THE TAINTED TRUST: A DOUGLASS CRIME AND ROMANCE THRILLER SERIES (THE KING TRILOGY Book 2) (19 page)

Kerri opened the report bound in a black folder, then began to scan page after page of photographs of Brian and Tina DeSouza making love in every conceivable position. She closed it and glared at Visconti. “How could you do this?” she asked, her expression contorted by revulsion and anger.

“When I saw that picture of your husband in the Times, I thought of you and what it would do to you. I tried to imagine how totally devastating it must have been for you to find out that way. So I…”

“But why this?” Kerri asked, raising her voice, tears streaming from her eyes. “You had to know how devastating it would be.”

“I got mad, Kerri,” Visconti said, taking the report from her. He placed it on the dining room table, then turned and took her in his arms. He met no resistance. “Maybe it was wrong of me to interfere, but if I had the choice to do it again, I would. I just couldn’t believe your husband could be so blatant about his affair with another woman.” He tilted his head backward and looked into her tear filled blue eyes. “If what I did was insensitive, what he did was an atrocity.”

“I still don’t understand how those photographs could possibly help me.”

“My strongest motivation was to let you know what a rat you’re married to. A lesser one was to give you some ammunition. You’re going to need it.”

“You mean something to use against him in court?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

“You’re the second man who’s made the same erroneous assumption.”

“Who was the first?”

“Miles.”

“Why was it erroneous?”

“He assumed I wanted something from Brian.”

Visconti chuckled. “You will, and when you do, you’ll be happy to have that report.”

“You’re wrong, Louis. I could never stoop to that level. I didn’t have any money when I met Brian. All I ever wanted was the man I loved. He no longer exists, so I don’t want anything from him.”

Visconti was captivated by the passion with which Kerri had spoken. “You’re absolutely amazing,” he said, the corners of his mouth suggesting a smile. “I had no idea there was a girl left on this planet with your attitude.” He startled her by kissing her gently on the lips, then reached for her hand. “Let’s go. Andrea’s going to wonder where we are.”

She squeezed his hand and refused to move. “Thank you, Louis.”

“For what?”

“The thought.”

“Still friends?”

“Definitely.”

“What are we going to do with that?” Visconti asked, pointing to Bennedetti’s report.

“You keep it? I’ll call you if I ever need it.”

Visconti lifted the report and flicked through the pages while continuing to stare at Kerri. “Will you have lunch with me on Monday?”

“Sure.”

Their conspicuous delay in joining the guests had been noticed by Andrea. She glared at them as they entered, her curiosity stimulated as she focused on the black folder under Visconti’s arm. “I was beginning to think you two had left,” she said, then pointed to the coffee table. “Your Irish coffees are waiting for you. I hope you like them cold.”

Visconti lifted one of the mugs, then turned to Andrea. “Sorry for the delay. Kerri and I had something important to discuss.”

Kerri took the last mug and sat in a well cushioned dark blue chair near the fireplace, close enough to enjoy the heat from the flames. Oblivious to the cacophony of numerous conversations in the room, her eyes were riveted on the fire but her mind focused on the black folder under Visconti’s arm. Visions of the graphic photos flashed through her brain. She wondered how a man could transfer physical affections in such a short period of time. She tried to understand how Brian’s conscience would allow him to share his body with another woman, while still married to her. Her thoughts surrendered to anger as she thought of Brian’s flagrant violation of his marriage vows.

She was startled to see Charles Iacardi and Sally, standing in front of her. “I guess you didn’t hear me, Kerri,” Iacardi said with a polite smile.

“I’m sorry,” Kerri said, blushing. “I was lost in thought.”

Iacardi extended his hand. “Unfortunately Sally and I have to leave, but we didn’t want to go with out saying good-bye to you… I also wanted to tell you personally how happy we are to have you in the company. Miles has told me nothing but good things about you.”

“Thank you, Charles. It was very kind of you to say that,” Kerri replied, then turned to Sally. “It was nice to meet you, Sally.”

“You bet,” Sally said with a plastic smile.

The last guest to leave was Visconti. “Goodnight Kerri,” he said, reaching for her hand and wishing he could take her in his arms. “I’ll be at your office door at noon on Monday.”

Kerri showed a forlorn smile. “I’ll see you then.”

While Miles accompanied Visconti to the front door, Andrea rushed to sit in the chair adjacent to Kerri’s. “Kerri, please forgive me. I have an absolutely insatiable curiosity. I had no idea you knew Louis,” she said, leaning against the arm of her chair and focusing on Kerri’s eyes.

“Your husband introduced us. He’s been doing a lot of business with Iacardi lately.”

“Is there something more than a business relationship between you and Louis?”

“What would lead you to believe there is?”

“I noticed the two of you were late for Irish coffees.”

Kerri’s face flushed as she turned to stare at the fire.

“Kerri, please tell me to shut up if…”

“It had everything to do with the folder Louis was carrying,” Kerri admitted. “He decided to try to help me when he saw the picture of Brian and that stripper in the paper. He hired a private detective to follow Brian and take pictures. They were all in that folder.”

“It hurt you to see them, didn’t it?”

Kerri nodded again, tears flowing. “They were awful. I just can’t believe he could jump out of our bed and into someone else’s.”

Andrea chuckled. “Believe it, dear. A lot of men could, and do. I think they have a switch in their brains. All they have to do is flick it to detach their heads from their dicks… Enough of that crap. I really wanted to talk about Louis. You still haven’t answered my question. Is there something more than a business relationship between you and him?”

Kerri shook her head. “I couldn’t possibly be interested in another man. I don’t think I could even bring myself to trust one again.”

Andrea smirked. “You will, and when you do, trust will be a must.”

“I wish I could share your optimism.”

“You need someone in your life. Spending the rest of it alone is not an option for someone as loving and caring as you obviously are… By the way, Louis Visconti wouldn’t be a bad start.”

Kerri shook her head, but couldn’t hide a blush. “You must be joking. He’s almost old enough to be my father.”

“So what! He’s probably one of the most eligible bachelors in the city. Most women would kill for a man like him. He’s incredibly good looking, rich and available. Besides, I saw the way he looked at you tonight. I think he’s interested in a lot more than helping you.”

Although Andrea had stated what had been apparent to Kerri for some time, Kerri avoided acknowledging it. “Even if he was, I couldn’t allow myself to get involved. The last thing I need right now is another relationship.”

“Give it time my dear. It’s a great healer.”

Miles appeared in the doorway to the den. “Goodnight girls. You can stay here and talk your brains out. I’m going to bed.” He blew a kiss, then disappeared.

Andrea stood and placed her hand on Kerri’s shoulder. “I should go with him. He gets upset when I come to bed and wake him up. Enjoy the fire.”

“Thanks again for everything, Andrea.”

“My pleasure.”

Kerri continued to stare at the flames, pondering her uncertain future.

CHAPTER 52

Toronto. Monday, April 2, 1990

Mike traversed the slush-covered parking lot on his way to the door of his office. He was happy, the warmth of the sunshine and the continued strength of his business and marriage to Karen contributing to his buoyant frame of mind. He whistled as he entered the building and walked down the hallway leading to the open office area. “Hi Margaret,” he greeted one of his two secretaries.

She looked up and smiled. “Morning Mike… Chris Lippert’s waiting for you in your office. You’re not going to like what he has to say.”

His smile disappeared. “What is it? Tell me before I go in there?”

“I think I should let him tell you.”

Mike hurried to his office, closed the door and faced Terry Lippert, his most experienced representative and responsible for the supervision of Mike’s Toronto area retail gasoline outlets. Now thirty-two years of age, Lippert had been hired by Mike as a station manager, eight years earlier. Acknowledging Lippert’s commitment to the business and tireless efforts, Mike had rewarded him with generous salary increases and advancing levels of responsibility.

Lippert’s worried facial expression spoke volumes. “Did Margaret tell you why I’m here?” he asked.

“No, but she told me I’m not going to like what you’re going to tell me.”

“She was right about that… I think you should sit down.”

“Terry, just do it!” Mike demanded.

“We uncovered a credit card kiting scam… It’s an in-house deal.” Lippert paused and looked away, wishing he could just stop talking. “Phillip’s in on it.”

Mike walked slowly behind his desk and sat in his brown velour covered swivel chair. “You sure?” he asked, his eyes locked on Lippert’s.

Lippert nodded. “I wish I wasn’t. Phillip and Gary Matheson have been doing it for some time. If Phillip hadn’t been greedy, we probably wouldn’t have known about his involvement. He tried to recruit some of the other managers, but they refused and told me the whole story.”

“Were you aware of the scam before they told you?”

Lippert nodded. “It started when one of our customers phoned to complain about an overcharge on his credit card statement. According to his records, he bought twenty dollars worth of gasoline on February twenty-sixth. His statement showed he bought thirty dollars worth. If that was an isolated occurrence, we probably would have told the customer it was impossible to substantiate his claim. It was simply our word against his.”

“There were more?”

“A lot more. We audited all the credit card drafts for February and March and found a ton of them.”

“How did they do it?”

“Suppose you bought twenty dollars worth of gasoline and used your credit card to pay for it. Now, suppose the attendant takes your signed credit card draft and changes the twenty to a thirty. He puts the thirty dollar draft in his cash drawer and takes out ten dollars, cash. That maneuver balances his cash. Then he puts the ten in his pocket, and you get charged for thirty instead of twenty.”

Mike winced and shook his head. “Dammit, Chris, I’ve heard of a lot of ill-conceived scams in my career, but this is the dumbest. Those kids had to know that eventually some customers would reconcile their purchases with their statements.”

Lippert chuckled. You’ll love this one. “The latest complaint we got was from a woman who got a fifty-six dollar charge on her statement. It bothered her because she said her car won’t hold any more than fifty dollars worth.”

“How much money are we talking about?”

“So far, we’ve paid out eight hundred and seventy dollars in claims, but we know there’s more. I wonder how many people were ripped off and just blindly paid without checking their statements.”

“Has Matheson ever been caught with his hand in the cookie jar before?”

“He’s clean. In fact he’s a damn good manager… What do you want me to do with them?”

“Haul both of them in here tomorrow morning. I’ll talk to them.”

CHAPTER 53

New York. Monday, April 2, 1990.

Visconti lifted his left arm to glance at his Rolex. It was exactly twelve noon. Adorned in his new cream colored light suit, he paced in the dour reception area of Iacardi & Sons. A white buttoned-down Polo shirt and navy blue silk tie completed his ensemble. To make the occasion of his first date with Kerri memorable, he had rented a long white Mercedes limousine. He had also made reservations for a table for two, downstairs, along the left wall, at 21, an ultra-expensive chic restaurant on 52nd Street.

Kerri appeared in the doorway seconds later. In spite of her private denials about her interest in Visconti, she too had dressed for the occasion. She wore a pleated white skirt, black blazer and pale pink silk blouse. “Hi,” she said with a big smile.

“You look fantastic!” Visconti declared, anxiously looking forward to entering the restaurant with her holding his arm, to experience the rush of having people interrupt their conversations to gaze at him and his incredibly attractive companion. “You still want to do this?” he asked, smiling and reaching for her hand.

“Sure. Where to?”

“It’s a surprise. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I like surprises.”

“Then let’s go. Our chariot awaits.”