Numbers Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 7) Read online

  “Maybe because she wanted it to look like the murderer was caught doing something he shouldn’t be?” Jo shrugged. “It’s possible.”

  “Yes, it is possible.” Samantha nodded. “She would have wanted it to seem as if someone else entirely did it, so that not even an ounce of suspicion would be cast on her.”

  “Maybe, but that doesn’t mean that she did it.” Walt folded his hands on the table.

  “And it doesn’t mean that she didn’t.” Samantha twirled a napkin between her fingers. “We need to think about the motive here. Clearly Jimmy had motive, he would benefit from Magnus’ death.”

  “And Madeline would finally be out from under his thumb.” Eddy looked over at Walt.

  “And Kent could have easily lied about being knocked out.” Walt insisted. “What did you find out from Chris?”

  “Just that there are no records of Kent actually being injured. No pictures, no medical evaluation, nothing but his own word,” Eddy said.

  “That’s odd.” Samantha tapped a finger against the table. “If I was injured by someone at work, I’d want that medical evaluation. I’d want to prove that it happened while I was on duty. That way I might be able to get worker’s compensation, or even better file a lawsuit against a very wealthy company.”

  “Maybe he’s just an honest guy.” Jo shrugged. “I know that’s a stretch because of how sue happy everyone is these days, but it might be possible, right?”

  “Maybe.” Eddy looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “Well, one thing we do know is that Jimmy’s keycard was missing, or so he claims. If he really didn’t hide it or get rid of it in an attempt to make himself look like a victim, then maybe someone else took it. They might have even been an employee and took Jimmy’s card so they didn’t have to use their own card and draw attention to themselves or maybe they even took it to implicate Jimmy in the murder. Whoever has it, is likely to be our killer.”

  “So, you want me to get into Kent’s house?” Jo snatched one of Eddy’s cheese fries before the dish even settled on the table.

  “Hey.” Eddy sighed.

  “It’s one of the perks.” She stole another one. Once the waitress was gone Eddy nodded at her.

  “Yes, I think a look around Kent’s house would be a good idea. He’s the easiest suspect to access and a good place to start. Maybe we’ll find something that implicates him, or we’ll find something to clear him. Whichever it is, it will help the investigation.”

  “I’m sure I can handle breaking into his place.” Jo popped another fry into her mouth.

  “Seriously, the two of you are eating like teenagers. We don’t have the luxury of ignoring our digestive systems.” Samantha shook her head.

  “You may know a lot of things about me, Samantha, but my digestive system is something we will never discuss.” Eddy grinned.

  Samantha sighed. “I’ll look up Kent’s house so we can get an idea of how we can approach this.” She tapped the screen of her phone.

  “Do you think there’s a way we can get into Madeline’s?” Eddy shot a look over at Walt.

  “I don’t think that’s wise. She might be living alone, she was when I worked at the company. If we were to be caught breaking in, there would be a lot of wrong ideas,” Walt said. “Let’s take this one suspect at a time.”

  “Hey pal, it’s your life on the line. These detectives are chomping at the bit to get someone in custody and put Magnus to rest. We may not have the luxury of taking our time.” Eddy furrowed a brow. “She doesn’t have to know that you were involved.”

  “Eddy, let’s focus on Kent.” Walt picked up his glass. “That’s that.”

  Eddy sat back in his chair. He moved his mouth slightly as if he might speak again, but in the end silenced himself with a cheese fry.

  “Here it is.” Samantha held up her phone for everyone at the table to see the picture on it. “It’s a townhouse, so there will be neighbors and limited entrances. But there is a balcony on the back of the house.” She flipped to another picture that displayed the back of the house.

  “Oh look.” Jo smirked and pointed out an overflowing ashtray in the corner of the balcony. “A smoker. This might be easier than I expected. Always ducking out for a smoke break often means forgetting to lock the door behind you.”

  “All right, then I guess we strike tonight?” Eddy looked around the table at each of them.

  “Meanwhile, I think we should dig deeper into this connection with Hiller Brothers and Hiller Maximum. I really believe there could be something there,” Walt said. “Can you see if you can get a printout of the financial transactions for both companies from Chris for me please, Eddy?”

  “All right, I’ll try.” Eddy nodded at Walt. “Let’s all call it a day. Samantha, if you can dig any deeper into Kent’s social media profiles that would be great. Since he works the night shift, and he said he will be back to work tonight, we shouldn’t have to worry about him walking in on the break-in. Jo, do you need any supplies?”

  “No, I have it covered, but thanks for asking.”

  “Well, since I’m supplying you my cheese fries, I thought perhaps I’d make a habit of it.”

  “Ha ha.” Jo took the last fry out of the dish.

  “Cruel.” Eddy shook his head. As the four left the restaurant Eddy hung back and caught Samantha by the arm. “A moment?”

  “Sure.” She met his eyes with a small smile. “If it’s about what I said about Owen, I’m sorry. That wasn’t my business to share with the group.”

  “I’m not worried about that. Owen thinks we’re all dying, he’s young enough not to realize that a little bit of creak in the bones is just a sign of a good life. I need to ask you to do something, but I’d prefer that you keep it between us. I’ve noticed that Walt is a little sensitive about the topic and I don’t want to do anything to upset him more than he already is.”

  “Okay, what is it?” She inquired.

  “The receptionist, Madeline, has worked with Magnus for a very long time. I’m sure she knows just about everyone he did, and everything about him. If you could dig into her social media presence, maybe even her personal files, whatever you can access, that might be able to tell us something.”

  “What’s the back story? Did she and Walt have a thing?”

  “I’m guessing it was more of a missed romance.”

  “Ah. Those are tough, especially when you see the person again.”

  “That’s true, but this person that he’s seeing again might just be a murderer. So let’s find out what we can about her. If we don’t find anything on Kent tonight, then we’re going to need to look into her house next. Breaking into Jimmy’s would be a last resort as the police already have an eye on him.”

  “Okay, no problem. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “And like I said, try not to mention it to Walt.”

  “I won’t.” Samantha’s gaze lingered on his. “I think it’s good that you’re so worried about his feelings.”

  “I think it’s frustrating that the investigation has to be slowed because of it.”

  “Walt is a very delicate man.” Samantha looked out through the door of the restaurant at Walt opening the door to her car for Jo.

  “Most of us are.” Eddy patted her shoulder, then held the restaurant door open for her. “Let’s get out there before they get suspicious.”

  As he walked up to Jo he caught the door before Walt could shut it. “So tonight, we’ll meet at nine? Walt, it’s best if you stay home. If this goes south I don’t want you anywhere near it.”

  “Oh, but it’s just fine if I’m caught red-handed?” Jo laughed. “I’m just kidding. Eddy’s right, Walt. It’s best for you to be as predictable as possible.”

  “Well, that shouldn’t be too hard.” Walt laughed.

  Eddy walked over to the car with him. Just when they were about to get into the car, Walt looked across the top of it at him.

  “It’s strange, Eddy.”

  “What is
?”

  “For years, I worked with hundreds of people. I have met so many people in my lifetime, but it wasn’t until I moved to Sage Gardens and met the three of you that I had any true friends.”

  “I don’t think that’s strange at all, Walt. I find myself feeling the same way.”

  “Then I hope that you will trust me when I tell you, Madeline wasn’t involved in any of this. I’d rather she not think that I suspect her.”

  “Don’t worry, Buddy, I’m not going to do anything to ruin your second chance.”

  “It’s not like that, Eddy.”

  “If you say so.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Eddy dropped Walt off at his villa. Walt turned back to thank him, but Eddy drove away before he could. No matter what his friend said, Walt suspected that he was not too happy with him. Not that he could really blame him. Walt had been evasive, and that was the worst way to be during an investigation. He unlocked the door to his villa, then stepped inside. With his mind still buzzing from the conversation with Madeline he paced through his living room.

  Each time he closed his eyes even for just a second he relived moments of time that he had spent working for Magnus. So much of that time involved Madeline. He always had to go through her to get to Magnus, everyone did. A thought floated through his mind. The moment it did, he wished it hadn’t. Was it possible that Madeline decided once and for all to rid herself of the overbearing man that pinned his employees beneath his thumb? Maybe she didn’t have the heart to do it herself, but she would probably have the means to hire someone else.

  Walt settled at the computer and reluctantly opened a few of the tools that he used to investigate the finances of people and businesses. He didn’t want Eddy to investigate Madeline, but that meant he needed to investigate her himself.

  As Walt began to look for information on Madeline, his mouth grew dry. It was simply not the same to look into someone’s life that he knew, as it was to look through a stranger’s. Each time he found information about her his stomach flipped. It was not his business what she spent her money on. It was not for him to know that she had recently bought a new house, unless she decided to tell him. He closed his eyes and wiped his fingers across the lids.

  “What are you doing, Walt? She didn’t have anything to do with this.” Instead of looking any further he shut the computer down. All of the suspicion that swirled around him was making him lose his focus. The attention needed to be where it belonged, on Jimmy. He recalled the small payments from Hiller Maximum. There had to be a reason for them. Jimmy wasn’t receiving payments from any other company, so it was unlikely that he was engaged in freelance work. Not to mention that there was another company that appeared to belong to the same person or at least the same family. It was quite suspicious from any direction that he looked at it. He picked up his phone and dialed Samantha’s number.

  “Hi Walt, how are you holding up?”

  “I’m doing okay. Any luck so far?”

  “No, not really.” She sighed. “I can’t seem to get any good information.”

  “Could you maybe take a break and look into something for me?”

  “Sure, what is it?” Samantha asked.

  “There’s a company called Hiller Maximum. Anything you can find on it would be great.”

  “And the reason you’re looking into it?”

  “I’ll let you know after you tell me what you find. It may be nothing, but I want to be able to cross it off my list,” Walt said.

  “Okay, no problem. I’ll give you a call if I find anything.”

  “I wish I could be there with you guys tonight.”

  “I know you do, but this is something that we have to do without you. Don’t worry I’ll be sure to call you with an update as soon as we leave.”

  “Good. Thank you so much, Samantha. I don’t know what I would do without all of you.”

  “You’re not going to have to find out, Walt. That’s why we’re all working together, to keep you safe.”

  “I just wish I could do more myself.”

  “You’d be surprised how much you really are doing. Just try to be patient with yourself, Walt. When the time comes I am quite certain that you will have the key evidence to break the case.”

  “Sure. Talk to you later, Samantha.” He hung up the phone before he could say anything more. Samantha was only trying to help, but he was exhausted by how much help he needed. All he really wanted was to crack the case completely on his own.

  Walt pulled off his tie and sat down on the edge of his bed. It was too early for a nap really, but he was exhausted. The intensity of the investigation took more out of him than he expected. As he gazed towards the window he thought about his time with Magnus. He never really took the time to get to know the man, not that Magnus would have allowed it. But he wondered how Madeline endured working for someone like him for so many years. Was it really just about the money? Was there something more between them? He grimaced as he realized that he was beginning to think like Eddy. His fingertips glided across the comforter beneath him to smooth out the wrinkles he created by sitting on it. There was nothing to smooth out the wrinkles in his mind though.

  The more Walt thought about it, the more certain he was that the investigation would begin to target him. Jimmy had an alibi, and it appeared as if no one even thought of Kent as a suspect. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. He kicked off his shoes, then picked them up and placed them neatly under the bottom of the bed frame. Then he stretched out on the bed. In his mind he counted down the seconds that it should take for him to fall asleep. He knew every little pattern that he had. He had so many years to get to know himself, and so few to get to know anyone else. Yet somehow Madeline sparked an interest in him.

  Walt closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He lost count and had to begin again. With the numbers whirring through his mind he began to grow sleepy. Just as he was about to drift off into sleep, his cell phone began to ring. He yawned and forced himself to sit up. He was sure that it had to be Eddy calling with an update on the case. However, the phone number was unfamiliar to him. He considered ignoring it as he was quite certain that it would be a sales call, but something compelled him to answer.

  “This is Walt.”

  “Hi Walt.”

  He pressed the phone against his ear. Could it be who he thought it was? “Madeline?”

  “Yes, it’s me. I’m sorry, I know that I probably shouldn’t be calling.”

  “Why are you?” His tone was more abrupt than he intended. “I’m sorry, I mean it’s fine that you call.”

  “It really isn’t. With the murder I know what your friend was trying to ask me today.”

  “Please don’t let him bother you, he’s a retired police officer and is more accustomed to interrogation than conversation.”

  “I noticed that.” She laughed. “Thank you for the reassurance. Still, it’s unfair of me to put you in this position.”

  “What position is that?”

  She took a long, audible breath. He raised an eyebrow and waited for her response. “The truth is, I wanted to call you for personal reasons.”

  “Personal reasons? I’m not sure I understand.”

  “Walt, when we worked together, I know it was a very long time ago, but I really enjoyed it.”

  “So did I.”

  “When you stood up to Magnus the way you did, you made a huge impression on me.”

  “Oh?” Walt smiled a little. “It was one of my braver moments.”

  “It was more than brave. It was bold, and determined, and so very good of you.”

  He tightened his grip on the phone. “I still don’t understand what this is about.”

  “It’s about the fact that I developed a crush on you back then.”

  “A crush?” He laughed.

  “I’m serious.”

  His laughter faded. “You can’t be.”

  “But I am. I hoped the entire time on that last day that you
would ask me out, or at least ask for my phone number. I was too shy to ask you then and I’ve always regretted it.”

  “Madeline, I had no idea.”

  “I don’t know how you didn’t see it. I practically fell all over myself to try to make it clear.”

  “I thought that you were just being kind. I didn’t realize.” He sighed. “Wow, I wish I had.”

  “Me too.” She cleared her throat. “But now, all this time later, we are thrust back into each others’ lives. It makes me wonder if there might be something deeper at work here.”

  “I think it is pretty amazing that we have been reunited, I just wish it had been under different circumstances.”

  “Yes, that is unfortunate. I was wondering if you could meet me for dinner.”

  Walt glanced at his watch. He wasn’t supposed to be there when Jo broke in. He could either sit at home alone and obsess over the case, or he could take a chance and have dinner with a woman who remembered him after so long.

  “Sure, I can do that. Where?”

  “Pacific?”

  “What time?”

  “About seven?”

  He cringed at the approximate time. He needed to know the hour, the minute, even the second if possible.

  “Uh huh, seven. Okay, I’ll be there.”

  “Great. We’ll talk then.”

  As soon as Walt hung up the phone he realized what a mistake he’d made. He agreed to go to dinner with a woman who Eddy considered to be one of the main suspects in Magnus’ murder. The main problem he had though was that he had to figure out what to wear. He hadn’t been on a date in a very long time. Was it a date? Did he want it to be a date? The amount of things that he couldn’t pin down made him feel queasy. It was hard enough to believe that Madeline might want to spend some social time with him. What about what she had to say. Was it something about the case? He gritted his teeth and began to sort through the clothes in his closet. The only way to find out was to go out with her. If he let his nerves prevent him from going then he would never know what she had to say. Once he settled on a suit he combed his hair, brushed, flossed, rinsed his mouth, and spent some time grooming his fingernails. It was a routine he usually saved only for the mornings and evenings, but this was a special occasion. It wasn’t often that he got a second chance.