Intrusion

by Kay, Arlene

  “Oh, good,” Candy said. “I’m going your way. Let’s share a cab.”

  “I have my car out front,” Lucian said. “I’ll drop you.”

  “Even better.” She linked arms with Lucian, blew me an air-kiss, and skipped out the door.

  Fourteen

  Solitude was comforting, allowing me to collect my thoughts and make plans without carnal distractions. My boon companions aided that process: Della and the memories of what used to be.

  I found my briefcase and searched frantically for the disk. My cheeks burned as I realized that it had vanished. No wonder Lucian Sand had bustled around showcasing his domestic skills. That bastard stole them! OK, he’d gotten what he came for. Sex was an unexpected bonus, a ruse to soothe the horny widow and get his rocks off. You’re a prize fool, Lizzie Mae.

  Foolish I may be, but I’m still a lawyer. I had made three copies of that disk and locked them in my safe. Lucian Sand could have saved his virtue.

  ~

  My first stop was Boston Police Headquarters. Mark Andrews wasn’t there, but I got lucky anyway. Francie Cohen answered his page and admitted me to the squad room. I saw immediately that she’d put Candy’s beauty tips to good use. No more shy wallflower. Officer Cohen had blossomed into a babe.

  “I have something for you,” I said. “It’s for Sergeant Andrews, actually, about the investigation.”

  Francie ducked her head as if she were hiding something. “I’m really not on the case anymore, Mrs. Buckley. The Sarge likes to work alone.”

  “Oh. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I gave you an important piece of evidence.”

  Her artfully lined eyes lit up. “I guess that would be OK.” She motioned me to a seat in front of Andrews’ desk. Every file was neatly stacked; not a paper was out of place. Who knew? Andrews was a neat freak.

  “It’s been almost two weeks since my friend died. Andrews said you haven’t made much progress.” I gave Francie a hard stare that made her flush.

  “I know Sergeant Andrews is working on it.” Her voice trailed off.

  “Here’s what I know,” I said. “I won’t stop until my friend’s murderer is caught and punished, even if I have to do it myself.” I leaned forward, speaking in a low, firm voice. “You can give him that message for me. After he listens to this, have Sergeant Andrews call me. I have some other ideas to share.”

  I reached CYBER-MED after lunch, just as Rand and Tony “Tornado” Torres were ambling back to work. Rand swooped down on me like an angry crow.

  “Mrs. B, I was so worried about you! You and the Sandman just disappeared.”

  His twinkling eyes belied his words. Rand hadn’t worried one bit. He nudged me toward the elevators while Tony walked behind us. “You were right there. Weren’t you scared out of your mind?” Rand stopped. “I heard that Dr. Sand knocked you flat and covered you with his body. Mmm, lucky girl to have Lucian Sand as your personal protector.”

  Tornado chimed in. “Hey, man, that sounds like that Bodyguard movie. Cool.”

  I sensed an opportunity here.

  “Dr. Cahill was the brave one. I didn’t know what hit me.” I lowered my eyes. “That poor woman, Mrs. Cotter. She was bereft. I know what that’s like when you lose your husband.” I didn’t have to fake emotion. It was easy to empathize.

  Rand patted my shoulder. “She really loved him, you know, even though he cheated with every woman in Boston.” He glanced down at me. “Well, not every woman, but that’s only because he didn’t know you, Mrs. B.”

  I shook my head in mock sorrow. “Why does she blame CYBER-MED? I don’t understand. Meg said the manufacturer settled with the family.”

  Tornado smirked. “That’s the company line. Dr. Meg knows the whole story.”

  “Hush,” Rand interrupted. “We can’t discuss it, or we’ll lose our jobs.” The elevator opened on the fourth floor, admitting two women. When we exited, Rand stage whispered, “I’ll stop by later.”

  I headed straight for the executive conference room where Meg, Arun and a third man were hunched over, engaged in what looked like a serious conversation.

  “Sergeant Andrews. I just went to your office looking for you.” I gave him my best smile, sunny side up. “Oh, am I interrupting?”

  Meg’s eyes looked scalpel sharp. She pulled out a chair and forced a smile. “You’re always welcome, Elisabeth. After all, you were a witness to that mess last night.”

  Andrews rolled his eyes. “I know all about your visit to the station, Mrs. Buckley. Officer Cohen texted me. Texting! After all these years I finally found something that helps me out on the job.”

  I held my breath, hoping he wouldn’t mention the disk. He didn’t. Most of his questions concerned Katherine Cotter and her possible motive for murdering Tommy.

  “You have evidence?” I asked. “That woman killed Mr. Yancey?”

  “Nonsense,” Meg Cahill said. “Katherine wouldn’t hurt a flea. She never got near me. The woman needs help, not police harassment.”

  Arun chimed in. “Ian Cotter died a natural death, Sergeant. Check it out.”

  Cops are trained to control themselves. Mark Andrews compressed his lips, using every bit of training to restrain himself. Arun finished his part, nodded and looked to Dr. Meg for approval.

  “There’s just one thing, Dr. Rao.” Andrews spoke softly, choosing his words with care. “Your staff dropped the ball. When Cotter’s defibrillator went bonkers, your guys were twiddling their thumbs.” He leaned back in his chair. “At least, that’s what Mrs. Cotter believes.”

  Two blooms of color dotted Meg’s cheeks. Candy would have heartily approved of the natural blush. “That’s unfortunate, Sergeant. Now, if there’s nothing else …”

  Andrews reminded me of a crocodile lying in wait. “Perhaps we should speak privately, Doctor. This is a delicate issue.”

  “Nonsense,” Meg said. “My partners can hear anything you have to say.”

  “Do you want your attorney present?”

  What the hell! Was Andrews planning to drop some bombshell?

  Meg turned to me. “Mrs. Buckley is an attorney. She’ll look out for my interests. Now for heaven’s sake, spit it out.”

  “If you insist.” Andrews took his time thumbing through his file folder. “Dr. Cahill, were you and Ian Cotter lovers? According to his wife, he confessed to an affair.”

  I was so enthralled by the process that I forgot to object. Holy smokes, Rand was right. I expected Meg to faint, yell or stalk out of the room. I never expected her to laugh.

  Hearty peals of laughter rang out. Soon, Arun joined in. Andrews and I were the outsiders, stumped, unsure of what had just happened.

  Meg dabbed at her eyes as she regained her composure. “I’m so sorry, Sergeant, but you have no idea how amusing that is. Ian having an affair? How in the world did he have enough time?” She leapt to her feet, the image of the perky temptress Rand had described. “The man was a whore-master, a real hounddog. You’d have an easier time counting the women in Boston he didn’t screw around with.”

  Andrews put on his game face, but it was too late. He had lost the initiative.

  “So you admit that you had an affair with him.”

  She smirked. “I admit no such thing. Ian told me about his conquests. Ask Arun, he told him, too. The man couldn’t shut up. He was hardly discreet. Remember, he died in the bed of some celebrity’s wife. She’s the one you should be questioning, not me.”

  “Back to CYBER-MED, Dr. Cahill. It must be difficult to lose a patient, especially a high profile one like Ian Cotter.”

  Arun leapt to the rescue. “You don’t get it, do you? We monitor the IMDs, confer with the primary care physician, and make inputs as directed by them. Everything’s documented. No one runs amuck or ignores patients in distress. Check it out. You’ll see.”

  Meg steepled her hands and grew pensive. “You asked about losing patients. It’s always hard, Sergeant. High profile or not, they become part of our family. I’m a
physician, and I realize the inevitability of death, but that doesn’t make it any easier. When the patient is a friend like Ian Cotter, things are even more difficult.”

  She grasped her coffee cup like a lifeline. “If you’ll excuse me, I have another commitment.” Meg strode from the room with the dignity of a monarch. Arun trailed in her wake.

  “Hmm,” Andrews said. “That didn’t go so well.” As he rose, I grabbed his arm.

  “Do you have a moment? It’s important. I think I can help about Mrs. Cotter.”

  Andrews got a wary look in his eyes. “OK, let’s hear it. Nothing surprises me today.”

  “She didn’t do it,” I said. “Couldn’t have.”

  His eyes called me a lunatic, but his lips said all the right things. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Buckley. I don’t understand.”

  “Listen to the disk. I should have given it to you before, but I haven’t felt up to it.” That was true enough.

  Andrews’ back was ramrod straight. I had his attention now.

  “It’s my friend, Mr. Yancey, confronting the murderer. At least, I think it’s the murderer. Anyhow, it couldn’t be Katherine Cotter. These weren’t revenge killings.”

  Andrews stayed statue still. “These, plural? Are you suggesting more than one murder occurred?”

  I answered him like a lawyer, cautiously. “I’m not certain. Maybe.”

  Andrews leapt from his seat. “OK, that does it. You’re coming with me, Mrs. Buckley. Right now.”

  I held my ground. “I’m staying here. After you listen to it call me, and we’ll talk. I’ve told you everything I know. Anything else is supposition.”

  “Oh, yeah? Who was your source? Who gave you that tape?”

  I should have ratted him out. I should have let Lucian Sand fry, but something stopped me, and I chose instead to protect him.

  “A dead man sent it to me. Thomas Yancey.”

  Andrews stormed out of the office and slammed the door. He had barely cleared the corridor before Rand Lindsay rushed in.

  “Lordy, Ms. Elisabeth, what did you do to that man?” He grinned to take the syrup off his southern act. “I hope he didn’t pistol whip you.”

  “You have quite an imagination, sir. Sergeant Andrews just tried to rattle my cage. He’s obsessed with pinning something on Lucian Sand. Who knows why?”

  Rand pulled up a chair and settled in. “Oh, I can tell you that. Luc raised all kinds of hell when his brother died. Sued the manufacturer, tried to proceed criminally. He ran afoul of Andrews some way, and he never forgot it. Andrews, I mean, although Luc still holds a grudge, too.” He gave me that jack-o-lantern grin again. “Sandman really likes you, Mrs. B. He never let you go last night. I saw everything.”

  I doubted that Lucian would have any more use for me now that he’d found that disk. Of course, he still wanted my shares in CYBER-MED, so that might warrant an investment of time. He’d done me a huge favor. Now instead of mooning over some ruthless con man, I could focus on the task at hand, finding Tommy’s murderer.

  “Rand, I need your help on something. Find me the insurance policies on all the top execs, especially the key person policies. Andrews said Tommy had one for five million bucks. I want to study the wording before asking Meg anything.”

  “Will do,” Rand said. He looked toward the door and lowered his head. Guilt was smeared all over his face like jam.

  “Just one thing, Mrs. B. Rao said … that is I have to check with him before giving you that kind of stuff. I’m sorry.”

  The oh-so-helpful Arun Rao, how interesting. Between monitoring my activities and romancing Candy, he had the new partners well in hand.

  “Not a problem,” I said, picking up the phone. My smile combined sweetness with steely reserve. “Arun, sorry to interrupt. Can you stop by my office? Thanks.”

  I winked at Rand. “Don’t say a word. Everything is under control.”

  Five minutes later, Arun poked his head into the room. “Here I am, at your service.” His gleaming black hair was combed straight back today, and his banker’s grey suit projected confidence and competence. No wonder Candy was hooked on him. He was an exotic, alluring package. Too bad I didn’t trust him one inch.

  “I want to review CYBER-MED’s insurance portfolio,” I said, “starting with that key person policy you had on Tommy.”

  Rao stiffened slightly. “OK. Anything wrong, Mrs. Buckley?”

  Rand slowly backed out of the room, leaving us to confront each other.

  “Oh, no,” I said. “It’s standard industry practice. After I study it, I’ll discuss it with Meg and you. After all, five million dollars is a big chunk. Investing it wisely is what strategic finance is all about.”

  Rao’s face knotted in a frown. “Blood money, that’s all it is. I know I shouldn’t be emotional about money, but it’s like a bounty on Tommy.” He shuddered. “Meg is much more philosophical, of course. Comes from being a doctor, I guess. And Carter’s chomping at the bit, always talking about the bottom line.”

  “Carter seems like quite a businessman,” I said. “Did he invest much in CYBER-MED?”

  Another shrug. “I guess. Mostly he contributed business expertise. He and Tommy clashed more than once, I can tell you that.”

  Another insight into life at CYBER-MED. Tommy never mentioned strife or conflict with investors. A horrific thought struck me. Maybe he had tried to tell me, and I was too absorbed in my own selfish concerns to react.

  “Tommy lived for conflict,” I said, “always called himself a gladiator. Carter Cahill couldn’t shake his confidence, believe me.”

  Arun spent some time twisting his cufflink while I sat patiently awaiting the storm.

  “Forgive me, Elisabeth. I know this is none of my business, but …”

  I got a flash straight from the psychic hotline. Operative word: awkward. “OK, Arun. Does this have anything to do with Lucian Sand?”

  He stammered some kind of gutless response. “I’m concerned. Candy and I discussed it.”

  “Candy? You and Candy discussed my private life? Oh, that’s just great.”

  He held out his hand in protest. “No, it wasn’t like that, really it wasn’t. Candy’s happy for you. She said he would do you good. I just wanted you to know the truth. That’s all.”

  My gaze pinned him like a specimen on a slide. “And what is the truth, Arun?”

  “Don’t trust him. Lucian Sand can’t be trusted. He would do anything to get control of CYBER-MED.”

  The queasiness I felt was probably indigestion. Lucian Sand was a stranger, a rare error in judgment for someone as cautious as I. No big deal.

  “Dr. Sand is merely an acquaintance,” I said, “nothing to worry about.”

  Arun’s relief was palpable. “OK, then. I’ll leave you alone to read this stuff. Call me if you need anything else.”

  I donned my reading glasses and settled in for a long afternoon. It was chilling, reading the cold, dispassionate document with Tommy’s name on it, one that put a dollar value on his life. When Kai died, I had sleepwalked through the paperwork, guided by a battery of attorneys for the Buckley Trust. None of it mattered to me. Money was valueless without my husband.

  Tommy’s key person policy was quite specific. The proceeds were payable to CYBER-MED Corporation with one exception: one million dollars went directly to Carter Cahill, identified in the document as a primary lender. No wonder he had been so emphatic about return on investment. It was time to talk money with Meg.

  Fifteen

  She was waiting for me, hands folded, ankles crossed, the very picture of a well-bred lady. Even her smile was letter perfect.

  “Arun tells me you have questions, Elisabeth. Come on in. Please, take a seat.”

  Our eyes met, telegraphing an unspoken challenge. I’m ready for you, Doctor. Time to set things straight.

  I’d handled plenty of business negotiations at Sweet Nothings. Few things bothered me anymore. As long as I focused on Tommy, everything would be just fine.
I channeled my inner waif, hoping to allay Meg’s suspicions. It didn’t fool her for a minute.

  “Let’s talk money,” I said. “How do you plan to use the proceeds from Tommy’s insurance policy?”

  Meg uncrossed her ankles and leaned forward. “Isn’t that discussion premature? Until his murder is resolved, there is no money. Arun spoke with the insurance company today.”

  “Surely you’ve considered the issue,” I said. “You’re an excellent planner.”

  Meg shook her shiny platinum hair. “Perhaps I should call Arun. He’s a partner, too.”

  “As you wish. I’ll speak for myself and Ms. Ott. It’s all theoretical anyway.”

  She buzzed Rao’s number and poured herself more coffee. The woman mainlined caffeine. Shouldn’t a doctor be abstemious?

  Arun flew through the doorway as if Meg had some strange, hypnotic hold on him. He nodded to me and claimed a seat next to his mentor.

  “We’re discussing strategy, Arun. Tell Mrs. Buckley our proposal for using the insurance proceeds.” Meg leaned toward him. She had crossed her legs, letting a lacey black slip peek out over shapely knees.

  Dr. Arun Rao, prize pupil and automaton, recited his lines perfectly. “The funds were always meant to support CYBER-MED. We’ll use them to buy out you and Candy … Ms. Ott.”

  “Really? We’d consider that, of course, but we’re also entertaining another offer.”

  Meg’s body coiled like a striking serpent. I’d played a different card in the deck.

  “Another offer? May I ask who made this offer? We’ll match or exceed any reasonable bid. The survival of this company is critical.”

  I shook my head. “It’s still very preliminary, and I’m not at liberty to disclose any specifics.”

  “It’s Lucian Sand. I know it!” Arun leapt to his feet and started pacing. “He’s conning you, don’t you see? You can’t trust anything that guy says.”