The Plain Jane Mystery Box Set 2

by Traci Tyne Hilton

  “What do you think Shane’s end game is?”

  “He’s trying to get Kyle to out himself. That much is obvious. But if it’s because he thinks Kyle is the killer or just because he is mad about GameTestGate, as it’s been dubbed, I don’t know.”

  “Speaking of Kyle…” Jane had meant to lead with this, but Brenna had caught her off-guard. “I saw him today.”

  “Good. I was wondering when you would.”

  Jane flinched. “What? How did you know I might see him?”

  “It’s what you’ve been after, isn’t it? I knew if you were any good you’d find him eventually. And you found him. So, good. I’m glad someone capable is working on this.”

  “Aren’t you curious where he’s been? How he’s been? I think he’s cracked.”

  “His posts have given me a good indication that he’d cracked. And though he hasn’t left a lot of clues, there aren’t many places he could be hiding without a helping hand. And if he had a helping hand, there were even fewer places. You’ve already been here. You’ve been to Devon’s apartment. You’ve been hanging out with Ayla. So, I’m guessing he was either staked out at Ayla’s tattoo shop, in her apartment, or at his office. Or maybe Devon’s office.”

  Jane frowned. “If you had the answer, why didn’t you offer it to the police?”

  “If the police can’t find him, that’s their problem. I have my hands full with the online harassment, don’t I?”

  Jane wondered. Brenna had certainly filled her hands with it, but to what end? Could her paranoid hoarding of facts and clues actually solve anything? With online harassment it seemed the further you dug into it, the worse the harassment got. She withheld her opinion, since she wanted more information on Shane. “Do you think Shane is going to turn his online pestering into action?”

  “By the escalation of the harassment, I think he would if he could. But he’d have to know where Kyle was, and I don’t think he does.”

  “Do you think he might hurt Maggie?”

  “Yes, I do. But I can’t get her to take the threat seriously.” Brenna’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Jane. “And yet one of their best friends is dead.”

  “You don’t think Maggie is behind that, do you?”

  Brenna’s face didn’t change expression. “I think there is a small chance that Maggie killed Devon after the harassment began. She could have thought all of the death threats against her were his fault. It’s conceivable.”

  “But she has a pretty good alibi for the night he died.”

  “Only until midnight. After that, if she had hooked up with Devon, she could have killed him.” Brenna’s voice was absolutely without emotion. Maggie, her own sister, was just another potential killer on the list.

  “Do you think she did?”

  “No. Her current behavior, apart from a lack of fear, does not indicate a strong sense of guilt or shame. And to this point in her life she hasn’t shown any signs of sociopathic thought tendencies.”

  “Well, that’s something.” Jane felt it was especially something for the Frances parents, since it looked very much like Brenna showed some signs of a failure to empathize with other people.

  Brenna interrupted Jane’s thoughts. “Are you going to go talk to Shane?”

  “I might. I also need to talk to Ayla and tell her that I’ve seen Kyle.”

  “Have you told Maggie?”

  “She’s spoken to him.”

  “I think you should read the conversations between Shane and Kyle before you go.” Brenna handed Jane a tablet opened to the Voice of the Programmer forum.

  “Just this one thread?” Jane asked. She didn’t want to spend her whole afternoon hanging out in Brenna’s room reading hateful posts and threats.

  “Yes, that will give you a good idea of the way both of them have fallen apart over the last day or so.”

  Jane took a seat on the floor and read.

  It was horrible.

  By the end of the conversation, Shane had made it almost perfectly clear that he knew who Kyle was and where he was hiding. And his final comment, “Anonymity on the internet is a lie, and there’s no hiding from what we all know. Really man, no hiding. You are not hiding from me,” gave her chills.

  Jane laid the tablet down. “That was terrifying.”

  “Exactly.”

  “If I hadn’t come today, what were you going to do about it?”

  Brenna looked from her bedroom window to the door. “I hadn’t made a plan yet.”

  Jane’s eye swept the room, the labeled cups, the stacks of papers, the dark, covered windows. When this was all over, what would Brenna have in her life? “You’re pretty good at this crime stuff. Ever thought about going into forensics?”

  Brenna stared at her shelf full of fingerprint samples. “I’ve thought about it. I’ve got an application packet for a forensics program at a school in California, but I need to read it still.” She pushed her glasses up her nose and looked away.

  Jane saw the writing on the wall and was sorry. Brenna showed real promise in crime, but some people were paralyzed by life, and Brenna looked like she might be one of those.

  “Come with me to Ayla’s and then introduce me to Shane.” Jane opened the door.

  Brenna looked from Jane to the door and shrugged.

  Jane quickly texted Ayla before they left. Ayla was at work, but could take five if they came out there.

  “I couldn’t do this without you.” Jane kept her face serious, a reflection of the look on Brenna’s.

  “Okay.” Brenna grabbed a heavy looking backpack and followed Jane out to her car.

  “Now, I know you and Ayla don’t get along, but I think it will be good to have you there with me. I don’t know how she will respond to hearing about her brother.”

  “She’ll be fine. She’s not the type to have an outburst,” Brenna said matter-of-factly.

  Brenna’s prediction was right. The three girls sat in the breakroom at the tattoo parlor.

  “I can’t believe he was at the office the whole time.” Ayla stared into the distance with a dreamy and relieved look on her face. “I can’t believe he is still alive.” Her cheeks pinked a little bit.

  “I don’t know when the feds are going to let him go home, or if he managed to get them the information they needed to shut down the harassment of Maggie at VoP, but I agree, it’s brilliant that he is alive,” Jane said, “Our next question is: what should we do about Shane?”

  “I can’t do anything about anybody right now, but the least you could do is have a conversation.”

  “That’s what I think as well.” Brenna sat on a folding chair, far enough from Ayla that she could avoid looking directly at her without being rude.

  “Do either of you actually know him? Like in real life?”

  “No. I think Kyle does though.”

  “He knows Shane’s aunt at the insurance company, anyway.”

  “Why not start there?” Brenna sat up, alert all of a sudden. “Start with Hester at the insurance company. Why was Kyle writing her blog posts? Why had he bought insurance from her, even though it wasn’t a great deal?” She stood up and walked to the door as though she was the one who decided where they went next. “And then Hester can give us an introduction to Shane.”

  “It’s all the same to me,” Ayla said. “I’m working late tonight.”

  “Okay then.” Jane stood as well. “Thanks for meeting with me. I’m glad that Kyle is alive and I hope you get to see him sooner rather than later.”

  Ayla’s eyes sparking with tears all of a sudden. “Me, too.”

  Brenna and Jane drove to the Cascadia Surety office in silence.

  Brenna’s face was inscrutable, but Jane was sure hers reflected every single thought going through her head. Thoughts like: We’re going to harass a perfectly innocent woman at work. We are walking into a hornet’s nest and mare’s nest at the same time. Maybe this Hester was the criminal mastermind—a puppet master holding the strings to all of the progr
ammers. Maybe she had a deep hatred for the Frances family in general and had set out to destroy their happiness. Maybe she was a drug dealer. Maybe she met Devon to sell him drugs and then killed him.

  That was ridiculous. Jane laughed out loud.

  “What?”

  “Sorry. Just my mind is running, and the last idea I had—that maybe Hester was Devon’s drug dealer and had killed him was so crazy, it made me laugh.”

  “It’s not that crazy.”

  Brenna didn’t elaborate, and Jane didn’t like the feeling Brenna’s silence left her with.

  But it was too late to consider the implications of the silence—they were already at the office.

  The receptionist phoned Hester for them and asked them to wait a moment.

  They both stood to the side in the small but airy and modern waiting room; Jane filled with nervous energy, Brenna, perfectly still.

  A surprisingly young woman with an expensive blow out came into the foyer. “How can I help you?” Her face was smooth though her neck and hands hinted that her face was the result of fancy creams.

  “We would like a few minutes of your time,” Jane said. “I’m with Senior Corps of Retired Investigators. We handled your fraud case.”

  “Ah.” Hester didn’t look worried, though she hesitated before she invited them back to her office.

  Her office was less modern than the waiting area, but still bright and airy, with big windows facing a well landscaped courtyard. Hester indicated two chairs. “Have a seat.” She pulled her own chair out from behind her desk and sat facing them, her long legs crossed. “What can I help you with? I don’t work in the fraud department.”

  “Thank you for your time.” Jane fumbled with her purse, but managed to pull out a notepad and pen without spilling anything else. “I just have a few simple questions. To start with, how did you know Kyle Fish?”

  “He came via a word of mouth recommendation.” Her lips curled up, but her eyes were cold.

  “And who was that?”

  Her red lips parted, then closed again. She gave the cold smile. “Ah, now, I’d have to look that up.” She didn’t move to her files.

  “That’s fine.” Jane forced her mouth into a smile like shape, but knew her eyes probably lacked the love light as well.

  “Oh. Okay.” Hester got up slowly and moved to her computer. She typed at her keyboard, one eye on Jane. “There’s the file. Now, did I write down who their reference was?”

  Jane gave her thirty long, quiet seconds to search. “Might I suggest a potential person?”

  Hester looked up. “If you’d like.”

  “Was their referral your nephew, Shane?”

  Hester froze.

  Then she scratched her chin. She let herself smile. “You know, I think you are right.”

  Jane tilted her head, an almost friendly gesture.

  Hester took her seat again. “Yes, I think it was Shane.”

  Jane made a note. “And how long had Kyle Fish been writing insurance blog posts for you?” From the corner of her eye, Jane noted Brenna’s half smile.

  “Pardon me?”

  “Our writing expert has shown conclusively that the blog posts you have contributed to Cascadia Surety’s website were written by your client, Kyle Fish. I merely ask how long he has been doing that for you.”

  Hester held perfectly still, the fake smile frozen in place. “My personal assistant handles all of my social media. I really don’t know where she gets the blog posts.” She attempted a casual shrug, but it didn’t look very relaxed.

  “Is your personal assistant in today?”

  Hester licked her lips.

  Jane was pretty comfortable with this question. If the PA wasn’t in, she wasn’t in. But if she was, and Hester lied about it, it would be easy to find out, and very telling.

  “Let me check.” She moved to her desk again, this time rolling the chair with her, and putting the desk between herself and the two women. She picked up her phone and pressed a button. “Rose? Is Amanda still here?” She paused. “Okay, send her in then, please.” She cradled the phone and rested her hands on her desk.

  In just a moment the door opened. The woman that entered was about Jane’s age. She wore a short sleeved suit jacket and pants that looked professional, but sported a very large tattoo on her forearm. Wheels within wheels—rather, cogs. They were gold and brass colored, sort of, and steampunk looking. And they were tessellated.

  Jane hadn’t yet seen any of the art Devon had created for Ayla, but she did remember Ayla saying it often involved tessellations.

  “Amanda, this is Jane. She works with the private investigators who handle potential fraud cases.”

  “Good afternoon.” Amanda offered Jane her hand.

  Jane stood, shook hands, and got a better look at the tattoo. She’d want to describe it to Ayla, later. “Good to meet you as well. I just have a few quick questions, if you don’t mind.”

  “Shoot.”

  “How long has Kyle Fish been writing blog posts for you?”

  Amanda blushed slightly. “About six months. I would send him the topic, and, um, our research, and he would put it together real quick.”

  “Six months, huh?”

  “Yes.” Amanda frowned.

  “Could you look at the file and tell me again when it was Kyle bought insurance from you?” Jane asked.

  “Amanda, do you remember if Shane was the one who told Kyle about us? Or is it that you already knew him? I can’t seem to remember.” Hester smiled apologetically at Jane.

  Hester was good. She wasn’t going to get caught in a lie.

  “Yes, Shane introduced me to Kyle,” Amanda said.

  Jane made a note of it but didn’t let it discourage her. “Amanda, when was the last time you saw Devon Grosse?” Jane asked.

  Amanda frowned. “Poor Devon. That just broke my heart.”

  “And when had you seen him last?”

  “At a party at Shane’s. It was about a month ago. Devon doesn’t—didn’t—really go out much.”

  Jane glanced at Brenna, who had stiffened at the news that Amanda knew Devon.

  “Devon was a sweet soul,” Amanda said.

  “Had Devon purchased any insurance from Hester or Cascadia Surety?”

  “That seems very much outside the purview of your fraud investigation.” Hester spoke before Amanda could answer. “I think we need to wrap this up now.”

  Jane kept her eyes on Amanda who nodded, very slightly, at Jane.

  Jane lifted her eyebrows, but Amanda looked away.

  “One more question for you, Hester. How is your commission affected if the insurance is paid out?”

  Hester stood. “You can contact corporate for information on our commission structure.”

  Jane stood to go. At the door she stopped and turned around. “Just one more thing…were you blackmailing Kyle Fish so that he would buy overpriced insurance from you as well as provide you with his writing services for free?”

  “I will call security if you are not off these premises in the next two minutes” Hester’s face, while still relatively immobile, was bright red.

  Jane stood her ground. “I’m sorry for the less than subtle approach to the question, but your fraud department has rigorous standards.”

  “It wasn’t blackmail.” Amanda’s voice quavered. “Kyle was my contact, my friend. Shane only knew of him online. He directed me to Kyle’s blog, but he didn’t know him. And Hester doesn’t know anything about anything. He just…he just helped us out. For the writing credits and for, and for…for the writing credits.” She finished up lamely.

  “Amanda, you’re excused.” Hester’s voice was like steel.

  “Yes, of course.” Amanda inched her way past Jane.

  “What did you have on them?” Jane lifted one eyebrow.

  Hester picked up her phone again. “Security.” She spit the word into the receiver.

  Brenna yawned.

  Jane stifled a laugh. She tried to
make eye contact with Brenna, but it wasn’t happening. Brenna stared into the distance like this was the most boring thing she had ever done.

  A small man, about one hundred years old ambled into Hester’s office. “What’s this I hear?” His soft voice had a lovely country accent.

  Hester took a deep breath. “Please escort these young ladies off of the property.”

  The elderly guard’s face crinkled into a smile. “Aren’t I lucky to have a pretty girl on each arm? Come along now.”

  Jane couldn’t argue with that. “Thank you very much for your time. We will be seeing more of each other soon, I think.” She took the guard’s arm and let him lead her out with shuffling steps.

  Brenna was behind them. She stopped at the door and spoke to Hester. “If your assistant killed Devon Grosse we will find out. You can’t hide it from us.” She continued her steady pace behind Jane and the guard all the way to their car.

  But after all of Hester’s curious and suspicious actions, how had Brenna decided it was Amanda’s crime?

  While driving, Jane posed the question.

  “Amanda pretended to be sad.”

  “Devon designed her tattoo. I think she was being honest.”

  “Ayla did that. Devon might have drawn it, but he didn’t draw it for the assistant.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because he drew it for Ayla.” Brenna’s face was turned, staring out the window, but her chin quivered. “And then Ayla sold it to whoever wanted it on their arm.”

  “Amanda wanted it, and she knew Devon, so surely she liked him at least as much as she claimed she did. Why would she kill someone she liked?” Jane asked.

  “Why would Hester have killed him?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

  Brenna straightened up a little. “It might have been Hester. Her face went completely white when you said Devon’s name.”

  “You’re first thought was because she knew her assistant had killed him.”

  “Yes,” Brenna said.

  “My first thought was because Hester had killed him.” Jane scanned the road ahead for a good place to pull over. “And the key to Hester is the nephew, Shane. So how do we get to Shane?” Jane pulled into a Bean Me Up Scotty’s drive through. A little coffee while they made their plan wouldn’t hurt.