by R A Wallace
He thought for a moment. “I still think the answer to the smuggling is with the six buyer reps we’ve been tracking. There has to be a reason why they showed up for the auction so early.”
“Actually, I think there’s something to that as well.” She glanced over at him. “Did you notice one of the buyer reps was speaking with the secretary just now?”
He frowned. “Yeah, I did.”
“Okay, about this bet. I’m not saying it’s the best idea, but I do think that we need to look into both the secretary and the buyer reps.”
“Okay,” he said slowly. “So, that’s a yes?”
“Yes.” She thought for a moment. “But only if we both keep our eyes on the prize.”
“How so?”
She crossed her arms. “We need to catch both the international smugglers and the killer.”
Chapter Fifteen
Callie sat in her car Wednesday morning near their office building at the airport and pressed end on her phone. She hadn’t found anything conclusive to help the young girl whose identity had been stolen yet, but she had wanted to touch base with the mother. The clue that Ariana had given her about the fake IDs being printed by someone in the Pomelo Cove High School had been a good one. It had matched up with what one of the sales clerks had told Callie about the odd ID someone had used while making one of the purchases.
That led Callie to believe that the person who had stolen Emily Smith’s identity was a high school student. On her drive to the airport, she thought about all of the electronics she had seen at the Smith home. She found it hard to believe that all of the games and other devices had been for Emily. Her call to Shana Smith confirmed her suspicions. Emily has a seventeen-year-old brother named Kev. Callie wondered now if there might be any connection. Could someone have used Kev to get to Emily’s information? Shana had insisted that Kev didn’t have a girlfriend.
She’d also touched base with her neighbor, Ramona, as she left her house. Although Ramona had been keeping an eye out for anyone using a credit card with Emily Smith’s name, it hadn’t happened yet. Callie thought about her next move with the case. She’d asked for video from all of the stores that she’d visited but most didn’t have any. Those that did have video didn’t have anything from that long ago. Unfortunately, a lot of time had passed between the cards being used and Shana Smith getting the bills.
The tapping on the driver’s side window made her jump. She scowled at Greyson as she opened her car door and climbed out.
“You snuck up on me,” she said as she pushed the button on her key fob to lock her doors.
“Did not. I was standing here watching you for several minutes. Where were you?” he asked as they walked toward the building.
“Thinking about another case.” She stopped walking. “You used to be a teenager.”
Greyson stopped and gave her a confused look. “Yeah, a long time ago in a world far, far away.”
Callie shook her head. “Seriously. Did your parents know about your girlfriends when you were a teenager?”
“Well.” Greyson made a face. “There’s girlfriends. Then there’s girlfriends.”
Callie returned his confused look. “What?”
“I’m just saying. You don’t bring all of your girlfriends home. You know?”
Callie thought about it as she started walking again. “Okay. I guess.” She opened the door and entered the building. “Would you have told the girlfriends things you shouldn’t have?”
“What do you mean?” he asked cautiously.
“Like, your sister’s social security number?” Callie stopped in front of the office door. She could see some of the other team members inside through the glass panel by the door.
Greyson made another face. “I would hope not.”
“You don’t sound convinced.” She pointed a finger at him.
“I don’t think you have a clear image of a teenage boy,” Greyson said as he opened the door to the office.
“You’re saying you would have handed over your little sister’s identity?” Callie asked as she followed him into the office.
The others in the room waited for his answer.
Greyson lifted both hands in the air. “In all fairness, she’s asking if a teenage Greyson would have handed over sensitive information under certain conditions.”
“Would there have been a teenage girl involved?” Kate asked.
“Yes,” Callie confirmed.
“That answers that,” Kate said with finality.
Nigel and Zach nodded.
Callie looked around the room. “Where’s Julio?”
Lenora pointed to one of the monitors. “More cars arrived for the auction. The dogs have already gone over them. Julio is checking them out now.”
“Have you heard anything new?” Callie asked Greyson.
He looked over at Kate first. “Your people have anything?”
At the shake of her head, Greyson shook his head also. “I’m still being told that the buyers are expecting something special inside one of the cars. They don’t know which car it is yet. It’s likely they won’t know until sometime during the auction.”
He turned to Callie. “Everyone else has their assignments. You and I have our own plans.”
Callie smiled. “That we do.”
“Greyson tells us that the two of you will be focusing on two different possible avenues of the situation,” Kate said. “Know that we’ll be available to assist either one of you.”
Callie gave a brief nod of thanks.
“Lenora has already found some information to get me started,” Greyson said.
Zach brought up split-screen photos of two of the buyer reps.
Greyson pointed to the male on the left. “That’s Lee Cabal. He’s one of the people we’ve been watching.”
“From what I’ve learned, he has some ties to betting, specifically on sports outcomes,” Lenora said.
Callie tried to match that up to something being smuggled in a car. She couldn’t do it.
Greyson pointed to the photo of the female on the right. “Here we have Serena Duval.”
“From what I’ve found, she’s the go-to negotiator when you’re in the market for something and money is no object. She aligns herself with various countries without any particular favoritism. She goes with the highest bidder,” Lenora explained.
Callie didn’t think that narrowed it down much for them. “So, you’re saying it could be anything?”
Lenora nodded her agreement.
“I’d better get to it then,” Greyson said as he left the office.
“We’ll be monitoring him from here and will be able to give him feedback on their locations on campus. We know that they’ve already entered the airport campus for the day and are headed to the hangar to check out the new arrivals,” Kate explained.
Callie thought of her mother’s proximity to the hangar where everyone was converging.
“My mother…”
“Is under constant surveillance,” Kate said with conviction.
“It’s part of the orders Greyson gave us from the get-go,” Zach confirmed.
Callie exhaled and nodded. She motioned to the computer on the side of the room.
“I need to check on some things before I get started on my avenue of investigation.” She took the seat at the computer.
“I need to head out,” Kate said as she opened the door. “Greyson is waiting for me.”
She caught up to him outside. He motioned toward the building with his head.
“Is she okay?” he asked.
“She’s worried about her mother being in the middle of it all.” Kate walked over to her oversized all-terrain vehicle. “I told her we have it covered.”
Greyson nodded his agreement as he slid into his own ATV. After navigating his way through the crowd, he went in to check on the woman in question.
“Greyson.” Margaret excused herself from the group of people she was speaking with and went over to greet him.
“How are things here?” he asked.
Margaret looked around the room. “The excitement seems to be building for the auction. More people are beginning to arrive.”
Greyson had a thought. “How well do you know the people who stop in here to see you?”
“For the most part, we’ve met over the years I’ve been with Elliot. Some are bringing in new faces with them. They aren’t really spending much time here at the car show yet but there have been some very interesting parties back at the major hotels in the evenings.” She smiled to show that she’d been enjoying them. “When they stop in here, it’s just to get in from the heat and to have a bite of food before they check out the cars.”
Greyson reached over and snagged a muffin.
Margaret looked back at the group and smiled before turning to Greyson again. “They’re not really here to see me, of course. They’re networking with each other. Many of these people either already have business deals together or they are hoping to in the near future.”
“I think you sell yourself short, Margaret.” He heard her chuckle as he left the room and headed for the hangar area. It didn’t take him long to spot his targets on the other side of the room. The problem was, they weren’t together. Mentally tossing a coin, he turned and headed for Lee Cabal first.
***
Callie stood from the computer. She paused to look at the monitors on the wall. She’d checked them several times while looking things up on the computer. Specifically, she’d checked the monitor showing her mother. She looked at her again before leaving the office.
She hadn’t thought about the exact role her mother would play in the car show throughout the week. She wondered how she was holding up. She knew from past experience that Margaret must be burning the candle at both ends. There had to be a lot of social events going on in the evenings with Elliot’s crowd. Yet, her mother had been at the car show during the day to greet anyone of their crowd who might stop by.
Callie stepped out of the building, sliding her sunglasses on as she did. She turned when she heard her name called.
“Hey,” Callie greeted Ariana with a smile. “Are you on break?”
“I am.” Ariana stopped next to Callie but ducked under the overhang of the building where there was shade.
“How is the job going?” Callie asked.
Ariana shrugged. “It’s a job.” She grinned. “Actually, it’s not bad.”
“How is Leslie and Dad?” Callie asked.
Ariana frowned. “Dad’s okay. Mom is still having a lot of problems at the bank.”
Callie thought back to the last time she’d spoken to Leslie.
“That’s the problem they were having with the ATMs?” Callie asked.
“Yeah. I guess they’re thinking it’s hackers now or something.” Ariana wrinkled her forehead. “I don’t know. I didn’t really understand it. Somehow, the hackers are doing something that causes the ATMs to crash.”
Ariana checked the time on her phone. “I have to get back to work.”
Chapter Sixteen
The multi-story, glass faceted high-rise was impressive. Callie had never been inside the building before. She’d left the airport campus hoping to follow up on some of the information she’d been able to gather online. After checking the directory on the first floor, she took the elevator to the fifth floor where T-M Financial Services was located. It was Philip Tenley-Mulhern’s company.
Callie had known that the man was worth a lot of money. She hadn’t pictured what that success would look like in tangible form, however, until she’d begun researching him after the death of his wife. In addition to a mansion-sized home in Florida, Philip also had homes in various other places. Callie exited the elevator and walked down the hall toward the glass doors that housed the Florida location of his business. The décor of the building was a study in understated luxury and elegance. Her steps made no sounds on the carpeted hallway.
The attractive brunette at the front desk greeted her with professional courtesy even though Callie was certain the thirty-something woman had calculated her outfit down to the last dollar and found it lacking.
“Hello, I’m Callie Indigo.” She saw the flash of name recognition that she’d hoped for. Although her mother now used the name of her last husband, Milne, all of Margaret’s past marriages had often been covered in the papers once her relationship with Elliot Landon had become public.
“How can I help you?” The brunette stood from her desk.
“I just came from the Pomelo Cove Classic,” Callie explained. “My partner and I have been hired as security consultants for the car show where Mrs. Tenley-Mulhern recently died.”
Callie watched the other woman closely for any reaction to the mention of Sheree’s death. She thought she saw a brief look of genuine compassion cross the other woman’s face, but it was gone so quickly she immediately wondered if she’d imagined it.
“I see.”
“We’re assisting the police in the investigation of the death,” Callie said. It wasn’t true as far as the police were concerned but that wasn’t going to stop Callie. “I would like to speak with some of the employees who knew Sheree.”
Something else flickered across the brunette’s face. Callie interpreted it as caution. She knew that she wasn’t getting past this woman easily.
“If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll just clear that with Mr. Tenley-Mulhern first.”
Callie smiled politely and waited as the woman turned and spoke quietly into her phone. After several moments, the brunette turned back around. The look on her face was now more welcoming. Callie wondered what Philip had said to her.
“My name is Isabel. I’ll be your guide so that you aren’t lost navigating our area.” She held out her hand to her side indicating the Callie should walk with her.
“Have you been here long?” Callie asked as they left the reception area and entered a warren of offices, hallways, and cubicles. She’d initially been concerned that she’d have a shadow. Now that she saw the extensive maze, she was almost happy to have Isabel’s presence.
“I’ve been with Mr. Tenley-Mulhern for five years.” Isabel pointed to a small office.
“This is Wayne. Mr. Tenley-Mulhern thought you might like to speak with him.” Isabel motioned toward a man behind a desk. Although probably only in his early thirties, he wore his head shaved in order to deal with the loss of hair on his crown.
Callie stepped into the room, but Isabel didn’t follow.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” Isabel said as she left.
The man behind the desk stood. He wore wire-rimmed glasses, dark slacks, a white shirt, and a dark tie.
“How can I help you?” Wayne asked with a wave toward the chairs on the other side of his desk.
Callie sank into one of them. “I’m sure you’ve heard about Mrs. Tenley-Mulhern?” She watched a flicker of dismay cross his face.
“Yes. I was sorry for Philip’s sake.” Wayne took his own seat.
Callie waited a beat, then raised her eyebrows subtly.
Wayne shrugged. “Listen, it’s no secret around here that they didn’t get along. I mean, I really am sorry for Philip. He’s a nice guy and all.”
“How long have you worked here?” Callie asked.
“I was recruited out of college.”
“Then you know Tessa Guthrie also?”
“Of course. She was Philip’s… well, let’s just say that they have had a long relationship.”
It was something that had been alluded to on old social media posts, but Callie still wanted to confirm it, if possible.
“Tessa and Philip were a couple before he married Sheree?”
Wayne’s eyes shifted over Callie’s shoulder as someone walked past his office.
“Look, what I’m telling you is old news and you can find it anywhere on the Net,” he said almost defensively.
Callie nodded her agreement.
“From what I read, Sheree was considered by m
ost to be something of the trophy wife,” Callie said.
Wayne looked relieved. “Exactly.”
“How did Tessa take that?”
Wayne didn’t consider it for long. “Probably about as well as you might expect. I’m sure there are a lot of women who wouldn’t want to miss out on Philip’s money. Would you?”
Callie heard Isabel enter the room behind her and stood. She gave Wayne a cool smile as she thanked him for his time.
“Interesting guy,” Callie muttered as she walked with Isabel. She thought she saw the ghost of a smile on the other woman’s face.
They stopped at another door. “This is Janet. She has also been with the company for several years. I’ve already explained the reason for your visit and that it has been cleared.”
Callie stepped into the office as Isabel excused herself. It was roughly the same size as Wayne’s office, but this one had more personal touches including a photo of Janet with a man and two teen-aged children.
“Thank you for your time,” Callie said as she took a seat.
Janet rested her elbows on her desk and waved her hands expressively before clasping them together.
“Whatever the boss wants.”
Callie noticed that she said it with a warm smile.
“How well did you know Philip and his wife?”
“Oh, I would definitely say that I know Philip much better than I did Sheree. I’ve never really spent any time with her.” She frowned. “Of course, I was sorry to hear about her death, for Philip’s sake. It will be a difficult time for him, for a while at least.”
Callie raised her brows. “You think he’ll get over it quickly?”
Janet gave a half shrug.
“They weren’t really a couple, of course. I’m sorry to say, for Philip’s sake, that all of those front-page scandal sheets talking about their marriage being on the rocks weren’t wrong with this story.”
Callie knew she was right. There were, in fact, so many of those stories that she hadn’t been able to read them all. That wasn’t what was bothering her now. The look on Callie’s face must have given away her skepticism.
“I know.” Janet made an exaggerated face of chagrin as she held up her hands. “It doesn’t sound particularly professional of me to speak ill of my boss’s wife so shortly after her death. The thing is, everyone here knew that Philip regretted his marriage shortly after it happened. Neither one of them ever made a secret of it. If anyone here tells you otherwise, you’d have to know they were lying.”