The Billionaire's Will (6 page)

*

With only two weeks to find the missing granddaughter, and even after staying up until midnight, the team of detectives got an early start the next morning. Three pictures of Georgia were taped to the wall – one when she was little, the aged progressed picture Austin’s PI made, and the one Michael composed the night before. The last two looked similar, but in Michael’s picture, her face was not so thin. Printouts and used coffee cups were just beginning to clutter the table.

Seated across from Michael,
Carl chewed his lower lip. “For rich people, there isn’t much online about the Connellys. I haven’t found anything recent with the two of them together. There’s an old article about a trip they took to Europe. They went to Paris, London, Frankfort, Geneva, Madrid, Lisbon, Rome, Amsterdam Copenhagen, and Jerusalem – the grand tour.”

“What year was that?” Jackie asked.

“Four years after Georgia was born. Mathew is more socially active,” Carl continued. “There are six or seven recent pictures of him. The latest picture of Laura is at a country club luncheon last year. She doesn’t look very well.”

“Too much booze,” said Michael.

Seated at the end of the table, Jackie asked, “Why was Mathew in the papers?”

Carl kept his eyes on the monitor as he scrolled down a list
of entries. “He plays handball at the country club when he’s home, and he’s good at it.”

“That’s interesting,” said Michael.
“He looks too thin to do much of anything, let alone be good at handball.”

Carl stroked his beard. “Maybe the clothes he wore
to the reading of the will were too large.”

“Maybe he’s sick,” Michael muttered. He glan
ced at the first of his two laptops and then turned his attention to the second.

“We can only hope,” said Carl. He made another entry in
his search engine and began again. “Any luck yet, Jackie?”

Jackie frowned. “
Not yet. Like Austin said, there is nothing in the credit card statements that tell us where in France they went the year Georgia was born. They flew to Paris and then the trail goes cold. Mathew flew to London a couple of times during those six months, but neither of them used the credit cards for anything else.”

“They knew
Nick could see what they were doing,” said Michael.

Carl frowned. “
They paid cash for the hospital bill? I wonder what it cost to have a baby twenty years ago.”

“Maybe Mathew got lucky in the casinos that year,” Michael suggested.

“Must have,” Jackie muttered. “Still nothing on the nanny?”

“Nothing here so far,” Michael answered.

“Austin is right,” said Carl. “Adelaide Bertrand doesn’t exist, at least not publicly. I looked for obituaries and found nothing, so hopefully she is still alive.”

“She said she wanted to clea
r her conscience,” Jackie thoughtfully said. “People don’t usually do that until they think they are dying. Check the hospitals.”

“You mean hack in? Yo
u’ve got the wrong guy for that,” said Carl.

“Oh, I’ll do it,”
Michael muttered.

“Great,” said Carl. “I think I’ll take a little
nap.”

“Not until we find the Nanny,” Jackie said.

*

The fight between the Connellys didn’t end the night before. It picked up early the next day with Mathew following Laura all over the house
. He pestered her until she finally gave in and signed the lawsuit. Once that was accomplished, he took off in his bright red car, squealing his tires as he drove out the gate and turned down the street.

During the argument, Laura repeatedly called for Teresa, but as soon as she answered, Mathew sent h
er away. That was okay with her. Mathew’s demeanor made Teresa uneasy. She waited in the hallway and as soon as he was gone, she went to Laura.

“You look terrified,” Laura said when Teresa entered the
living room. “You need not be. He is gone and all is well.”

“You are not upset?”

Laura came away from the window, looked at the wall clock, and counted the hours. “We set a record this time. My husband just spent twelve straight hours in my presence. I held out longer than usual. Make me a drink, will you?”

Teresa went to the liquor cabinet, opened the cupboard door and got a fresh bottle of vodka. “You intended to sign the
papers all along?”

“I have no choice
. I know it and he knows it. How long it takes me to sign is just a little game we play. I do believe Mathew likes the game as much as I. He pretends he is going to kiss me and I pretend I am going to let him. We are both equally demented, you see.”

“I thought… I feared he might hurt you.”

“Hurt me? Oh no, he is too clever for that. Daddy would have…” she paused long enough for Teresa to hand her the drink and then take a sip. “Well, now that Daddy is gone, perhaps I should be a little more careful.”

“Perhaps you should.”

Laura brushed a piece of lint off of Teresa’s sleeve. “Don’t worry; he won’t be back until he wants something else. Find me a movie to watch, will you? Something where everything blows up.”

Teresa giggled. “I know just the one…if you have it.”

“There are hundreds, maybe thousands in the family room. I belong to a club that sends me every movie ever made. Some are truly dreadful. And Teresa, will you stay and watch it with me?”

“What about my duties?”

“I’m sure the dusting will still need doing later.”

Teresa smiled and headed off to find a movie.

In the family room, the rows and rows of movies were neatly arranged alphabetically, probably accomplished by one of the former maids. Finding the one she had in mind was easy. Although there were old televisions in other rooms, this was the only room that contained a big screen TV and a DVD player.

Laura brought her bottle with her,
set it on an end table, and sat in her favorite chair. “I adore the way movies take me away from my dull life…if only for a time.”

“You could go out more,” Teresa said
, as she loaded the DVD in the player. “I saw several invitations cancelled in your social calendar.”

“Oh those.
I assure you, none of those could be called exciting. Daddy used to let me ride his horses from time to time, but I haven’t been in ages. Do you ride?”

“I have never learned.”

“That’s a pity. I’m sure someone could teach you if you care to learn.”

“Perhaps someday. I don’t take a fancy to animals much. We had a dog once in the…at school, but he ran away.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I love all sorts of animals. I should get a dog or a cat. Mathew hates them. I should get one just to irritate him…perhaps I will.”

“He seems
irritated enough already.”

Laura laughed. “He did, didn’t
he? Poor darling suffers such delusions of grandeur; I sometimes pity him. He sees himself running my father’s businesses, but he has yet to even work in one. Mathew is always saying how he would do this and do that, to make improvements. That’s what he said in the beginning, anyway. Perhaps he has given up that pipedream by now. I know very little about what he dreams of these days.”

There was
a touch of sadness in Laura’s voice, so Teresa picked up the remote. “I have seen this one, but I’ll start it for you while I go get a soda.”

“Very well, dear, hurry back.”

*

Maggie was curious.
If Bronco8881 didn’t travel much, then chances were, he lived in Denver, and maybe even had a job not far from the fountain. For months, Maggie worked just two blocks over and one block down from the fountain.

Nicole had been on a rampage all morning,
just as she always was after she fired a manager and had to pick up the slack. She was even dressed for the occasion in black knee-high boots that were much too hot for summer, a short black skirt, and of course, a black blouse that was too revealing. Nicole stomped around, talked too loud, issued orders, and disrupted everyone’s workflow. Therefore, when it was time for lunch, Maggie was more than happy to have someplace to go.

W
earing jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes, walking the three blocks didn’t take long at all. The plaza was a peaceful place where shoppers could sit on benches and enjoy the fountain. On one side was a very expensive hotel with boutiques, a bookstore, and several novelty shops on the street level. Opposite the hotel was the impressive Gladstone Building, complete with gold lettering above the doors and a uniformed doorman.

She was only a few feet
from the fountain when she spotted him in front of the Gladstone Building talking to another man. Worried he might notice her, she went to the boutique, pretended to be looking in the window, and instead, watched him in the reflection. He was even more handsome in person than in his picture.

She took a chance and turned to look at him again. He
was wearing what appeared to be a very expensive business suit. Maybe he did have enough money to pay for tickets on a cruise ship. She watched him shake hands with the man, walk into the Gladstone Building, and disappear.

It was only then she
realized what was in the boutique window. It was a beautiful summer gown in just the right color. Maggie opened the door and went in. A moment later, the saleswoman took the dress off of the mannequin so Maggie could try it on.

*

By noon, Carl was still stroking his beard with one hand, and using his mouse to scroll slowly down the computer page with the other. “She didn’t have a chance in that car.” He printed two copies of the crash photo the Connelly’s attorney presented in court, and handed one to Michael. “The police report says the car rolled three times before it hit the bottom of the ravine.” He dug in his briefcase for a small magnifying glass.

“Her face is pretty messed up,” said Michael. “Compared to the age progression picture, I really can’t be sure if it is or it isn’t Georgia.”

“Wouldn’t you say the hairlines are different, though?” Carl asked.

Michael lifted his glasses, rubbed his tired eyes for a moment, and then looked at the picture again. “Maybe…maybe a little. It’s too hard to tell.”

“What does the PI’s report say?” Jackie asked.

“Nothing Austin didn’t tell us,” Carl answered. He moved his magnifying glass slowly down the right-hand side of the photo. “There it is – the purse.”

“I see it,” Michael said.

“Any other purses at the crash site?” Jackie asked.

“I’m still looking,” Carl answered. “Nope, I don’t see anything. Of course, we can’t see in the car, but the police would have reported it, if more identification was found.”

“Good point,” said Michael.

“It couldn’t have been very hard for a PI to find this information. A phone call to Scotland Yard would have worked well enough, especially since Mathew knew where to look. I wonder how much the Connellys paid their PI.” Carl asked.

Michael rolled his eyes. “Mathew probably charged it to
Nick.”

Jackie l
aughed, “You’re probably right. Michael, haven’t you hacked into the boarding school records yet?”

“Jackie, it’s a very sophisticated computer system…an expensive one that hasn
’t been on the market for very long,” Michael answered. “I’m surprised a boarding school can afford it.”

“I wonder what a boarding school charges for hiding a child,” Carl
mumbled.

Michael yawned, and reached for his cold cup of coffee. “We’re about to find out, hopefully.” He took a sip and nearly spit it out. “Yu
ck, time for a fresh pot.”

*

When she got back to work, Maggie was so excited; she couldn’t wait for her afternoon break. As soon as Jim walked past, she followed him upstairs. “I think I’m in love?”

“Really? With who? Not one of these clowns, I hope
,” he said, walking into the break room and sitting at a table. This time, Nicole and Susan sat in the corner of the room having what appeared to be an intense conversation. As soon as Maggie and Jim came in, Nicole and Susan got up and left.

Maggie ignored them both.
“No, with my chat friend.”

“The
axe-murderer? Please, Maggie, you can do far better than that.”

“Wait until you hear this. He sent me a picture and gues
s where he was standing? Right in front of the plaza fountain.”

“
He’s here in Denver? That’s more serious than I thought.”

“
I went at noon to see if I could spot him and he was there.”

“Haven’t I told you about guys like that
? You can’t trust the ones you meet online.”

“I know, but they don’t normally wear expensive suits.”

Jim got up and walked to the vending machine. “Some do. Don’t you watch the news? How many times has a doctor or lawyer bumped off his wife?”