Burning Justice (10 page)

A
rtemis said
he had an idea about how to prove where Nathan was that night but he required some downtime. So, after dinner, he retired to the chair in the living room and I snuck a power bar and headed up to the roof.

It wasn’t that the dinner didn’t taste good. It was flavorful, but the consistency was gross. Artemis said he had been trying to make Chicken à la King. The bread was a soggy mess, the chicken had been macerated into unrecognizable flakes and the gravy was sticky. I could only stomach a few spoonfuls. I needed the power bar to fortify myself.

Lexy and Cassie were sitting in lounge chairs, bundled up in cable knit sweaters. The night was a little nippy but I found the cold air refreshing. Scanning past the rooftop, I could see more leaves were turning red, orange and yellow at the tops of the trees. Some trees were turning more than others, but the majority of the leaves were still green. Which meant there were still quite a few nice fall days left.

Lexy’s green eyes sparkled at me over the top of her giant sunglasses. “So are you going on a date with that hunk?”

“Hunk? Oh you mean Tony Royce? I’m not going on a date with him.”

Cassie and Lexy looked at each other. “Suuure.” She dragged the word out and they both laughed.

“I might meet him to get that information about my mother. But that’s all.”

“Right. So what’s going on with the Barrows case?” Lexy poured me a glass of a light-colored fizzy liquid that had fruit marinating in it. I took a sip. It was light, fruity and slightly tart. Sangria. I opened my energy bar and chowed down while I brought them up to speed on what I had discovered from George Grindley and Rhoda Harrison.

“So, the plot thickens,” Cassie said.

“It is getting a little confusing. A lot of things don’t add up,” I said. “I guess I should let the cops know about these new developments.”

Lexy scrunched her face at me. Or at least I thought she was scrunching. It was hard to tell with the way the Botox impeded the functioning of her brow muscles. “I don’t know if that’s wise … unless you’re angling to see that Tony guy again. If that’s what you’re up to, then go for it.”

“I’m not angling to see him again. It feels like I shouldn’t be withholding this information. It could help persuade them that this was no accident. Plus I don’t want them to be mad that I withheld information. Knowing Hale, he’ll probably charge me with obstruction of justice.”

“I’m pretty sure they already know it’s not an accident. I’m good at reading between the lines, especially with cop speak. I was married to one, you know.” Lexy glanced at Cassie for confirmation and she nodded her head.

“They often act cagey and don’t tell you the whole truth. You have to be able to translate what they are saying,” Cassie added.

“Anyway, I studied them when we ran into them at the wake and I'm certain Sergeant Hale knows this was a murder. He doesn’t want to let on to you, though. I mean, why else would they have been at the wake?” Lexy asked.

“You’ve got a point. But then isn’t that even more reason for me to tell them what I know?”

“No!” Both women shouted at once and I nearly dropped my drink.

“Why not? I’m sure George is going to mention the female investigator that was out there, and they’ll be able to put two and two together and figure out it was me.”

Lexy shook her head. “Trust me. I’ve had lots of experience with this very thing. Back in the day, my grandmother and I used to always get the information before the police, but the few times we told them about it, things didn’t go in our favor.”

I thought back on the few cases where I’d had to share information with the police and things hadn’t gone in my favor, either.

Lexy continued. “The police don’t like it when you get information before they do. So, we learned to just sit back and pretend like we didn’t know anything. That’s the best way if you don’t want your detective friend to get stingy with the clues.”

I sipped my drink and considered what Lexy was saying. She had a point. I knew Hale would be mad if he found out I had talked to George Grindley and called the Harrisons. He might even get mad at Tony for tipping me off and then Tony might not want to give me any more information. Not even information about my mother. It was better to take my chances and hope that neither one of the other parties would tell the police I’d talked to them. The police were going to be just as mad at me either way, and at least this way I had a chance of them not finding out.

“Okay, I think you guys are right. But, honestly, this case is starting to get sticky. I think there is a lot more going on than meets the eye. Maybe even more than Evangeline knew about.

“It sounds like it,” Lexy said. “And you know what the best thing to do is when a case gets sticky, right?”

The three of us looked at each other over the rims of our fruity sangrias and said the words at the same time. “Follow the money.”

L
uckily
, I’d already made a luncheon date with Suzanne, so I could start to follow the money the very next day. It was unseasonably warm for fall, which was perfect because the Riverside Café boasted outdoor seating next to the Brooke Ridge River. I arrived before Suzanne and was seated at a table for two, watching the sunlight glint off the river as it carried colorful, early fall leaves floating along the current like miniature boats.

I stretched my legs out and relaxed, the sun warming my shoulders. A dragonfly flitted on the railing next to me, its gossamer wings glinting in the light. The smell of the river water mingled with the smell of bread and coffee. It was hard to believe I was sitting in this peaceful setting about to get information that might help me nail a pair of killers.

“It’s so great that we could get together.” Suzanne gave me a hug and then slipped into the chair across from me. “I was thinking about you the other day and I feel sad that we lost touch. We used to have a lot of fun back in school.”

Memories of some of our antics brought a smile to my face. “We sure did. But you know how it is … we all get so busy.”

“Isn’t that the truth.” The waitress appeared and we ordered, chicken salad on whole-grain for me and a Greek salad for Suzanne.

I squeezed my lemon wedge into my glass of water as I contemplated how to broach the subject without sounding like I’d only asked her out to lunch to get information from her. I truly was happy to reconnect with her.

“So, what’s it like being a private investigator? You have any tips? I’ve really been considering branching out on my own, especially since seeing you yesterday,” Suzanne said.

“It’s great. I love the freedom. I’d be happy to help you out if you do decide to go freelance.” I couldn’t be happier that she’d asked about this. It was the perfect segue for bringing up Barrows Investments. “The work is really interesting, too. Like for example the case I’m working on now—Evangeline Barrows’s death.”

Suzanne’s eyes widened. “Is that why you were at the wake?”

The waitress appeared with our food and set it on the table, and Suzanne looked like she couldn’t wait for her to leave so she could ask me more questions. “So, were you there trying to get information?”

“Yes. I think Evangeline was murdered.”

Suzanne’s face pinched. “But we heard it was an accident. Her boat blew up.”

I shrugged. “That’s what they say, but I don’t think it was an accident. In fact, I think it might have had something to do with what is going on at Barrows Investments.” I’d learned it was always better to ask leading questions and give the other person a chance to spill their guts when you were fishing for information. Make it seem like you already knew what is going on and people were happy to gossip about it when they didn't feel like they were the ones spilling the beans.

Suzanne leaned over the table and lowered her voice. ”You know about what’s going on there?”

Bingo. “A little bit. What do you know?”

Suzanne studied her salad as if deciding how much to tell me, weighing her loyalty to her boss over her loyalty to her old friend who could possibly help get her started with her own private investigator business. Her old friend won. “Well, I’m just in the security section. I see the comings and goings. Mr. Barrows works very late a lot of nights. He puts in a lot more hours than seems necessary.”

“Oh, really? Alone?”

Suzanne frowned. I had assumed he was faking like he worked late to have his affair with Jenny, but from the look on Suzanne’s face, it appeared I’d been on the wrong track.

“He’s usually alone. Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering if he had a woman friend with him? You know, other than Evangeline?” I didn’t want to come out and say that he was having an affair, but I did want to nudge Suzanne in that direction so she’d think about whether or not she’d seen him be overly friendly with someone else.

“No. I never saw Nathan with anyone else. Evangeline did come there a lot. I’d see her come and go on the security camera. But I don’t think she had anything to do with the…” Suzanne glanced around as if to make sure no one could hear her and whispered, “Financial goings-on.”

“Oh?” I bit into my sandwich and raised my brows to encourage her to continue.

“She didn’t have computer access to any of the financial accounts, so she couldn’t have been moving any money.”

“So only someone within the company could access the accounts.” Evangeline had said Nathan was into some shenanigans with the finances, so I figured it was safe for me to assume someone was doing something they shouldn’t with people’s accounts. I hoped Suzanne would give me more details.

“Exactly. In fact, my friend that does the computer work for the accounting department said that what was going on could only come from people with the highest computer access. It would be almost impossible to trace. Which is why no one knows about it.” She leaned back in her chair and frowned at me. “How do
you
know about it?”

“I’m an investigator on the case. I have my ways.” I shot her a teasing smile.

“It sounds exciting. I’m thinking more and more that opening my own business would be a good move.”

“You should try it. I know some of the ins and outs. Definitely let me know so I can help you.” I feigned interest in my sandwich and pushed chips around my plate. I needed to turn the conversation back to Nathan Barrows. “So, he was trying to hide that he was filtering money. But you can’t hide that for very long, can you?”

“No. That’s the thing. It’s all about to come to a head soon and I think Mr. Barrows knows it. That’s why he ramped up putting that money into an offshore account.”

“So Nathan Barrows was in pretty deep financial trouble, then? The kind he could go to jail for, right?”

Suzanne looked startled. “Nathan Barrows? No. My friend said that Nathan had no idea about any of this. He’s not involved. It’s David Barrows who is stealing the money from the company.”

M
y head was whirling
as I walked toward my PTV after the lunch with Suzanne. David Barrows was the one embezzling from the company, not Nathan. But Evangeline had said she’d overheard Nathan. Maybe Nathan was making David do the dirty work so it couldn’t be traced to him?

Before I could think further, my phone rang. Tony Royce.

“Hi, Tony,” I answered.

“Callie. I was hoping I could catch you. I have some news about the Barrows case that I think will set your mind at ease.”

I bet it wasn’t more interesting than my news. But I couldn’t actually tell him my news. That would give away the fact that I’d been investigating and, as Lexy had told me, the cops didn’t like it when you one-upped them.

“Oh? I almost forgot about that case.”

He chuckled. Apparently, Tony Royce wasn’t easily fooled. “I doubt that, but you can forget about it after you hear this. Nathan Barrows attempted suicide this morning. His note is as good as a confession. So, looks like you were right about him being the killer.”

I stopped in my tracks, my hand stretched out toward my car door. Nathan had confessed? But where did that leave Jenny … and David?

“Wait, what? He killed himself?”

“Attempted. Washed down a bottle of sleeping pills with whiskey. His note said he couldn’t bear the guilt of killing Evangeline … among other things.”

I wondered if the ‘other things’ had anything to do with embezzling from Barrows Investments. “So he told you he killed her?”

“Well, not in person. He’s in a coma. Doctors don’t know if he'll make it. But it’s a shut case now, so you don’t need to go around investigating it anymore, right?”

“Sure. I wasn’t really doing much anyway,” I lied.

My head was still spinning with everything I’d learned from Suzanne and now this. Maybe Suzanne had been wrong about Nathan not knowing anything about the embezzling. He might have been able to make it look like David was the one, covering his tracks to blame him later on.

“Good.” Tony hesitated, then lowered his voice. “So, anyway I have that information on your mother and I was wondering if you wanted to meet tonight at Vincenzo’s. We could grab a pizza…”

“Oh, okay.” Was he asking me on a date?

“It’s not much, but I figured you’d want to know anything that concerns your mother’s case. I know I would.”

“I do. Thanks.” I remembered how Artemis’s search on Tony had come up blocked. Should I ask about his mother?

“I gotta go. Is seven o’clock okay?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, see you then.”

He hung up before I had the chance to ask him about his mother’s death. Probably not something to be discussed over the phone, anyway. I knew how emotional I was about my own mom. Maybe I could broach the subject at dinner.

“Did you just make a date with that hot detective?” Agatha’s voice blared out from the side of my PTV.

“What? How did you know I was talking to him? And no, it is not a date.” I opened the door and slipped inside before anyone could hear us. “Do you really need to broadcast things like that?”

“Sorry. My sensors told me you were outside the car, so I diverted the audio to the outside speakers.”

“Well, please keep it inside from now on.”

“Yeah, have some class. Callie’s phone conversations are private and personal.” Artemis’s voice filled the car.

“Right,” I agreed.

“And I don’t think you should meet him alone. You barely know him,” Artemis continued. “Anyway, this business with Nathan is interesting.”

“Wait, you overheard the phone conversation?” Could they tap into my calls? I wasn’t sure I liked that.

“Of course,” Agatha said. “I’m linked to your phone with bluetooth and Artemis is linked into my system … against my wishes, I might add.”

“Okay…”

Artemis must have sensed the hesitation in my voice because he added, “It’s for your safety and we would never divulge your personal conversations to anyone.”

Right. What did I care if they overheard me? They were just computers.

“I searched the shopping databases for Nathan Barrows’s purchases,” Artemis said, cleverly changing the subject.

“I can do that, too,” Agatha informed me.

I ignored her. “What did you find?”

“Nothing. He didn’t purchase anything that could remotely set off a spark on the boat.”

“Hrrrumph. Did you search for purchases from Jenny Sparks?” Agatha asked.

“Of course.”

“What about David Barrows? Did he purchase anything?” I asked.

“David?” Agatha and Artemis said it at the same time.

I filled them in on what I’d learned from Suzanne, thankful that at least they couldn’t monitor my person-to-person conversations.

“So you think David might be involved?” Artemis asked.

I pressed my lips together. He
had
lied about the neighbors at the cabin, but why would he be involved in killing Evangeline? He wouldn’t have a motive, at least not that I could see. “I’m not sure, but something is fishy about him.”

“I’ll get on that right away,” Artemis said. “I’ll have the data by the time you get home.”

“Let me know if you need help!” Agatha chimed in as I started the vehicle and pulled away from the curb.

Both Agatha and Artemis were blissfully silent on the way home, giving me much-needed time to think. I wondered if Nathan would come out of the coma. If he’d felt guilty enough to attempt suicide, maybe he would confess everything when he woke up, including what role, if any, David had in the whole thing. I knew Jenny was involved, but would he name her or try to protect her?

But the big question was … was my obligation to Evangeline completed now that the police knew Nathan really did kill her? I couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t. There was more going on and Nathan did not act alone—I still owed it to Evangeline to make sure the whole truth came out.