“You musta been terrified.” Roz propped her chin on her two hands with her elbows on her desk as she leaned forward and took in every word Jade said. Lines creased her forehead in apparent concern.
“That’s an understatement. The police think it was someone who needed the jewelry for drug money.”
“It’s so scary nowadays.”
Jade was looking for any indication that Roz might have known about the break-in. She seemed genuinely surprised and concerned, but Jade wasn’t taking any chances. Someone she trusted was behind all this.
“Anyway, I’m going to leave early today. I didn’t get to bed till past one. I’m exhausted, and my parents have air conditioning.”
“You should go home now.”
“I’ve got a few things to take care of first. Can you do me a favor and let people know what’s going on? I really don’t feel like talking about it over and over again.”
“Shuah thing.”
“Thanks, and if it gets too hot, talk to Bryce and have him tell people to go home.” Jade turned to where Roz was looking. Her muscles tensed.
Bryce stood behind her.
CHAPTER 28
WHAT SHOULD SHE SAY TO BRYCE after she’d been avoiding him?
“You got a sec?” Bryce walked into Jade’s office and gave her no choice but to follow.
She took deep breaths to stay calm and stepped into her office.
Bryce shut the door behind him. “What’s going on, Jade? You leave for New York without telling me and then you don’t return any of my calls?”
“Someone broke into my house last night.”
In three strides, Bryce was by her side and pulling her into his arms. “Are you okay? You should have called me. I would have come over.”
If you weren’t already there. Jade hated herself for thinking it. She casually pulled away from him. “It was late, and the burglar was still in my condo when I got home. I called Detective Hawkins, and he followed me to my parents’ house because he didn’t want me to stay at the condo overnight.” Jade leaned a hip against her desk.
“For once I agree with the detective.”
She desperately wanted to ask about his silver dollar. “I’m leaving early today. I’m exhausted. Dad wants me to stay at the house for a while.”
“Go ahead and leave. I’ll hold down the fort. Do you want me to come over after I finish work?”
“No.” She said it too quickly. “I’m really tired. I think I could sleep for a week.”
He stepped toward her. “Coming to the game on Saturday?”
“I don’t think so. I’m not really up for socializing right now.”
“I’ll come over after then?”
She flinched when he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I think we should lay low right now. Linda talked to you, right? Someone filed a complaint of sexual harassment between you and me.” She was using it as an excuse. “We should talk about that later when we have some privacy.”
He stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets. “How did the meeting go with Johansson? You took off in a hurry. Anything wrong?”
“Why would you think that?” Is he trying to find out what I know? She needed room away from him. She walked to her desk chair and sat down to put a barrier between them.
“Since you left in such a hurry, I assumed there was a problem.”
Right, good reason. Jade toyed with the ring on her finger.
His eyes zeroed in on her nervous gesture.
“Sorry. I just felt I owed it to the CEO to see him in person to let him know we’d be taking bids from his competitors in the future. Stan had him set up as a sole source provider. It makes sense for cutting costs.”
Bryce’s jaw clenched. “Why didn’t you return my calls while you were away?”
“I, uh…” Her chest grew tight. She was hurting him. He knew something was wrong. “I was on a plane half the day, and then my cell phone went dead. I kept meaning to call.” She wanted to confide in him, to let him wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be all right, but she couldn’t. Every time she dug deeper, to prove he wasn’t involved, his name came up. Now he was one of the five people who had admin access, who could have cancelled the laptop order and tried to erase the record.
Bryce turned her chair toward him and placed his hands on each arm, boxing her in. “I’m here for you, Jade. You know that, right?”
Her eyes stung. She inhaled a deep breath. “I know. I’m just tired. I’ll call you when I’m up for company.”
He stared at her intently. Could he see the fear in her eyes? Did he know she was afraid of him? “Day or night, you can call me, Jade, and I’ll be there for you.”
She closed her eyes and listened to his footsteps as he left her office. Please, don’t let it be you, Bryce.
NEAL DROPPED BY SYNERGY Technologies to give Jade an update and to question Radisson. The last time he’d been in the building was during his investigation into Gloria’s death. He stopped at the desk he’d been directed to, noting a change to where Gloria’s former assistant now sat.
“Can I help ya?” A beautiful young woman with naturally red hair smacked her gum and waited for his response.
“I’m Detective Neal Hawkins.” He flashed his badge. “I’m here to see Jade.”
“Oh, yeah, for what?”
Nosy, but I’ll play along. “It’s about the break-in.”
“You don’t have an appointment. I’ll see if she can meet with you.” She picked up the phone. “Hey boss, a detective is here to see you.”
Neal wrote down the name of Jade’s assistant from her nameplate. He’d check if anyone recognized her picture regarding the laptop theft.
Jade opened her door. Bloodshot eyes and a pale face spoke volumes about her lack of sleep. “Come in, we can sit over here.” She motioned to the seating area. “Do you have any new information?”
Gloria’s office was exactly the same. Jade must feel temporary in her new position. Neal sat on the couch opposite Jade. “The prints we found in your condo belong to you, your neighbor, your parents, and one set yet unidentified that we believe are Mr. Radisson’s. The blood was feline. The prints on the silver dollar are consistent with the unidentified prints throughout your apartment.”
“Then how did the silver dollar get in there? Do you believe the cat story you tried to sell me?”
“Not really.” Neal smiled. “It’s likely whoever broke into your house had gloves on.” He didn’t bother to tell her about the knife they found in the neighbor’s bushes with residue from her desk on its blade. The perp might have used it on Jade, had she not scared him off. The way Jade looked right now, he’d didn’t think she could handle that kind of news.
“So no clues as to whom it might have been, other than… Bryce?”
“Not at this time.”
Jade’s attention turned to an emerald ring on her finger. She kept twirling it around. Her eyes glistened with deep sadness. It was clear she was worried that Radisson was the perp.
“We’ve tracked down Johansson Tek, LLC, and Synergy Technologies, LLC.”
The ring stopped twirling, and her attention shifted immediately to him. This she wanted to talk about. “What did you find out?”
“Both companies are owned by Pacific Crest Holding Company, which is incorporated in Delaware. I’m waiting for the Delaware Department of Licensing to send me a copy of the business license so I can find out who the owner is.” The minute Neal saw the name Pacific Crest he recognized it immediately. One of the boats moored at the marina where Arnie Thompson’s car was found was owned by the very same company. Neal had no doubt now that Thompson was murdered. He just needed to connect the dots so he could prove it. “The address goes to a company that forwards mail, which in this case is to P.O. boxes in Seattle. We have the boxes under surveillance.”
“Do companies usually have post office boxes?”
“Not all do.” Neal rested his arms along the top of the couch
. “Why, what are you thinking?”
Jade leaned forward. “I could do a search in our database on any company whose Accounts Receivable address has a P.O. box in it. That might help your investigation.”
“That’s a great idea. If you send me the report, I’ll check if they fall under the same holding company.”
“I’ll work on it this weekend.” Jade’s face brightened, smoothing away some of the shadows.
“You have my cell number. Call me when you finish it, day or night.”
“I will. Thank you. I found out some new information yesterday.” Jade explained how the laptops had been cancelled and someone had tried to erase the audit history. “The only people other than me who had admin access were Zachary, Stan, Bryce, Donald, and Timothy. We’ve removed everyone’s access but mine and Zachary’s.”
“That might be a mistake. It might tip them off.” He paused. “I noticed Mr. Radisson was on that list. Funny how his name keeps popping up.”
Jade’s face fell.
Damn, he didn’t mean to do that to her.
“Do you really think Bryce did this?”
Neal hesitated, but it was best to tell her the truth. If Radisson was the man doing this, she needed to stay far away from him. If he wasn’t, Radisson would just have to grow a pair and understand that this was necessary to protect Jade. “I think Mr. Radisson has good motive to do this; he’ll inherit the company if you leave after a year. He might be trying to scare you enough to make you think about leaving, but provide you with enough security that you delay it until he wants you to. He’s put himself in a position to be close to you, to know exactly what is going on with you. Keep an eye on him, Jade.”
“Do you think he’s the only one?”
Neal wanted to say yes. “No. Timothy Hartwick has motive, just because you’re a young inexperienced CEO coming in and turning his stable world upside down. Donald Haley wasn’t on the management team when you fired Stan Templeman, although Haley did benefit from it, and you said he had administrator access as well, so he had the means to do it.”
“Yes, Stan had Zachary set up the admin rights the same way they were set up on the old system.”
“Templeman has plenty of motive. You fired him, and I’m sure he was angry when Gloria didn’t name him CEO. When I talked to him, Templeman indicated that he wanted what Gloria wanted, but the other employees I’ve talked to said that he still expected to continue to run the company. He also had the means to commit the crime: admin access and the knowledge to pull off such a financial coup.” Neal paused. “However, all appearances indicated he and Gloria were really close, so I believe his pain over her death is genuine, at least.”
“Yes, they were good friends.”
Neal leaned back in his seat. Jade doesn’t know? He found that interesting. “Your grandmother and Stan had been seeing each other romantically for the past ten years.”
Jade shook her head. “What? He’s lying. She would have told me.”
“I believe it’s true, Jade.” He noted the fact that she wasn’t aware in his mental notebook. He’d have to ask her parents if they knew.
“One other thing. Was your grandmother allergic to anything?”
“Yes, peanuts. She almost died from eating them when she was six or seven years old. She went into anaphylactic shock, and her heart gave out. Luckily, a doctor was at the birthday party and knew how to resuscitate her. She’d told this story often.”
“Was she allergic to almonds too?”
“No, the way she explained it to me is peanuts are a legume that grows in the ground, and nuts grow on trees. She was allergic to the mold, not the protein. Why do you ask?”
“I noticed she had an EpiPen in her purse. Did she drink almond lattes often? There was an empty one in her trash can.”
“Every day. They were her favorite. There’s no chance of being allergic because the syrup is made with artificial ingredients. She was very careful what she ate. She’d often refuse food because of it, and she got her lattes only at the coffee shop down the street.”
He’d have to check out the coffee shop. If someone was willing to kill Thompson and run the professor off the road, even go as far as to attack Jade, it seemed highly likely Gloria’s death might not have been from natural causes. Templeman hadn’t said goodbye to Gloria because he had expected her to have at least another year, which would explain why she was at work instead of on her deathbed.
Jade’s thoughts seemed to take her somewhere far away. He hated reminding her of Gloria’s death. He stood to leave. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything more. Where does Mr. Radisson sit?”
“He’s down the hall to your right.”
“I just want to ask him a few questions. It’s nothing to worry about. By the way, we’re done with your condo. You can go back anytime, but I recommend you don’t go alone until we get this solved.”
“I’d like to pick up more clothes. I’m going to stay with my parents until you figure out who is trying to hurt me.”
“It shouldn’t be much longer, now that we have the motive behind it. I can go over to your place while you’re picking up a few things, if you want?”
“Yes, I’d feel safer if you were there.” She paused and swallowed. “I appreciate everything you’re doing for me.”
“It’s my job.”
“I’m pretty sure getting frantic phone calls in the middle of the night isn’t part of your job description.” The lines that appeared around her eyes told him her smile was genuine.
“You can call me anytime.” He hadn’t been able to help Gloria, but he’d do whatever it took to help Jade—or die trying.
NOT BOTHERING TO CHECK with the executive assistant, Neal knocked on Radisson’s office door and walked in without an invitation. He wanted to catch the man’s initial reaction. Neat stacks of papers and labeled folders sat on his desk.
“Detective.” Radisson didn’t flinch, but his pupils contracted in surprise. He finished writing something on what appeared to be a contract and then placed it upside down on his desk.
Hiding something? Neal didn’t sit so he could stay on higher ground. “You like turtles?”
Radisson glanced at the picture on his desk. “My niece drew it for me. I hope you have good news?”
“Afraid not.”
“I don’t buy that the robbery isn’t related to the attack on Jade.”
“Neither do I.”
“Good. Is there something you need from me?” Radisson asked.
“Jade mentioned that you carry a silver dollar in your pocket.”
Radisson’s eyebrows drew together. “I do.”
“Can I see it?”
“I don’t have it. It’s missing.”
“Where did you lose it?”
“I don’t know, Detective. The last place I recall having it was here at work. The only time I take it out of my pocket is to put it on my nightstand.”
“When was the last time you were in Jade’s apartment?”
Radisson leaned forward in his chair and his eyes narrowed. “Is this about the robbery?”
Neal didn’t bother to answer.
“The last time I was at Jade’s was on Sunday night.”
“Have you spent any time in her bedroom?”
Heat flared in Radisson’s eyes and he stood so that they were at eye level. “That’s none of your damn business.”
Neal noted Radisson’s agitation. Could be he had something to hide, or it could be he didn’t like answering personal questions about Jade. “Answer the question now, Mr. Radisson, or you can answer it in my office.”
Radisson’s hand balled into a fist. “No. I’ve never been in Jade’s bedroom.”
He couldn’t decide if he liked Radisson, who seemed protective of Jade and concerned about her honor, or if he despised him for manipulating her. “Where were you around eleven-forty p.m. on Thursday night?”
“Am I under arrest?”
“Should you be?”
Radisson shoved his hands in his pockets. “I was at home waiting for Jade to call when her flight got in.”
“Did she ever call?” Neal knew that she hadn’t.
Radisson’s jaw clenched. “No. Her house was being robbed.”
So far, no body language signaling deceit. Neal watched for facial twitching, pupil dilation, and rapid eye blinking. Even the most sophisticated liars had some kind of tell. “Was Ms. Ballinger at home with you?”
“She was at the hospital.”
“So you were home alone?”
“Yes,” Radisson said curtly.
Once again, convenient alibi, no one to corroborate or deny it.
Radisson glanced at his watch. “Is there anything else? I have a meeting in a few minutes.”
“Just one more thing. Would you mind stopping by the police station to give us your fingerprints?”
“Not at all, Detective. I have nothing to hide. I’m assuming you found my fingerprints all over her place.”
Neal thanked Radisson for his cooperation. So far, he wasn’t getting a clear signal about the man either way. But he did know this: if Radisson wasn’t involved, someone was going to a lot of trouble to frame him.
CHAPTER 29
IT KILLED JADE to know that Neal had just questioned Bryce. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Five people had admin access. Five people could have cancelled the laptop order.
But who knew about the laptop? The only two people she had mentioned it to were Zach and Bryce. Does anyone else know?
Jade picked up the phone and dialed Zach’s number.
No answer.
When he didn’t pick up, she tried the server room.
Still no answer.
She quickly sent an email asking him to contact her right away, it was important. Zach usually responded within minutes.
Nothing.
She tried his cell phone and left an urgent message for him to call her back. Finally, she called her assistant. “Roz, can you find out where Zach is? I need to speak to him right away.”
Synergy: New Adult Romantic Suspense (U-District, #1) Page 25