Carolyn Arnold - McKinley 03 - Money is Murder (7 page)

Strange Happenings

EDWARD CRANSTON EXCUSED HIMSELF AND left them with passwords to login to Cindy
’s computer.

Sara sat behind the desk.
“I don’t even really know what I’m looking for. Edward is certain it’s an employee at Universal. Paul Moses mentioned that she excelled at acquisitions.”

“What if she took a generational company away and they came after her? There’s a lot of pride that goes into building a business from the ground up.”

“Very good point, darling.” Sara opened up the directory for the hard drive and read down the folder names. “This could be easier than I thought.” She clicked a folder called
acquisitions
.

“Maybe we’re trying to chase down a dead end. Edward believes it has something to do with people in this building,” Sean said.

“I think we should look into this. See if it leads anywhere. We’ll wait on Robert to return.”

“If he does.”

“There is a possibility he won’t.” She glanced at the phone on the desk. “She was meticulously organized. It’s no wonder she was successful at business.” She noticed a speed dial button with Robert’s name and pressed it, assuming it would ring through to Daniela if there wasn’t an answer. After four rings, she had Daniela on the line. “This is Sara McKinley. I understand. It’s all right. I need you to notify us the moment Robert is back. Oh, he did? All right, thank you.”
Sara hung up, latching eyes with Sean.
“As it turns out, Robert suddenly isn’t feeling well.”

“He’s got to be hiding some—”

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Sean said.

Beverly entered the room.

“I apologize, Mr. and Mrs. McKinley. I didn’t know. I just saw the lights on and wondered who was in here.”

Sean got up to meet her. “What a surprise to see you up here.”

“Yes, I’m allowed off the front desk sometimes.” Her eyes drifted past Sean to Sara. “Is there something I could help you find?”

“I’m not sure if—”

“I’m sure I could. I used to be her assistant, before everything got shuffled around.”

Sara passed a look at Sean.
“No, I think we’re all right. Thank you anyway.”

Beverly
’s eyes flitted about the room. “Sure. Okay.” She smiled awkwardly then left.

With the door closed, Sean turned to Sara.
“She didn’t just happen upon this room. She came up here for something.”

“You think she’s in on this?”

Sean gave a small shrug.
“It’s mighty coincidental.”

“I tend to ag—” Sara pointed at the screen. “Sean, something is happening to the files. They’re disappearing. Look!”

Sean came around and saw what she did—they were being deleted one by one.

Sara was moving the mouse around but it wasn’t responding on the screen. She went for the power button on the PC.

“No!” Sean stopped her just before she made contact.

She lifted her hands.

“Someone’s tapped in remotely and taken over the system. Don’t fight it by trying to move the mouse.”

“We need to find out who has access to do something like this,” Sara said.

A few more files disappeared.

“I have an idea.” She dialed another extension marked E Cranston. Adam Laverty answered.

“You’re actually who I’m looking for. Can you please come to Cindy Quinn’s office? See you soon.” She hung up. “He’ll be here shortly. It’s just down the hall.”

There was a soft knock on the door.

“Mrs. McKinley?” Adam came in and when he saw Sean, he nodded a greeting. “Mr. McKinley.”

“Our first names will do just fine. Come around here, quickly.” Sean gestured for him to move.

Sara pointed at the screen. “These files are disappearing in front of our eyes. Someone’s logged in remotely.”

Adam leaned on the desk.
“How strange. Who would want—”

“We’re hoping you can help us with that,” Sara said.

He assessed her eyes, and she felt his attraction to her steaming from his retinas. Maybe she could use it to further her advantage?

“Can you track down who is doing this through IP address or something?”

“I can do pretty much anything.” Adam smiled and pointed to the chair she was in.

“Oh, here you go.” She got up and t
hey switched places.

Adam clicked around the screen.
“It seems they are gone now.”

“Oh, no, there it goes again.” Sara pointed animatedly to the monitor.

“Interesting.” Adam moved in closer to the screen. “Whoever it is, they are taking everything from her acquisitions folder.”

“What could they be trying to keep us from seeing?” Sean asked.

Adam didn’t look at him when he answered.
“That’s a good question, but I’d guess it has something to do with your interest in Cindy’s death.”

Sara glanced at Sean. How did Adam know they were looking into things? Did everyone around here talk, or was there more to it?

Adam clicked keys and lifted his hands from the keyboard in exchange for a pen and paper from the desk. He quickly scribbled down a bunch of numbers.

“All right. I got him.”

The screen went black.

“It looks like I got that just in time.” Adam stood abruptly. “Come with me.”

Sara and Sean followed behind him.

Sean put his arm around her.
“I have a feeling the reason Cindy is dead has something to do with her computer files.”

Seeing Numbers

ADAM LED THEM BACK TO his desk where he dropped into his chair. Edward Cranston didn
’t seem to be around anywhere.

“All I have to do is punch these numbers into my computer.” He input the sequence in record time, then
looked up to Sara, and spoke to Sean.
“The IP traces back to this address. One minute.” More keys were typed in. “It comes back to—”

“Adam?” Sara prompted.

“The address belongs to Robert West.”

Sean turned to Sara.
“Why would Robert West be stealing files from Cindy’s computer?”

“That’s a good question.”

“Looks like we need to get over there and find out.”

“Ah.” Adam held up a finger. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. If he did have something to do with Cindy’s death, it could be dangerous. Have you met this guy? He’s not the warmest person in the world.”

“Yes, I had the privilege yesterday,” Sean said.

Sara set her purse on Adam
’s desk. “Okay, what about Cindy’s files, is there any way you can recover them from the server somehow? We need to see what he’s gone to all this effort to steal.”

Adam slowly shook his head.
“Unfortunately, no.”

“There’s no backup or anything? For a company this size, I would think—”

“We do run backups on our server, but they’re kept off site.”

“We’re going to need access to that.”

“There is one other option.” Adam shared looks between the two of them and settled his gaze on Sara. “Cindy would have had a personal computer. In fact, she was inseparable from her laptop. I have no doubt every file she had here, she had there too. She might even have more on her laptop.”

“Where would we find—”

“I assume you have access to Cindy’s flat?”

“We do,” Sara said.

“You’d probably find it there.”

“Let’s just hope that everything is as she left it.” Sara passed a concerned look to Sean.

“I’m sure Mr. Quinn would have seen to that, darling.”

Sara picked up her purse.
“Seems it’s time to find out.”

Universal Acquisitions Corporation had a few company vehicles and driving staff, and they took one over to Cindy’s place. With traffic, it took over an hour and it was mid-afternoon when they arrived.

The doorman looked at them skeptically and nodded his approval once Sean made the introductions.

“Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. McKinley. I heard about your good fortune.” He smiled at them politely.

“Thank you. Please direct us to Cindy Quinn’s flat.”

He provided directions and they got on the elevator for the top floor.

“There was no financial hardship in this family was there,” Sara stated.

“None. I find it interesting that Quinn lived simply, while his daughter lived it up in a place like this.”

“Different generation. She was also active in the company and had a certain image to uphold.”

Sean wanted to insert a comment here about their current situation. When they returned to Albany, it would be time to find a house to make a home. He knew that her vision differed from his, but he saw things the way Cindy must have. There was a definite image to uphold. Although he wasn
’t driven to impress people—he answered to no one but himself—it was appropriate that they have a home in which to host large functions. He knew he had to work at it from that angle, or the mansion he now dreamed of would never happen.

“Here we go.” The elevator operator held back one side of the doors for them to get out.

Sean put the key in Cindy’s door and turned the handle. He looked up.

“What is it, darling?” Sara asked.

“The door was already unlocked.”

“What do you mean? We should be the only ones with a key.”

Sean opened the door, slowly, and Sara held a hand to his back, creeping in behind him.

“Be careful.”

He glanced over a shoulder.
“I’ve got this cov—” He held a finger to his lips to keep her quiet and then whispered, “Do you hear that?”

She nodded.

There was the rustling of paper and things being moved around, drawers being opened and closed.

They cleared the doorway and Sara locked the door.

Sean gestured for her to stay behind him and he moved quietly up the hallway, in the direction of the noise.

The intruder was in the last room on the right.

Sean peeked inside and then he mouthed to Sara,
“It’s Robert.”

She put a hand on his shoulder.

He moved into the room.
“Surprised to see you here.”

Robert looked up, sheer panic written in his expression—his eyes went wide and his mouth fell askew, as if about to speak, but no words came out. He ran toward Sean.

“Oh no, you don’t.” Sean wrapped his arms around Robert in an effort to hold him back.

Robert struggled beneath his grip and broke free. His fist connected with Sean
’s nose and had Sean’s steps faltering backward.

Sean gathered his adrenaline, and charged forward—his head to Robert’s gut. Robert beat on his back and pain coursed through him, but Sean wrestled, pushing until Robert reached the wall. More punches pounded Sean’s sides, causing him to stagger back a few feet, but he regained ground and moved forward.

“Stop right there.” Robert drew a gun and had it aimed on Sean. He glanced at Sara. “Neither of you should be here. You should have left things alone.”

“You killed her,” Sara cried out.

Robert seemed to be having difficulty deciding who to train the gun on. That indecision was his big mistake.

Sean lunged at him, knocking the gun from Robert’s grip. It flew across the floor, where it came to rest near Sara.

She picked it up and held it on Robert. “
Let him go.”

He lifted his hands in surrender.

“Seems we have some talking to do,” Sean said, his words coming out on winded breath.

“I never killed her.”

“Then why steal her files? Why come here? Why hold a gun on us?”

Robert kept his hands up and maneuvered over to the desk chair where he dropped down.
“Everyone figured I killed her. I didn’t.”

“You sure appear guilty.” Sean pulled a tissue from a box on the desk and dabbed at his bleeding nose.

Robert
’s eyes slowly lifted to match Sean’s. “I know what it looks like and that’s why I’m trying to take care of some things.”

“Don’t you mean cover your tracks?” Sara arched a brow.

“Like I said, I know what it looks like, but it’s a dangerous world out there. Being involved with Universal is like putting your life at risk every moment.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone looks out for themselves.”

“Why did you run from your office this morning? Who told you we were coming up?”

Robert looked up to the ceiling and exhaled deeply.

Sean pressed his fingers delicately to the bridge of his nose and was happy it wasn’t broken. “Were you in on killing Cindy with someone from the company?”

“I told you, I never killed her.”

Sean took a step closer.
“Why lie about the sleeping pills?”

“What do you mean?”

“We know what you said to the cops, Robert. She died from an overdose of sleeping pills. You told the investigating detective it was common for her to take them.”

“I never said that.”

“Cindy had asthma,” Sara said. “She can’t take sleeping pills.”

“Exactly why they killed her. Listen, I don’t know what you expect to find, but I know everyone will be pointing you in my direction.”

“There’s usually a reason for that. Why did you take the files from Cindy’s office computer?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Sara pushed the gun forward.

“You’re going to threaten me into speaking?”

“Whatever works.”

“Then you’ll need to shoot me.”

“Do you think Cindy killed herself?” Sean asked.

Robert shook his head.
“She had a lot of people who hated her, but it didn’t faze her. She carried on, and she was successful because of it.”

“Who would have a reason to kill her? And if you thought she was murdered, why let her death be ruled a suicide?”

“I fought to have her case stay open, but the detective wouldn’t listen to reason. I told him she had everything to live for. He told me to get out of his face.”

“So you gave up?”

“I never did, but with you two here I knew I’d better get the answers before you accused me of killing her.”

“I must say you’re looking guilty.”

“You never really answered our question about the sleeping pills,” Sara said.

“When they told me they found those by her bed, I knew someone killed her.”

“Still, why not tell the police?”

Robert
’s face paled. “I did.”

“So you’re telling us the detective on the case lied to us?” Sara thought on the statement for a few seconds then turned to Sean. “The detective would have known that Cindy was asthmatic, why tell us Robert said it was common for her to take sleeping pills? If there was a cover-up, why not just book Robert for murder? Get away scot-free?”

“You do know I’m right here, and I didn’t do it.”

Sean glanced at Robert but went back to Sara.
“You’re thinking we’re looking at a dirty cop?”

Sara nodded.
“It’s who might be pulling the strings that concerns me even more.”

“Well, there’s one area a cop’s always hurting.”

“Yep, the bank account.”