Uncovering Secrets: The Third Novel in the Rosemont Series

by Barbara Hinske

  “You really think so?”

  “I know so. Frank may be a cold fish with people, but he really cares about animals. You’d be surprised.”

  Maggie gave Pete a quizzical look. He nodded in Frank Haynes’ direction.

  What is there to lose? She needed to do everything possible to find Roman. Maggie walked over to the table where Haynes was engrossed in The New York Times.

  “Frank,” Maggie said, and noted the flash of irritation as he looked up. “Sorry to disturb your quiet dinner.”

  Frank stood clumsily. “Not at all. Would you like to join me?” His tone indicated he desired nothing less.

  “No. Sit, please,” Maggie replied, waving him back into his seat. “I just want to let you know that Roman—John’s Golden Retriever—has gone missing. He got out of the fence at Rosemont this afternoon.”

  Frank Haynes shoved back his chair and jumped to his feet. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket, dropped two fifty-dollar bills on the table, and steered her toward the door.

  “Don’t you want to wait for your change?” Maggie asked. She’d never known Frank to be careless with his money.

  “Absolutely not. Tell me where you’ve already looked.”

  “I just wanted you to know in case he’s turned in to Forever Friends.”

  “He’ll be microchipped, so we’ll know if it’s him. I’ll help you look now. It’s going to be a cold night for him outside.”

  After a quick conversation on the sidewalk, Frank Haynes headed to his Mercedes sedan. He’d drive along Mill Road while Maggie wove through the streets lining the square. She was pulling into the lot at Town Hall when her phone rang.

  “Did you find him?” she asked breathlessly.

  “No,” John replied. “We’re not going to find him tonight. We need to call it quits. I don’t want you catching cold. Go home and get some rest.”

  “I’m not going to catch a cold, and I don’t want to rest. I want to find Roman.” Maggie paused. “Can he survive outside tonight, in these temperatures?”

  John hesitated, and she knew he entertained the same doubts. “He’s got a thick fur coat, and he’s smart enough to take shelter from the wind. He should be fine.” Maggie knew he didn’t believe that, and neither did she.

  “Will you come back to Rosemont?” she asked.

  “I’ll stay at my place, in case he comes here.”

  “Would you like company? I hate to think of you alone. Eve and I could come over.”

  “No. You need to stay there in case Roman makes his way back to Rosemont.”

  “Good point,” Maggie answered. “I’ll sleep in that big chair in the library by the French doors. Eve will bark if he comes to Rosemont. We won’t hear him if we’re asleep upstairs.”

  “Thank you, honey.”

  “I’m going to make up a missing pet flyer tonight. Can you send me a photo of Roman?”

  “Yes. Good idea.”

  “I’ll put them up at Town Hall. Pete’s offering a free dinner to anyone who finds him and promised to post the flyers all over the square. I stopped at Pete’s to see if anyone had mentioned a stray to him. Frank Haynes was there, having dinner. I told him about Roman, and he dropped a hundred dollars on the table and raced out to look for him. Can you believe it?”

  “Actually, I can,” John replied. “If you or I were missing, it might be a different story. But not with a dog.” She could hear John yawn. “We should let him know we’ve stopped looking for tonight.”

  “I still have his cell phone, remember? I don’t have his home number.”

  “We’ve got it in our system at the animal hospital; I can log in to it from here. I’ll phone Frank when we hang up.”

  “Call me if Roman comes home,” they both said in unison.

  Chapter 3

  Maggie gave the lost-dog flyers to Pete early the next morning, and he got every merchant on the square to post them. She pulled into her parking spot, “Reserved for the Hon. Mayor Margaret Martin,” and noted that Frank Haynes’ Mercedes was in the lot. He was spending more time at Town Hall lately.

  Maggie turned toward his office when she got off the elevator.

  “Happy New Year, Frank. And thank you, again, for your help last night.”

  “Any luck? Did he come home?”

  “I’m afraid not. We’re posting flyers all over town. And we’ll keep looking.”

  Haynes nodded from behind his desk. “I’m really sorry.”

  Maggie could tell that he meant it. “You’re here early. And we don’t have a council meeting this week.”

  “Just attending to some last-minute details before I leave town.”

  “Really? I didn’t know you were going anywhere.”

  “I’m taking a few days of vacation.”

  “Good for you, Frank,” Maggie replied. “Are you headed somewhere warm? It’d be nice to get away from this weather.”

  “Yes. Florida. I’m visiting friends,” he lied. He was going to Florida, but he didn’t have any friends. “And I thought I’d check out those condos that the town pension fund owns in Miami. See for myself where they are and what condition they’re in. We need to get those sold. The pension fund needs the cash. Someone has to do something to get the ball rolling.”

  Maggie bristled at the reproach in his voice. As mayor of Westbury, she was doing everything in her power to restore the town’s finances after the recent fraud and embezzlement by former Mayor William Wheeler and probably other co-conspirators, yet to be uncovered. Wheeler’s jailhouse suicide had thrown the investigation into turmoil.

  “Do you have anything new planned for the upcoming year?” he asked.

  Maggie paused. Was he fishing to see if she’d turned in her resignation? It seemed like such a long time ago, even though it had only been a few days. “Nope. I plan to spend the year in the mayor’s office, working through the issues facing Westbury.” She paused to gage the effect of her words. Did she detect a flash of anger? She couldn’t be sure. She hoped so. “Have a nice trip, Frank,” Maggie said and turned on her heel.

  “One more thing,” he called to her. “I’ve lost my cell phone. I was wondering if you picked it up the other day when we collided on the steps.”

  Maggie hesitated. Would his phone provide valuable evidence for the fraud investigation? Frank Haynes wasn’t a suspect, but he hadn’t been cleared, either. And she felt certain that he’d plotted with Professor Upton to manipulate her into resigning the mayoral seat. Just because he’d been so nice about Roman didn’t change any of that. She needed time to think this through.

  “No, I didn’t. Why don’t you post a note in the break room?”

  Chapter 4

  Loretta Nash shivered in the frosty morning while Frank Haynes unlocked the door of Haynes Enterprises. She hung up her coat and settled herself behind her desk without a word to him. Loretta was in no mood to be nice to her employer.

  She was logging in to her computer when he said pleasantly, “Happy New Year.”

  Loretta looked at him over the top of her computer monitor but didn’t return the salutation.

  Haynes cleared his throat and stepped to the side of her desk. “About the other night. With Delgado …”

  Loretta held up a hand to cut him off. “I don’t want to discuss it with you. The subject is closed.” She swiveled in her chair to leaf through a binder on the credenza behind her desk.

  “I want to apologize to you,” he continued.

  Loretta remained with her back to him, but she stopped turning the pages.

  “Delgado was out of line. He was drunk.”

  Loretta turned back to him and stared.

  “Why did you go to his office with him? When he was obviously into his cups?”

  “You sent me there, remember?” Loretta replied.

  “Not to go up to his office with him. Surely a beautiful woman like you has had enough experience with men to know what would happen in that situation. Especially dressing like you do, in short
skirts and tight sweaters.”

  “Are you saying I brought it on myself? By what I was wearing? Chuck Delgado almost raped me. I gave him no encouragement whatsoever. I didn’t consent to any of it. If you hadn’t come in when you did, he would’ve succeeded.”

  Haynes raised his hands and gestured for her to calm down. “No. Of course not. It’s just something you might think about when you’re around men like that.”

  “I don’t intend to be around men like that,” Loretta replied in glacial tones. “And I expect you to tell him he’s not welcome here,” she continued, emboldened by his unexpected apology.

  Haynes’ shoulders stiffened and she wondered if she had gone too far. “It’s not up to you to tell me who can come to my business.”

  She and Haynes locked eyes. Loretta could taste her fear. She lived paycheck to paycheck and needed this job. She twisted a strand of her long blond hair.

  “I’m going away for a few days,” he finally replied. “I can’t guarantee that he won’t stop by.”

  “I’ll keep the doors locked.”

  Haynes nodded, raking her with critical eyes.

  “Where are you going?” she asked as he turned to his office.

  “Out of town,” he snapped. He shut the door firmly and slumped into his chair. How in the hell had he allowed himself to become entangled with a thug like Chuck Delgado? Ron Delgado was his personal investment advisor and had helped Haynes grow his considerable portfolio. But when Ron brought Haynes into an “investment group” involving his brother Chuck, Haynes should have run the other way—fast. He’d served on the town council with Chuck Delgado long enough to know that he was a sleazy bottom feeder. He had always suspected that the Westbury town councilman had mob connections. Now he was certain of it.

  Delgado orchestrated the embezzlement from Westbury’s general fund and the town workers’ pension fund, commissioned arson fires and what was intended to be a fatal car crash for Alex Scanlon, and who knew what else. Thank God, no one was killed in that crash. They would have nailed me as an accessory to murder even though I didn’t know about it until after the fact.

  Haynes pushed himself out of his chair and began to pace. Maybe I should go to Chief Thomas with what I know, he thought for the umpteenth time. But he couldn’t—he was in too deep.

  He’d never intended to steal from anyone but he’d turned a blind eye to the facts as they emerged. Even if the state offered him immunity for his testimony and he avoided going to jail, his reputation and business interests in this close-knit rural community would be irretrievably tarnished. People would boycott his fast-food restaurants and the business he’d built from the ground up would fail. He’d spent more than twenty years donating to every charity in town and sponsoring most of the sports teams. He wouldn’t throw away his stature as the town’s leading businessman and philanthropist. And Haynes didn’t want to think about how Delgado would even the score if he ratted him out.

  He stared at the painting next to his door. The jump drive containing enough evidence to put Chuck Delgado in jail was in the safe concealed by that painting. He didn’t need to go to Chief Thomas just yet. He’d continue with his plans for his Miami trip.

  Chapter 5

  “Maggie,” Professor Lyndon Upton said with gusto as he answered his cell phone. “Happy New Year. I’m in California—on the golf course. We’re next in line to tee off. Can I call you later?”

  “I’ll only need a moment, Don,” Maggie replied. “I wanted to tell you that I’ve decided to retain my position as mayor of Westbury.”

  “Now, Maggie, we talked about that. Won’t you be spread too thin with the demands of the town, your consulting assignment, and that handsome veterinarian of yours?”

  “I’m not going to accept the consulting engagement. I’m sticking with the town and the veterinarian.”

  There was a prolonged silence as Upton digested this. “I’ve already told the client. How do you want me to explain this?”

  Maggie held her tongue. She wanted to respond that he could tell the client that she wouldn’t work with a conniving backstabber like him. “Say I changed my mind; say you misunderstood my answer.”

  “They’re calling my foursome. Let’s discuss this next week when I’m in town for the council meeting,” he pleaded. “Don’t do anything rash until we can sit down face to face and talk about it.”

  “That’s the other thing I’m calling about, Professor. You won’t be attending the council meeting next week.” Maggie paused to let her words sink in. “Your services are no longer required. The Town of Westbury has elected to move forward without you.”

  Upton was quiet and Maggie smiled, picturing him shocked and speechless at the other end of the line. “Have a good game,” she said and disconnected the call.

  ***

  Lyndon Upton played a lousy round of golf, marked by an uncharacteristically sour attitude. He settled up his bets and spotted his foursome the first round at the club, extricating himself as quickly as possible.

  “I’m needed back at the office,” he said as he made his way to the door. “Give me a chance to win it back another time, will you? Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”

  Once inside his car, he pulled out his cell phone and saw that he’d missed a call from Haynes Enterprises. He hit redial and asked the pleasant-sounding woman if he could speak to Frank Haynes.

  “She knows about us,” Upton said when Haynes answered.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “She just called to tell me she’s not taking the consulting job and she’s staying on as mayor.”

  “I wondered. There’s been no talk about her resignation. Why do you think she suspects we worked together to convince her to do the right thing—for her and Westbury—and resign?” Haynes asked.

  “I told her not to do anything hasty; that we’d talk about it next week when I was in town for the council meeting.” He paused, searching for the right words.

  “And?” Haynes prompted.

  “And she fired me,” Upton erupted. “Told me my services were no longer needed; the town would get along without me. Then she hung up.”

  Haynes sat in stunned silence.

  “How could she have found out?” Upton asked. “We were very careful. I didn’t tell anyone. Did you, Frank?”

  “No. Of course not. But I lost my cell phone.”

  “When?”

  “I’m not sure. New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.”

  “Did you get my text saying she accepted the consulting job?”

  “No,” Haynes answered grimly.

  “Did you find your phone?” Upton shouted. “Tell me you found it!”

  Haynes didn’t respond.

  “That explains it, then,” Upton said. “Someone must have found your phone, read the text, and told her about it.”

  Haynes stood and began pacing. “It’s possible, but don’t jump to any conclusions.” He didn’t add that the most likely person to have possession of his phone was Maggie Martin or that he’d already asked her about it and she’d denied finding it.

  “I need to call her right away and explain the whole thing. I need to apologize and make this right. I never should have gone along with this crazy scheme in the first place. I need to clear my name.”

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Haynes said. “There’s no way to extricate yourself without implicating me and others that you don’t want to get crosswise with.” He paused to let the implications of his statement sink in. “I understand your position, Don. Let’s give this some time to play out; find out what she knows. Can you keep your powder dry for a while?”

  Upton sighed heavily. “I suppose so. Maybe rushing in isn’t prudent. What do you plan to do?”

  “I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. Eventually, something will slip out.”

  ***

  Marc Benson nodded at the receptionist as he strode across the small lobby on his way to Alex Scanlon’s office. He and his partner had barely
said more than a few words to each other in weeks. Alex was putting in at least sixty hours a week on Westbury’s fraud and embezzlement cases. “Has he got anybody with him?” Marc asked over his shoulder.

  The receptionist shook her head no, and he kept walking.

  The door was slightly ajar, and Marc knocked softly before pushing it open.

  “Yes,” Alex snapped, without looking up.

  “Aren’t we cheery this afternoon?” Marc replied.

  Alex smiled. “What are you doing here?” He checked his watch. “I thought you’d be rehearsing until your gig tonight.”

  “We got done early. Everybody was on time and prepared. So I thought I’d stop by and drag you out of here for dinner.”

  “It’s only four forty-five. At bit early for dinner, don’t you think?”

  “Did you have lunch? Are you hungry?”

  Alex pushed his chair back from his desk. “No, I didn’t. And I’m starved. But I really shouldn’t take the time.”

  “Yes, you should. You’ve been pushing yourself unmercifully since you took on the role of special counsel. The town didn’t get into this mess overnight and taking an hour off to eat won’t make any difference. Get your coat. We’ll go over to Stuart’s and sit at the bar.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” Alex rose and turned off his desk lamp.

  “It’s nice out. Why don’t we walk? The exercise will do us both good.”

  “You’ve been working as hard as I have.” Alex regarded his partner thoughtfully as they stepped out into the brisk afternoon. “How’s it going?”

  “Terrific, actually. I’ve been invited to join the group. Their keyboardist decided not to come back. If I want it, the spot is mine.”

  “That’s great news. But do you want to be part of a group? I thought you intended to focus on your solo career?”

  “These guys are true professionals. They don’t waste time when we rehearse, and they consistently book well-paying gigs. We’re talking about making an album.”

  Alex stopped and turned to Marc. “I can’t believe I knew nothing about this. Congratulations. You deserve it. I’m sorry that I’ve been so consumed by my work. I should have paid more attention to you. And my family in general. I haven’t talked to Aaron in months.”