Opportunity (Office Roulette, Book Three)

by Kennedy Layne

  “Brad’s past choices are what I wanted to speak with you about,” Vern said, stepping forward and waving one hand in the air rather helplessly as he ignored her slight panic. “I figured that impromptu meeting of yours had something to do with Phil, but I thought you should know the entire story.”

  Vern’s words barely registered as Cynthia continued to stare at the folder that was relatively empty. Someone had snuck into her office, somehow broken into her filing cabinet, and taken the personal trade sheets she’d personally signed off on during a specific time period—three years ago, to be precise.

  The entire story…

  “Vern, what are you talking about?”

  Cynthia didn’t have to look at the modern style clock she’d hung up on her office wall to know that she had less than hour to get ready for the interview. The anchor wanted to air it during the lunch hour so that they could dominate that market share during a prime time slot. At this rate, the only news that was about to be shared over the airwaves was the fact that Manon Investments was once again the target of a criminal conspiracy.

  What she needed to do was place an immediate call into Detective Nielsen, but she had a gut feeling that Vern was about to make an already complicated situation even more convoluted.

  “I personally overheard Phil talking to Brad a few weeks before his death about investing in Kurt Langston’s tech company,” Vern said with a disapproving frown. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time, because I figured Phil would run it by you to ensure he met the firm’s compliance policy in doing so. But then this morning I heard from Marilyn about you and…well, it was then I realized there could be a connection to Brad’s death.”

  “Vern, you’re still a board member,” Cynthia reminded him rather cautiously, needing to buy time until Detective Nielsen could look into this situation. “I want you to gather everyone in the conference room for a meeting. I don’t care what excuse you give, but I want Phil Colbert in that room.”

  Vern muttered something under his breath when he realized that Cynthia wasn’t kidding around about congregating the staff. She could have sworn he mentioned something about this being one of the reasons he needed to leave this place, and she might have actually heard the words insane fucking people in there somewhere.

  “Steve can’t—”

  “I know Steve can’t leave his position on the desk, but everyone else can get their asses in the conference room immediately,” Cynthia demanded, having a hell of a morning already. Vern still had responsibilities to this firm. “I’ll call Detective Nielsen. This is something he should know, as well as the fact that someone broke into my files and has stolen some of the firm’s financial records.”

  Now that garnered Vern’s attention. His grayish blue eyes dropped to the folder in her hand, and the creases in his forehead deepened even more.

  Both of them turned to her office door when a knock sounded, and Cynthia held her breath after she’d called out for whoever it was to enter. She wasn’t ready to deal with Phil and the fact that he could very well be involved with whatever had taken place between Brad and Kurt three years ago.

  She exhaled slowly with relief when it was Blair who opened the door.

  “Cynthia, I wanted your opinion on—” Blair stopped short, catching sight of Vern. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you said to come in. I didn’t mean to interrupt your meeting.”

  “It’s fine,” Cynthia assured her, closing the file in her hand. It did dawn on her that there could be fingerprints that Detective Nielsen could lift in order to determine who accessed the files. She carefully set it down on top of the credenza. “Actually, Vern is calling a meeting in the conference room with the entire staff. Can we talk later?”

  “Of course,” Blair responded with a curious glance toward Vern. She gave a small shrug, holding up her coffee mug. “I’ll just go and grab a fresh cup and pass the word.”

  “I’ll round up the rest of the crew,” Vern said begrudgingly after Blair vacated the doorway. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  No, she didn’t. She didn’t have all the angles covered.

  Cynthia had absolutely no idea what she was doing, other than calling the detective to sort out this matter in case Phil was the guilty party. Did she believe that Phil was capable of committing murder? No, but she’d been wrong about many things in the recent past.

  “Cyn?”

  Gareth’s voice was a welcome relief. She would have given almost anything to go back to when they were at the hotel in bed with their legs entwined and having not a care in the world. Kurt Langston had been a blip on her radar, long gone off the screen. She’d finally opened up to Gareth about that painful time in her life, and she’d thought their future was assured.

  “Just when I think it can’t get any worse,” Cynthia muttered, walking into Gareth’s embrace. She closed her eyes and savored the intoxicating scent of his cologne. “You were right.”

  “About?”

  “I might have actually worked side by side for years with the very man who killed Brad.” Cynthia gave herself thirty more seconds before pulling away from the security of his arms. It was time she called Detective Nielsen. “I think Kurt’s business wasn’t going well, and he somehow talked Phil into investing into his tech company. It makes me believe that whatever happened three years ago to prompt Kurt to write that letter had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with Phil Colbert and his actions.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Gareth leaned back in his desk chair as he studied the uniformed officer who’d accompanied Detective Nielsen. It wasn’t long after his arrival that the so-called staff meeting in the conference room had been broken up with Phil, Vern, and Cynthia remaining behind with the detective.

  Paul had expressed his concern, as well as Steve, but Detective Nielsen had controlled the situation expertly to elicit as much information as he could before anyone thought to lawyer up. Board members held no sway over police investigations, so they weren’t able to interfere. Honestly, not even Paul was foolish enough to push the detective too far.

  “Marilyn ordered lunch to be delivered in an hour,” Laurel said, appearing in the doorway looking anything but hungry. He didn’t miss that she’d swept her hair over her shoulder, which she tended to do when stressed. Cynthia had mentioned it a time or two, saying her friend should cut it shorter so that it didn’t bother her when wearing it down. “Grace called Justin Monroe. He was her attorney when she was falsely arrested. I’m thinking I should give Meg Preston a call. She is Smith’s attorney, and I’m not so sure anyone should be talking to Detective Mancini without representation.”

  Another detective had arrived not five minutes ago, but he’d asked to speak with Smith in private. Gareth had found it odd, but he assumed it was all part of Detective Nielsen’s plan to split the employees to garner as much information as he could. Wasn’t it better to divide and conquer?

  “I’m sure Smith has already told the other detective that he won’t be answering any questions without a lawyer present,” Gareth assured her, not surprised when she took a seat in the guest chair. “Smith’s father probably grilled that into his head from a very young age.”

  “I know, and we’ve already been through this multiple times since…”

  It was easy to forget that Laurel had been the one to find Brad dead with his throat slit at his desk. That sight wasn’t just something someone got over in the span of a month or two. It would no doubt haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

  Gareth might not have been close to his brother, but no one deserved to die choking on their own blood as the lights went out. The funeral had been a sad affair, though Meredith had put together a beautiful ceremony. Gareth had never really gotten to know her well, but that had been more Brad’s doing.

  “I don’t even know why Detective Mancini would want to speak with Smith, considering the animosity between the two of them.”

  “I’m sorry?” Gareth wasn’t sure what Laurel wa
s referring to, other than maybe the detective didn’t appreciate having to deal with a judge’s son in a murder investigation. “Did this Detective Mancini have a run-in with Judge Gallo?”

  “More like a run-in with Smith’s younger brother,” Laurel said rather wryly, though she did so with a fond smile. “Sebastian got into a fight down at a club called First Ave. The charges were dropped.”

  Gareth didn’t have to ask if the charges were dropped because of Sebastian’s last name. No officer wanted to get on Judge Gallo’s bad side, even though he would never expect his children to be treated differently than anyone else’s progeny. The law was the law. But the man couldn’t control the actions of others, and some of Smith’s siblings benefited from that small privilege.

  “Is this where the party is?” Grace asked good-naturedly, but her attempt fell flat. She walked into the office and took a seat next to Laurel. “I’m wondering if we shouldn’t call Justin. Smith’s been holed up in his office with that detective for around ten minutes now. What do you think they’re talking about?”

  “I don’t know, but each minute that passes causes my headache to get worse,” Laurel muttered, tapping her manicured nails on the wooden arms of the chair. “Okay. My patience is worn thin. I’m going to go and call Meg Preston. She was with Smith during the initial questioning. This waiting is giving me an ulcer.”

  Grace must have received a text. She held up her phone and quickly replied, though Gareth didn’t miss that her gaze kept drifting toward the door. It hadn’t escaped his notice that Blair had walked past twice in the past five minutes. He didn’t know much about her, but that was about to change after the call he’d placed this morning.

  “Do you know Kurt Langston?”

  Grace arched one of her blonde brows as she finally finished sending her text. It was evident that she thought he’d asked because of Cynthia. There might be a bit of truth to that, but he was more concerned with the fact that the man could be a sociopath.

  “I’ve never met him, but Cynthia would never have—”

  “I know that Cynthia would never have gotten involved with Langston had she known he was married or what kind of character he really had,” Gareth clarified, rubbing his lower lip with this thumb. Something didn’t sit right with him about this entire situation. “Cynthia told me over the weekend that she’d been having dinner with Brad and Paul regarding Phil Colbert when she’d met Langston three years ago. Now, every single one of these people are being tied together after Brad’s death. Coincidence is one thing, but don’t you think this is a stretch?”

  “You have a good point, but think about the other scenarios.” Grace cradled the cell phone in her hand as she made herself comfortable in the chair. It was a good thing her job was slow this time of day. “Steve was having an affair with Meredith. We also can’t forget that Josh came back to the office that night to tell Brad about the affair. He was basically the last person to see Brad alive. Then there’s the fact that Brad was in debt to some very unsavory people from what I’ve heard.”

  “What about the others?” Gareth asked, taking a quick glance at his watch. He was expecting to hear back from his source today regarding a quick background check on everyone employed at Manon Investments. He was stepping outside his bounds, but Cynthia had been drawn into a game of office roulette…at least, that’s how she referenced it a time or two. He couldn’t just stand back and wait for the loaded chamber to spin back around. “Blair? Vern? Marilyn?”

  “Actually, my stepbrother was front and center last week,” Grace confessed, shifting in unease. “Brandon is out on parole for insider trading, but someone…somehow…pointed the police in his direction. Someone is manipulating this investigation.”

  “The same person who framed you for murder.” Gareth rested his arm on the desk, picking up a pen for something to tap. He always thought better when doing something mindlessly. “Meredith was the one who turned a letter dated over three years ago to the police. She was the one who turned the course of this investigation. Unknowingly or with purpose, who knows?”

  “Trust me, every face flashed through my mind when I was sitting in that jail cell,” Grace muttered, tucking a flyaway hair behind her ear. “The scary thing is that It’s clear that whoever killed Brad is working hard at throwing everyone else under the bus. And there are things Langston couldn’t have known unless…”

  “Unless what?” Gareth asked, resting the end of the pen on the folder in front of him. “Cynthia told me about your false alibi for Rye Marshall, and how no one could have known that unless they’d overheard you talking with Cynthia and Laurel.”

  “Exactly. So, how would Kurt Langston know enough to set me up without someone on the inside?”

  “Phil Colbert.”

  “Or Meredith. She was here the morning that I confessed to Cynthia and Laurel about what I’d done for Rye. But again, you and I are attempting to do the same thing the rest of the staff have been doing—guessing. It’s all a guessing game.”

  The last thing Gareth expected was for Grace to be smiling after their conversation. She even let out a light laugh, which was rather unsettling.

  “What’s so funny?” Laurel asked, rejoining them. She didn’t reclaim her seat, but instead leaned against the doorframe. It gave her the ability to keep an eye on Smith’s office door. “Oh, and I left a message for Meg Preston. She wasn’t in her office.”

  “Gareth tossed Marilyn’s name in the ring.” Grace laughed again, but this time Gareth was able to sense the underlying exhaustion. “I couldn’t imagine that sweet woman killing anyone, let alone Brad. She’s been here since the inception of the firm.”

  “Marilyn keeps her cards close to her chest,” Laurel admitted with a slight shrug, lowering her voice so that it didn’t carry out into the foyer. “Don’t let her fool you. I can understand why you would think she could have the opportunity to commit murder, but she has nothing to gain from it.”

  “You’re thinking about it from a greed angle, but it could simply be that someone just snapped. I’ve seen it happen time and again over the smallest of things. An unintentional slight of some sort,” Gareth shared, having been in places where the wrong look could get a person killed. “Anyone can snap.”

  Gareth’s cell phone finally rang.

  “Nicollet.”

  “I sent the files to your email.” The long pause on the other end of the line prevented Gareth from disconnecting the call. “And you might want to turn on the news. Kurt Langston was in a car accident after leaving the police station. He’s in ICU in critical condition. His driver didn’t make it.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “I’ll get it,” Grace said after hearing the doorbell ring, standing up from one of the twin La-Z-Boy overstuffed chairs near the fireplace. “It’s probably the pizza delivery boy.”

  Cynthia shared a look with Gareth, all but telling him that she wasn’t going to be able to eat a thing this evening. Even the thought of food made her stomach roll as if she were riding a tiny dinghy in a storm ravaged sea. Actually, she’d rather be vacationing on a yacht in the middle of the Mediterranean Ocean, sunbathing in a tiny bikini off the coast of Sicily if it only meant not dealing with the reality that was now her life.

  “I had Grace order some breadsticks, too. You shouldn’t drink wine on an empty stomach, but I figured that red sauce might not be such a good idea.” Gareth gave her an endearing half smile. “Besides, there’s garlic and onion powder on those breadsticks. I can’t be the only one with abhorrent breath.”

  Gareth had removed his suit jacket and was in the process of rolling up his sleeves. They’d all decided to drive to Rye Marshall’s residence after work today, especially given the circumstances of Kurt Langston’s medical condition. As far as everyone knew, the man was still in critical condition.

  “So, catch me up on what Phil Colbert said about Kurt Langston.” Rye had entered the living room carrying paper plates and napkins. He set them on the coffee table, but made s
ure there was room for the boxes of pizza and sides. “Grace kept me apprised via texts, but I’m sure there was more to it than Phil and Kurt being longtime friends.”

  Cynthia was the only one in the room who could answer Rye, considering no one else had been with her in the meeting other than Vern and Phil. Her temples began to throb at recalling the first five minutes of the conversation, let alone the end when Vern all but demanded Phil’s resignation.

  That was the moment Paul had been needed in the meeting, and then things just got worse from there.

  “Phil Colbert had invested money into Kurt’s startup tech firm over eight years ago, but he didn’t tell anyone at the firm. He made quite a profit on it when the company went public,” Cynthia shared, settling back into Gareth when he’d joined her on the couch. “Apparently, Phil cashed out before anyone was the wiser that he’d broken compliance rules by not reporting such an investment to me.”

  “Vern explained to the board members today that Kurt Langston wrote that letter to Brad as a way of covering his ass if any of that got out, because three years ago was when Phil quietly reinvested quite a bit of money to drive up the share price. Colbert and Langston basically manipulated the stock, presumably with Brad in on it with one of his personal accounts. At least, that’s what Vern is assuming. The SEC shouldn’t have a problem proving all of this once they get access to their personal accounts. Bottom line was that Langston wasn’t going to go down all alone,” Smith added on, taking a paper plate from the stack. Grace had returned with the pizzas, stepping back when she realized it was basically a free for all. “It’s quite sad that Vern’s last day at Manon Investments was firing an analyst who has been with the firm since the beginning.”

  “I’ll make sure Vern has a good first day tomorrow,” Rye said with a satisfied smile. He stepped back and took a seat in the chair before Grace could backhand him. “Okay, okay. I’ll be good from now on.”