it on the top of the other messages in his box.
As she was leaving his office, she met Jill in the hallway. With a real estate broker’s license of her own, Jill handled all the sales contracts for the firm. She also supervised the property management division. Which was actually a separate company all together, a LLC.
“Toni, I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been worried about you,” Jill said.
“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t call you back.”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
“I was looking for Clint. I need to speak with him about something.”
“He’s in a meeting. He probably won’t be free for another couple of hours.”
Toni glanced at her watch. It was almost eleven o’clock.
“Why don’t we go get some lunch,” Jill said. “It will give us a chance to talk.”
They walked to Demos’, a restaurant at the corner of Commerce and Third Avenue. Although the restaurant had just opened for lunch, it was already starting to fill up. The hostess led them to a table by the window. As soon as they were seated, their waiter appeared, recited the day’s specials, and took their drink order.
“I’m sorry about the other day,” Jill said. “The last thing I wanted to do was upset you. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not important.”
“It is to me. You’re the closest friend I have. I don’t want that to change.”
Maybe she had been too hard on Jill. Maybe once she explained about Brian, about her theory that Scott had been murdered, her friend would understand. She was just about to open up to Jill, about to spill everything she’d been holding in when the waiter returned.
He carried a tray with two soft drinks and a basket of bread. He placed them on the table. “Are you ready to order?” he asked.
“I’ll have the medallions of sirloin,” Jill said.
When he had taken their orders, the waiter disappeared again.
Toni wondered if now was the right time to bring up Brian. Maybe it would best if she waited until after they left the restaurant.
“Clint planned to call you,” Jill said. “He was just waiting for the right time. He didn’t think you’d be up to discussing business yet.”
“Business?”
“Scott’s half of the company. That is what you wanted to speak to him about, isn’t it?”
“Well …”
“We know you have a full-time career of your own. You don’t have time to worry about the company. Clint will make sure you get full market value. We’re working on an appraisal now. As soon as it’s done, I’ll draw up the sales contract.”
“You want to buy Scott’s share?”
“We just assumed you’d want to sell. You’ve never seemed that interested in the business.”
“I don’t know what I want to do. I need some time to think it over.”
Jill sipped her soda. “We can talk about it again when we get the appraisal back.”
“It may not be my decision to make. There’s a possibility that Brian may inherit Scott’s estate.”
“Mark told us about that. I don’t think you have to worry. He’s consulting with the best probate attorney in the state. Brian won’t get a dime.”
“I’m not completely convinced of that yet.”
The waiter interrupted with a salad for Toni and a cup of soup for Jill. “Can I get you anything else right now?”
“No, thank you. We’re fine,” Toni said.
“If you didn’t come to see Clint about the business,” Jill asked. “Then what did you want to speak to him about?”
Toni poked at her salad with her fork. What was she supposed to say — I came by to accuse your husband of lying to the police?
“Toni? What is it?”
“I talked to Detective Lewis this morning. He’s the police officer that was in charge of the investigation into Scott’s death. He said he took a statement from Clint and from some of Scott’s business associates. Someone told him that Scott mentioned suicide.”
“And you think it was Clint?”
“The thought did cross my mind. The thing is, I don’t think Scott would ever say anything like that. Not seriously anyway.”
Jill took a bite of her soup, and then patted her lips with her napkin. “I don’t think Clint was the one who gave that statement. But there is something you don’t know.”
“What?”
Jill hesitated, a worried look in her eyes.
“Tell me. Whatever it is, I can handle it. I need to know.”
Jill nodded. �
��You’re right. It’s time you found out.” She glanced around the restaurant then lowered her voice. “Scott was in trouble.”
“What do you mean? What kind of trouble?”
CHAPTER 9
Clint adjusted his tie, took a deep breath, and walked into the conference room.
The group of men assembled around the table represented five different lending institutions. Each held a note on at least one of the various projects currently under construction with Chadwick & Shore. Projects that Scott had spearheaded. With him gone, Clint knew the bankers were questioning the solidity of the company. He had to do everything in his power to quell the lenders’ fears before they turned to panic.
Financing strategy was like playing with dominos. If any one of the banks decided to call in their loans, the others would follow. But if you could steady the shakiest, keep it from toppling, they would all stand.
“Gentlemen,” Clint said. He shook each of their hands, taking note of the icy mood that pervaded the room. “I’m glad you could all make the meeting.”
“We wouldn’t miss it, Clint. It’s no secret that we’re all a bit nervous given the recent events.” The man who spoke was Tyler Armstrong. His bank held construction loans on a strip mall and a condominium complex just south of Nashville.
“I’m sure that once we’re finished here, your minds will be put at ease.”
The eldest of the group, Randall Clarke, shook his head. “Rumor has it that Chadwick & Shore is in financial trouble,” he said.
“I’ve never put much stock in rumors,” Clint said. “Neither should you.”
“When a partner commits suicide, it does make one wonder,” Randall said.
The other men gathered at the table nodded in agreement.
“I can assure you,” Clint said. “Scott’s problems were his own. The company is financially sound, as I will demonstrate.”
Clint dimmed the lights and then flipped the hidden switch that controlled the huge widescreen LCD monitor on the wall at the other end of the table, turning it on. A cable running beneath the floor connected the monitor to his laptop computer. He clicked the file icon on his desktop and the presentation began.
