“Pull up a map of west Baltimore,” she said. He complied without question. She came around and stood behind him. Jonelle recited the address of the bar. “Add the locations where Susanna and Sophia were found as well, plus the Lancelot’s address,” Jonelle insisted. That done, Burt and Jonelle stared at the result. Everything lay within a three-block radius.
“Two murders within walking distance,” she said.
“Bastard wouldn’t even have to waste a gallon of gas,” Burt added, spitting out the words as if trying to get a horrible taste out of his mouth.
Jonelle waited for the unusual reaction from the laidback detective to pass. As she watched the muscles in his face start to relax, she brought up Kelly again. “I don’t pretend to know what’s going on, Burt, but I think Kelly is the key. The guy comes off as mister milquetoast, professional man, but he’s a little too passive-aggressive, if you know what I mean.”
The corners of Burt’s mouth turned up. Not quite a smile, but almost.
“Thinking back, when I was in Michigan and asked about his and Susanna’s relationship, some said he was the abuser. At the time, only Finkleberg claimed Kelly was abused. I think Kelly is key to this mess.”
“You think he did Susanna and now Sophia?”
“I don’t think he killed the sisters himself, but I’ll bet anything he knows a helluva lot more than he lets on. Get him away from his cushy K street office. Bring his narrow ass down here and really let him have it.”
This time Burt’s smile spread across his face. “‘Narrow ass?’”
“You know what I mean.” Jonelle’s phone pinged with an incoming text message. She looked at it and covered her forehead with her free hand. “Damn. I almost forgot.” Her fingers typed a reply. “I’ve got Rosemary Wilkins’ lawyer ready to meet me.”
“Who?”
Jonelle explained. “This could work out. When I talked to Rosemary, I felt she knew more. The fact that he has something else to tell me could help link up what’s going on.”
Burt shook his head. “Stay mum about Sophia’s death. It hasn’t hit the news yet.”
She stood to go. “Don’t worry. This whole thing smelled from day one. Rosemary might shed more light on why a well-off daughter of one of the town’s most prominent families, with an important job, no less, stole such a piddling amount of money.”
CHAPTER 36
Jonelle found Winston Hackett sitting alone at a table in the main restaurant looking at several sheets of paper and nursing a cup of coffee. He looked up as she approached his table. “Have a seat.” He gathered up the papers and put them in his briefcase.
Jonelle took the chair opposite the attorney. “Looks like you could use a cup of coffee,” he said.
She smiled. “That bad, huh? Fact is, this case is not going well. It’s … far more complicated than I originally thought it would be. I’m hoping you have news that might help clear up some outstanding questions I have.”
Hackett ordered a refill for himself and coffee for Jonelle. She waved off his suggestion of something to eat and waited for him to begin.
He didn’t speak until he’d poured cream in his coffee and Jonelle had taken a sip of hers. “When you left that day, I could tell something was bothering Rosemary, even though she told you pretty much the same thing she testified to in court.” His eyes looked into Jonelle’s. “Your expression told me that you thought Rosemary was holding back.”
Very perceptive, counselor, she thought.
“I didn’t push her. Rosemary can’t take much stress. She tends to clam up if she feels any kind of pressure whatsoever. Which is why her involvement in this was so puzzling. I think the judge felt the same—she was a puppy being led around by someone smarter and savvier than herself.” He shrugged. “She thought that since Susanna knew the ins and outs of that office, they could take the money without anyone noticing for a long time.”
“Typical, isn’t it?” Jonelle asked, without expecting Hackett to answer. “What do they say? The jails are full of so-called smart people who thought they could beat the system.”
Hackett chuckled. “Keeps guys like me in business.”
Jonelle put her cup down and leaned toward Hackett. “I’m bothered by the relatively small amount of money they took. Why not take more?”
“I got the impression they wanted to and, based on what Rosemary said, that they got spooked when they heard the auditors were coming.”
“That doesn’t sound right,” Jonelle said, shaking her head. “See, everyone I’ve talked to told me how smart Susanna was. I’m pretty sure she could’ve made some excuse about the money … at least for a while. They’d done audits in the past and gotten a clean bill of health. Finkleberg said he had no indication that anything was wrong.” Finkleberg’s name nearly stuck in Jonelle’s throat.
Hackett picked up on her reaction. “That’s the reason why I wanted to speak to you. Two days after her talk with you, Rosemary called to say she wanted to see me again. Normally, I only go out to the prison once a month, but she was so insistent, I decided to meet with her.” He looked down and played with the knife sitting on the table. “What I’m about to tell you is pure speculation on her part, but she wants you to know this. If you tell anyone else what I’m about to say, please stress that Rosemary has no irrefutable truth.”
“Does this have anything to do with Sophia Quinley Reyes at all?”
He frowned. “No. Why?”
“She’s … my client, so I have to be sure.” She had no intention on backing out of her promise to Burt not to tell anyone about Sophia’s death.
“I see. Rosemary didn’t mention the sister at all.”
“Good.” Jonelle indicated for him to continue.
“Rosemary stated that based on what she called ‘hints’ from Susanna, Finkleberg knew what they were doing and had no objection.”
Jonelle tried to remain calm. “How much can you tell me?”
Hackett’s fingers tapped against the side of his cup. “Rosemary stated that when Susanna first asked if she wanted to make a little extra money, and then explained what she wanted to do, Rosemary got scared. Not only for herself but for her son. She’d heard what happened to people who stole from the government, that they always went to prison.
“Susanna convinced Rosemary that they weren’t alone in the scheme. That the only person with the authority to blow the whistle on them was aware of the plan.”
The waitress approached and left the check. Hackett smiled up at her and waited until she left.
“Did Rosemary actually say it was Finkleberg?” Jonelle couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“No. Rosemary didn’t mention him by name because Susanna wasn’t specific. Only that they had nothing to worry about because the person at the top—those were Rosemary’s words—knew what was going on.”
Jonelle sat back in her chair. “Wow.”
“My thoughts exactly. The main thing I really wanted you to know was that Rosemary admitted the plan was thwarted when Susanna called and told her they had to leave right away.”
“Why?”
“According to Rosemary, Susanna had argued with him and he had gotten angry they were taking too long to steal the money. Seems he wanted it done quickly so they could hide as much as they could and thereby cover up as much as they had to.” Hackett paused.
Jonelle seized the opportunity to put forth an idea. “You know, I’ve wondered why they only took a little over three hundred thousand. Sounds like Finkleberg—,”
Hackett cleared his throat.
“Or whoever, wanted more and the two fell out for some reason.”
Hackett was shaking his head before Jonelle had finished. “Now, I want to make clear Rosemary didn’t specifically say the other person was Finkleberg.” The lawyer’s pale eyes looked at Jonelle. “I debated with myself on whether to mention something Rosemary did say about Finkleberg and Susanna.” He hesitated. “This is probably office gossip, but …”
&nbs
p; “What?”
“There were whispers that the two were having an affair. That doesn’t mean he was involved in the embezzlement.”
Jonelle tried to contain her excitement. “Who else could it be? He ran that place. And if they were romantically involved, this adds a whole new dimension to what went on.” Jonelle fiddled with her necklace. The urge to stand and pace almost overwhelmed her, but she remained seated. “What I can’t figure out is why have her killed? What good would that do?”
The lawyer’s eyes never left Jonelle. “I agree it’s a helluva leap from stealing to murder. I can’t work that bit out. Assuming of course, it really was Finkleberg.”
“I’ll admit it’s a stretch, but how much do we know about him anyway? Usually it’s greed that leads people to crime and maybe Finkleberg is financially strapped. If he was cheating on his wife, he may have felt he couldn’t afford a divorce unless he had money that the missus didn’t know about.”
Hackett shrugged. “That’s possible. Rosemary said that while she was a nervous wreck when they decided to leave and not tell the other person, she said Susanna was almost giddy about what they had done. Like it was some kind of prank she was playing. Some joke, huh?”
“Got that right.”
“Another thing,” Hackett said.
Jonelle’s eyebrows shot up.
“Don’t know how important this bit is, but …” The lawyer paused so long Jonelle started to wonder if he lost his train of thought.
“Rosemary’s primary concern has always been for her son. She only mentioned what I’m about to tell you because she hasn’t heard from the baby’s father in a while. Don’t know if I told you, but she and the father aren’t married.”
Jonelle didn’t care. She nodded encouragement to keep Hackett talking.
“So. A few months after she started in the commissioner’s office, Finkleberg asked her if she knew anyone who could do odd jobs for him. Drive him around, act as bodyguards when he went somewhere. I know,” Hackett said, waving his hands in a dismissive gesture, “why bodyguards in a place as small as that? Don’t know. To cut to the chase, she suggested the father of her child and a few of his relatives for the job. He hired all three.”
“Not sure I see the connection,” Jonelle said.
The lawyer leaned back in his seat. “Rosemary said the other two watched everyone’s comings and goings, and it made her nervous.”
“He used them every day?”
Hackett nodded. “Rosemary said they also got paid for doing personal jobs for him around his house. She knows because she saw the bills.”
Oh boy.
“Her impression was that Finkleberg asked them to keep an eye on her and Susanna.”
“That include her baby’s daddy?”
A smile creased Hackett’s face. “To his credit, her boyfriend was the one who mostly ran errands. Rosemary was happy he was making money because she was having trouble getting child support out of him.”
Hackett signed the check and reached down to pick up his briefcase. He glanced at his watch. “If I don’t leave now, I’ll miss the next panel.”
He stood to leave and Jonelle stood with him.
“For my own curiosity, what do these men look like?”
She walked next to Hackett as he headed for the exit.
He turned toward her. “Native American. Dark hair, worn a little too long for my taste. Thick builds. Dark skin. That part of Michigan has a large Chippewa population.”
“What’re their names?”
“Yazzie. The last names of all three are Yazzie.”
CHAPTER 37
“Let’s see,” Adrienne said, a glass of red wine poised between French-tipped fingers. “You start off with a dead woman who hid a boat load of money no one can find, an ex-husband who may or may not be so ‘ex’ and a nerdy, high-ranking government guy who’s probably hiding something. Now you got another dead lady who’s the twin of the first one.” She pointed at Jonelle. “You got yourself a heck of a mess, girlfriend.”
Jonelle sighed and stared into her own wineglass. “Don’t I know it,” she said. “And, unless the name Yazzie is as common up there as Smith or Jones is around here, the strange Native American woman I met in Michigan is related to the father of Rosemary’s child.”
Adrienne had dropped by on her way home from work and settled herself into the plush armchair. Jonelle’s best friend was dressed in what was conservative for her: black leather skirt, red cowl-necked cashmere sweater and short black leather boots with five-inch heels. Jonelle tried stilettoes once. She still got a twinge in her lower back every time she relived the experience.
“So, what’re you gonna do about it?”
“First thing I need to do is steer Burt in the right direction. At first I figured I couldn’t betray anything to do with Sophia’s case, but with her dead, all bets are off. Problem is, even though he’s a friend—”
“Can’t believe you two are still at the friend stage after all this time,” Adrienne interrupted with a smile.
“Our friendship is still professional and I want to keep it that way, especially when it involves us working on the same case,” Jonelle said, her back resting against the couch cushion. She swallowed the remaining liquid. “Sometimes I get the feeling he still doesn’t take me seriously enough and I don’t plan on waiting for him to realize I know what I’m doing. At this point, I don’t have a problem with sharing everything I’ve found out, but I can’t wait for him to act on it.”
“Why not?” Adrienne asked. “Your client can’t object.”
“Because one of Finkleberg’s thugs attacked me once, and he might try again.”
“You a hundred percent sure they’re connected with this guy?”
“They have to be. They sound like the group he hired to protect him and do his odd jobs. I just wonder if one of those jobs included murdering two people.”
“Hmm.” Adrienne reached over and poured more wine into her glass from the bottle sitting on the coffee table. “So, how’re you gonna get this Finkleburke—”
“Finkleberg.”
“Whatever. How’re you gonna get him to fess up?”
Jonelle rubbed the cup of the empty wineglass back and forth between her hands. “Not sure. Guy’s a little nervous and that’s always a good thing—means he could make a mistake. But he’s also smart. Smarter than he looks. My gut tells me he’ll play along at being Mister Nice Guy, while his goons do the dirty work. They’ve staked out the condo once. I have to figure out how I can keep them on me until Burt can act.”
Adrienne sat up straight and set her glass on the coffee table. Her face creased in a worried frown. “Whoa. Those guys know where you live? You better call the cops. Or at the very least, tell Marvin. He’ll know what to do.”
Jonelle took a deep, impatient breath. “Why do you always keep telling me to check with Marvin? You’re as bad as Burt. I can handle this.”
“You still packin’ heat?”
Jonelle rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Yes, I still have my gun, loaded and ready if I need it.”
Several moments of silence hung in the air. Mention of the gun brought home that this was no longer a case of why Susanna Quinley ended up on the street. She knew the answer. Where else could a person hide in plain view? The homeless were the unseen. For most people it was almost an art form to pass by them every day as though they didn’t exist. Several days without bathing, dirty hair, no makeup, dressed in old clothes and Susanna would blend right in. As far as keeping the hotel room, that was probably because she had to hide the money and that seemed like the safest place. Who’d expect someone carrying that amount of cash would stay in a hotel like that? So where was it? The cops had searched the Lancelot more than once.
She got up from the sofa and headed to her office.
“Where’re you going?”
“Be back in a sec. I wrote down my conversation with a lawyer earlier today. I want to check on something.”
Jon
elle rummaged through the desk drawer in the spare bedroom she’d converted into an office. Inside were several notebooks. While she owned a laptop as well as a desktop, she found that writing down notes in longhand helped her think. She found the spiral-bound book she was looking for and returned to the living room to find Adrienne munching from a box of cheese crackers.
Jonelle pointed to the box. “Why didn’t you pour some in a bowl? I might’ve wanted a few to nibble on.”
“So go get a bowl, then,” Adrienne said, hand deep inside the carton. “What you got there?”
Before she answered the question, Jonelle stepped into the kitchen, retrieved a small bowl, poured out a generous amount and returned the box to Adrienne. “Put it back when you’re done.”
“Oh, don’t get pissy,” Adrienne said with a grin. She pointed to the pad in Jonelle’s hand, eyebrows raised.
“These are the notes I made after I talked to Winston Hackett, the lawyer who represented Rosemary, Susanna’s accomplice. When I talked to her she appeared honest enough but I got the feeling she wasn’t telling me everything. And I was right.” Jonelle flipped through several pages. “She initially said no one else was involved. Now I find out someone high up knew about the embezzlement. I think that person is Finkleberg. He could help Susanna hide the theft while they accumulated a lot more money. Something happened that led Susanna to take what they had so far and leave before Finkleberg was ready and without his prior knowledge.”
“What happened?”
“Not sure. Office rumors hinted at an affair. Maybe Susanna started making demands and threatened to tell his wife. He could’ve called her bluff, so she took off.”
“Hmm.” Adrienne crunched several crackers. “Did the wife know about the embezzlement?”
“I don’t know. I doubt it. Too many people already knew what was going on.”
“Didn’t you say something about an audit? That could’ve done it.”
Jonelle shook her head. “I thought so at first, but no. Who besides Susanna as treasurer would be concerned about someone going through the books? The commissioner? That was Finkleberg.”
The Trickster (A Jonelle Sweet Mystery Book 3) Page 22