by Cindy Bell
“I noticed that you seemed a little upset over a phone call you received.” Nikki chose her words carefully. She didn’t want to tip him off to the fact that she suspected him due to that phone call.
“Yes well, some people are impatient.” Rick sighed, then handed the phone back to her. “I’m not sure what the point of all of this is. I’ve already told the police everything I know. I’m sorry that Daniel is gone, but there’s not much I can do to help.”
“We appreciate whatever information you can give.” Sonia smiled some. “How long had you been working with Daniel?”
“Not for too long. A little over four months. He had a high turnover of his assistants. His demands could be a little extreme.” Rick grimaced. “I didn’t mind them, but he did expect a lot.”
“How so?” Sonia narrowed her eyes.
“Mostly, he wanted discretion. He wanted his private life protected. Especially recently. I did the best I could, but it wasn’t always the easiest thing to provide. He wanted his privacy, but he had no problem generating a ton of attention by spontaneously participating in a charity auction.” Rick frowned. “It was difficult to get everything prepared for that, and field the onslaught of questions as to why he was doing it. He had been refusing to even show his collection lately, let alone donate much of it.”
“Why do you think he did it?” Sonia asked.
“He did it for you.” Rick locked his eyes to hers. “That was another thing I was supposed to keep to myself. But I guess it doesn’t matter now.” He shrugged. “You knew that, didn’t you?”
“No.” Sonia sighed, then clasped her hands together. “Why do you think he wanted so much privacy all of a sudden? I noticed as I was contacting his friends that he hadn’t had much interaction with anyone lately. Rick, what was really going on?”
“There was a lot going on with him. A lot of tension. Business deals that went wrong, at least for his partners.” Rick frowned. “It was hard to keep up with, and he seemed intent on not telling me everything.”
“What about a man named Sylvester?” Nikki met his eyes. “Did you ever hear that name?”
“Sylvester, yes, that was one that he couldn’t hide from me. He planned a big project with Sylvester and a few other investors, but he put a hold on it about a month ago. No explanation, just said he wasn’t going to do it anymore.” Rick rolled his eyes. “You can’t imagine the fallout from that.”
“And he never said why?” Sonia shook her head. “There must have been a reason. He was a shrewd businessman. He would never let go of a good deal.”
“You’re right about that, you seemed to know him well.” Rick chuckled. “However, Daniel was incredibly cunning. It was a multimillion dollar deal and he took people for everything they had, including Sylvester and the other investors. He didn’t plan to return the money they’d put in, claimed he couldn’t get it back. It was in the deal and it was a risk they took, and they knew that when they signed up. When I tried to reason with him, he threatened to fire me.” He pursed his lips, then sighed. “No, he wasn’t a golden boy, that’s for sure.”
“I know that Daniel was a beast when it came to business, but my point is, he would never pass up an opportunity for profit. Was there something wrong with the project? Did something fall through?” Sonia peered at him.
“No, nothing like that. Actually, things were going very smoothly, he just decided to pull out.” Rick shrugged. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more than that, but he didn’t trust me with more than that.” He glanced over at the phone as it began to ring. “Probably another fire I need to put out. Please, let me know if there is anything else you need from me.” He turned away to answer the phone.
Sonia caught Nikki’s hand and pulled her out of the office.
“Something’s not right. It doesn’t all add up.” Sonia shook her head. “Whatever it is, we’ve got to get to the bottom of it. I’m going to start making some calls right away.”
“You do that, I can walk home from here.” Nikki glanced down the road. “I need some time to think all of this through.”
“All right, let me know if you come up with anything. I’ll let you know as soon as I find something.” Sonia walked towards her car.
“Will do.” Nikki smiled at her as she started down the sidewalk. Walking always cleared her mind. That was one of many reasons why she loved her job. She not only got to spend time with her favorite companions, but walking the dogs also gave her the opportunity to sort through her thoughts.
Chapter 15
As Nikki walked, she considered what Rick had to say. It appeared that Daniel hadn’t confided in Rick. But something had rattled him. Something had made him turn away from a multimillion dollar deal with little to no explanation. Maybe if she found out what that something was, it would point her in the direction of Daniel’s killer. If Daniel’s actions caused Sylvester to lose so much, then maybe he was the one that she needed to talk to. Unfortunately, she doubted that he would be willing to talk. However, someone else might have something to say. She changed direction and headed for Geoff’s house. As she hoped, his car was still in the driveway, though there was no sign of Sylvester’s blue coupe.
When Nikki knocked on the door, she wondered if Geoff would bother to answer. A second later, it swung open, and she was face to face with him.
“Nikki?” Geoff raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess, you have some questions for me?”
“Just a few.” Nikki clasped her hands together as she looked at him. “Do you have a minute?”
“Are you kidding me? In the middle of this mess that is swirling all around me, you think I have a minute?” Geoff clenched his jaw.
“I’m just curious about something that Rick Miller told me, about a man named Sylvester.” Nikki studied his face for any hint of reaction.
“Rick.” Geoff practically spit out the name. “You can’t take anything he has to say too seriously.”
“Why is that?” Nikki crossed her arms. “Wasn’t he Daniel’s assistant?”
“Daniel wasn’t one hundred percent pleased with Rick. Rick had come to him for a loan, and Daniel didn’t like that. He felt like he didn’t know Rick well enough to be handing him out money.” Geoff frowned. “I confronted Rick about it, and Rick denied asking for the loan. At that point, I knew that I should start keeping an eye on him.”
“Keeping an eye on him?” Nikki focused in on his expression. “What do you mean by that?”
“I started documenting his activities. Daniel was a wealthy man, and I knew that attracted some unsavory folks. So, I followed Rick a little to see what he might have needed that loan for.” Geoff pulled his phone out of his pocket. “And, I hit the jackpot, that’s for sure.” He held out the phone for her to see. “Unfortunately, I never got to show these to Daniel, or Rick would have been fired on the spot. Daniel had no tolerance for gamblers.” He pointed to the second man in the photograph. “That right there, is a known bookie. I followed a hunch, that if Rick could lie to my face, then he was probably capable of a lot more than just that.” He met Nikki’s eyes as he tucked the phone back into his pocket. “Desperate men do desperate things.”
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to imply. Do you think that Rick could have had something to do with Daniel’s death?” Nikki’s heart pounded at the thought.
“All I’m saying is he was new in Daniel’s life. Daniel started acting strange, and then he ended up dead. I can’t prove that Rick had anything to do with it, but my instincts told me that he was no good from the beginning.” Geoff shrugged. “I wish I had listened to them and done something straight away.”
“What about Malcolm?” Nikki held her breath as she wondered how he would react to the name.
“Malcolm?” Geoff’s eyes narrowed.
“Daniel’s son.” Nikki took a step closer to him. “You knew about him, didn’t you?”
“Daniel didn’t have any kids.” Geoff shook his head and chuckled. “You must be mistaken.”
&
nbsp; “No, I’m not mistaken. He claims Daniel even took a paternity test. I doubt that’s something that Daniel would have done without the approval of his lawyer. Didn’t Daniel tell you about it?” Nikki noticed a twitch of his lips, and a faint scrunch of his nose.
“Over the years a few people tried to claim to be long-lost relatives. Of course, they wanted a piece of the pie. But none of it was real. It sounds to me like you got yourself in the middle of a hoax. If Daniel had a son, I would have known about it.” Geoff chuckled. “Sorry, but you’re wasting your time on this Malcolm.”
“Maybe.” Nikki nodded as she took a step back. She didn’t see the point in arguing with him. “Is Jerome still away?”
“He is.” Geoff nodded. “He’ll be flying back for the funeral.”
Nikki couldn’t help but notice that Jerome seemed to have conveniently disappeared around the time of Daniel’s murder.
“Thanks for your time, Geoff.”
“Sure.” Geoff glanced past her, towards the driveway. “Mrs. Whitter and Princess aren’t with you?”
“No, not this time.” Nikki started down the walkway.
“You should really leave this to the police, Nikki.” Geoff called out, then closed the door behind him.
On her walk home, Nikki thought about Malcolm. Was it possible that he was a liar? A con artist? If the people closest to Daniel didn’t know that he existed, then maybe it was because he wasn’t Daniel’s son after all. Only time would tell. A paternity test would hopefully reveal the truth.
“This case doesn’t seem to be leading anywhere,” she muttered to herself.
As Nikki approached her apartment, she considered the possibility that Rick killed Daniel. Could he have pulled the trigger? She shivered at the thought.
Nikki stepped inside and closed the door behind her, then kicked off her shoes. Only then did she remember the sap on the bottom of one. She rolled her eyes as she carried it over to the sink.
As Nikki tried to scrub the sap free, she recalled Petra’s effort to get Bassie’s paws clean. Her heart skipped a beat. Someone had to have brought the sap into the banquet room at the country club. Did they track it in on their shoes? If so, it made her wonder if Malcolm might have been there after all. There certainly were plenty of pine trees at the campground. Maybe he really was a con artist. Maybe, Malcolm had convinced Daniel that he was his father, and when Daniel found out the truth, he decided that Daniel had to go. It was hard for Nikki to believe it, but then, con artists were usually very convincing.
Chapter 16
Sonia spent the rest of the day making phone calls. She was certain that with enough digging she could find out some information that could help in the investigation. However, it was not as simple as she expected. Going back through decades of friendship, meant digging up some skeletons of her own. A few people were willing to talk, others still held onto grudges over simple disagreements that Sonia had forgotten about long ago. Finally, she reached a friend, who directed her to another friend.
“Call Audrey. She and Daniel were very close around that time. If anyone would know about Daniel getting someone pregnant, it would be her.”
“Thanks so much, Melanie. I barely remember Audrey. Do you think she’ll talk to me?” Sonia jotted down Audrey’s phone number.
“Oh yes, I’m sure she will. She has always been a big fan of yours. You may not remember her well, but she certainly remembers you.”
“Really?” Sonia tried to summon a significant memory that involved Audrey. She did remember that she was often around Daniel. They’d shared a glass of wine or two. But nothing in particular stood out.
“She was always a bit shy, but she very much admired you. I’m sure she will be eager to help you out. Good luck, Sonia.”
“Thank you.” Sonia smiled. As she dialed Audrey’s number, she hoped that she would be willing to talk. Seconds later she heard the woman’s voice.
“Hello?”
“Audrey, this is Sonia Whitter, I’m not sure if you remember me but—”
“Sonia!” Audrey squealed. “Oh, what a delight to hear from you!”
“Thank you,” Sonia stammered. “It’s good to speak with you, too.”
“It’s been so very long. But I guess that you’re calling about Daniel. How sad, how very sad.” Audrey sighed.
“Yes, it is.” Sonia bit into her bottom lip, then took another breath. “I’ve discovered something that is pretty shocking to me. There is a rumor that Daniel had a child. I have no idea if he knew about the baby or not, or even if he definitely is Daniel’s child.”
“Oh, a baby huh?” Audrey laughed. “You didn’t know?”
“I didn’t.” Sonia narrowed her eyes. “Is it true?”
“It sure is. Well, let’s put it this way. I know that Daniel got his head turned around by a friend of mine. He got so wrapped up in her that I wouldn’t hear from him for days. Then one day she just broke things off. I was surprised as it wasn’t like her to be mean. I thought maybe he did something terrible, so I wouldn’t let it go, and kept asking what happened. That’s when she told me about the pregnancy.” Audrey sighed. “Times were different then. An unwed pregnant mother wasn’t treated too well, but she was determined not to tell Daniel, since he had expressed not wanting children. She thought he would feel obligated to her or desert her. She didn’t want to have to deal with that.”
“But Daniel would have cared for that baby. He was a good man.” Sonia frowned.
“Maybe. It’s hard to say one way or the other. But that was Martha’s decision.”
“Martha?” Sonia took a sharp breath.
“Yes, Martha Harper. They dated for about a year, but most people didn’t know about it.”
“A year.” Sonia clucked her tongue. “No, I never knew.”
“I think it was while you were busy with other things. Anyway, I’m sure Martha would have loved to see Daniel again. I haven’t heard from her in a few years. Have you?”
“Not at all.” Sonia shook her head. She couldn’t even picture Martha. “Thanks for your help. We should get together sometime.”
“I would really like that. Let me know when.” Audrey’s voice brightened.
“I will, I promise.” As Sonia hung up the phone, it struck her just how valuable these friendships that spanned a lifetime could be. She sent a text to Nikki asking her to come over to her place for breakfast the next morning. A few minutes later she received a reply from Nikki that she would be there.
After a quick meal and some playtime with Princess, Sonia headed to bed. As she lay awake, she thought about Daniel’s life. On the surface it appeared so successful, but the moment anyone looked beneath the surface they discovered a different story. There was much more to him than she ever knew.
Sonia woke up the next morning to Princess lapping at her cheeks.
“Oh dear, yes, thank you for waking me.” Sonia giggled as the dog eagerly covered her face in kisses. “Good morning to you, too. Let’s get you some breakfast.”
Princess trotted ahead of her into the kitchen. Not long after Sonia had a shower, got breakfast ready and had Princess settled, Nikki knocked on the door.
“Good morning, Sonia.” Nikki stepped inside and gave her a quick hug. Princess ran over to Nikki and Nikki crouched down as Princess leaped into her arms. “I missed you, too.” Nikki laughed as Princess licked her cheek.
“Come through.” Sonia smiled as she guided her to the dining room.
“This looks amazing.” Nikki smiled at the selection of fruit, yogurt and pastries that Sonia had on the table. “I’m starving.”
“Good, I hope you like it.” Sonia smiled. “It took a few phone calls, and some digging through my own not so stellar memory, but I figured it out.”
“Figured what out?” Nikki put Princess on the floor. “It must be something good, you’re grinning.”
“Malcolm’s mother.” Sonia sighed as she sat in a chair at the table. “I was finally able to put two and two toget
her. Knowing that Malcolm is twenty-six, I did the math, and then I was able to figure out between the tabloids, our circle of friends, and general snooping, that Daniel dated only one person for about a year. Well, one person that I was able to uncover thanks to the help of a long-lost friend. It was a bit unusual, as his relationships only lasted months on occasion, weeks was much more common for him.” She poured Nikki a coffee. “Here.” She set her phone down in the middle of the table. “This is her.”
“She’s pretty.” Nikki looked at the picture for a long moment. “I can see where Malcolm got his curly hair from.”
“Yes, she is pretty.” Sonia leaned forward across the table and lowered her voice even though no one else was there. “Her name is also Martha.”
“Martha?” Nikki looked up and met her eyes. “You mean, Malcolm’s mother is the same person that Daniel sent flowers to?”
“I don’t know for absolutely certain, but I figured you could tip off Quinn and see if he can confirm it. The last names are different, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t change her name for marriage. As far as I can piece together, Daniel and Martha were pretty serious. Then suddenly they weren’t. It didn’t really cause much of a commotion at the time as everyone pretty much expected him to walk away at some point.” Sonia shrugged. “Looking back on it now, I realized how different Daniel was when he was with Martha. He didn’t go out as much, he wasn’t in the papers as much.”
“Interesting. Do you think he might have been in love with her?” Nikki took a sip of her coffee.
“I guess it’s possible. I didn’t think he was really capable of it, but maybe whatever happened with Martha left a lasting mark on him.” Sonia tightened her lips, then shook her head as she took a sip of orange juice. “Someone must have done a number on him. It might have been her. From what my friend said, she never told Daniel about the pregnancy.”