Ironically, his wife must have caught on anyway, but I didn’t state the obvious. He didn’t need me to say what he’d already figured out, and there was only one thing of importance here. “Are you willing to go to the police with this?”
He let out a deep sigh, and I sensed he was inwardly beating himself up for what he’d done. “I don’t want to, but I’ll do it.”
I nodded. “I respect your willingness to make this right.”
“Thank you,” Kayla said. “The last thing I want is for you to get in trouble, but the police need to know so they can look into Victor. I’ve always had a bad feeling about him, and if he was involved at all, he needs to be held accountable.”
“Tell me who to talk with and I’ll set up an appointment,” he said.
Kayla immediately started looking through her contacts. “Hold on, I’ll text you the detective’s phone number.”
Tom sighed again, and it was one of those weary bone-deep sighs that came from a man who knew he’d messed up. “I’ll take care of it, Kayla. And I’m so sorry for the trouble it’s caused you.”
“I’m not upset with you,” Kayla said. “Just thankful you’re willing to tell the truth.”
We said our goodbyes and then Kayla texted Detective Marlow’s phone number to Tom. She glanced at me and grimaced. “If Victor is behind Daniel’s death, he needs to be brought to justice.”
“I agree.”
A call came through on Kayla’s cell, and she answered. “Lillian… Are you back already?”
Lillian spoke excitedly on the other line, and Kayla’s expression darkened. She nodded. “Yes, I’m free right now. Can you meet?”
I frowned. So much for our dinner date, but whatever this was about had to be important if she was canceling.
“Perfect,” Kayla said. “I’m with Troy. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” After she ended the call, she glanced at me with apprehension on her face. “There’s something I haven’t told you.”
Ten minutes later, we were at the public library, and we’d requested one of those private meeting rooms with glass windows that looked out towards the study area. Kayla shifted in her seat, twisting her hands in her lap. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”
“I do. You’re about to find out if the person you trusted all these years is not the man you thought he was.”
Nothing shocked me anymore these days, so when Kayla told me that one of Robert’s former employees had evidence he might be involved in a Ponzi scheme, I couldn’t say it came as a surprise. Something about that guy had bothered me from the beginning.
Of course, the biggest issue I had with him was his level of ease in falsely accusing me. Whether his poor character extended to cheating his clients as well… I had no idea.
“Sorry,” Kayla said. “I know I’m dumping this on you all at once, and I probably should have said something sooner, but it’s still hard for me to accept. I won’t believe an accusation about a friend without seeing proof.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. You’re loyal. You always talk about how good Robert has been to you, but you’ve been good to him as well. Not many would have put up with half the things you’ve dealt with concerning him.”
She pursed her lips and gave me a look. “What are you trying to say? That I let him walk all over me?”
I had to tread carefully here. “No, but I think it’s great you’re putting boundaries in place. He knows how to pull at your heartstrings.”
She let out a deep sigh and looked almost despondent. “You believe he’s guilty, don’t you?”
“I have no idea one way or the other. At least we’ll know in a few minutes.”
A woman with brown hair, appearing in her late forties, waved as she approached, a large bag slung over one shoulder. I relaxed. “See? She came just like she said she would.”
Kayla got out of her seat and opened the glass door for Lillian. “I didn’t get the chance to ask on the phone, but how was your trip?”
Lillian smiled. “Wonderful. We’re already planning our next vacation.”
“Where to?” Kayla asked.
“Not sure yet, but we both want to visit someplace tropical.”
“That sounds nice,” I said.
Lillian stepped forward and shook my hand. “Good to see you again, Troy.”
“Good to see you too.”
Kayla’s lips turned up at the corners, and she brightened all of a sudden. “By the way, Troy’s not my bodyguard anymore.”
Lillian’s eyebrows lifted. “No?”
“I stopped services. Didn’t want to be indebted to Robert.”
“But I’m still watching out for her,” I said. “I’m just doing it as her boyfriend now.”
Lillian clapped her hands together, clearly pleased by the news. “That’s wonderful! And I called it.” She glanced at Kayla and winked. “Didn’t I tell you he had his eye on you?”
“Yes, but to be fair, that was his job.”
“Lillian is right,” I said with a chuckle. “I had my eye on you, and it wasn’t just about the job.”
Kayla blushed and when she looked at me, I grinned.
Lillian took a seat, and pulling a ledger and file out of her bag, she set them down on the table. “Okay, I’d love to talk about vacations and new relationships and so many other things, but we agreed to look at the numbers.”
“Yes, we did,” I said.
There was dread in Kayla’s eyes, so I took her hand and laced our fingers together. “It’s okay.”
“I feel like I’m betraying a friend. We’re going behind his back…”
Lillian gave Kayla a grim expression. “If it makes you feel better, I’m the one who betrayed him by snooping, not you. But now that it’s done, you owe it to yourself to consider the evidence.” She smiled sadly. “It doesn’t help to keep your head in the sand, honey.”
Kayla’s expression crumbled, and she nodded slowly. “You’re right. Let’s just get this over with.”
For the next hour, Lillian took us through the bookkeeping as well as Greg Bishop’s file. As it turned out, Greg received funds that were supposedly made from several investments. But in the bookkeeping, there were data entries made on the same day as an initial down payment from a new client. That information would have been circumstantial at best if there hadn’t been a note beside it. Down payment from client #345 to be transferred to Greg Bishop.
That wasn’t the only instance that happened. Lillian went line by line, and there were a few other times money had been transferred from client to client and reported as income from investments. Robert was deceiving his clients. Robbing one to pay another.
“Now do you believe me?” Lillian asked, glancing at Kayla.
“Yes.” Her shoulders fell and her expression remained worried. “What are we supposed to do with this?”
“I’m staying out of it,” Lillian said. “I just wanted you to know that Robert is not the man he says he is.”
I grimaced. “We have to report this to the police. We have an obligation to his clients, now that we know.”
“And if he files bankruptcy, a lot of people will lose money.” Kayla folded her hands on the table and looked at me and then Lillian. “He says he’s not in danger of bankruptcy, but how can we trust his word?”
“We can’t, and I’m glad you’re finally seeing to the core of his true character,” I said. “He may have done a lot for you over the years, but I would be willing to bet his good deeds were self-serving.”
“In what way?” Lillian asked.
“He’s in love with her.”
Lillian winced and looked down. “Oh, dear. That makes things uncomfortable, but I’m not surprised. He always had an eye for her.”
Kayla blew out a breath. “But I’ve been completely upfront with him. He knows Troy and I are together, and he said he’s okay with it.”
“But is he really?” Lillian asked.
Kayla shrugged, but we all knew the answer to that.
/>
I cleared my throat and tapped my fingers on the table. “I hate to bring this up, but it needs to be said.”
“What’s that?” Kayla asked.
“Daniel uncovered something he wanted to share with the police. It makes sense that he probably found out what Robert was doing. And if that’s the case, it’s possible Robert is behind Daniel’s death and maybe even the secondary attack you experienced after the concert.”
The blood drained from Kayla’s face, and her eyes flickered with fear. “I’ve been thinking the same thing, but I’m having a hard time believing he hired someone to harm us. Why would he try to hurt me specifically if he supposedly likes me? Plus, he’s the one who insisted I get a bodyguard, and he paid for it. If he was involved, why would he pay for services to protect me from himself? That doesn’t make sense.”
“You have a point,” I said. “Maybe Victor is behind Daniel’s death, but we shouldn’t dismiss Robert as a possibility.”
Lillian shook her head. “No. I can’t see it. Like I said earlier, Robert might be involved in white-collar crime, but he wouldn’t resort to murder.”
I didn’t say what I was thinking, but Daniel was a threat in two different ways. He may have known of Robert’s illegal business practices.
And… He was married to the woman Robert loved.
I needed more information. “Tell you what. I’ll set up a meeting with Greg Bishop. See what he has to say about all of this. Maybe we’ll learn something we can take to the police.”
Lillian snapped her fingers. “Good idea.”
Kayla took my hand and squeezed it. “I want to be at that meeting.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
***
Mr. Bishop’s contact info was in his file, so I gave him a call to set up a meeting. He agreed to meet with us but said he only had a few minutes of his time to spare. He asked if we would come to his place of work, and when I found out he was an attorney, I nearly lost it. We were driving to meet him, and I glanced at Kayla once we stopped at a red light. “Why would Robert do this to an attorney? Is he really that stupid?”
“I don’t understand it either,” Kayla said.
The light turned green, and I stepped on the gas. “Then again, he was probably arrogant enough to think he could get away with it.”
I continued driving for five more minutes and then pulled into an industrial center. Once I located the right office building, I parked and we got out of the car. We entered through the lobby, and using the directory, found the law firm. A few minutes later, the secretary showed us to Mr. Bishop’s office, and we sat in chairs on the other side of his desk. He was dressed in a white dress shirt and gray-striped tie, and a black suit jacket was draped over the back of his chair. The man appeared to be in his late forties with thinning hair and a salt and pepper goatee.
“How can I help you?” he asked. “You said you had concerns about the investments my former financial planner recommended.” He folded his hands and smiled. “You realize I haven’t used him in years, right?”
“Yes, we’re aware,” I said. “But before we go into more, I’d like to know why you got rid of his services.”
He ran his fingers over his goatee and appeared to consider the question. “He was a nice guy—don’t get me wrong—but something felt off to me, and I couldn’t figure out how he was making that much money. The investments he described seemed average at best, but they were highly successful. Most people wouldn’t have complained, but in my mind, either he had magic fingers or he was involved in shady dealings.”
“Do you have any proof of wrongdoing?” I asked.
“No. It was just a gut instinct.” He rubbed his chin and tilted his head to the side. “I was tempted by his offer to invest in his Airbnbs but—”
“Wait,” Kayla said, holding up a hand. “What Airbnbs?”
“Oh, apparently he has a bunch of them. Said it was easy money.”
“Robert owns houses that he uses as Airbnbs?” Kayla jerked her head back in shock. “Sorry for being repetitive, but I’m still trying to process that.”
Greg nodded patiently. “He showed me pictures of the houses and said tourists coming to L.A. booked time throughout the year. He offered to give me a percentage of the profits if I made a substantial payment upfront.”
Kayla and I gave each other knowing looks. I cleared my throat. “Why did you decide not to take him up on his offer?”
“It seemed too good to be true, so I decided to use someone else. To be honest, I’d much rather invest in stocks and mutual funds.”
I pressed my lips together, hating what I had to explain. “You may not be aware of this, but Robert mishandled your money.”
Greg frowned. “How are you privy to that information?”
In the next twenty minutes, I walked him through what Lillian had shown us and explained how his money had been used. He was understandably angry and asked for copies of the files. We didn’t bring the evidence with us since the files technically belonged to Robert and we weren’t sure what the legal ramifications would be. We told him that we planned to go to the police and would let him know when we did. He could follow up with them.
When we walked back to the car, Kayla’s hands were shaking, and she looked like someone had just slid a fingernail down her spine. “I’m so freaked out right now. If Robert has Airbnbs…”
“What are you thinking?”
“That list of addresses I found on the ground after I was attacked. The police told me they were all Airbnbs.”
My eyes widened. “That’s too coincidental. It has to mean something.”
Chapter 17
Kayla
“These are serious accusations,” Detective Marlow said, grimly.
Troy and I had set up an appointment to give him the copies of Greg Bishop’s file and the bookkeeping. We had also relayed our concerns that the list of addresses found after my attack might be Robert’s Airbnbs, and if that was the case, something more sinister was going on. Most likely it was just a coincidence.
That was my hope.
I didn’t want to believe Robert was behind either of my attacks, but I owed it to myself and Daniel to hand over this information to Detective Marlow. It was out of my hands now and he would look into it.
The detective turned his attention back to the file and bookkeeping. “Why isn’t your ex-coworker, Lillian here as well? She’s the one who discovered the issue and made copies.”
I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. Lillian wanted to stay out of it, but I wasn’t sure that was possible. “She hates conflict, and Troy and I said we’d talk to you in her place. I think she’s concerned about legal issues in regard to taking files out of the office that didn’t belong to her.”
He nodded slowly. “Got it. I’ll still need her number so I can speak with her more.” He let out a sigh. “For the time being, we’ll take a police report and I’ll launch an investigation, but it will take a while to look through everything. This won’t be a quick process. You should also report this to the Securities and Exchange Commission.”
“Okay, we can do that.”
“If you need another witness, contact Greg Bishop,” Troy said. “We met with him and he’s aware of what happened. I’m sure he’ll have a lot to say about it.” Troy gestured to the file. “His phone number is in there.”
Detective Marlow nodded and folded his hands on his desk. “By the way, Tom Coleman contacted me last week and informed me that he lied about Victor Moore’s alibi. I plan to drop by Victor’s home to have a discussion with him about this. I’ll let you know if anything surfaces as a result of that conversation.”
“I hope Tom doesn’t get in trouble,” I said. “He’s doing the right thing by coming forward now.”
He shrugged. “We don’t have enough information for me to say yet. His testimony might come in handy though if we uncover more. Whether he gets a pass on this or not is up in the air.”
My heart sank. I
felt terrible for Tom and didn’t want him to get in trouble, but I also understood there were consequences for breaking the law, even if one believed his actions were right at the time. If he hadn’t lied, we might be closer to the truth at this point.
“Let’s stay in touch,” Detective Marlow said, standing to his feet. We stood as well and shook his hand. “Call me if you have any other concerns,” he said.
On the way out, I got a text from Robert. Haven’t heard from you lately. What are you up to today?
Leaning over, I showed Troy the text. “I’ve been avoiding him ever since I found out about the Airbnbs. I’m so creeped out about all of this.”
“Don’t meet with him or talk to him on the phone, but answer his texts so he doesn’t get antsy and show up unannounced at your house.” Worry lines formed at his forehead, and he pressed his lips together. “In fact, I think it might be a good idea to stay with your parents for a while. I don’t like that he could drop by your home at any time.”
“I could alert the security guard not to let him in the neighborhood.”
“We don’t want to spook him. The last thing we need is him leaving town because he knows we’ve caught on to what he’s been involved in. Communicate just enough so he thinks everything is okay.”
We walked the rest of the distance to his car and got in. Troy pulled out of the parking lot and we headed back to my house. He glanced at me. “I’ll help you pack a few things and make sure you get off safely.”
I answered Robert’s text while I was still in the car with Troy. Sorry, I’ve been swamped. How are you?
He answered: Not good. I miss you, Kayla. I want to see you. Let’s go out for lunch this week.
I read the text to Troy, and he grimaced. “No way. That’s too dangerous.”
“I’ll put him off for now.” I typed out a quick answer. Sorry, I’ve been really busy, but I’ll let you know when I’m free. Which would be never. Unless he was cleared and the Airbnbs didn’t match. Then again, even if he wasn’t behind both of my attacks, knowing he was cheating his clients didn’t sit well with me. It was time to cut Robert loose, but I would have to wait until it was safe to do so. I didn’t need him flipping out on me. Sadness washed over me at the realization that this was the end of our friendship most likely. He had been there for me through so many things, but he wasn’t the man I thought he was.
Protected By The Bad Boy (Bad Boy Bodyguards Book 1) Page 14