The Hard Fall (6 page)

A glass-topped desk sat in the middle of the inner office under three long, narrow skylights. The furniture was sleek and modern; low red and grey chairs were artfully placed on a white shag carpet. The wall facing me was red brick with a row of square windows near the ceiling. Framed photos of models lined the other walls, which had been painted a charcoal colour.

Maggie Wren fit into the decor. She was another tall woman, elegant in a black dress and boots. Her silver hair was cut into a short bob, her red lips a pop of colour. Her arms jangled with gold bracelets as she lifted a hand to shake mine. I cringed as I remembered what I’d put on that morning. I’d found the only clean pair of jeans rolled into a ball in my closet, then chosen a long blue turtleneck to cover the rip in the back pocket. I’d topped these off with my black leather jacket, mainly to hide the ketchup stain on the turtleneck. There was no doubt. I was going to have to take myself shopping when this case was over.

Maggie led me to a low red couch under the bank of windows. I lowered myself with care. I was surprised to find the seat comfortable.

“We were shocked to hear that Katie Taylor’s husband was charged with murder,” Maggie began. “Such an awful tragedy. We all adore Katie.”

“I understand she began working for you early last year.”

“That’s correct. February to be exact. As you might know, most of her career was with a large agency in New York City. She joined us when she married Paul and moved to Ottawa. That was about five years ago. She stopped taking jobs three years ago, but decided to come back recently. It only lasted a few months, though. In July, she said no more travel. I have no idea why.”

“Do you know the reason she came back in February? After being away so long from the business?”

“Katie told me that she was bored at home. She stopped work the first time to have a family. She told me that she got cold feet because Paul was always working. She didn’t want to raise their children alone. I don’t think they were getting along last year, to be honest.”

“I’m told that they were happier the last few months. She’d agreed to try for a baby again in July. That must be why she didn’t want to travel.”

“If you say so.” Maggie didn’t look convinced.

“Katie was away on location for most of May and June. Can you tell me where?”

Maggie shook her head. “You have it wrong. Katie did a two-day shoot in Toronto in May and a week in Montreal. That was it. Most of our big jobs are for younger models. Katie worked out in the gym daily and was in great shape, but still, she
was
thirty years old.”

“Are you sure that’s all her jobs those months? Could she have been working for another agency?” I thought back to my notes. Paul Taylor had told me that Katie was away for most of those two months. That was why he’d started up with Laura.

“No, her contract says that I have to approve work from other agencies. One moment.” Maggie walked over to her computer and clicked open a file. She printed it off and handed me the copy. I scanned the dates and locations. Sure enough, Katie had been on two shoots for a total of seven days. The question was, who was lying, Katie or Paul?

Paul might have padded his wife’s time away to make me believe he had reason for an affair. Katie left him alone so often, he got lonely. Katie’s actions led to him sleeping with the neighbour.
A cheater’s logic.
On the other hand, Katie might have lied to Paul because . . . why? Why did most women lie to their husbands? Yet, she’d cut back on shoots a second time to start a family. She was standing by him and insisting he was innocent.

I was getting more than a little confused.

I thanked Maggie Wren and headed for the door. If I hurried, I’d just have time to make it to the toy store before it closed. Even tracking down a killer needed to take a back seat to finding a birthday gift for my one and only nephew.

* * *

I’d just finished parking my car on the main street of Westboro, the neighbourhood that butted onto Hintonburg, when Dad called on my cellphone. I leaned against the car while we talked.

“Anna,” he barked. “I’m ready to file my report.”

I smiled. Sometimes, I found him awfully cute. “All set, Dad. Let me know what you’ve got.”

“Well, the two VPs, Gordon Tate and Kyle Short, are a couple of boring fellows. I couldn’t dig up dirt on either one. Both grew up in Ottawa and signed on with Taylor five years ago. Neither is married. Work appears to be all they live for.”

“Not what I was hoping for.”

“Their bank accounts are solid. No strange activity.”

“Anything else?”

“No, but I’ll keep looking. I also located the high school boyfriend. Alex Dowd. Last known address is New York City.”

“Really? How long has he lived there?”

“No idea. I have an address and another army buddy on his way down to check it out.”

“Where does this army buddy live?”

“Montreal.”

“Dad, maybe that’s asking too much.” Especially since this was just work to keep Dad busy.

“Nonsense. He’s happy to do it. Said he couldn’t imagine anything more fun. He’s going to report in tonight.”

I’d created a monster.
“Well, ask him to submit his bill for gas and expenses. I want to pay him.”

“No need, but I’ll let him know. Where are you now?”

I looked across the street at the toy store. “I’m about to find a birthday gift for Evan.”

“Great. The party’s tomorrow night. Cheri’s bringing the food.”

“I hope she’s having someone else make it.”

“You and me both.”

T
he next day was one of those unexpected hot, humid ones that Ottawa is famous for. Dad warned me to put on light clothes as he passed by my bedroom door. “Going to be a scorcher,” he called. “The weather is getting crazy. Global warming.”

I found a white T-shirt and tan summer slacks. I pulled my leather sandals from the back of the closet. I would have rather worn shorts but it was a work day.

I joined Dad in the kitchen. He’d already made the coffee and was scrambling eggs at the stove. “My turn to feed you,” he said.

I got a cup of coffee and cut some bread for toast. Dad shooed me over to the table while he finished making breakfast. He’d started cooking after Mom died, when I was eleven. He’d stay up half the night trying to make her recipes, until he mastered them.

“So what’s our plan of attack today?” Dad asked as he slid a plate in front of me. He’d added a side of berries and melon to go with the eggs. He poured himself a coffee and joined me with his own plate.

“I’m debating who to visit first, Paul or Katie Taylor. Their stories are off a bit and I want to find out why. What about you, Dad?”

“I’m going to keep digging on those two vice presidents. From what you told me, Gordon Tate thinks Paul Taylor screwed him over. That kind of bad feeling grows over time. It can turn to hate real quick. And my army buddy should be in New York City by now. He’ll be reporting in later today.”

“Sounds good. I’m going to find out more about Katie Taylor’s activities over the past year. I’m heading over to speak with her now. I called last night and she said she’d give me a few minutes. I’ll also try to get the name of a friend or two of hers, to find out if she told them anything about her marriage.”

Dad’s notebook and pen appeared out of nowhere. “Just making a note to track down Maddie Ringer’s bank. We sure have lots of lines of enquiry going on. It’s easy to forget one.” When he finished writing, he looked at me with his sharp blue eyes. “What will you do if after all this you find Paul Taylor really did murder Laura Flint?”

I knew by the way he asked that he thought Taylor could be the killer. “First, I’ll send his lawyers my report,” I said with a smile. “And then, I’ll start looking for a waitress job.”

“Jimmy says they’d hire you back on the force if you’re interested.”

“I know. If you recall, he told me that the other night when he was over. I’ll think about it, Dad.” I picked up my empty plate. Why was it that just thinking about returning to the force felt like a failure? I made my voice lighter than I felt. “Let’s hope we catch us a killer today, Dad. And let’s really hope that killer is not my client.”

* * *

Katie Taylor let me into the front hallway but didn’t invite me any further into her house. “I have a busy day,” she said. “I have to stand in for Paul at a meeting with Gordon, Kyle, and a client after I visit Paul in jail.” She was wearing a sleeveless green dress and black sandals. She smelled like expensive French perfume. “Have you found out anything to help my husband?”

“I’m following up on several leads.” True without committing myself. “Did you ever meet Laura Flint’s cousin, Maddie Ringer?”

“No. Laura told me when she moved next door that she had a cousin in Perth who was after her money. She didn’t appear worried about it. She seemed to think the whole thing was a joke.”

“So, she wasn’t worried about Maddie trying to hurt her?”

“God, no. Laura called her a lazy lump.” Katie laughed. Her white teeth were straight and perfect. The woman’s beauty had no flaws that I could see. She tossed back her cascade of midnight black hair and looked at the diamond-studded watch on her arm.

“I’m curious about your recent modelling jobs,” I said.

Her green eyes lifted to mine. “Oh? I can’t see how that helps Paul.”

“I’m trying to cover every detail of your lives together. It helps me to narrow down my search.”

She smiled. “Of course. What did you want to know exactly?”

“After speaking with Maggie Wren . . .”

“You spoke with my modelling agency?” Her voice rose and her green eyes opened wider. “Do you even know how to investigate? Paul is on trial for murder and you’re wasting time looking at my career?”

“I know this might not seem important, but . . .” I let my voice trail away. “Paul told me that you were on shoots for the months of May and June. Maggie said you only had seven days of work during those two months. I wondered where you were.”

“I don’t see that that is any of your business.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. One foot tapped up and down on the floor. “If you must know, Paul and I were having problems in our marriage. I took some time away to think. I was deciding whether or not to leave him.”

“You returned and said you were ready to start a family.”

“That’s correct. I realized that I love him.”

“You still haven’t told me where you were for May and June.”

“No, I haven’t. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for my workout.” She bent down to pick up her gym bag. “When I visit Paul later today, I’m going to suggest that he find another PI. One who isn’t wasting money on finding out information that has nothing to do with his case.”

* * *

That went well.
I hadn’t even had a chance to ask her about her friends. Watching Katie Taylor pull out of her driveway, I could only wonder what had gotten her so upset.

I probably had one more day to figure out the Taylor case before I was fired. The worst part was that maybe Katie was right. Maybe I didn’t know what I was doing. Dad and I were chasing leads that led nowhere.

I drove toward the jail where Paul was being held. He was counting on me to come up with something. I thought about quitting the case before Katie made him fire me. I turned onto the Parkway and glanced in the rear view mirror. A black car with tinted windows pulled in right behind me. The front licence plate was missing. It looked like the same car that had followed me to Perth. I sped up and the driver stayed right behind me, much too close for comfort. If I braked suddenly, they would have hit my bumper. My heart beat double time as fear pulsed through me. I pushed harder on the gas pedal and my car leapt forward.

When I checked my rear view again, the black car was still right behind me. I felt a sudden jolt as it rammed my back bumper. “Back off!” I screamed just as it struck me again. I struggled not to wrench the steering wheel off course. I checked the rear view. The car was pulling into the next lane over. Before I could react, the car had pulled alongside me. I sped up more, but it kept pace, edging my car closer to the shoulder of the highway. Our side mirrors collided and mine snapped off like a broken wing.

The exit ramp was just up ahead. I pressed my foot as hard as I could on the gas pedal and got a slight jump on the black car. I was almost even with the ramp when I let off the gas and pumped the brake. The black car shot ahead as I swerved onto the ramp. I just managed to keep my car from spinning into the concrete barricade. I screeched to a stop at the stop sign at the end of the ramp. I struggled to control my breathing and my shaking hands. I checked behind me. The ramp was empty for the moment.

I turned left onto the main highway and drove as fast as I dared. When I exited onto Innes Road, the black car was still nowhere in sight. I pulled over and waited to make sure the car was really gone. It took a full minute for my heart to feel like it wasn’t beating its way out of my chest.

That’s when my cellphone rang.

“I
s this a good time to file my report?” Dad asked.

I watched cars speeding by. “Sure. Why not?”

“My army buddy called. He’s done some snooping. Alex Dowd was living in an apartment in New York City last year. He spent a lot of time working out in the local gym but didn’t have a paying job. He moved to Ottawa six months ago.”

I sat up straighter. “Six months ago, Laura Flint moved next door to the Taylors.”

“I seemed to recall that. My buddy sent a recent photo of Alex. Another guy in the building took it at a party. I’m about to send it to you.”

“Okay. I’ll have a look when our call is over. Anything else?”

“Dowd didn’t have a job but he wore expensive clothes. He worked out and got invited to parties with famous people. A woman used to visit him but she didn’t live with him. She’s in the photo, too.”

“Interesting.”

“Gotta go,” Dad said. “I’ve got a cake in the oven. Don’t forget Evan’s party.”