Carolyn Arnold - McKinley 03 - Money is Murder

by Carolyn Arnold

  He read off the text while another chime signaled a new email.

  “The detective who oversaw Cindy’s case is willing to meet us at a coffee shop, at six o’clock.” He paused for a second and went to his emails. “He included directions, and there’s more. We’ve got everything we need.” His eyes were on the warning included in the body of the email. He wasn’t sure whether or not to share it with Sara.

  “Sean? Tell me what he said.”

  “He said for us to be careful. He said he only looked over the information quickly, but it wasn’t completely lining up for him. He said the investigation got closed prematurely, in his opinion.” He kept his attention on the email. “Sara, Jimmy also noted that Cindy was married before, and, as it turns out, to Robert West.”

  “Are you enjoying yourselves?” Edward Cranston came over, a coffee cup in hand.

  “Absolutely,” Sara said as Sean put his cell phone back into his pocket. “We were wondering about one employee that Sean met.”

  “Yes?”

  “His name is Robert West. He didn’t seem too happy to be here. In fact, he said he’d rather be somewhere else.”

  Edward’s jaw tightened and his eyes flashed anger. “Please pay that man no attention.”

  “It’s too late for that, Mr. Cranston,” Sara stated.

  “Please, call me Edward.” He hesitated for a few seconds. “Robert West is locked in with a contract. He can’t leave the company until it runs out or he would risk a huge financial loss. Same goes for us getting rid of him.”

  “That would explain his attitude.”

  “Yes, like I said, please, pay him no attention.”

  Not Above Suspicion

  “DOES HE REALLY EXPECT US to not worry about this guy?” Sara asked as they loaded onto the elevator to the main lobby.

  “I don’t know what we’re supposed to do about it.”

  “One guy who hates his job can take a company down.”

  “Edward assured us that his work is being overseen by other managers. Some of his power has been taken away from him.”

  Sara jutted her hip to the right. “One thing that’s really bothering me is why Edward didn’t mention that Cindy was married to Robert. I had said in his office that it was a shame she died so young because she wouldn’t have that experience. He had diverted the subject back to the business and how there was a lot to learn.”

  “Good point. Hopefully the detective can shed some light on everything. After the appointment we’ll go back to our condo and download the information Jimmy sent to the laptop.”

  “Sounds good, but there’s something else. We were thinking it possible that Cindy was killed for the inheritance? What if it was a disgruntled business owner? Cindy excelled at snatching up generational companies. Paul said it didn’t seem to even affect her.”

  “The young man who was in love with your diamonds?”

  Sara smirked. “You noticed that too?”

  “I did, and I heard back from Daphne Graham, the executor and attorney. Quinn changed his Will six months ago, just after his daughter’s death.”

  “When were you going to tell me you heard back?”

  “I just did.”

  “You just heard back?”

  “No, I just told you.” Sean laughed and she narrowed her eyes as she moved in to kiss him.

  Sara weaved through the crowded coffee shop, Sean trailing behind her.

  “That’s him over there.”

  The man remained seated when they approached. He was in his late fifties and life’s experiences had etched darkness into his features.

  “Detective Benson?” Sean asked, holding out his hand.

  “Yes, and you two are the McKinleys, no doubt.” Benson never extended his hand but kept it wrapped around his coffee cup. “Please, have a seat.” He nodded his head in the direction of the chairs across from him. “I didn’t know what you would like or I would have ordered.”

  Sara studied his eyes as she sat. He had made mention of ordering for them, but there was no intention in his eyes. Benson was already prejudiced against their being here, although, part of her understood the reasoning. To him, they were questioning his detective work.

  “We have some questions about Cindy Quinn’s death.” Sean leaned across the table, his hands clasped together.

  “I am willing to answer them, but the girl did kill herself. There isn’t any other explanation for it.” Benson sat back in his chair, and Sara sensed it was to place distance between them.

  “We’ve come to find out that she was married,” Sara said.

  His eyes went from Sean to her. “Yes, she was, but not at the time of her death. He’s not a great guy. Robert West, if I remember the name, but he had a solid alibi for the time of her death.”

  “Please tell us more about how she died.”

  “You know she overdosed on sleeping pills?”

  “That’s what we understand.”

  “There was an empty pill bottle found on her nightstand. It stands to reason that a woman of that importance would feel pressure and have a hard time sleeping. The stress must have gotten to her.”

  “What did her husband, I guess ex, say about that?”

  “He said she would take them periodically. He didn’t find anything strange about them being in the home.”

  “And where was Robert West the night she overdosed?”

  “He was away on business for Universal, your company now,” he jabbed his cup toward Sean. “Flights, accommodations and everything was verified. He wasn’t in town.”

  “Paperwork can be altered and testimony paid for,” Sean said, earning a glare from the detective.

  “Who found her?” Sara asked.

  “Her housekeeper, Martha Colton.”

  Sara turned to Sean. “Oh, that would have been terrible.”

  Sean nodded. “I assume that she was also investigated.”

  “Listen, I’m not sure how things are run in Albany, but here, we do our due diligence. I take offence to the implication that I didn’t do my job. You might be some rich guy, ’cause you got lucky, but you’re not the boss of my life. I answer to the people of New York City.”

  Sara glanced at Sean’s profile, not that she had to see his pulsing cheeks to sense his anger.

  “Detective Benson, we don’t have to like each other, but—”

  “That’s good then.”

  “Detective, my husband and I don’t mean you any disrespect. It’s quite likely anything we find out will be exactly what you already have.”

  “Quite likely.” Benson shifted in his seat. “It will be exactly what has already been found out. Trust me.”

  “We’d love to trust you,” Sean said.

  Sara jerked her head in his direction—the underlying sarcasm in his tone was venomous.

  “You can view things how you like, but I did my job. I can only go by the evidence and the findings of the coroner.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “What is it you want to know?”

  “Robert West, he was Cindy’s husband, but she never took on his name?”

  Benson shook his head. “No. From what West told me, she wanted to keep her family name. She took the key back for her place the moment she kicked him out too.”

  “When did they divorce?”

  “It was final one month before her death.”

  “Hmm, that’s coincidental,” Sara said. “He could have killed her because he couldn’t have her.”

  Benson lifted his cup for a quick sip. “That’s what I thought. I grilled the guy, but with the cleared alibi, there’s nothing I could hold him on.”

  “Anyone benefit from her death?”

  “Only her father. He got everything.”

  Sara turned to Sean. “So, Robert didn’t kill her to get her money.”

  “I should tell you that there was one thing that really stood out to me at the time,” Benson began. “Robert and Cindy stood to inherit money from her father’s de
ath.”

  “Oh my God, Sean, he killed her to get Quinn’s inheritance.” Her attention went from her husband to the detective.

  “It makes one wonder, but like I said everything was investigated. West had a solid alibi. He would have also had to take out two members of the family to get a dime. Complex, but not impossible.”

  “He could have hired someone to kill her.”

  “Again, we didn’t find any evidence of that. If you need anything further, don’t hesitate.”

  “We won’t. Thank you.”

  Benson nodded and stood. “If you’d excuse me, I better get home to the wife and dinner.”

  “Understandable. Thank you again,” Sara said.

  With him gone, Sara turned to Sean. “We better get back to the condo and go over everything. There’s something that’s being overlooked here.”

  “I agree. Benson’s adamant that he did his job.”

  “Maybe he did. He mentioned the results from the autopsy also factoring in. Maybe we should visit the coroner tomorrow?”

  “It might not be a bad idea, but it might be tricky for us to get answers, seeing as we don’t carry a badge anymore. Let’s see where this information gets us first, and we also need to go to Cindy’s flat and take a look around.”

  “Sounds good, but first, darling, can we have a nice dinner someplace?” She smiled at him and he returned it.

  “Whatever you wish, my dear.”

  The mauve hue to Sara’s cheeks told Sean all he needed to know—it was time to call it a night.

  “It’s just the wine.” She smiled lazily and leaned against his shoulder.

  They were walking back to their condo, having opted for a restaurant nearby. They ate a gourmet meal and sipped on fine red wine, talking about everything, except for Cindy Quinn. The conversation about her started the minute they hit the sidewalk.

  Sean angled his head to rest on hers. “I think we should head over to her flat tomorrow. You look exhausted.”

  “You might be right.” She exhaled a deep breath of defeat. “I won’t argue with you on that point, but we need to look over the reports.”

  “She’s been dead for six months already, what is one more—”

  “What sort of thing is that to say? Mr. Quinn left you, us, everything he had. We owe it to him to look into—” A yawn encompassed her face.

  “That is my point, darling. It doesn’t do anyone any good if you get yourself run down and sick.”

  “I suppose.” She yanked on his arm. “But first thing in the morning, with a pot of coffee.”

  “First thing, but you don’t need coffee.”

  She stopped walking. “Do you really want to meet the Sara who doesn’t have coffee in her system?” She shook her head and laughed. “Trust me, you don’t.”

  “Fine, we’ll do it your way, this time.”

  He savored the closeness of his wife and drifted back to a couple months ago when their relationship seemed doomed to remain platonic. How things had changed for the better.

  Making the List

  THE CONDO HAD A PRINTER and they used it to print the reports Jimmy had sent over. Now, paper was scattered all over the kitchen table.

  Sara was on her third cup of coffee. Sean had already drunk his orange juice and moved on to water.

  “She was a beautiful woman. This is such a shame,” Sara said.

  “Detective Benson seemed in quite a hurry yesterday. Did Cindy leave a suicide note?”

  She shuffled through the papers to the one describing what was collected at scene. “It looks like there was a letter. One minute,” she moved some more sheets. “Here we go.” She handed it to Sean without looking at it.

  “It was typed. That’s kind of odd, isn’t it?”

  “You can look at it a couple ways. Cindy was a businesswoman. Did she sign it?”

  Sean nodded. “It looks like it.”

  “Maybe it was forged. Suicides can be planned, but are typically acted out in the moment. At the very least, there should be hesitation or stress notable in her signature. Let me see.” Sean held it out for her. “Smooth and formal. It is her full name.” She matched eyes with him. “Read it, darling, what does it say?”

  “Dear Father, I’m so sorry to disappoint you. It seems I haven’t been the daughter you had wanted. I worked hard for your company. I made you profits, but I can’t take the stress anymore. And Rob, well, I was a failure in my marriage. Love you forever, Daddy.”

  They let the note’s words sit in the air for a few seconds.

  “It sounds like a strange suicide note.” Sara took a sip of her coffee.

  “It speaks of apology, which is common, but the rest of it seems scripted.”

  Sara bobbed her head side to side. “It does, but again she was a businesswoman.”

  “It just strikes me as too organized for a woman about to take her life. Usually the notes are handwritten, and a mess. A lot of times they are much longer than this, but I guess they can be short too.”

  “But what would drive Cindy to the edge, that she couldn’t see any hope at all?”

  “Very good question. She mentions stress.”

  Sara leaned her elbow on the table. “When I was speaking with Paul Moses,” she paused waiting for recollection to dawn on Sean’s face, “he mentioned that Cindy had brought a lot of business to the company. He said that taking over companies didn’t bother her at all.”

  “Yes, I remember you saying that.”

  “If we’re going to look at Cindy’s death as a murder, we have to think about potential suspects. Let’s make a list.” She pulled out a notepad and handed it to Sean.

  “What? Me? You have better handwriting.”

  “So it begins. All right, give it back to me.” She smiled at him and drew a line down the page, dividing it in half. She labeled the left column as name and the right as motive. Then she wrote down the first name that came to mind.

  “Robert West?”

  “Yes, why not? Benson mentioned that he was included in Mr. Quinn’s Will. With Cindy out of the way, he likely assumed the full fortune would then default to him on Quinn’s death.”

  “But it didn’t.”

  Sara pressed her lips. “Maybe that’s why he was so rude to you.”

  “It would be a valid reason. What about Edward Cranston?”

  “I’ll write him down, but I’m not sure of what his motive would be.”

  “Possibly the same as Robert’s—the inheritance. He could have figured if he got rid of both of them, it would pass on to him.”

  “He did withhold the fact Cindy had been married.”

  “I agree that was odd. What about the detective? You can write his name down, but I can’t see his motive yet.”

  “Simple. Again, a payoff. He’s paid to close it a suicide and then Rob, or whoever, walks off with all of Quinn’s money. And we’re sure Mr. Quinn died of natural causes?”

  “Yes, dear. The killer just knew time was running out for him. He was in his eighties.”

  “Still sounds like quite the gamble, unless the person was very close to Cindy and knew about Quinn’s failing health. So, Mr. Quinn dies ‘peacefully in his sleep’ and so does his daughter?” Sara cocked one eyebrow.

  Sean laughed. “Now everything is suspicious to you.”

  “How can you not find it interesting?”

  “I can see if Jimmy would pull the autopsy on Quinn.”

  “Let’s leave it for now. We have one murder to solve as it is. It might turn out to be sheer coincidence. Like you said, the man was in his eighties.”

  Both of them went back to the reports. Sara picked up the autopsy on Cindy and read it closely. Her breathing paused and she looked up at Sean, keeping her gaze until he sensed her eyes on him and returned it.

  “Cindy Quinn was an asthmatic.”

  “And that means?”

  “They can’t take sleeping pills.”

  “So, she was trying to kill herself.”

  Sar
a’s eyes filled with tears from adrenaline. She shook her head. “Detective Benson said that Robert told them she took them on a regular basis to help her sleep.”

  “Why lie unless he’s trying to cover something up?”

  “Exactly.”

  Cool Reception

  “GOOD MORNING.” BEVERLY SMILED WHEN they approached. “Edward Cranston never said to expect you today.”

  “He didn’t know we were coming. I hope that’s not a problem.” Sean watched her eyes drift between them, beyond them, to her desk, back to him.

  “I don’t see why it would be. Let me call him.”

  “If it’s all right with you, we’d like to see ourselves up.”

  Beverly lowered the receiver, a coy expression on her face. “It is your company after all.”

  “Could you kindly point us in the direction of Robert West’s office?” Sara adjusted her purse and smiled.

  “Sure, I can.”

  She directed them up the elevator to the twenty-seventh floor, explaining the top three levels belonged to the acquisitions executive team.

  The set-up for Robert’s office was much the same as Edward’s with a front desk for his receptionist and a filing area. A woman in her early twenties watched them approach. Her smile didn’t strike Sean as sincere and he passed a quick glance to Sara. He noticed her smile was subdued. The cool reception wasn’t lost on her either.

  “May I help you?”

  “We’re looking to speak with Mr. West,” Sean said.

  “Mr. West is out at the moment. I can leave word that you were here.” Her hand held a pen readied over a notepad.

  “Actually, we’re the new owners and it’s rather important that we speak to him. Sean McKinley. This is Sara.”

  “Daniela. My apologies. I didn’t know. I wasn’t here yesterday. I was home sick with the flu so I missed the meeting in the conference room.”

  “I hope you’re feeling better now,” Sara said.

  The woman turned to her. “I am. Thank you. As I said, Mr. West isn’t in, but I can leave a message for him.”