Yes it did, he thought. His mind turned momentarily to Ellie, but then he banished her from his thoughts.
Chapter 46
Monday, November 17
Harry couldn’t shake the depression that had enveloped him since receiving the call from Mrs. Caldwell.
The weekend had passed at a snail’s pace, ridiculously slow. He felt he was living in a time warp where events moved at half their normal speed. Everything was out of his control. He went for a run on Saturday morning, hoping the exercise could dispel his sour mood, but he quit after a half mile and sat down on a cold bench in the park.
The late fall weather matched his disposition. Gloomy skies dispensed a drizzle of rain, and the raw wind from the east froze his face and hands.
Harry didn’t care.
He sat in the park until he could take it no longer. He had hoped the cold might somehow freeze the despair coursing through his veins. When he finally returned home, Sandy was still in bed. She had been inconsolable after the phone call from Mrs. Caldwell, and complained of a migraine. She stayed in bed all weekend.
Harry was drained, devoid of energy. He moved about like a zombie, getting ready for work in slow motion. He knocked his favorite coffee cup from the kitchen counter, shattering it into a hundred pieces.
That’s how I feel, he thought. Shattered.
He couldn’t believe that Elizabeth had turned down their request for help. He couldn’t believe that Nora wouldn’t back off, despite his pleas to do so. He couldn’t believe the deteriorating situation at work, where Julie Monroe’s murder and Jerry Haskins’ suicide had distracted the entire staff. And he couldn’t believe the firm’s effort to keep the Sierra Health issue under wraps was disintegrating bit-by-bit with every irate shareholder who called to complain about their account.
I have to focus on one problem at a time, he thought. Jeremy’s health is priority one. The other issues are trite in comparison. How can I find his mother? She might be using a pseudonym. Maybe a private detective could help. They must have ways of finding someone that most people wouldn’t think of.
Harry decided to set aside some time at work to call several agencies to see if a PI could assist. The thought made him feel a little better. Just making an effort to deal with one of his issue was a positive step.
Harry grabbed his briefcase and headed to the garage. He backed the Lexus out of the driveway, and reached Route 20 in about five minutes. He slowed as he approached the light where Tyrone was selling the Globe.
“Hiya, Mr. Wainright,” he called as he shuffled over with a folded newspaper in his hand.
Harry reached out, his hand holding the customary dollar. “Hey Tyrone. How’s your day going?”
“Hangin’ in, Mr. Wainright. I can feel winter comin’ though. The cold is in my old bones. Yup, Tyrone can feel it.”
“Try to stay warm.”
“You too, sir. I’s hoping the latest news on your company ain’t causing you no trouble. It don’t sound good to me though. Those damn government agents! Investigating everything, all that stuff it says in the story in the paper. Nope, it don’t sound good to old Tyrone.”
Harry unfolded the newspaper and looked at the headline: “Jordano Funds Under SEC Investigation” was declared in bold type. Beneath the large print Harry read “Jordano insider provides details of alleged illegal activity at the firm.” He couldn’t believe it. He smacked his hand against the steering wheel in frustration.
“Youse looking upset, Mr Wainright. You gonna be okay?”
“Yeah, Tyrone, everything will work its way out.” He tried to sound upbeat but knew he was failing miserably. The light turned green and the cars in front of him were beginning to move. He gave a little wave as he let up on the brake. “See ya tomorrow.”
“So long Mr. Wainright, you enjoy the day that God has given us.” He shuffled over to the median as Harry pulled away.
Harry looked straight ahead, dreading what he faced. He knew things were about to get much worse.
*****
He reached his office without running into anyone in the hallway. Harry was grateful—he needed a few minutes to gather his thoughts. Despite the bad press the firm was receiving, and the extreme pressure that it would cause at work, he knew that he had to focus first on finding Elizabeth Caldwell.
He opened the office door and saw a figure standing at the window, looking out at the harbor.
“Jack! What are you doing here?”
Jack Walsh turned to face Harry. Steely unemotional eyes raked across Harry’s face. “You know Harry, I used to admire you. I thought you really had your shit together. But a while back I realized you’re no different than that asshole on the top floor. You just smell better because you haven’t been corrupted as long as Jordano. But you’re heading that way, pal. When I see the two of you together, it’s almost symbiotic, like father and son. You think alike, dress alike, act alike. Same shit.”
Harry was astonished. “Where’s this coming from, Jack? We’ve been friends for over ten years. You never said anything like this before.”
Jack shook his head. “Why bother to tell you? Look how you reacted to the Sierra Health situation. All you wanted to do was cover the firm’s ass. You didn’t give a shit about our shareholders. Did you think spreading the loss across a bunch of unsuspecting retirees would mitigate the problem? You think that lessens the unethical and illegal act you’re committing? When I set this whole thing up, I did it to see how much humanity remained at Jordano Funds. Well, you quickly answered my question. Jordano Funds is a soulless corpse. It’s rotting from within. It reeks from a base and foul smell. Kasper may be the general, but you’re his lieutenant. A faithful foot soldier who follows his general’s orders regardless of the intent or impact. The shattered soul of this firm lies at your feet, Harry. And it can’t be resurrected. Not any longer.”
Harry’s mind was reeling. “When you set this up? What do you mean, Jack? You couldn’t have predicted the stock market rise that occurred after the Sierra purchase. There’s no way.”
“You’re right, Harry, I couldn’t be certain. But with all of our market indicators turning positive, I made an educated guess. Sure, I got a little lucky. But if my plan didn’t work with Sierra Health, then I would have tried again with the next new customer. Patience is a virtue, Harry, and I have plenty of that. As the saying goes, revenge is best served cold. Mine has been on ice for quite a while now.”
“But why, Jack? I don’t understand. This makes no sense. You’ve done well here.”
Jack snorted. “Done well? You must be joking. Do you really know Kaspar? Do you know what he did to my father? Five years ago, my father’s business needed an infusion of cash. The bad economy was killing him. He went to his friend, Kaspar Jordano, for help. Kaspar agreed, but he extracted a high price. In fact, he got fifty-one percent of my father’s company. And now, with the economy doing better, my father’s business is booming. And what does Kaspar do? He sold the company to a venture capital firm. And they fired my father, Harry. From the business that he built from scratch. The business that has been his life for over forty years. He’s devastated. He’s aged ten years in the past six months. That’s what Jordano did.”
Harry was shocked. He hadn’t known any of this. “Jack, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. But why hurt the firm, Jack?”
“You can’t separate the firm from the man, Harry. They are one and the same. Inseparable and evil.”
Harry tried to slow his racing thoughts. He remembered the events that occurred during that first week when the Sierra Health issue happened. “You couldn’t have done this without help, Jack. Who else was involved?” Then it dawned on Harry. He let out an involuntary gasp. “Not Julie Monroe.”
Jack tapped his nose with his finger. “You got it, Harry. Julie was not the sweet, wholesome girl you believed her to be. She and I were sleeping together, had been for months. I bet you didn’t know that Julie was a tiger in bed. She would do anything I asked. Whe
n she told me that she was pregnant and wanted to leave her husband to be with me, I knew it had to end. That wasn’t a direction I was willing to go in.”
“What are you saying, Jack?” Harry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was afraid to ask the next question. “Did you kill Julie?”
Jack turned back to the window, his reflection visible to Harry. “It was unavoidable. At times I’ve regretted it. But she left me no choice.” Jack rubbed his jaw contemplatively.
Harry ignored Jack’s comments. “You killed her because you didn’t want your affair to become public?”
“That was one reason. But Julie was also threatening to back out of my plan to screw up the Sierra Health purchase. If it makes you feel better, I did think about it overnight. When I knocked Julie out in the garage, I was pretty sure that she hadn’t seen me. I kept her in the trunk of the car until the next morning. I could have walked away, no one the wiser. I drank a fifth of scotch during the night, hoping to find another solution. But I couldn’t allow Julie to ruin the plan that I had worked so hard to put together. So, yeah, I put a brick on the gas pedal of the car and watched it roll into the harbor.”
“You fucking bastard!” Harry shouted. “Julie was three months pregnant! You killed her and your baby!”
Jack said nothing; he was still gazing out the window.
“I’m calling the police. I hope they fry your ass.”
Jack turned to face Harry again. “Sorry to disappoint you, pal. We live in Massachusetts, where liberals run free. No death penalty in this state.”
“You’ll spend the rest of your life behind bars then. I hope you get fucked by every brother in the joint.”
Jack chuckled. “Do you really think I would let that happen?” He reached into his suit coat pocket and pulled out a document. “Here is the immunity document I’ve signed with the Attorney General’s Office. It provides complete and unambiguous immunity against prosecution for any acts related to the Sierra Health matter.”
Harry was confused. “Why would they do that?”
“Didn’t you see the newspaper this morning, Harry?” Jack moved his hand across the air like he was reading the headline: “‘Jordano insider provides details of alleged illegal activity at the firm.’ Who do you think the insider is, Harry?” He paused for dramatic effect, arms spread wide. Jack pointed at his own chest. “Me.”
Harry was in shock. “You! Why would you do this?”
“I guess you haven’t been listening.” Jack picked a piece of lint from his lapel. “As much as I’ve enjoyed this conversation, Harry, I’m afraid I have to go. I have an appointment at the federal courthouse in thirty minutes to provide my deposition.” He looked at Harry with disdain. “It’s much more likely to be you getting fucked up the ass after the AG and the SEC finish their investigations. Make sure you send me a Christmas card. Let me know how you’re enjoying prison.” Jack strode from the office, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter 47
Monday, November 17
Nick slipped out of Devon’s bed at 5am and got dressed quickly. He wrote a short note so she wouldn’t be surprised when she woke up.
His only equivocal moment was whether to sign the note “Love, Nick.”
He decided to stick with just his name. Even though his feelings for Devon were growing stronger, he didn’t want to push it. Everything was still too new. They were just getting to know each other.
She’s a lot younger than I am, Nick thought. Maybe she isn’t looking for a long term commitment.
He wasn’t even sure how Devon felt about him, even though last night had been unbelievable. The first time they made love was unrestrained passion seeking immediate release. The day’s events, the balloon ride and the rescue of Anna, had left them both exhilarated and exhausted.
When they made love a second time, however, their embrace was slower and more deliberate. Nick found Devon to be both shy and adventurous. She wanted to experience, but she held back some part of herself. She told him that she’d never had a serious boyfriend. Her only relationship in college ended badly when she found out her boyfriend was sleeping with an old girlfriend at the same time.
But Nick was hesitant too.
He hadn’t been with a woman since Ellie’s death. He worried that he had been damaged in some way, and if his ability to have a meaningful relationship with a woman had somehow been diminished. He tried to act normal with Devon so she wouldn’t notice.
Nick looked down at her sleeping form. Her hair had fallen softly across her cheek, hiding her eyes. Devon’s chin was tucked into her chest. Her left breast was exposed, and Nick watched as it rose and fell with the rhythm of her heart. He wanted to reach down and caress it. But he was afraid if he touched her again, he’d jump back into bed for round three. He couldn’t miss Jack Walsh’s deposition.
Nick swore softly under his breath and left the apartment. A chilly breeze ruffled his hair and reddened his ears as he walked to his car. The car’s vents blew cold air until the engine heated up, so Nick warmed his hands at each stoplight by keeping them under his arms. With no traffic on the roads, he was home in fifteen minutes.
He jumped into the shower and smelled Devon’s scent on his skin, a blend of rose and lavender. Nick was reluctant to wash it away. He stood under the hot steam for several minutes, and relived the enjoyment from last night. The gentle touches, the soft stroking. He wanted to keep seeing Devon, but he worried about them working together. What would happen to the dynamics of his team? Nick knew workplace romances could backfire in many ways, especially if the relationship ended badly. He decided to talk to Devon about it. He owed her that much.
As Nick reached for his towel, he heard his cell phone ringing in the kitchen where he had dumped his stuff. He wiped his feet dry as best he could before padding bare-assed to retrieve the phone. He didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?”
“Nick, this is Scanlon. Sorry to call you so early in the morning.”
“No problem, Detective. What can I do for you? Is there an update on Jordano?”
“Yes and no. We received a phone call yesterday from an individual who is staying at the Swissotel. You know it? On Washington Street, where the Combat Zone used to be?”
“Yeah, sure.” Nick was trying to dry off before he left a puddle on his hardwood floor. He wasn’t sure where this was going.
“Well, this guy, a Mr. Abernathy, was looking out the window of his hotel room on Tuesday afternoon. His room happens to overlook the roof of the Washington Street garage, which is where a Mr. Jerry Haskins, who formerly worked at Jordano Funds, took a swan dive early last week.”
“So he saw Haskins jump?”
“Not exactly.” Scanlon paused. “Abernathy says that Haskins got thrown off that roof.”
“What! Is he sure?”
“Absolutely sure. He says there were two guys up there, standing next to a car. One guy, not Mr. Haskins, bent down like he was tying his shoe. Then he slipped his arms between Haskins’ legs, gave a hard shove, and over Haskins went. Abernathy says the guy didn’t even watch Haskins hit the ground. He just got into his car and took off.
“Holy shit!” Nick couldn’t believe it. Another member of the Jordano staff had been murdered. What does this mean for the investigations? There had to be a connection.
“There’s one more thing. The guy in the hotel, Abernathy, was talking on the phone with his wife when he saw this happen. He had the presence of mind to snap a quick photo of the guy on the roof with his cell phone. It’s not a great picture, so we’ve got our tech guys working on it. Looks like he caught part of the license plate as the car drove away. If we can blow up the number, it may help us narrow the search for this asshole.”
“Jesus Christ. This is unbelievable. Does the Attorney General’s office know about this yet? “
“Don’t know.”
“The AG’s holding the deposition of Jack Walsh today at the federal courthouse. I’m heading there lat
er. I’ll tell Ms. Monetti about Haskins. This information may change the entire scope of their investigation.”
“So Walsh was the insider? I hadn’t heard that.” Scanlon sounded intrigued. “Shit. Haskins’ death will impact the Julie Monroe murder investigation too. Now we have to re-examine all the connections between Monroe and Haskins to see if something stinks.”
“I agree. There is more going on here than simple fraud. Thanks for the call, Detective. My day just got a lot more interesting.” They agreed to stay in touch.
Nick walked to the bedroom and grabbed his running pants and sneakers. He sat down on the bed to pull on his socks, trying to connect the dots.
Why would someone murder Haskins? Given the police investigation into Julie Monroe’s death, and the SEC investigation into Sierra Health, you’d think the perpetrator wouldn’t want to raise the stakes by murdering someone else. This is pretty brazen, Nick thought, done by someone who feels like he has nothing to lose.
Then it hit him like a baseball bat to the solar plexus.
Like someone who has immunity. Someone like Jack Walsh.
Nick laced up his sneakers and headed out the door.
The rising sun added little warmth to the chilly November day. He rubbed his hands together and swung his arms to try to get his blood flowing. The maples and elms that lined Marine Road had lost most of their leaves. As Nick exhaled, his breath added small white clouds that floated briefly above his head before dissipating in the cold autumn air. He crossed the road and settled into his running pace. A dozen thoughts were spinning through his head. The deposition of Jack Walsh; the news about Jerry Haskins; his intimate night with Devon.
Nick wasn’t sure what he would tell Ellie.
Nick nodded to two runners that passed him going the other way, their faces covered with pullover masks. Only their eyes were visible. Nick wished he had worn his mask this morning. His face was already starting to feel chafed from the cold wind.
He reached the start of the causeway that led to the Sugar Bowl. Nick listened to his footsteps pounding the pavement, a quick cadence beating a regular tempo that helped to settle his thoughts. He enjoyed pushing his body to its limits.
Shell Game Page 21