by Marta Perry
“No, no, of course not.” Bart leaned back in his leather chair. “Well, tell me what I can do for you.”
Mac made a point of getting out his notebook and pen. “A few little things have come up in regard to the death of Jason Reilley. You’ll understand that recent events have made it necessary to take another look at the case.”
“I don’t understand anything of the kind.” Bart sat upright in a hurry. “Just because that Beaumont woman has been talking wildly...”
“More to the point is where Jason got the drugs that ended his life.” And if Bart didn’t stop referring to Kate as that Beaumont woman, Mac wouldn’t be answerable for the consequences.
Bart seemed to swallow his defensiveness. “Well, of course you want to know that, but I thought you’d looked into it thoroughly at the time.”
“That’s where Ms. Beaumont’s presence has been very helpful. She has access to a bit more information than we did about her brother’s life here.” He watched a wary look slide across Bart’s face.
“Is Larry Foust somehow involved in that?” Bart waved his hand. “Never mind. I’m sure you can’t divulge that information.”
“Thank you for understanding.” So far, this conversation had been relatively amicable, but it was about to get rocky. “Now, according to my notes at the time, you said that nothing unusual had happened at work that might have upset Reilley. But you recently admitted that he’d been fired. Why was he fired?”
“I don’t feel comfortable discussing personnel matters. That’s private. You understand.” Bart was outwardly calm, but his fingers twitched a little. As if becoming aware of that, he pressed his hand firmly against the desktop.
Mac leaned forward into Bart’s space. “That won’t do, not when we’re looking into what might be a capital crime. If what you say has no bearing on the case, I’ll be happy to forget it, but I have to know.”
He watched in fascination as Bart’s face paled and then grew red. Was he going to try to bluff it out?
“You can’t force me to talk to you about company business.”
“No one is requesting access to your client files.” Although he’d love to know what a private audit might show. How reliable was that source of Kate’s? “We can either have a quiet discussion about it here in the privacy of your office, or I’ll have to ask you to come in and make a formal statement.”
Bart swallowed visibly and seemed to do some fierce concentrating. “Well, I suppose if you must know, the truth of it is that we had to let the boy go for...well, for laxity in his work. A firm like ours can’t tolerate any laxity, you know.”
“Odd, wasn’t it, that it took the better part of three months for this laxity to show up?” He didn’t ease off on the intensity of his stare.
Bart moved restlessly in his chair, glancing around as if for inspiration. “His internship would have been ending in a few weeks anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal. Certainly not something he’d kill himself over.”
“Why?” Mac shot the word at him, tired of dancing around the issue.
“It seemed there were some issues relating to the records of some accounts.” Bart picked his way carefully. “I’m not accusing Reilley of any malfeasance, you understand. We’ve determined that no funds were missing, but we have to be able to rely on the accounts being kept accurately.”
“So you fired him because he made a mistake in accounting, in other words.”
Bart glared at him. “Not just a simple mistake. It took days to go back through all the records and make sure they were correct. We just can’t have that sort of thing. Laurel Ridge Financial Group has always had a spotless reputation.”
Mac shifted ground. “How did Reilley react when you accused him?”
“He denied doing it, of course. What else would you expect?” Bart’s color deepened dangerously. “I should never have taken a chance on someone like him. I let myself be persuaded as a favor to a friend, and look what happened. And now you’re raking it all up again.”
“I’m doing my job.” Mac tried easing off a little. “Did Russ Sheldon agree with firing Jason Reilley?”
“Russ?” That startled him. Unpleasantly. His gaze shifted away from Mac’s. “I’m not even sure Russ knew what was going on. That was when he’d started to fail mentally, and he retired shortly after that.”
“And Lina Oberlin? Did she agree?”
“Lina is not a partner. It’s not her business to agree or disagree. However, I can tell you that she was completely in accord with my decision.” His voice gained confidence. Apparently he felt he was back on solid ground.
“So if you’re quite sure that firing him was justified, why didn’t you mention it when I questioned you at the time?”
Bart stiffened. “I saw no reason to bring it up. Why upset the family even more by letting them know he’d failed at his internship?”
“Very thoughtful of you.”
“Well, it seemed the right thing to do.” Bart was sublimely unaware of any sarcasm.
“And you have to be careful of the firm’s reputation, don’t you? Were there any repercussions in that area? Any chatter going around about mistakes being made in clients’ accounts?”
“Certainly not!” Bart shot to his feet. “If you’re accusing the firm...”
“Just asking what seemed a logical question,” Mac said mildly. “Obviously if people got hold of that kind of idea, it would be bad for you.”
Bart leaned forward, hands planted on the desk, but before he could speak, the side door opened. “Bart, is—” Lina broke off. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you had anyone with you.”
“The chief was just leaving.” Bart took a step back from the desk.
“Not just yet. I have a question for Lina before I go.” He rose casually, turning toward her. “I understand Jason Reilley was fired that last day he worked here. Why is it you didn’t mention that when you were asked if anything unusual had happened?”
“I’m afraid that was my fault, Chief Whiting,” she said smoothly. “You see, Mr. Sheldon had been so upset about the suggestion of error by the firm and the need to fire the boy that really, we were afraid for his health. So I suggested we not mention anything about the firing. It would be easier on that poor boy’s family, of course, but my main concern was Mr. Sheldon. We didn’t want to give him or anyone else the impression that he’d been responsible for Jason’s overdose.”
“So firing him was Russ Sheldon’s idea? If so, I don’t see how withholding the information from the police would help him.”
Mac didn’t believe it for a minute. He thought Lina was too concerned with being the perfect assistant, keeping her boss’s reputation spotless.
She glanced quickly from him to Bart, as if looking for cues. “I didn’t say that. I think all of us agreed that the boy would have to go, but Mr. Sheldon really took it to heart. And, honestly, as forgetful as he was getting, we thought he wouldn’t remember it a week later, anyway.”
A week later, Russ Sheldon was no longer associated with the firm his family had founded. What, if anything, did that have to do with it? Mac had to admit he hadn’t taken Kate’s suspicions of the firm seriously. His fault. Maybe he knew the people of Laurel Ridge too well to look at them objectively.
He’d put Bart’s over-the-top attitude down to his need to keep the firm as spotless as it had been when Sheldon was at the helm. Now he was beginning to wonder what was actually behind it—concern about the firm? Or concern that his actions might be culpable in Jason’s death?
* * *
KATE WAS HAVING second thoughts as the time approached for Mac to show up with this teenager he’d found to help decipher Jason’s messages. Or maybe second or third thoughts. She’d begun to think of Jason’s diary as a private connection between them. It had been difficult enough to share it with Ma
c. Why would she want some unknown teenager to have access to it?
She roamed to the windows and then stopped. That was odd. She could see the lights on in the bookshop. Why would Emily be there so long after closing time?
Picking up the phone, she rang the shop. Emily answered at once.
“Emily, it’s Kate. I saw the lights were still on. Is something wrong?”
“No, no, nothing like that. I just thought I’d stay a while after closing to catch up on some orders.”
“Do you need any help?” If she had to go to the shop, it would be a good excuse to get out of meeting with Mac and his find.
“No, I’m almost finished. I’ll be out of here in a few minutes, so don’t you bother. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Kate hung up. Well, that excuse was gone. She ought to just call Mac and tell him she’d changed her mind, but a glance out the window told her it was already too late. She glimpsed movement, followed by Mac’s now-familiar knock on the door.
Trying to find a polite way to turn down the young woman’s services, she went to the door. And couldn’t help staring when she got a look at the video gaming expert Mac had found. With her long blond hair, designer jeans and sparkling T-shirt, she looked more like a cheerleader than a nerd.
Recovering her senses, she stepped back and gestured them in.
“Kate, this is Kristie Paxton, the expert I told you about.”
The teen had an engaging grin that showed off colorful braces on her teeth. “I wouldn’t say expert. But if you need to know anything about fantasy gaming, I’m your girl.”
“That is what we’re looking for.” Kate sought for words. “But I’m not sure...”
“Hey, listen, Mac already explained to me. This is strictly top secret. I watch the tapes, interpret any mentions of fantasy games, and then forget everything I saw and heard. No problem.”
Kate realized that Mac was watching her with sympathy. At least he understood how hard this was for her, whether he thought it was reasonable or not. Somehow that helped her decide to give the girl a chance.
“That is what we need. Some of the references I can understand, if they come from fiction, but the games are beyond me.”
Kristie nodded, her hair moving like a ripple of silk. “What games was he into?”
“I don’t even know that. If this is hopeless...”
“I didn’t say that. It would just be easier if I knew what he was into, but I’ll figure it out. You want me to give it a try?”
Kate took a breath and nodded. “Okay.” She moved to the computer, trying to repress any lingering doubts. “Let me play a sample of the diary for you, so you’ll understand what we’re after.”
As always, the sight of Jason’s face on the screen wrenched at Kate’s heart. She deliberately picked a segment that was fairly innocuous, recorded shortly after Jason had come to Laurel Ridge.
“My brother used fantasy as a kind of code, comparing the people he met to the characters in some of the books he enjoyed. I suppose he thought that if anyone ever saw it, they wouldn’t understand.”
“Privacy. I get it.” Kristie bounced into the chair in front of the computer. “Nobody wants someone else looking at their private notes. Or emails.” She grinned. “A lot of people learned that the hard way.”
Kate nodded, thinking of some of the more spectacular stories to hit the newspapers in recent years.
Kristie shifted a small backpack to the floor and pulled out a notebook, pen and a pair of top-of-the-line earphones. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s have a look.”
With an inner pang, Kate pressed the key to start the playback. For a moment she stood staring at Kristie, watching the expressions that flitted across the girl’s face and the movement of her pen when she jotted something down. Then, knowing how annoyed she felt when someone looked over her shoulder while she worked, she stepped away.
Mac watched her face for a moment. “Okay?”
“Okay.” She managed a smile. “You were right. This is the only way to know what Jason meant. As long as there’s a possibility that the key to his death is in those diaries, I have to do whatever it takes.”
“Good. And you can trust Kristie. I’ve known her since before she was born.”
“Before?” She raised her eyebrows. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
“Only that her dad used to babysit us when he was in high school, and her mother is my second cousin.” He grinned. “Frank’s the ultimate jock, and Peggy’s a sweetheart, but how they produced a kid as off-the-charts bright as Kristie is a mystery to me.”
Kristie glanced at him. “I heard that.”
“Keep your mind on...” He began, but stopped when he saw her frown with concentration and play back a segment of the tape again. He turned to Kate again. “Is that coffee I smell?”
“Coming right up.” Maybe he was just trying to distract her, but she’d been brewing her after-supper cup, anyway.
Mac followed her into the kitchen. She pushed a mug toward him and indicated the sugar bowl. “If you need milk, there’s some skim in the fridge.”
“Black is fine.” He lifted the mug to his lips, leaning back against the counter. Kate had seen him do that enough times that it no longer fooled her. He was never as relaxed as he seemed.
She poured a cup for herself, stirring sugar into it with a little unnecessary vigor. “Are you going to tell me how it went with Bart Gordon today?”
“About the way I expected. He and Lina both had a string of reasonable answers as to why they hadn’t initially mentioned that Jason had been fired.” His already firm lips tightened. “A few too many, I thought.”
“Did you ask them why they let Jason go?”
He hesitated, eyeing her in a way that made her steel herself for the answer. “Bart told me that some problems had turned up in the account records. Nothing missing, you understand, but apparently a jumble of incorrect entries.”
“And they blamed that on Jason?” She straightened, ready to take her ire out on anyone in the line of fire.
“That was the implication.” Nothing changed about his relaxed posture. Flaying him with her anger would not only be unfair, it would also be useless. He’d stand against it like a rock battered by waves.
“Listen, you know how you said that Kristie was off-the-charts bright? Well, that’s how Jason was. He couldn’t possibly have fumbled the accounts. He trusted figures—he always said they didn’t lie. He could do that sort of work in his sleep.”
“Anybody could have an off day,” Mac began, but she shook her head.
“Not Jason. Not about that.”
Mac studied her face and nodded. “Okay, then that makes it look as if someone else did.”
“Who?” She set the mug down with a thud.
“Much as it goes against the grain to suggest it, I’m wondering about Russ Sheldon. Bart and Lina both seemed very eager to protect him, so much so that it made me wonder why. If he did it...”
“If he did it, why would they blame Jason? Why not just keep quiet and encourage Sheldon to retire?”
“That I can’t answer,” he said. “But I’d like to know.”
Before she could speak, Kristie popped into the kitchen. “Okay, I went through the first one.” She held a notebook out to Kate. “Nothing unusual there.” She grinned. “I liked the reference to Mrs. Anderson, though.”
Kate tried to suppress a smile and failed. “It’s spot-on, isn’t it?”
Mac sighed and put down his coffee. “You two going to let me in on the secret?”
“You wouldn’t understand, Mac,” Kristie said, patting his arm. “You’re too mundane.”
He gave her a quick hug, apparently accepting the comment.
Kristie glanced at Kate. “If you’d let me copy the files to a
flash drive, I could get this done faster. I promise no one would ever get access to them from me. But it’s up to you.”
Kristie looked so earnest that turning her down would be like hitting a puppy. Besides, she’d already seen them now. Kate nodded.
“Okay. I’ll just be a sec.” Kristie dashed off.
“You really can trust her, you know,” Mac said.
Kate managed a smile. “Jason would tell me I’m being too possessive. And I’d always promise to do better, but I never would.”
“It’s tough to let go.” He clasped her hand in a sympathetic grip.
“You ready, Mac?” Kristie sang out from the other room.
Mac released her slowly, his fingers caressing her palm. “I have to take her home. Do you want me to come back afterward?”
The strength of her longing to say yes almost frightened her. Giving in to the feelings she had for Mac would be dangerous.
“Better not.” There was a world of regret in the words.
He nodded. “You’re right. Not yet.” His fingertips trailed up her arm, leaving fire in their wake. “I’ll call you.”
Naturally, Kate was even more restless after Mac and Kristie left. Pacing was getting her nowhere, but she couldn’t seem to stop.
A relationship with Mac was impossible. She’d told herself that from the beginning. Their lives were too different—they wanted different things—he was a cop—
But the longing wouldn’t be stilled.
She glanced out the side window toward Blackburn House and came to a stop. That was odd. The light in the bookshop was still on. Surely Emily would have finished by now. It was dark outside, and she’d told Kate several times how much she hated to drive at night.
Even as Kate watched, the light went off. And then the hall light, leaving the building in darkness.
That wasn’t right. She’d been here long enough to know that the hall light was left on all night. Kate picked up her cell phone, but before she could do anything it rang. She checked—it was the bookshop number.
“Emily? Is something wrong? What’s happening?”