“I’m here to see Jeff Mitchell.”
“He’s not in.”
Don showed her his badge. “I just want to ask one of his clients a couple of minor questions about a case. I’ve called and left a number of messages. When will he be in?”
“Not for another couple of days.”
Don felt his blood rise. “I’ll just have a seat. Maybe he’ll surprise us and drop in.”
She smacked her lips and snorted, “Suit yourself.” She turned her back to him and continued looking at various postings on Facebook.
Don squirmed on the hard chair, trying to get comfortable. After a few minutes, he leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.
A squeak caused him to start. The receptionist got up from her chair and walked down the hall towards the ladies’ room. Don jumped up and hustled through the rest of the office space, exploring. He swung open a door and found a room containing boxes with files and papers scattered everywhere. He opened the next door and found a run-down desk with shelves of legal books behind it. There was a calendar on the desk. Don studied it and found two weeks scratched out with the words “Mom - Florida” written across the dates. With a groan, Don spun around and strode to his car.
Chewing his lip, he sat in the driver’s seat. “I can’t catch a break!” He reached for the murder book that sat in the passenger seat. He thumbed through the pages until he found the name of the woman who might have stolen Barry’s app. Scrolling through his contact list, he found Rebecca’s name and made the call.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Early evening found Don standing at Kate’s door smoothing his tuxedo and adjusting his red bow tie. He straightened his shoulders and rapped on the door. A Christmas wreath hung on the door with bright red bows and golden bells that jingled merrily in response.
Kate opened the door. She wore a shimmering strapless red gown and her dark hair was swept up in a French roll at the back of her head. “Hi Don, come on in.” She touched his shoulder. “You look great.”
“Hi.” Don cleared his throat. “So do you.”
He wiped his suddenly damp palms on his pants before he pointed to her neck. “First time I’ve seen you without the necklace.”
“It didn’t look right with this dress.” Kate shrugged.
She walked over to a table and pointed to her gun. “See? I didn’t have to use it once today.”
Don took in a deep breath and walked over and unloaded it. “If we are going to make it to the ballet we’ll have to talk about this later.” He glared at her.
“Suit yourself.”
Don helped her on with her long black wool coat and they headed out.
Don used the valet to park his SUV, then stood in front of Kate before they went in. “You ready?”
“You bet, Detective Layden.”
He put his hand on her back and guided her into the room.
As Don took care of her coat, Kate looked around at the room filled with patrons of the arts all wearing their best attire. Women were dressed in gowns of all colors. Their faces were decorated with lots of makeup and sparkles of jewelry hung on their ears and around their necks. The men looked dashing in their tuxedos and expensive suits. A few patrons were casual, but they were in the minority. Probably due to the affluence of tonight’s crowd. Kate walked over to a window that looked down upon the beautiful entrance to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and sucked in her breath. Two story statues of dancers graced the acres in front of the glass building that was a piece of art in and of itself. The lighting on the statues was positioned to inspire. It succeeded.
Don walked up behind her. “Pretty isn’t it?”
She spun around and closed her eyes for a second. “It’s absolutely fabulous.”
“Seen our friend yet?” Don asked as he surveyed the room.
Kate shook her head and studied the crowd for a few minutes. “No, but I see Mr. and Mrs. O’Donnell, Alicia’s parents.”
They walked over, greeted the elderly couple, and Kate gave each of them a quick hug.
“Interesting.” Elizabeth O’Donnell looked from Don to Kate. “I didn’t know you were a couple.”
Kate touched the older woman’s arm. “We met due to the case.”
Elizabeth cast her eyes down to the floor and Elliott stepped towards Don. “What’s this I’m hearing that there isn’t enough manpower to work the case? Is that true? And why are you here when he hasn’t been caught?”
Don paused for a beat. “I don’t make the manpower decisions. But I’ll do what it takes to catch this guy. Know that.” He scratched his head for a second as a memory flashed in his brain. “Can’t go into why I’m here, but I have a question for you. Is one of the firms that you are investing with named Witt Real Estate and Investments?”
“Why yes, it is. Why do you ask?”
“I remember the name from an envelope on your desk when Luke and I interviewed you. How did you find the company? Do you like the service?”
“It’s all right. I invested a sum of money a couple of years ago and I keep getting statements showing good growth.” Elliott raised his eyebrows. “I met the owner here at one of these functions as a matter of fact.” Elliott’s eyes narrowed. “What does any of this have to do with Alicia?”
“Mr. O’Donnell, I can’t say right now. You’ll have to trust me on this.”
Elliott studied Don’s eyes and took note of the dark circles under them and the bloodshot color due to a lack of sleep. “I believe there are others here who have investments with that firm. Let me introduce you.”
Elliott led Don to a group of four gray-haired men in tuxedos sipping on what smelled like scotch. Don observed a group of four women near them who he assumed were their wives. Elliott introduced Don as the lead detective for the murder investigation of his daughter and her friends. Don found himself wincing. So much for being incognito.
“Detective Layden asked me about Witt Real Estate and Investments. My statements show good results. I thought I remembered someone in your illustrious group investing with him as well, am I right?”
“I did.” Don turned to face a man of about five feet ten and about 180 pounds. Don guessed him to be about fifty, at least fifteen years younger than the rest of them. He was athletic-looking and had the goggle tan of someone who’d been skiing recently. The man reached out his hand to shake Don’s. “I’m Cameron Ingalls. I met Barry here right at the time I was looking to invest after selling some real estate. I knew of his name from the real estate market and knew that he had achieved success there.”
“How are your investments doing?”
“To be honest, about two weeks ago I thought about filing a complaint. I wanted to withdraw some funds to give my daughter a down payment on her house, and I couldn’t get in touch with Barry or anyone else in his firm. Then he finally called me back and sent a check. He said he’s been out of town or something. Bottom line - I have the money I wanted.”
Don found himself jotting down information in the little notebook he thought to put in his tux. “So, you feel at ease about the rest of your funds?”
Cameron studied Don for a moment. “You can check them?”
“If you file a complaint, we can look into it,” Don answered. “If I get enough evidence of possible improprieties, I can get something going.”
“Good to know.”
Elliott and Don moved towards the bar where a blonde man named Clark told Don a similar story. “Yes, Detective, I really was concerned with my funds being in Witt Real Estate and Investments for a while, but I was able to get the money out that I wanted.”
A man standing nearby turned to them when he overheard the words ‘Witt Real Estate and Investments.’ Grinning broadly, he said, “Small world! Do you invest with Barry Witt? I just met him at church and I was ver
y impressed with him. As a matter of fact, I believe our church’s funds are with him now as well.”
“What church do you go to?” Don asked.
“New United Community Church.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Across town, the light from the computer screen illuminated Barry’s eyes. Cigarette smoked swirled around his head as he studied various growth projections.
He jumped when his cell phone rang.
“Hi, David.” As he listened to David’s news, a smile crept onto his face. He reached for a paper and pen. “Give me the address of that church again. I’d love to give a presentation to their finance committee next week. I was just looking at some fine investment options. This time we’ll go domestic to diversify our assets. Great work and keep it coming.”
He leaned back and stared at the address. Then he reached for the list in the leather folder.
Chapter Thirty-Six
The waiters had finished clearing the plates from dinner at the Denver Center for Performing Arts when a bell chimed and startled Don. He jumped and looked around left to right, turning around to get a full view of the room. Coming in through the doorway were several petite women wearing glimmering tutus, toe shoes, and pink tights. Delicate crowns on their heads sparkled along with their heavily made-up eyes as they appeared to float into the room. Some muscular male dancers wearing colorful costumes came in behind them. “Wow.” Don glanced at Kate. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Elizabeth murmured as she observed the dancers moving among the crowd. “Human beings who turned themselves into art.”
The dancers filtered throughout the guests and some applause started. Then the chef swept into the room and waved to the crowd. Taking his white chef’s hat off his head revealing jet black hair that matched his eyes, he bowed.
Some cheers broke out and he trotted over to one of the dancers and gave her a hug. “Welcome, everyone,” he said in his charming French accent. “I hope you enjoyed the dinner. As you may know, I am opening my second restaurant in your great country this week. My sister asked me to stop here in Denver and give you wonderful patrons of the Colorado Ballet a preview of my cuisine.” He hugged his sister again. “I was delighted to do so and am thrilled to know you all want to support this beautiful ballet company and the wonderful talent here.”
Checkbooks and credit cards came out of pocketbooks and wallets. A line formed at an out-of-the-way table that was decked out with red and green satin ribbons and glistening golden ornaments. A small, tasteful sign indicated that this was where to make contributions. There were even computer stations set up so that online donations could be made right then and there. In addition, a smattering of signs that indicated how to donate using your phone.
Don leaned over to Kate. “Barry might be a really screwed up person, but he knew what he was doing by focusing on this group. Definitely some money in this room.” He pulled out his notebook and looked at his notes. “Several of the guys I spoke with tried to pull out some funds but couldn’t get in touch with Barry to get their money. Then, right about the same time, they all got calls from Barry. Got their investments back.” He tapped the notebook with his index finger a few times. “You know, it almost sounds like a Ponzi scheme. Right about the time Barry got a lot of funds from a church in town, the clients from this group got the cash they wanted.”
He reached for his phone. “I’m going to give Luke a call with the information I got tonight. See what he can find out.” Don paused. “Oh, and please see if you can locate that Rosalyn woman. I haven’t been able to get in touch with her. Have you seen her?”
“No, but I’ll look for her while you call Luke.” Kate searched the room but didn’t see any sign of Barry’s friend.
Soon the lights dimmed and got bright, the signal that it was time to get inside the theatre because the performance was about to begin. Kate’s back tingled when Don put his hand on it to guide her to their seats. She gulped some air as they sat down.
Don leaned towards her. “You okay?”
She nodded and smiled at him. “I’m just excited to see this. My mom took me to see The Nutcracker in Chicago when I was a little girl. I’ll never forget it. It was magical!”
“Nice.” Don settled into his seat, stifling a yawn. Spending the night in the Crown Vic was catching up to him.
The lights darkened, and the music glided up from the orchestra pit and soared to the balcony as the curtain disappeared amongst the rafters to reveal the artists as they danced their story.
Soon, the performance was over. Don signaled for his car as he and Kate stood outside in the winter mountain air. He watched the crowd exit, heavy winter coats buttoned up and their breath creating steam as they raved about what they had just seen.
Kate huddled in her coat with her hands in her pockets as Don jumped up and down to stay warm. He was relieved when the valet drove up. “The seat heaters will kick in before you know it,” Don said as he turned them up.
“I can’t believe you didn’t wear a coat.” Kate stared at Don. “Are you crazy?”
“If I am, that’s good because it’s keeping me awake.”
“Yeah, I noticed you were nodding off now and then. You probably aren’t a big ballet fan. I understand. Most men aren’t.”
Don’s face softened. “Actually, my wife Uelle and I caught a performance once or twice a year. We never went to The Nutcracker though.” He turned to face Kate. “The reason I’m so beat is because I sat in the Crown Vic and watched your condo all night.” Kate’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped but no words came out of her mouth.
Don’s phone interrupted the silence. Luke was on the other end. “So, based upon when the sale of his real estate transactions took place, it’s likely that he sold most of his real estate holdings at a loss.”
Don paused. “Any history of mental illness? Intelligent people can cover that up until they get under a lot of stress. Then they break. Can you check that out?” Don listened. “Yeah, still no probable cause. But we’re getting closer. However, I have to get some sleep tonight. It’s all I can do to sit in the car in this traffic jam. Let’s touch bases in the morning.”
As Don put his phone down Kate gasped. “I just can’t believe Barry would do this. I mean he was definitely a creepy guy, but murder?”
Don tapped the steering wheel. “This is the first time since I’ve started working on the case that I feel like things are beginning to come together.” Don paused. “A week or two after you see him at Jose’s is close to the time his financial life was crumbling. It’s also near the time Alicia was killed. Too early to draw any conclusions yet, but it’s something to think about.”
The traffic crawled forward and Kate noticed Don yawn again. “I’m sorry you felt like you needed to watch my place all night. That’s just crazy. I’m fine, really.”
Don took in a deep breath, let it out again, and closed his eyes for a second. In measured tones he said “Kate, quit being so incredibly stubborn. Use that brain of yours. This guy is unstable.” Don ticked off the issues on his fingers. “One, the guy’s business falls apart so he has to let all of his associates go and close his office. Two, he has to sell some nice real estate investments at a loss. Three, his name is on a list of foreclosure notices, which means that he has other bills that are past due too. Four, right around this time, he sees the beautiful employee that he lusted after and who rejected him come into a restaurant and ignore him. That’s rejection. Again.” Don paused. “And from what we know, he never really received any recognition for anything. He was bullied in high school, and even his own parents ignored him! Now he’s all over the news. He’s got a taste for murder. He wants to do it again. Next time it could be you.”
Kate blinked. Voice trembling, she said, “Do you think the murders are my fault?”
Do
n looked at the ceiling of his car and stifled a groan. “No, Kate, I think this guy is nuts. He was ready to blow. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He turned toward her and his voice rose. “But let’s make sure that doesn’t happen again. Because the next time you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, your blood and your brains could be splattered all over your beloved photos of Boise State University.”
Kate sat back and stared at the lines of bright red taillights as they snaked forward. Short of breath, she had to wipe her forehead from the sweat that formed there. “I was on my laptop earlier so I took a look at the hotel’s forecast before I left. We picked up some room nights. The hotel is sold out tonight.”
“That’s fine. You can stay at my place. I can’t spend the night outside of your condo again, and I’m convinced the graveyard security guard couldn’t catch a murderer if the guy walked right up to him and confessed.” He let go of the steering wheel and briefly held up his hands. “No strings attached. I have a guest room and some clothes you can wear. You’ll be safe and I’ll get some sleep. Win, win.”
They arrived at Don’s condo and Don helped Kate with her coat. Kate caught her breath as Belle chirped. “You have a bird?”
“Yes, I do,” Don laughed. “Do you want to meet her?”
They walked towards the chirping and Kate’s eyes lit up when she saw Belle. “Oh! She is so beautiful! What’s her name?”
“Her name is Belle.” Don reached into the cage and waited for the bird to step onto his finger before he withdrew his hand and brought her up to Kate.
“Hi, Belle,” Kate cooed. “What a perfect name for such a pretty birdie. Yes, you are, you’re a pretty birdie aren’t you?”
Belle looked at Kate curiously, tilting her head this way and that.
Deadly Gratitude Page 20