Biloxi Blue (The Biloxi Series Book 2)

by Jerri Ledford

  That still didn’t explain what Greg meant. Was he Beth’s family? That didn’t make sense. They looked nothing alike. Surely if Greg and Beth were related, Tiffany would know that? He couldn’t be family. Well, he could be, but Tiffany chose to believe he wasn’t.

  Instead, she settled on the idea that he was making a show of grieving. That had to be it. He probably was trying to protect the company in a “we all loved her and can’t believe she’s gone,” way.

  With that settled in her mind, Tiffany let it go. Grief was hard enough without trying to figure out everyone’s motivations. Whatever Greg was trying to prove didn’t matter. It just made him seem slimy. What was important was why Beth set up this meeting, and more than anything, Tiffany wanted to find that out so she could leave this place and go home.

  Greg took the seat next to Tiffany’s. She owed it to Beth to find out what was going on, but she wanted this over as soon as possible. Maybe it would help to catch her killer. Maybe not. Either way, Tiffany could say she tried.

  Two other people joined them in the room. A short, dark-haired, and serious-looking woman took a seat next to Greg. The other, a taller, heavy-set woman with short hair and thick, black glasses sat opposite of Tiffany.

  “I’m not sure where to start,” Greg let the other women settle in. His demeanor had changed as soon as they entered the room. He’d shoved his grief away like a cheap handkerchief. He was the executive that Tiffany had dealt with a number of times in the past. Only now, she liked him even less than she had before she realized he was a talking head, using Beth’s death as a tool to show off his compassion like a dime store figurine.

  “Beth set this meeting up and she didn’t share with me the purpose of it.” Greg focused intently on Tiffany as if the other women weren’t in the room. “Did she tell you anything?”

  “I’m sorry,” Tiffany ignored Greg’s question. “Who are you?” She directed the question to the other women who had joined them.

  “They’re from the legal department,” Greg jumped in before either woman could speak. “They’re here strictly as a precaution. I’m sure you can understand with all that’s happened this week, we need to protect the best interests of the company.”

  Tiffany bit her tongue. The more time she spent with this man, the less she liked him.

  “So, did Beth tell you anything about why we’re here?” Greg tapped his foot under the table.

  Tiffany considered how much she should tell him.

  Just go to the police. Whatever happened, whatever you know or don’t know, you should share with them.

  No. She didn’t know anything. But Greg didn’t know that.

  “Maybe I should be talking to the police?” She really just wanted to be out of this room and away from Greg and the place Beth had died.

  A shadow passed over Greg’s face, but Tiffany couldn’t decipher what emotion it was. It was there and gone before she even fully registered the changes in his features. “I don’t think that’s necessary.” His voice was cold as snow at Easter.

  “I only know what your assistant said when she called to arrange the meeting.”

  Greg’s eyes narrowed. “I know she told you more than that. You’re her best friend.”

  How did he know that?

  “She did call me Friday night. She said she had something she needed to tell me.” It wasn’t entirely true, but close enough. “Only she never showed up. And now she’s…” Tiffany’s voice caught on the last word, “dead.” She forced it out in a tight squeak.

  Greg sat as if carved from stone. Had she not been watching him, Tiffany would have missed the subtle snap of the muscles of his jaw.

  When he finally spoke, his voice was a low rumble. “Did she say anything else at all?”

  Tiffany shook her head. No way she was going to tell him about Tiffany’s mention that she was uploading files and printing documents. “Nothing. She hung up pretty quick. We...” Tiffany had been about to tell him about the fight and how tense things were between them, but he didn’t need to know that. Instead she lied again. “We talk about everything.”

  “Ladies.” Greg looked from Dark Hair to Glasses. “Any questions?”

  Both women shook their heads. Neither said anything, though both seemed to be writing down every word as Tiffany spoke. What, exactly, were they doing here? What was their role in all this?

  Tiffany was about to ask the question when Greg surprised her.

  “Ok, then,” he said. “Will you please allow us to have some privacy?”

  Worry wedged its way into Tiffany’s consciousness. None of this made sense. She might be able to understand the company trying to protect itself from a lawsuit, but that didn’t seem to be what this was. Now Greg wanted to be alone with her? Something felt off.

  She almost stopped the women as they rose silently from the table and left the room. She’d done business with Greg through their companies, but she didn’t know much about him. Of course, Beth had shared some things with her, but none of it made Tiffany like the man any more, or want to be alone with him if it wasn’t necessary.

  When they were alone, Greg took her hands into his. She resisted the urge to pull back from him. If he had been Beth’s boyfriend, then he was a snake. Slimy. Despicable. And his too-warm hands shouldn’t be touching her.

  “Tiffany, I’m sure you know that Beth and I were…” He cocked his head to one side as if searching through some far away file for the right words. “Well, we were close.”

  Tiffany held perfectly still.

  “I loved her. Not just as a friend, but as family.”

  “I’m stunned by this. I’m sure that Beth would have said something to me if she had found anything out of the ordinary. I just don’t understand,” he sighed deeply. “I need to know what Beth told you.” As he spoke, his grip tightened around her hands until he was crushing her fingers.

  Now she understood. He thought she was lying. Heat rose from her neck to the top of her head. She wasn’t lying. She just hadn’t told him everything.

  “Mr. Harrington.” She yanked her hands out of his. “I don’t care how well you thought you knew Beth. You had no idea about her. You couldn’t have any idea about her. She was just your employee.”

  Tiffany was just getting started. In the time since he’d entered the room, Greg Harrington had gone from bad to worse. He was a sleaze. He would use whatever means he needed to use to get what he wanted. She didn’t know what he wanted, but he wasn’t going to get anything from her.

  Greg looked shocked. “I—.”

  “No. You don’t get to think about you. My best friend is dead. You might have been able to prevent it if you had paid more attention to what is going on in your company, you might have seen this coming. Beth might still be alive.”

  “Don’t talk to me about you. Tell me why! You tell me what she found that would get her killed.”

  Greg’s shoulders drooped and his chin worked its way toward his chest. He wouldn’t look Tiffany in the eye.

  “You have to believe I was going to make it right. I just needed…the timing was wrong.”

  There was nothing more pathetic than a man that couldn’t take responsibility for his own actions.

  “I’m done.” Tiffany stood to leave.

  “Wait.” Greg reached up and placed a hand on her forearm. His sweaty palm caused a shiver to run across her spine.

  “Wait for what? What could you possibly have to say to me?” She jerked her arm away from him.

  Before she even realized what happened, Greg pushed his chair back and stood. He towered over her. His face was carved into a mask of anger and fear.

  He leaned toward her. “If you say one word—.”

  “Spare me.” Tiffany pushed out of the chair, causing him to take a step back. She started toward the door. “The only thing you’re concerned about is how you, and this company, will look in the news coverage.”

  Greg grabbed her arm, spun her back toward him, and advanced on her. She
stepped back. He kept coming until she was pinned up against a wall.

  His breath was hot against her cheek. The spice of his cologne burned her sinuses, and his quiet voice rumbled to her soul. “If you say one word about this to the police, if you tell anyone, I will kill you.”

  EIGHTEEN

  Kate walked through the dim hallways at Ingram Logistics with Caleb on her heels. Things were tense between them this morning. He wanted her to hide away like some scared child because of the news of the Mamoncetes cleaner, but that wasn’t her nature. She just wanted to do her job, and this morning, that meant meeting with Greg Harrington, the murdered woman’s supervisor. She didn’t know if he would be able to give her anything helpful, but at this point, she had to try. So far, everything she had was essentially nothing.

  She turned the corner in the long hallways and nearly collided with Jenna Langley.

  Jenna stopped and Kate watched as panic danced across her face. As quickly as it was there, it was gone, replaced by a mask of indifference.

  “Detective Giveans.” Jenna breathed the words in a rush as her eyes traveled the length of Caleb’s height to the floor and back up again.

  Kate flushed. She was going to have a hard time getting used to the way women reacted to Caleb’s presence. He was handsome, but was it really necessary for Jenna to look at him like he was a deep-fried Snickers bar at the county fair?

  “Ms. Langley. We were just looking for you.”

  Play along Caleb.

  Kate’s intuition tingled. She hadn’t planned on talking Jenna, but something about that look made Kate curious. What was her story?

  “I’m on my way to a meeting. I really can’t take the time to talk right now.” Jenna’s eyes never left Caleb.

  “The same meeting that Greg Harrington is in?” Kate bit back the irritation she was feeling. She wasn’t sure if it was the way Jenna looked at Caleb or the stress that seemed to be piling up on her shoulders like a Jenga game. Whatever the cause, she couldn’t get past the itchy feeling this woman gave her every time they came in contact. Jenna’s attention to Caleb only made it worse.

  Get over it.

  She had a job to do, and Caleb was a distraction. Her problem with Jenna was that she came across as a fake, self-interested person. Kate bet that in her personal life she was a fun little lollipop, triple-dipped in psycho.

  Jenna finally pulled her gaze away from Caleb’s chest. When she looked at Kate, her eyes were dilated, but the mask of indifference was still in place. “How did you know about that meeting?”

  Kate chose to ignore her. Jenna didn’t need where they got their information. If she wanted to play it this way, Kate could keep up. “Are you aware that Beth Martin arranged the meeting that he’s in right now?”

  Jenna nodded. “I am. It’s with one of my largest accounts. Precisely why I need to get to that meeting. To find out what’s going on.”

  Kate scratched the top of her head. “That’s one of your accounts?” She pulled a notebook from the pocket of her slacks and jotted a few notes about checking up on the company, Stone Mountain, she remembered. “And you don’t know what’s happening with your largest account?”

  Jenna’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve been on vacation. I can only assume Beth messed something up. Everything was fine when I left.”

  “When did you return from your vacation?” Kate ignored the condescending tone in the other woman’s voice.

  “Late Sunday. We went to the Caribbean.” Jenna propped a fist on one hip. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.” She dropped her arm and pushed past Kate and Caleb.

  “We’ll walk with you,” Kate said, undeterred. “We’re going to the same place anyway.”

  Jenna didn’t respond. She kept walking, back straight, eyes forward, and chin jutted out like she was parading past a group of lowly high school freshmen.

  Kate kept pace. “Did you know that Greg Harrington was sleeping with Beth Martin?” Kate kept her voice flat, but she watched Jenna’s face as the words sunk in. She really had no proof that Harrington and Beth Martin were sleeping together. But the security guard, John Landers, had said he saw them together. She was curious how Jenna would react to the news.

  Jenna froze mid-step and her mouth hung slack for a second. Her eyes widened in shock. Then she started to shake her head. “No. Not possible. I don’t know who told you that, but they lied. Greg would never get involved with someone so…beneath him.” Condescending. Did Jenna believe she and Greg Harrington were better than the employees they managed?

  She is exactly who I thought she would be. Spoiled, rotten.

  “How would you know that, Ms. Langley? Are you and Greg close?” Kate put extra emphasis on the word ‘you.’ She’d seen no indication of a relationship between the two of them. Maybe it was something that Jenna wanted. She obviously had a wandering eye.

  “Greg and I are friends. I would know.” Jenna’s face was stone. She squared her shoulders, and started forward again without offering anything more.

  Kate flashed a glance at Caleb, who remained silent, then she followed a few steps behind Jenna. There was more to the woman, but Kate couldn’t determine exactly what it was. She’d find out. She always did.

  “That was interesting.” Caleb whispered when Jenna had gotten far enough ahead of them. “She –.”

  Kate held up a hand to cut him off and shook her head. They could talk in the car, but she wasn’t willing to risk Jenna overhearing whatever he had to say.

  Ahead, Jenna reached for a door knob just as the door swung open and a woman rushed into the hallway. Kate stopped. The woman was flushed and looked embarrassed to find other people in the hallway. She dropped her head and rushed past them without a greeting. Kate considered stopping her, but decided to wait. She focused her attention back to the doorway where Greg Harrington now stood, his face red, features pinched.

  “Greg,” Jenna said in a singsong voice. “I was coming to join you. What was that all about?”

  Greg’s features relaxed into a smile when he saw Jenna. “Nothing. Evidently Beth was the only one who knew why she called that meeting. Have you gone over the account?”

  “I have, and everything looks normal, but-,” Kate interrupted Jenna by stepping between her and Greg.

  “Greg Harrington?” She flipped open her badge and held it up for him to inspect. “Detective Giveans. This is my partner Detective Castille. We’d like to talk to you about Beth Martin if you have a minute.”

  Greg’s eyes narrowed, but he looked at Jenna and said, “I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

  Jenna’s face flushed.

  She doesn’t like being dismissed.

  Kate couldn’t help but feel a small sense of smug satisfaction as Jenna turned without a word and stalked down the hallway.

  Greg stepped back into the conference room and waved an arm at the table that dominated the room.

  “What’s this about?” He asked as they all settled into chairs near the head of the table.

  “We just have some questions about Beth Martin,” Kate said once she was settled. “I understand you were her immediate supervisor?”

  “I was.” Greg drew in a deep breath and exhaled a long, sad sigh. “I just don’t know how I can help you. I don’t know much about her life outside of work.” He crossed and uncrossed his arms over his chest, then fidgeted with his tie.

  “Why don’t we start with what her job was here, her work performance, behaviors that seemed out of the ordinary?” Kate planned to ask him about a more intimate relationship with Beth, but she didn’t want to lead with that.

  “She was a good employee.” Greg continued to fidget, playing first with the gold tie bar that held his Burberry tie in place, and then with the matching cuff links at each wrist of his Armani shirt. “She came in, did a good job, and left. There was nothing extraordinary about her.”

  “So, she didn’t work longer or shorter hours than anyone else?” Beth had been alone in the building on a F
riday night. Was that common? Did other employees often work late?

  “Not really.” Greg stopped fidgeting long enough to consider the question further. “She was here late occasionally, but most employees do that now and then. No matter how many rules we set, we can’t seem to keep them from goofing off occasionally. Most people in the accounting department get behind from time to time, depending on what’s happening with our customers each month.” His fingers went back to working the cuff links, and now, his right foot, which rested on the top of his left knee, started to bob.

  He was nervous about something, but Kate couldn’t figure out what. She was contemplating her next question when Caleb spoke up.

  “Mr. Harrington, we understand that you and Beth had an intimate relationship. How long had you been sleeping together?”

  Greg froze. His pallor went white, and his eyes widened. “I…” his voice squeaked and he cleared his throat. “Who told you that?”

  Kate considered jumping in. Instead, she let Caleb take the lead.

  “Just answer the question, Mr. Harrington. How long were you and Ms. Martin involved in an intimate relationship?”

  Greg’s jaw worked. He opened his mouth and shut it several times, like a fish gasping in the open air. Finally, he said, “It was only a couple of times. We weren’t involved. We just had sex once in a while.”

  “In the office?” Caleb pinned Greg to his chair with a hard stare.

  Greg paled even further, but he nodded slowly. “Just once.”

  “And where did you meet the other times that you ‘just had sex?’” Kate jumped in. Greg Harrington knew more about Beth Martin than he initially let on.

  Greg rubbed his hands over his face, and when he dropped them back to the arms of the chair, his demeanor had changed.

  “We met at her apartment. Sometimes in my car. It’s not like we were close, we just hooked up when the urge struck us.” His voice was stronger, but he was still hiding something.

  “That sounds like more than a couple of times,” Caleb’s voice rumbled through the room. It was steady, but even Kate could tell he was frustrated with Greg’s lies.