Carolyn Arnold - McKinley 03 - Money is Murder (6 page)

Making the List

THE CONDO HAD A PRINTER and they used it to print the reports Jimmy had sent over. Now, paper was scattered all over the kitchen table.

Sara was on her third cup of coffee. Sean had already drunk his orange juice and moved on to water.

“She was a beautiful woman. This is such a shame,” Sara said.

“Detective Benson seemed in quite a hurry yesterday. Did Cindy leave a suicide note?”

She shuffled through the papers to the one describing what was collected at scene.
“It looks like there was a letter. One minute,” she moved some more sheets. “Here we go.” She handed it to Sean without looking at it.

“It was typed. That’s kind of odd, isn’t it?”

“You can look at it a couple ways. Cindy was a businesswoman. Did she sign it?”

Sean nodded.
“It looks like it.”

“Maybe it was forged. Suicides can be planned, but are typically acted out in the moment. At the very least, there should be hesitation or stress notable in her signature. Let me see.” Sean held it out for her. “Smooth and formal. It is her full name.” She matched eyes with him. “Read it, darling, what does it say?”

“
Dear Father, I
’m so sorry to disappoint you. It seems I haven’t been the daughter you had wanted. I worked hard for your company. I made you profits, but I can’t take the stress anymore. And Rob, well, I was a failure in my marriage. Love you forever, Daddy.”

They let the note
’s words sit in the air for a few seconds.

“It sounds like a strange suicide note.” Sara took a sip of her coffee.

“It speaks of apology, which is common, but the rest of it seems scripted.”

Sara bobbed her head side to side.
“It does, but again she was a businesswoman.”

“It just strikes me as too organized for a woman about to take her life. Usually the notes are handwritten, and a mess. A lot of times they are much longer than this, but I guess they can be short too.”

“But what would drive Cindy to the edge, that she couldn’t see any hope at all?”

“Very good question. She mentions stress.”

Sara leaned her elbow on the table.
“When I was speaking with Paul Moses,” she paused waiting for recollection to dawn on Sean’s face, “he mentioned that Cindy had brought a lot of business to the company. He said that taking over companies didn’t bother her at all.”

“Yes, I remember you saying that.”

“If we’re going to look at Cindy’s death as a murder, we have to think about potential suspects. Let’s make a list.” She pulled out a notepad and handed it to Sean.

“What? Me? You have better handwriting.”

“So it begins. All right, give it back to me.” She smiled at him and drew a line down the page, dividing it in half. She labeled the left column as
name
and the right as
motive
. Then she wrote down the first name that came to mind.

“Robert West?”

“Yes, why not? Benson mentioned that he was included in Mr. Quinn’s Will. With Cindy out of the way, he likely assumed the full fortune would then default to him on Quinn’s death.”

“But it didn’t.”

Sara pressed her lips. “Maybe that’s why he was so rude to you.”

“It would be a valid reason.
What about Edward Cranston?”

“I’ll write him down, but I’m not sure of what his motive would be.”

“Possibly the same as Robert’s—the inheritance. He could have figured if he got rid of both of them, it would pass on to him.”

“He did withhold the fact Cindy had been married.”

“I agree that was odd. What about the detective? You can write his name down, but I can’t see his motive yet.”

“Simple. Again, a payoff. He’s paid to close it a suicide and then Rob, or whoever, walks off with all of Quinn’s money. And we’re sure Mr. Quinn died of natural causes?”

“Yes, dear. The killer just knew time was running out for him. He was in his eighties.”

“Still sounds like quite the gamble, unless the person was very close to Cindy and knew about Quinn’s failing health. So, Mr. Quinn dies ‘peacefully in his sleep’ and so does his daughter?” Sara cocked one eyebrow.

Sean laughed.
“Now everything is suspicious to you.”

“How can you not find it interesting?”

“I can see if Jimmy would pull the autopsy on Quinn.”

“Let’s leave it for now. We have one murder to solve as it is. It might turn out to be sheer coincidence. Like you said, the man was in his eighties.”

Both of them went back to the reports. Sara picked up the autopsy on Cindy and read it closely. Her breathing paused and she looked up at Sean, keeping her gaze until he sensed her eyes on him and returned it.

“Cindy Quinn was an asthmatic.”

“And that means?”

“They can’t take sleeping pills.”

“So, she was trying to kill herself.”

Sara
’s eyes filled with tears from adrenaline. She shook her head. “Detective Benson said that Robert told them she took them on a regular basis to help her sleep.”

“Why lie unless he’s trying to cover something up?”

“Exactly.”

Cool Reception

“GOOD MORNING.” BEVERLY SMILED WHEN they approached. “Edward Cranston never said to expect you today.”

“He didn’t know we were coming. I hope that’s not a problem.” Sean watched her eyes drift between them, beyond them, to her desk, back to him.

“I don’t see why it would be. Let me call him.”

“If it’s all right with you, we’d like to see ourselves up.”

Beverly lowered the receiver, a coy expression on her face.
“It is your company after all.”

“Could you kindly point us in the direction of Robert West’s office?” Sara adjusted her purse and smiled.

“Sure, I can.”

She directed them up the elevator to the twenty-seventh floor, explaining the top three levels belonged to the acquisitions executive team.

The set-up for Robert’s office was much the same as Edward
’s with a front desk for his receptionist and a filing area. A woman in her early twenties watched them approach. Her smile didn’t strike Sean as sincere and he passed a quick glance to Sara. He noticed her smile was subdued. The cool reception wasn’t lost on her either.

“May I help you?”

“We’re looking to speak with Mr. West,” Sean said.

“Mr. West is out at the moment. I can leave word that you were here.” Her hand held a pen readied over a notepad.

“Actually, we’re the new owners and it’s rather important that we speak to him. Sean McKinley. This is Sara.”

“Daniela. My apologies. I didn’t know. I wasn’t here yesterday. I was home sick with the flu so I missed the meeting in the conference room.”

“I hope you’re feeling better now,” Sara said.

The woman turned to her.
“I am. Thank you. As I said, Mr. West isn’t in, but I can leave a message for him.”

“Do you know when he’ll be back?”

“He’s at a breakfast meeting trying to woo a client.”

“Interesting. A breakfast meeting.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised. These men are used to being wined and dined, but they are early risers, so a nice homemade-type breakfast, especially if they are traveling, is just what the doctor ordered.”

“I see.” Sara turned to Sean. “That is awfully disappointing though. We were hoping to speak with him.”

“You never said when he’d be back,” Sean interjected.

Daniela glanced at her monitor and then to her notepad. She leaned in toward them.
“I’m not sure.”

“He’s not at a business meeting is he?” Sara asked.

Daniela pulled back and a deep breath heaved her chest. She shook her head.
“You actually just missed him. I’m sorry I lied to you. He told me to tell you that.”

Sean and Sara turned to each other, then back to Daniela.

“Why would he do that?” Sara asked.

“I’m not sure. Please believe me. I wouldn’t be avoiding you two. You seem real nice.”

“Sean? Sara?”

They turned to see Edward Cranston.

“Well, it seems like everyone knows we’re in the building.” Sean extended his hand.

“Good day, McKinleys. I wasn’t expecting you. Thought you’d be headed back home.”

“Actually we were looking to speak with Robert West.”

Edward placed a hand on Sean
’s shoulder, guiding him to the hall, and Sara followed.

“I’m not sure what you’d want with Robert. He’s just a glorified salesman.”

“We just have a couple questions for him,” Sean answered.

“Come with me.” Edward gestured, with a waving hand, for them to follow.

They loaded onto the elevator and Edward pressed thirty. When the doors opened, Sean expected they
’d go right toward his office, but instead Edward took them left.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” Edward reached into a pocket and took out a keycard. He slid it through the lock on an office door at the end of the hall. “Here, go on in ahead of me.”

The space was double the size of Edward
’s—the furniture plush and new, speaking to the taste of a younger generation. Windows banked the back wall and the view was splendid.

“It’s like heaven in here.” Sara turned when Edward shut and locked the door. “Where are we?”

“This was Cindy’s office.”

There was a blanket of silence that lasted a few seconds. Edward walked behind the desk, pressed a button, and a computer beeped to life.

“Please, have a seat.” He gestured to a lounge area that consisted of a black leather couch and two matching chairs.

Sean and Sara sat on the couch.

“Either of you care for a drink? She had a loaded bar.”

“Mr. Cranston, it’s nine thirty in the morning.” Sean watched the man pace the room.

“Yes, you’re right.” Edward settled in one of the chairs. His expression fell somber. “It’s best you stay away from Robert West.”

Sara leaned forward.
“What do you mean?”

He looked at her.
“Just that. He’s a dangerous man.”

“Yet he’s on your staff?” Sean pointed out the obvious.

“He is, but like I said, he’s locked in. Without significant loss to the company we can’t terminate the contract.”

“I’m sure there are enough funds to get rid of someone, if you felt inclined.”

He turned to Sara. “Yesterday you mentioned it was a tragedy that Cindy died before she had a chance to get married. I should have told you then, but Cindy was married to Robert for a time.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“I was hoping it wouldn’t be necessary.” Edward rubbed his hands together. They were dry and made a brushing noise as he did so. “I know you used to be cops. Murder detectives, right?”

Both of them nodded.

“The circumstances surrounding Cindy’s death are questionable.”

“I find it interesting you say that.” Sara traced his facial features with her eyes.

“Cindy wasn’t depressed. She was on top of her game. She had just graduated with her fancy business diplomas and was a natural for the job. Like I told you, she put others to shame.”

Sean glanced over at Sara. She met his gaze. That was one grouping they had forgotten to include in their list. He recalled her mentioning the conversation with Paul Moses.

“Was anyone on staff more upset than the others?”

“Robert took it the hardest. See, when Cindy came on, she brought in Robert. It was rumored around the company that she told people she felt sorry for him, but Robert had his own business background. Sean, you met him. He was twelve years Cindy’s senior. He had lived life and worked hard to get to where he was, and then a young wife puts him in his place.”

“She used her power and money to demean her own husband. No wonder the marriage failed,” Sara said.

Edward shook his head.
“Robert never would have left her. She ended things.”

“Oh.”

“Yes.” Edward let the one word sink in the air. “It’s really best you leave her death alone.”

“How did you know we were looking into it?” Sara asked.

“Mr. Quinn came to me not long after Cindy died. He said it didn’t sit well with him, that he was going to remove Robert from the Will, and that he should have done so sooner. He pushed hard for the police to arrest Robert. He felt the man killed his daughter. You know how the rest turned out. Anyway with your background, and unlimited resources, it would make sense he’d ask you to pick up where he left off.”

Sean nodded.
“Yes, it does.”

“Here, take this.” Edward extended a keycard. “This will give you access to any room in the building. Sara, I’ll get one made for you.”

“That would be wonderful, but we’re not going to get in your way here.”

“You never would be. Please, feel free to roam as you wish. This is your company, after all. Just be careful.”

“You really don’t think she killed herself, do you?”

“As I mentioned, no, I think she was murdered and it’s likely someone from within these walls is behind it. And if you ask me, I think it’s her death that killed Mr. Quinn.”