“Come in, come in.” Beyer rose from his massive desk in front of a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that made Eve’s stomach want to pitch.
He gestured them toward a seating area at least ten feet from that glass wall.
He offered a firm handshake. “So nice to see you again, Lieutenant, and to meet you, Detective. We’ll have coffee, Opal, and some of those sugar cookies if you don’t tell my better half.”
“I’m the soul of discretion.”
“Milton’s on a health kick, and he’s dragged me along.”
He sat comfortably, a man lean in his pin-striped suit, his golden brown face pleasant. His hair had a waving white streak through the black on the left side.
“So,” he began, “Henry had a secret vault.”
“A secret from you?”
“Yes, until a few days ago when Nathan contacted me. I’m very sorry about what happened to him. I liked him very much, and his family. I want to say, so I will, he was not his father’s son in many ways.”
“In what ways?”
“We’re all flawed, aren’t we? But one of Henry’s flaws was women. He simply couldn’t be without a variety of women. Nathan and Aileen were devoted to each other. I can say that professionally and personally. As far as the vault?”
He paused as Opal brought in a tray.
“Thank you. You’ll hold everything, won’t you?”
“Yes, of course.”
She poured the coffee, then went out, closed the door behind her.
“The vault,” Beyer continued. “Yes, I was stunned to learn about it, but when I thought it through, it didn’t shock me. Henry needed to possess. He worked hard, and as far as I can tell you was scrupulously honest in his business dealings. Zip was his pride and joy. Nathan simply didn’t have the same needs.”
“When he told you about the vault?”
“It took him some time to tell it all. He was upset, worried. I got no more than bits and pieces at first. He wanted to protect his father’s legacy, his own family, the business, so he wanted to proceed carefully. His hope was to return everything anonymously. It’s not a simple process.”
“No, it wouldn’t be.”
“I was working on it. We’d hoped to have the process firmly in place in another week or so. Now, of course, all of that’s moot. I can only assure you the family had no intention of keeping any of it. It made him sad. Nathan. It made him sad to know his father had done this.”
“And his wife, his sister, his daughters were fully on board with this process?”
“No one objected. In fact, Aileen had done considerable research onthe items, where they’d been taken, and into the process of return. She’s very good at her work.”
“Who benefits most from Nathan Barrister’s death?”
“Aileen. The house will go to her now. Nathan inherited sixty percent of the company in his father’s will. Aileen will inherit eighty percent of Nathan’s share. His daughters will each get ten percent. The girls already have ten percent through their grandfather’s will, so they’ll have twenty now. Joy has twenty, through her father.”
“So Aileen now has the largest slice of the pie.”
“Correct.”
“Why such a disparity between his children for Henry?”
“He didn’t see it that way. He intended for Nathan to run the business, and to take over Barrister House. He left Joy very well provided for. Beyond the interest in the company, there’s real estate, financial accounts, jewelry, art.”
“From what I’ve learned, Aileen Carville has no interest in running Zip.”
“No, I believe that will fall to Joy and the girls. Chloe’s aimed there since childhood. She’s worked there, she’s studying to step into her father’s shoes.” He paused to sample one of the cookies. “I believe Anya intends to join Zip’s legal team when the time comes.”
