“Are you serious?” Pen asks. “That could be a ruse.”
“No, he had his face splashed all over the papers. His wife has run off with the gardener and is trying to take half of his winnings.”
“You’re not serious?” Pen’s face is a picture.
I smirk. “Not entirely. She didn’t run off with the gardener, but she has left him and is fighting for half. It’s a genuine win. The press and news stations were hanging around for weeks, wanting his story. I had to ban them from the building as a security risk.”
Oh, the irony!
“Okay, not him. What about the others?”
I look at the second name on the list.
“His wife received an inheritance. He’s retiring once this release has gone live. Didn’t want to leave me short.”
“Could be fake.”
“No, his father-in-law was a duke. Owned some stately home in Scotland. His wife hated her old man, but she’s an only child. Their children inherited the title, but they appointed her as caretaker until they come of age.”
“Next…”
“Another inheritance.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
Pen takes a deep breath. “Okay, that leaves the last two.”
I recognise the names, but they’re not people I’ve worked with directly.
I grab my laptop and pull up their personal files. Stopping when Pen adds a layer of anonymity to stop my search flagging up.
Who is this woman?
I take a seat, and she leans in next to me. My body hardens as the scent of her perfume invades my senses. She wears the same scent she did at uni. The light floral scent clashed in the past with her exterior look, but it suits her now.
“James Buchanon. He’s a number cruncher. Good at his job. I don’t know where his money has come from, but his history is in numbers, not programming. There’s a chance he’s let someone else in, I suppose, but looking at this file. I doubt it.”
“We won’t discount anyone. What about Peter Levon?”
I pull up Peter’s file the way Pen showed me.
I recognise the face as soon as it appears.
“He works under Todd. Is a bit of a loner. Can be gobby but normally keeps himself to himself.”
“Someone sent his money to an offshore account,” Pen admits.
I turn to stare at her. “And you didn’t think to mention that at the beginning?”
She raises an eyebrow. “Leading the witness. It was better you gave me your opinion on each of the names without me influencing you.”
I can see her logic, but I don’t like the idea of being played.
“He’s also our number one suspect.”
I wonder who theourare, but let it ride.Instead, I think back to Peter and what I know about him.
