“Sam and Tim Knudsen drove around to inspect some of the centers. Maybe someone noticed them. That’s the only thing I can think of,” Alex replied.
“Unless someone is leaking information to them,” Maggie said. “Or unless they have someone bugged. Now I’m sounding paranoid,” she said sheepishly. “I must be watching too much TV.”
“No,” John said. “I was thinking the same thing. We need to be very careful here. People in high places will lose their jobs and may go to jail. They could have done this,” he warned.
“When do you plan to go to the police?” Pete asked. “This is scary stuff.”
“I guess we should get the committee together in the morning to figure out what to do now,” Maggie replied. “And Pete—no one thinks you’re involved with this, and we should keep it that way. You and Laura have enough on your plates,” she said, with a knowing look.
“Maybe the police will come up with something. Maybe whoever set the fires left clues behind,” Marc said.
“The arson investigators from the insurance company may also be helpful,” Maggie added. “We’ve got lots of questions that we can’t answer right now. We know that evil is afoot. The main thing is that no one was hurt.”
“Absolutely right,” John interjected. “Whoever did this knew you weren’t going to be home. They didn’t want to injure you. At least that’s something.” He checked his watch. “It’s two thirty in the morning. Tomorrow will be a busy day. We need to get some sleep,” he said and began gathering up coffee cups.
“Leave all of that,” Maggie said. “I’ll take care of it. You’re right. I’ll email Tonya tonight and ask her to call me first thing. Why don’t we try to meet with the committee here sometime tomorrow? I’ll coordinate all of that.”
“Marc and I will want to go to the house in the morning to see if we can salvage anything,” Alex said. Marc nodded his agreement.
“I’ll pick you up and take you over there,” John offered. “At eight. It’ll be light then. You should try to get some sleep now.”
“I’ll feed you all breakfast first,” Maggie said as she ushered the group out of her kitchen and turned out the light. Pete and John headed for the front door as Maggie lead Alex and Marc upstairs to the bedroom at the top of the stairs. “I think you’ll be comfortable here,” she said as she turned down the bed. “You can leave the TV on all night if you like. I won’t hear a thing in my room. I know you’re keyed up, but at least lie down and rest. There is absolutely nothing you can do right now.” With that, she gave them each a hug and closed the door behind her.
Maggie walked wearily down the stairs to collect Eve. She was surprised to see John waiting for her in the foyer.
“I wanted to make sure you got all locked up,” he said.
Maggie smiled. “I’m careful,” she assured him. “What a night,” she sighed. “And we’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”
John turned toward Maggie. She wondered if he was going to kiss her. She hoped he was going to kiss her. He hesitated, one hand on the door handle. She smiled up at him.
“Skating is still fun for me,” Maggie said. “Thank you for reminding me.”
John drew a slow breath and regarded her thoughtfully. Not now, he thought. Not with all of this distraction, not with Alex and Marc at the top of the stairs. When I kiss this woman for the first time, I intend to rock her world. It was his turn to smile. He told her he enjoyed the evening and would see her in the morning. He opened the door and was gone.
Chapter 16
Tonya Holmes rose early on Sunday mornings. She relished the quiet time with her coffee and the Sunday paper before she and her husband sprang into action, getting their three school-aged children up and ready for church. They loved their church family and between Sunday school, the worship service, and fellowship time afterwards, Sunday morning was consumed with this ritual. The kids had friends that they only saw at church and, once they were out of bed, were excited about going. She retrieved her cell phone from her desk as she headed downstairs and saw her message light flashing. “It’s Sunday morning, for heaven’s sake. Whoever needs me can wait,” she grumbled.
She set the phone on the kitchen counter while she made a pot of strong coffee and retrieved the paper. The incessant red light finally got the better of her and she checked her messages. She was alarmed to see an email from Maggie at almost three a.m. and was shocked at the terse message: “Fires destroyed Alex’s home and office. Suspected arson. He and Marc are staying with me. John is picking them up at 8 a.m. to retrieve anything worth saving. May be related to our investigation. The committee needs to meet. Please call me. Be careful. Maggie.”
Tonya checked the time—six o’clock. Too early to call someone who was still up at three. She flipped the paper open to search for any mention of the fires. On the bottom of page four, section B, was a tiny article noting that fires had broken out simultaneously at the home and the office of local attorney Alex Scanlon. No causes for the fires were known, it reported. “No church for me this morning,” she sighed. Tonya tossed the paper onto the counter, filled two mugs with coffee, and climbed the stairs to wake her husband and fill him in on her plan.
***
Maggie had collapsed into bed as soon as she finished her email to Tonya. She faintly heard the TV in the room down the hall. Eve was conflicted over whether she should guard Maggie from the intruders or simply curl up and go to sleep. Sleep won over, and Eve hopped up to her usual spot at Maggie’s feet, circled, and settled down.
Maggie was awakened by Eve as it was just beginning to get light. For a moment, Maggie’s only thought was that she was way too tired to get up. Then the memories of all that transpired the night before flooded back, bringing Maggie to her feet, fully alert and ready to start the day. She threw on an old pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and headed downstairs. The grandfather clock on the landing told her it was seven thirty. John would be here soon to pick up Alex and Marc. John, she thought warmly. She would have to get back upstairs to run a comb through her hair, brush her teeth, and slap on some blush.
Maggie let Eve out, picked up her paper, and started the coffee. She checked her email and saw that Tonya had read her message. She fed Eve and raced upstairs to make herself more presentable. She was back down in the kitchen chopping ham and green onions for omelets when she heard John’s car on her driveway. She let him in before he could ring the bell. She ushered him into the kitchen. They were softly talking when Alex came downstairs.
“Help yourself to coffee,” Maggie said, pointing to the mugs on the counter. “Did you get any sleep?”
“Some,” Alex said. “I kept waking up and seeing my office in flames. I kept thinking about who would do this to us. And thinking about how I can take care of my clients.”
“You’ll have a lot to do the next few weeks,” John said. “One step at a time. Taking action will be the best medicine. You’ll get through and beyond all of this. You’ll see. I know it sounds trite, and easy for me to say, but you only lost stuff. Nothing that can’t be replaced.”
“John is absolutely right,” Maggie agreed. “You’ll start in today and will feel better about things tonight. Just don’t look too far ahead; don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by all that you have to do. It doesn’t have to be done in one day. And you’ve got friends to help you,” she said. “Now, the first step is to eat breakfast.” She slid a fluffy omelet onto a plate with one of the strawberry croissants she purchased from Laura. “Enjoy. You’ve got to eat,” she told Alex firmly, as Marc entered the kitchen.
“Wow, something smells good,” Marc said, giving Maggie a tired smile.
“You can be off as soon as you eat something.” Maggie was pouring eggs into the pan when Eve began to bark and the doorbell rang. John answered the door and soon returned with Tonya.
“I’m so glad that I caught you before you all left,” she said. “I’m devastated by what happened to you, but so thankful that you weren’t hurt. I’ve alrea
dy been on the phone with the chief of police and the fire marshal. They’re all over this. They’re competent and thorough. And they aren’t connected to the mayor or anyone on the council. The police have officers guarding both crime scenes. We’re going to get to the bottom of this. I promise you that,” she assured them.
“I talked to Sam,” she continued. “He’s going to meet you at your house and help you salvage anything that can be saved. You may want all of your daylight hours to work on that. I thought the committee should meet early this evening. Joan offered to make supper for us,” she said.
“We can meet here,” Maggie offered. “Alex and Marc will be staying with me while we sort all of this out,” she added in a tone that indicated the issue was not up for discussion. With an immediate plan in hand, the three men set out, and Tonya and Maggie returned to the kitchen to fix their breakfast and review the events of the previous night.
***
Sam was waiting in his truck when John, Alex, and Marc pulled up shortly before nine. The driveway was blocked by two police cars and the fire marshal’s SUV. “They won’t let anyone on the property until they finish their investigation,” Sam told them as they gathered on the street. “The insurance investigator is there, too. He’s the one who told me. Said that they should wrap it up by noon. The security fence will be installed this afternoon, and the insurance company will have the restoration folks here tomorrow to help you retrieve anything salvageable. They’ll clean it up and store it for you.”
Alex nodded. “That makes sense. I want to see if they have any more information on how this happened. Then I guess we need to buy some clothes for the next few days,” he said, turning to Marc. “I really need to spend time this afternoon getting my office back up and running.”
“I can take care of the home stuff. You work on your office. Let’s see if they have anything to report,” Marc said, pointing to the group stationed by their front door.
John and Sam hung back as the two men approached the fire marshal. “This is bad,” Sam said. “I don’t know if they were targeted because they’re gay, because of our pension fund investigation, or because Alex has made noises about running for mayor against Wheeler. Or all of the above.”
“I knew we had an old boy network in Westbury,” John said. “I thought they were an incestuous group of glad-handers. I never thought they were criminals.”
Sam described the drug deal he observed at the clothing exchange. “They may have their hands in that, too,” he said. “They must have known about it. Tim and I got the list of the centers and the names of the owners on the deeds. All of them were foreign partnerships or limited liability companies. Alex was going to find out who owns these foreign entities.”
“It may be time to turn this over to the police,” John said. “We can discuss it tonight. Make some decisions.” John pointed over Sam’s shoulder. “Here they come. Why don’t I take Alex to his car and stay with him today? You and Marc can pick up his car and you can help him. They’re both exhausted. I don’t think either of them should be off on their own today.” Sam nodded his agreement.
Alex and Marc reported that the fire started in the kitchen. Everything there was a total loss. The master bedroom was at the opposite end of the house and hadn’t been touched by flames but was badly damaged by smoke and water. The restoration company would begin work on Monday. They were given a prepaid credit card to buy necessities immediately. Alex was clutching a plastic box that appeared to be filled with papers. “These are old family photos and letters from my parents and grandparents. All I have left of them,” he choked. “By some miracle, they weren’t damaged. The police let me take them.”
Alex and John headed off to Alex’s office. Marc and Sam turned toward the mall to pick up clothing and toiletries. They promised to meet at Maggie’s at five.
***
Maggie and Tonya decided they should finish the report on the pension fund properties as soon as possible. They both feared that the investigation had made Alex the target of the previous night’s violence. The sooner they got the information into the hands of the police, the better.
Tonya called Beth as she was headed to a nearby park to walk her dog. She willingly abandoned her plans and turned back toward home. Tonya and Maggie joined her there, laptops in tow. Maggie spent the afternoon on the Internet, researching the owners of the shopping centers. The ones that had been acquired after a recent foreclosure were owned by a series of offshore partnerships or limited liability companies. “We’ve reached a dead-end on these,” she observed. “But we’ve definitely got red flags indicating fraud. Law enforcement will have to subpoena records to get to the people behind these offshore entities.”
Beth and Tonya spent the afternoon feverishly organizing and inputting data into a spreadsheet. Their efforts documented a sophisticated scheme.
“Absolutely astounding,” Maggie cried. “There’s nearly twenty-five million dollars misappropriated here! That’s enough to make them do some pretty desperate things.”
The women finished up shortly before four. They emailed their report to the committee and printed copies. Tonya set off for home to spend a few minutes with her children before the committee meeting. Beth said that she would stop by Joan’s to help her pack up the dinner to take to Rosemont. Maggie returned home and set the table.
***
The liquor store was closed, and Chuck and Ron Delgado were in Chuck’s office, indulging their Sunday afternoon habit of boozing and watching sports. Chuck cursed when he heard the telltale rap on the door below. He thought about ignoring it, but Frank Haynes was not a man to be ignored. Chuck switched off the TV as he buzzed Frank Haynes in.
“What’s wrong with the two of you? You had to torch both places?” Haynes exploded as he burst into the room. “What were you thinking?”
“We wanted to create a distraction for Scanlon. He’s the only one on their little committee that can do us any damage,” Ron replied.
“Two fires? No one will ever believe that these aren’t suspicious.”
“My guys got their wires crossed. They were only supposed to torch one,” Chuck interjected. “We got a two-for-one deal out of it.”
Haynes spun on him. “You think this is funny? Instead of creating a distraction, you’ve upped the ante on the investigation. We’re now going to have the cops and the fire marshal all over this. Maybe the feds.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Ron said. “This may not be such a bad thing. If they’re investigating the fires, they won’t be looking at the town’s books. Maybe Chuck’s created a distraction for both Scanlon and the authorities.”
“Yeah, and they may think that Scanlon was a target because he’s a queer. One of those hate crimes,” Chuck added. “The newspapers will eat that up.”
“How good are your guys?” Haynes asked. “Will the cops be able to trace anything back to you?”
“No worries, Frankie. They’re the best. They’ve been torching stuff in the tri-state area for years. Never been caught.”
Good God, Haynes thought. How in the hell did I ever let myself get mixed up with a low-life thug like Delgado?
“Don’t look so high and mighty, Frank,” Chuck said. “You’re in this up to your eyeballs, just like we are.”
“We shouldn’t fight among ourselves. We need to keep our heads down and get money back into the pension fund as soon as possible,” Ron advised. “We don’t need to do anything else that could bring attention to us,” he said, looking pointedly at his brother.
“I’m not stupid. I know that,” Chuck replied. He turned to Haynes. “We’re getting the money together, Frank. You’ll see. Quit worrying about it and let us work.”
Haynes took no comfort from their assurances, but couldn’t think of anything else to do or say at the moment.
***
The mood around Maggie’s kitchen table was somber as the exhausted group sat down to a simple meal of homemade lasagna, Caesar salad, freshly baked bread
sticks, and Joan’s renowned lemonade pie. “In a crisis, you need to carb-load,” Joan advised.
Sam asked if the group would mind if he said grace. “I’ve spent the day thinking how fortunate we are that no one was hurt and how much guidance we need on the way forward.” Sam addressed his maker with a sincerity and directness that indicated he did this on a regular basis. He ended his prayer by thanking God for this challenge and for the group working together by His grace to address it.
Uplifted by the strength of this gentle prayer and by the pleasure of the delicious meal, tension eased out of the group gathered around Maggie’s table. Easy conversation flowed about the first spring flowers and the excitement over the success of the high school basketball team. As plates were cleared and coffee refilled, talk turned to the day’s events.
Alex stated that his firm would be able to function fairly normally the next day. His landlord would move him to an executive suite in a nearby building until his office was restored. The automatic sprinkler had functioned well and the repairs were expected to take six weeks.
Marc had purchased what they needed to get by and was meeting with the restoration company at the house in the morning. The security fence was in place around the house.
Tonya took the floor last, handing out copies of the report and going over it in detail. John was the first to speak. “When you put all of the pieces together, it paints a grim picture of corruption. Add in last night’s arsons, and I believe we need to turn it over to the authorities. This is more than we can handle on our own.”
Alex jumped in. “The sooner the better. We can’t let anything happen to anyone else.”
“Are we all in agreement?” Tonya asked, scanning the room. All heads nodded. “I’m going to call Chief Thomas right now. I talked to him this morning and told him to expect a call tonight. I’d like him to come over and meet with us now. I know it’s getting late, so if any of you want to leave, feel free,” she offered, but it was clear that no one was going anywhere until the matter had been put safely into the hands of the chief of police.
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