by Robin Mahle
“And so news of Charlie quitting, just leaving his job with no notice after fifteen years. That’s what made you check the tapes?” Vance was noticeably more interested now.
“Well, they aren’t really tapes anymore, but digital logs. And yes, I’d seen too much shenanigans back then and I got that same old feeling. So, I started searching the logs. It took me several hours; we have cameras in every corner on every floor of that building, but I finally spotted this.” Jim pulled a flash drive out of his coat pocket and set it on the table. “You’ll find the logs for early Saturday morning between midnight and one a.m. Take notice that there’s a gap from 12:30 to 12:50. No recordings, no logs.”
“Why would that be?” Huffman asked.
“Only explanation is that the system went offline. That was around the time I went and looked for the boogeyman on the 2nd floor.”
“I see. And who do you think might have taken the system down, assuming it wasn’t faulty at the time?” Sanchez asked.
“Not many people know how to do that, apart from me and the other guards. But remember I told you that Chris Goyal was in that meeting?”
Vance hadn’t known, but Sanchez and Huffman knew exactly who Goyal was.
“He used to work in IT.”
All three men were silent for a moment. The two FBI agents were seasoned veterans, but in the area of corporate fraud. Now, this was looking more like it could be murder and that was where Vance came in.
Sanchez turned to Jim. “Does anyone else know about this?”
Jim pressed his lips together and shook his head.
“Good. We’ll take this to the IA for analysis.” Sanchez picked up the flash drive. “If there was a glitch or if the system was shut down, they’ll be able to find out. In the meantime, Jim, I’d like you to go on as if it’s business as usual. My guess is, IA’s gonna want some additional information. Can you provide whatever they might need?”
“To an extent. I have access to the logs and the video. I’ll do what I can to help.”
Sanchez stood up, motioning to the other two. “Thank you, Jim. We’ll be in touch.” He pulled his overcoat off the back of the chair. A final handshake was exchanged and Jim was left alone.
“We’ll head back to the field office now.” Sanchez walked with renewed purpose back to their Ford Crown Vic. “Detective Vance, thank you for coming along. I think we’ll need to get this thumb drive analyzed before we know what our next step will be.”
“We could just go into WFC and get the security logs ourselves right now. We’ve got access to their systems because of the Sea-Tech investigation,” Huffman said.
Vance waited alongside the men. “I can work on getting a warrant. Between the phone records and now this, I think I’ve got enough to take to the judge.”
“We may have access to their accounting systems, but Stuart is right; anything else would require a new warrant. But I don’t wanna spook Winters. He’ll want to know why we need the files. Might give him cause to start dumping information. Let’s see what we have on the thumb drive first. I don’t want to jump the gun on this thing. Not when we’re this close.”
Detective Vance began heading to his car, a few feet away, but quickly stopped short. “Gordon, if we’re talking murder here, I think we ought to pull Claire McKenna out of this situation. You and I both know they put their thumb on Beth Graves and that was before Charlie Monroe. I followed the McKennas the other night, after they’d met with us. I figured the first place they would go was to Beth Graves’ house and I was right. I saw her. That was one terrified woman. What do you think Winters will do to Claire if he finds out she’s talking to us?”
***
The door to Evan’s office opened with a quick swoosh, causing Claire to jump out of her seat. She’d been sitting on the couch, working on the laptop, the ring having already been pocketed.
“I’m so sorry I’m late, Claire. My meeting ran long. How are you doing?” Evan asked.
“Fine, thank you. I’ve been able to get a few things taken care of.” She unveiled a warm smile.
“I’m very glad to hear that. So, you must be getting hungry? You still up for lunch at the marina?” Evan placed his briefcase on his desk and scanned the immediate area.
It seemed to Claire as if he was looking for something that might be out of place. She wasn’t stupid and made sure anything she’d touched remained exactly where she’d found it. With one exception, of course. “I would love it, Evan. I really appreciate you taking the time. I know how busy you must be.”
“Not at all. Shall we?” Evan proceeded to the still opened office door, waiting for Claire to follow. “Sheri, we’ll be at the marina. Give us a few hours, if you would. Unless it’s urgent.”
“Certainly, Mr. Winters. You two have a lovely lunch.”
***
Bell Harbor Marina was a short drive from the WFC tower. In fact, Claire wondered if the view from Evan’s office included a glimpse of his sail boat in the marina. Still, prevailing thoughts were of the object left behind by Lucas.
In the two hours she’d been alone in Evan’s office, the comprehension that he was involved in embezzling from his own company was sinking in. When she’d first met him, only a few short weeks ago, he’d seemed like a giant among men, revered for his accomplishments and integrity. Now, she saw him as a desperate man, sending thugs to frighten a single mother, possibly involved in the disappearance of her mentor, Charlie Monroe. And of course, the idea that he had resorted to the use of drugs to get the woman he wanted. The thought still brought her to the verge of nausea.
But how could she prove any of it? And proving to Colin that she hadn’t slept with this monster voluntarily would be the only way to truly regain the trust in their marriage. She wondered if it would always be a nagging doubt in the back of his mind.
This was her only chance to get the information Sanchez needed. Claire had already set her phone to record and had carefully placed it in the inside lining of her suit jacket. She would convince him that she was loyal and that she’d grown close to him, often thinking of their night together. Lies. All of it. But he wanted her and that made him vulnerable.
“This is it.” Evan gestured towards the fifty-foot sailboat docked in the slip. “It’s not much, but it serves my needs.”
“Not much?” Claire’s face instantly masked with captivation. “It’s the most beautiful boat I’ve ever seen.” She hadn’t seen many up close, but yes, this one was very impressive to her unsophisticated eye. This sailboat looked more like a yacht; bright white, black tinted windows, sleek and sporty.
“Come on up, looks like they’re bringing lunch out on the deck now.” Evan reached for the railing on the aft of the boat. “Here, take my hand.”
Claire carefully stepped onto the small platform next to Evan. He ascended the stairs and held out his hand once again. Grabbing the handrail with one hand, she hoisted herself onto the first rung and then took his hand as he firmly pulled her aboard.
She was relieved to see crew members preparing the table. It meant she wasn’t being left completely alone with him. After careful consideration, Claire had decided to keep this little venue from Colin. She knew he would never have agreed to let her be alone with Evan. It was a decision she hoped not to regret.
“Welcome aboard.” The steward showed Claire to her seat, pulling the chair out for her.
“Thank you.” She adjusted her jacket before sitting down.
Evan took his seat next to her. They were facing the harbor and the bright sunlight bounced off the mild ripples in the water.
“Are you cold? Would you like a wrap? The weather can be unpredictable on the open water, so I’m usually prepared with whatever a guest might need to stay warm.”
“Thank you, but I’m fine.” Claire was chilly, but concern for the quality of her audio recording outweighed her need for warmth.
Two servers appeared with trays of food, placing the dishes in front of each of them. It was amazing,
Claire thought, to see how the other half lived. In the span of a month, she’d been on a private jet, eating at the finest restaurants and now, dining on what she assumed to be a very expensive boat. All of this, she once believed, was the result of Evan’s hard work and dedication. She was wrong.
“Well, this looks absolutely wonderful. Thank you, Evan. I really needed this.”
He retrieved a bottle of chilled wine from the bucket adjacent to the table, pouring each of them a glass. “Thank you, Claire. You have brightened an otherwise tedious day.” He raised his glass. “To Charlie.”
The smile on her face faltered for a just a moment, but she had to keep to the plan. “To Charlie.”
CHAPTER 18
NOON WAS APPROACHING and Colin hadn’t yet heard from Claire. Nor had he heard from his union rep. With all that had happened, he’d almost forgotten that his grievance was to be heard today. How insignificant it seemed now. Still, if he and Claire hoped to stay afloat after her leaving the firm, which they’d decided was the best course of action once this was over, he needed his job back.
“Dad, my head feels hot again.” Anna appeared from around the corner.
For a moment, Colin had forgotten that she’d stayed home from school today. “Oh, honey, let me get the thermometer.” He climbed off the barstool and headed for the living room. “I think we left it in here.” There it was, on the end table next to the couch. On his way to retrieve it, the sound of an approaching car caught his attention and he looked out the window. He instinctively moved out of the line of sight and watched the car pull onto the drive. “Anna, honey, why don’t you go on back upstairs and lie down? I’ll bring you some medicine.”
Anna grumbled and shuffled towards the staircase.
“Go on now. Hurry it up. You should be in bed anyway.” He continued to stare at the black coupe that was now stopped in front of his house. Two men in the front, no other passengers that he could see. The windows were tinted fairly dark. He wondered for a moment if it was his union rep. Had he come to give the bad news rather than call? Maybe. But who was the other guy then and why were they still in the car talking?
Colin glanced up to see that Anna had made it to the top of the stairs. “I’ll be right up, baby. Go on and lie down.”
Finally, the driver’s side door opened. At first glance, Colin thought it to be Agent Sanchez or his partner, by the highly polished black dress shoe that stepped onto the concrete. It certainly wasn’t his union representative.
The man, tall and slender, wore a white oxford and blue patterned tie. It was Agent Huffman, dressed in a much more formal manner than he’d seen him at their first meeting on Saturday. The passenger soon followed and dressed more casually in jeans and a polo shirt. It was Detective Vance.
Why the hell are they here? Colin pulled back out of view when they approached the front door. The doorbell rang.
Colin grasped the handle and hesitated, as his thoughts were only of Claire and the fact that he hadn’t heard from her all day. Now the authorities were at his door.
The doorbell rang again, followed by a swift knock. This time, Colin looked back towards the stairs to be sure Anna was no longer standing there. He turned the handle slowly and opened the door about a foot.
“Mr. McKenna? May we come in?” Detective Vance took the lead.
“Please, yes, come in.” His heart was pounding against his chest as he feared the reason for their visit. “Is everything okay?”
Detective Vance and Agent Huffman proceeded inside, standing in the foyer.
“Have you heard from your wife today, Mr. McKenna?” Huffman was the first to speak.
“No. Not yet. Please tell me what this is about.”
“We’ve been trying to reach her for the past hour or so, but she’s not answering. Did she go to work today?” Vance said.
“Yes. Can you please just tell me what’s going on, Detective?”
“We’re still working on obtaining some information, but we’d like to find Claire. We think it may be time to get her out of WFC.”
***
The clouds were beginning to roll in again as the hour approached three in the afternoon. Claire dotted the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “Well, that was really wonderful, Evan. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Care for more wine?” He held up the half-empty bottle.
“Oh, no thank you. I still have work to do today. Two glasses and I’m down for the count. You should know that by now.” The memory of Evan sitting next to her on the couch in the hotel room flashed quickly. She worked to discreetly banish the thought. The last one she could recall that night.
“Well, would that be such a bad thing?” His smirk was laced with a devious charm as he reached for Claire’s hand. “My God. Your hair absolutely glistens in the sunlight, doesn’t it?”
She gently pulled away. “Thank you. My stylist does a great job with my roots.” Her nerves stood on end as she tried to play off his advance. Claire hadn’t accomplished anything as of yet other than getting him to reveal that he had feelings for her and clearly hoped this little outing would turn into something more. She needed to bring up Charlie or the blackmail or anything that would lead him to divulge something of substance.
“I got a call from Margaret yesterday,” Claire began. “She’s asked that we offer the police assistance in any way we can with helping them to locate Charlie.”
“Of course.” Evan turned serious. “We won’t hesitate, should it come to that.”
“You know, there’s something I wanted to ask you, Evan.” She paused, carefully crafting her next few words. “Did you say anything to Charlie before he quit about the pictures? You promised you’d take care of it. I’m just concerned now that he’s gone, well, he might follow through.”
“You needn’t worry about that, Claire. I promise you.”
“And what about his reasons? Have you discussed with the FBI that the blackmail was a way of keeping me quiet about the stolen Sea-Tech money?” She squeezed his hand. “You can’t know what it would mean to me to see Beth Graves proven innocent.” Claire played on his affections, leaning in closer with her every word.
“We had discussed this previously, hadn’t we? And I believe we decided that it would be prudent to wait until I could investigate such matters independently, without the help of our friends at the FBI. Have you changed your mind?”
“No. Not at all, but with Charlie gone, wouldn’t that just prove why he left in the first place? I still understand the need for this not to get out into the public. I don’t want to see this company suffer any more than you do, Evan. I was just wondering, though, he must have had a pretty good set up. Probably skimming quite a bit of money.”
“Possibly. I’m still looking into the matter. So far as I am aware, the FBI has traced some of the funds back to accounts held in Ms. Graves’ name. None of it has been tied to Charlie, at least, not that I’m aware. Although up until last week, his involvement had been, of course, unsuspected,” He held her gaze. “You’d like to ask me something else, wouldn’t you?”
Why was he still playing this game? He had to know that she and Charlie had discussed the situation and the blackmail. She was sure he knew about the messages Charlie had left on her phone.
Claire didn’t have a clue as to how many layers of their scheme lay between Charlie and Evan. There could be countless others involved too. Christ. She needed him to talk.
“You’re a very persuasive man, Evan. Very attractive as well.” Claire’s heart jumped into her stomach as she tried to steady her tone. “I think I might be persuaded, should the occasion arise.”
Evan’s lips parted just enough to show a glimmer of his perfect white teeth. The creases around his eyes deepened as his cheeks lifted into a seductive smile. “I was hoping you would say that, Claire. It would mean the world to me to have you by my side, especially at a time like this.”
“Having said that, I have to know, Evan. Why was Charlie really in
your office on Friday night?” She battled to find words with the clamor of her heart, which now pounded at a deafening rate. Breathe. “He wasn’t there because he lost Envirotech, was he?”
Evan’s eyes turned dark, but he remained silent.
Was he waiting for her to finally hang herself on the rope she’d just wrapped around her own neck? Claire prayed she hadn’t underestimated the man or his feelings for her.
“Evan,” she continued. “If we’re going to be in this together, then I need complete honesty from you. Here’s what I think. I think Charlie came down on Friday night to discuss the possibility of bringing me into the loop. Now, whether this was your call or not, I don’t know, but I’m sure he was having second thoughts about sending the pictures to my husband. Am I right so far?”
“Claire, please.” Evan stood up from the table and moved towards the bench along the edge of the bow. “Come and have a seat with me over here.”
She stood up, adjusted her jacket, and moved towards the bench. The breeze had picked up and she wondered if the audio would be discernable.
“Charlie and Lucas were concerned that you would continue cooperating with the FBI. And rightly so.” He leaned in closer. “I know you’ve been talking with them, but what I want to know now is, are you still?” Evan glanced down at her chest. His left hand slowly raised up to meet her shoulder. “Now, don’t lie to me, Claire. There are things at play here and what you say next will determine our subsequent course of action.”
His hand started sliding down her jacket, moving dangerously close to her cell phone. Claire began to run through a multitude of scenarios of how to get out of this increasingly dangerous game and had no idea what else was at play. “I’m not lying to you, Evan.”
He hadn’t yet been persuaded, the familiar blackened tint to his eyes returning. There was only one way to convince him of her loyalty. Claire raised her hand to his cheek. “Is this what you want?” Her lips rested gently onto his. They were remarkably soft and the way he moved them was nothing short of extraordinary. The momentary tingle was soon replaced with repulsion at the thought of what she believed he had done to her; done to Charlie. She pulled away, careful not to leave any sign of regret.