“Do you know why you’re here?” Amanda asked as she sat across from him with a folder. It was stuffed with mostly blank paper to make it look intimidating.
“I’m too smart to walk into that trap, Detective. I’ve already waived a lawyer, but you’re going to lead this conversation. There’s no way I’m stupid enough to volunteer something that may entrap me.”
Not the words of an innocent man with nothing to hide, but was it embezzlementandmurder? “All right, I’ll lay it out in a way that’s clear. You’re suspected of four felonies.” Amanda listed them in her head. Conspiracy to commit murder, two murders, and one count of embezzlement.
Gabay didn’t so much as blink, but fresh beads of perspiration popped on his brow.
“This doesn’t come as a surprise to you?” Trent asked.
“I’m not sure where you got four.”
Huh…It seemed he suspected to be considered for at least one.The embezzlement?“When Ms. Sharp decided topurchase your firm, she was given access to your books. Is that correct?”
“That’s right. She was given these last Friday.”
The way he responded so calmly was unsettling. How could he not see where they were headed with this? Unlesstheywere the fools for believing Harris Finch when he pointed them in Gabay’s direction. “Was that why she was in DC?”
“Yes.”
“And she was there all weekend?” That was the story they had all along.
“I can’t speak to her entire itinerary, but she was at the firm on Friday, and she called on Saturday for me to meet her for dinner in DC.”
It was possible Howard had sent the hit woman to Dominique’s house Friday night, thinking she’d have returned home. “Why was that?”
“She was feeling confident about the purchase.” His voice sounded tight, the words strained, as if resisting coming out.
If Finch was right and the offer was a lowball one, had Howard felt forced to accept it? If so, what could make him do so? Amanda benched those thoughts for now. “Ms. Sharp was first interested in your firm six months ago. Why was she just receiving your books now?”
“Things like that take time to get together.”
“Yet, you agreed to an offer she made. And she put one in without even consulting your numbers?” Amanda asked, finding that strange.
“She already knew she wanted the firm. I wanted to retire. Win-win.”
“Despite the lowball offer?” Amanda treated what Finch had told them as fact.
Howard wiped his brow again. “Who said anything about it being lowball?”
She’d take his reaction as confirmation. “Regarding the firm’s finances, we’ve had a look at them ourselves.”
“Then you’ve seen our amazing growth over the last seven years. We’re set to beat previous sales records this fiscal.”
“The Financial Crimes Unit of the PWCPD saw something else.” She scanned his eyes, and he was giving nothing away. His stare was blank in response. She ran through their findings, and added, “Several clients and vendor accounts are shell companies. You embezzled money from your own firm and fed it back in after you made some interest. Or was it to cover your tracks? The theft was in the amount of nearly one-point-two million dollars.”
“Come again?”
He was either playing dumb or really had no idea. She’d sway to the latter.
“They must be mistaken,” he rushed ahead. “There’s no way someone at the firm would do that.”
She noted how he shifted things from himself. “Not just someone. You.”
“Nah, no way. The reports will tell you that. You said you have the financials? Well, the name of the person associated with those accounts would have been included.”
“We spoke with that person, and they’re why we’re speaking with you,” she told him.
“Whowas it?”
