So that was the reason they’d stopped by. “That’s wonderful. Would you girls like some popcorn like you had the last time you were here?” Zach asked.
“Yes,” the girls chimed.
Looking at his secretary, Zach asked, “Would you please take the girls to the break room, Nancy? I need to talk to my wife for a minute.”
“Sure.”
Once they were alone in his office, Toni let out a growl. “Carl is such a pig. I would’ve loved to have kicked him in the—”
Zach drew her into his arms and silenced her with a kiss. Toni resisted only for an instant, then melted into his embrace, eagerly returning his kiss.
It had been only a few hours since they had made love, but for him it seemed like a million years as the hunger in him exploded.
His need for Toni was increasing instead of playing itself out. When he heard her voice in the hallway several minutes ago and heard her defending Lisa, his heart had skipped a beat.
She had been defending his children as fiercely as if they were her own. That knowledge was a treasure, one he never thought he would uncover.
He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. “We’d better stop while we can. We don’t want to shock the children or my secretary.”
Toni laughed. “Believe me, Nancy has seen a lot. She won’t be shocked.”
“So, I assume you came by to tell me about Lori’s leg.”
Her smile warmed him deep inside. “You’d be pleased, Zach. The girls didn’t want to wait until tonight to tell you the good news.” Her fingers lightly skimmed over the healing bruises on his cheek and eye. “They were positive that you’d want to hear as soon as possible, and that we shouldn’t wait.”
Toni’s eyes filled with tears. One rolled down her cheek.
“Why are you crying?” he asked, puzzled by her reactions.
Her bottom lip trembled as she looked into his eyes. “Because, Zachary Knight, you’ve won a major battle. Your little girls are sure enough of your heart to believe you’d want to hear right away that Lori’s cast would come off soon.” Her fingers skimmed across his lips. “Do you understand, Zach? They believe and trust you. It’s a gift beyond price.”
Zach pulled Toni to his chest and took a deep breath. She was right. They had reached a milestone and he was awed by his feelings.
Toni pulled back. “Did you bring me in here simply to kiss me or was there another reason?”
He laughed at himself. Toni had an amazing ability to redirect him. No one else had had that ability up until this moment.
“Toni, I just interviewed the woman who oversees the Caprock account. She claimed she didn’t pay attention to which fields the bills were for. Her supervisor wasn’t happy.”
Toni’s brow shot up. “Oh, I don’t doubt that June Davis is very ‘particular’ about knowing one’s accounts. She chewed me out when I couldn’t supply from memory a detail on a fitting supply company that I billed.”
Her response further convinced Zach that Stephanie knew what was going on. “When I looked at Stephanie’s desk, I noticed a bill from the Plains Drilling Company. But it had the same address, street number and suite number as Caprock.”
Toni’s eyes widened.
“Tell me, can you go in and see if there are any other companies with that same mailing address?”
“Sure I can. You want me to go and ask June to do that search?”
Zach shook his head. “No. I want to do that tonight when we get home and compare it with the other deposits in Ollie’s account. We don’t know who is or isn’t involved in this mess.”
Toni smiled. “Zachary Knight, I think you may have discovered the scheme.”
“I hope.” He reached out and pulled her into his arms. Before he could stop himself, his lips settled over hers. Toni welcomed his kiss, opening her mouth and sliding her arms around his waist.
“Daddy, look,” Lisa said, rushing into the room. She stopped and stared at Zach and Toni. “Are you doing that again?” She crossed her arms over her chest, and the bag of popcorn tipped, spilling the popped kernels onto the floor.
Toni smiled up at him. “I guess we’ve been caught.”
“Next time, I’ll be sure to close the door,” Zach whispered back.
As they walked out of Zach’s office, George called to them.
“Toni, dear, did Zach tell you about the reception tonight at the club?” George asked, stopping before the gathered family.
“What reception?” Toni asked.
Zach blushed. It was so unexpected that Toni could only stare at him.
George rubbed his chin. “So, you didn’t tell my daughter about the little shindig I arranged, did you, Zach?”
“With all that’s going on, I forgot,” Zach admitted.
Toni wasn’t surprised by her father’s actions. She’d been through enough with him to be able to roll with his punches. “What time, Dad? And what about the girls?”
“Eight-thirty. And I want you to bring the girls. I want everyone to see my beautiful new granddaughters.”
“We won’t be able to stay long, Dad,” Toni warned.
“It will be close to their bedtime.”
“Don’t worry. This is just an informal get-together. I’ve planned something fancier next month.”
“Talk to me about it first, Dad.” Toni left no room for argument with her tone.
“I will.”
When George walked off, Toni shook her head.
“Are you upset?” Zach softly asked.
She turned to him and smiled. “Zach, if I got upset every time my dad did something like this, I’d be a miserable human being. But next time, have him deal with me. I may take this in stride, but Dad knows he’ll only get one chance to sucker me. Next time, it won’t be easy.”
Around five that night, Toni, Zach and Martin Phelps gathered in Toni’s study again and Toni tapped into the company’s computer.
“The company has a database of all its accounts, so if I ask for an account with Caprock’s address, it should spit it out for us,” Toni explained.
With a few keystrokes, Toni typed the information and hit Enter. Within seconds, a list of three companies appeared on the screen. When she compared the bills of those accounts to the deposits in Ollie’s account, most of the remaining items matched.
“Well, I’ll be,” Martin breathed.
“Let me try something else,” Toni said. She altered the information she requested and only asked for the same street address. Four more companies popped up on the screen. And with those companies, the rest of the deposits to Ollie’s account were matched.
“I’ll bet,” Zach said, “that Stephanie Norman handled all those bills.”
Martin nodded. “I think that I’ll go talk to the lady in question.”
“She was nervous this afternoon, Martin, when I talked with her,” Zach offered.
“I’ll bet. If you’ll print off copies for me, Toni, I’d like to confront Ms. Norman with this evidence.”
Quickly, Toni produced the pages and Martin left.
When Zach returned to the study, he smiled at her. “You were a big help, Toni. Your knowledge made the difference.”
She smiled. “It wasn’t hard. I just knew how that system operated, and you didn’t.”
Zach grinned. “A smart man always knows when he’s reached the limit of his knowledge and asks for help.”
“And I believe you’re a smart man.”
Another chunk of the armor that shielded Zach’s heart fell away. He didn’t know what to do with himself. He felt as if he were standing naked before Toni and with a single thrust, she could wound him. He didn’t like the feeling one bit, nor was he sure he could walk this road. “That remains to be seen.” His voice sounded hard to his own ears. He noted that the animation on Toni’s face faded. He felt like a monster for hurting her in that way.
She straightened her shoulders and met his gaze. “I need to go out to the aviary before we go to the par
ty and check on the bird the girls and I treated the other day. I think Lori will want to go out with me.”
As he watched Toni and Lori walk away, he felt two inches tall. He glanced down to where Lisa rested her head on his leg. Her mouth twisted into a pout. “Those birds are okay, but I’d rather play with Sam.” She looked up. “You don’t have to be careful with him.” She scampered to the dog. “C’mon, Sam, let’s go play house.”
Zach shook his head. He sat at the table and opened the newspaper. After a while, the phone rang and Zach picked it up.
“Zach, this is Martin. We’re at Stephanie Norman’s house. The lady has skipped town.”
Zach mouthed a cursed. “So, we’re still one step behind.”
“It appears so.”
Suddenly the scene with Carl Ormand talking to a blond woman in the parking lot of Anderson Oil the other day came to mind. Zach related the incident to the detective. “When I was talking to Stephanie today, I had the feeling that I’d met her before, yet I knew I hadn’t. That accounts for the feeling. You might want to talk to Carl.”
“You want to accompany me?” Martin asked.
“I’d like nothing better. Let me access the company’s files and get the address.” It only took a few minutes to get the information. “I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.”
Zach turned to race down to the aviary, when he saw Toni and Lori walking toward him. He quickly related what had happened to Toni.
“Martin and I are going to talk to Carl.”
Toni studied him. “I doubt you’ll get anything out of the man.”
Zach’s smile was wolfish. “I’d like to try.”
“You’ll be home in time for the party, won’t you?”
“Yes.” Zach knew there’d be hell to pay if he missed the reception.
As he drove to Carl’s apartment, his words rang through his head. Maybe Toni did know him too well.
Martin stood beside his car, waiting for Zach. He parked behind the detective.
“Is Carl there?” Zach asked.
“His car is parked in the garage. If we’re in luck, maybe we’ll discover Stephanie in his house.”
Zach shook his head. “I don’t believe in fairy tales.”
“I don’t, either, but a little luck about now would be appreciated.”
Martin knocked and the door quickly opened. Carl’s expression was not welcoming. “Yes?”
“I’m Detective Martin Phelps of the Midland Police Department. I have some questions I’d like to ask you about the death of Ollie Townshed.”
Carl glared at Zach. “What’s he doing here?”
“Mr. Knight has been helpful in gathering information relating to this case. He’s here at my request.”
Carl stepped back and motioned the two men inside. Once settled in the living room, Martin asked, “Do you know Stephanie Norman?”
“I believe she works at Anderson.” He tried to appear at ease, but the tightness in his jaw belied his act.
“Do you know her?” Martin pressed.
“No more than any other employee,” Carl replied.
“Is that why you were having a heart-to-heart discussion with her in the parking lot several days ago?” Zach asked.
Carl nailed Zach with a glare. “The woman asked me for advice.”
“And are you in the habit of advising all the personnel at the company?” Martin asked.
“No. But the woman had a problem and asked if I could help. It would’ve been rude to ignore her.”
“What did she ask you about, Carl?” Zach pressed.
“I don’t have to answer you,” Carl snapped.
Zach’s eyes narrowed and a muscle in his jaw flexed.
“That’s true,” Martin interjected. “But you do have to answer me. And I’d like to hear the answer to the question. What did Stephanie ask you about?”
“She asked about a noise she had in her engine. I told her to take it in and have a mechanic look it over ”
Martin looked at Zach.
“So, what you’re telling me is that you and Stephanie are casual acquaintances?”
“That’s right.”
Martin stood. “All right, Mr. Ormand. If I have any further questions, I’ll contact you.”
When they walked to their cars, Zach shook his head.
“The man is lying through his teeth.”
“He sure is,” Martin replied.
“So, what are we going to do?” Zach asked.
“We’re going to try to locate Stephanie. She might be our key.”
“Yeah, and I know where the locked door is,” Zach answered, throwing a hard stare at Carl’s house.
“Well, is Carl still alive and well?” Toni asked Zach and Martin as they walked into the house.
Martin smiled. “There was a moment there that I thought Zach was going to flatten the man.”
“Too bad I didn’t. We would’ve gotten more information out of him if I had.”
“Zach, that kind of evidence would be thrown out of court. If Carl is connected with the murder of Ollie Townshed and the gauger, then I want to do things by the book so we can lock him up.”
“Wait a minute. You think Carl murdered Ollie? And the gauger, too?” Toni’s gaze clashed with Zach’s. He’d withheld important information from her. The knowledge knifed through her heart. Why hadn’t Zach told her? She was his wife and intimately involved with Anderson.
“Let’s go into the study,” Martin said, “and I’ll tell you what we suspect has happened.”
Once they were seated, Martin began. “You know that Ollie was swindling money from Anderson. We found evidence—company stationery, invoices, in his apartment—that suggested Ollie was Caprock. In his residence we also found the logbooks from the field where the gauger was killed. We think Ollie was somehow involved with that man’s murder or knew who murdered him. But since Ollie is dead, we’re going to have to piece together this connection without his help.”
Toni glanced at Zach. He hadn’t told her the full story.
“So, to carry on this scam, there has to be someone in accounting letting his phony charges go through. We think that person was Stephanie Norman, who is now missing.”
“And what you’re telling me is Stephanie might have knowledge of these two murders?” Toni asked.
“She might,” Zach answered. “Or she might just be a minor peg in a bigger conspiracy. We need to find and question her.”
“Are you sure she’s skipped town?” Toni asked.
“No,” Martin answered. “But one of the neighbors saw the lady go out to her car with a suitcase. I think it’s likely that she won’t show up at work tomorrow.”
“I think I’ll go back tomorrow and question the neighbors about Stephanie. Maybe they can identify a boyfriend and we can nail Carl that way.” Martin glanced at his watch. “I’m sorry I stayed so late. I know y’all have a party to go to.”
Zach walked Martin to his car.
Martin shook his head. “If I don’t miss my guess, Toni was surprised by some of the information I told her.”
A sigh escaped Zach. “Yeah, I guess she was.”
“You didn’t tell her everything that was going on? Even when she was the one who helped us discover that the Caprock billing statements matched Ollie’s checkbook?”
It made him stop and think when Martin put it in those terms, but there had been valid reasons not to tell her. “I’m not used to working with anyone, Martin.”
“You’ve shared with me,” he stated.
Yeah, and he wasn’t emotionally involved with Martin, either. “That’s your job. And my job, to discover who was stealing from the company.”
“But she’s your wife and the daughter of the company president.”
Those were two fine points that Zach couldn’t discount. So, why hadn’t he trusted her? “Let’s just say that I’ve been married before and have become wary of trusting women.”
Martin pinned him with a stare. “I think t
hat your wife isn’t going to buy that excuse.” He shrugged. “But I wish you luck.”
Zach watched as Martin pulled away. He rubbed his neck. He had to agree with Martin; he was in trouble with Toni. It had been plain in her eyes when her gaze rested on him. She felt she’d been the one wronged, when nothing he did had been out of order.
While Zach was gone, Toni made sure the girls were dressed in their best clothes for the reception tonight. When Zach walked back into the house, they were ready to leave.
“I’ll put on a tie and be with you in a moment.”
“We’ll wait in the car for you, Zach,” Toni told him. As they walked to the car, Zach realized how he had screwed up in the situation. If he didn’t miss his guess, Toni wasn’t going to forgive him any time soon.
Zach smiled as Toni chatted with an old friend, Fred Green. Fred was grinning from ear to ear.
“Your daddy was proud as punch when he told me about you marrying this fine young man. And those little girls are cute as newborn heifers. You must be proud of them, Zach.”
He slipped his arm around Toni’s waist and pulled her close. They wanted all of Midland to believe they married because of love. In spite of that, he felt Toni stiffen. Their earlier confrontation came to mind. “I am, indeed.”
“So, Toni, is this going to keep you out of the fields this spring?” Fred asked.
“Nope, Fred. I’ll still be out checking on the screens for the sludge tanks so the migrating birds don’t land in them.”
Fred scowled. “Now, Toni, you need to pay attention to your new family and not butt into everyone else’s business.”
“And you, Fred, need to make sure your screens are in place,” she retorted.
“I bet you don’t talk to your daddy that way!” Fred protested.
Toni laughed. “That’s where you’re wrong, Fred. Ask him. He claims I’m a pain. But he does see about the screens.”
Zach watched in amazement as Toni faced down the oilman. The topic of screens on the sludge tanks had come up often tonight, and Tom hadn’t backed down a single time. Oddly enough, the oilmen took her warning to heart. Her campaign had never been a popular one, even with her father. He also felt proud of how Toni stood up to the man.
Suddenly a Family Page 17