“I can’t wait.”She smiled wryly.“Sorry to have woken you.”
“No problem.I have a few questions for you, but we can talk about that later.”He gave her a nod, then left the room, closing the door behind him to give her some privacy.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t barge into a woman’s bedroom.Yet nothing about this situation was normal.At least he hadn’t lost his soldier instincts.He rubbed the back of his neck as he headed back into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee.
The few hours of sleep had helped take the edge off.He hadn’t gotten as far into the investigation as he’d hoped, and other than the discrepancy between Richard’s and Damien’s financial situations, he’d found nothing out of the ordinary.
When Bryn padded into the kitchen, still wearing the socks over her blistered feet, he nodded at her.“Coffee’s almost ready.I’ll put new bandages on your feet before making breakfast.”
“I can do it.”She accepted the coffee, taking a careful sip.“I’m not helpless.”
He frowned.“I never said you were.”
“You mentioned having questions.”She carried her coffee mug to the table.He’d found a pad of paper and a pen and had scribbled notes while he worked.“I can barely read your handwriting.”
“Yeah, well, I can read it.”He filled a second mug, then joined her at the table.“Did Richard inherit any money?He has way more in assets compared to Damien.”
“How do you know that?”
“I have ways.”He waved a hand.“Part of my PI business is having access to various databases.I haven’t found much, other than Richard owns property here in Madison as well as in Tampa, Florida.Not to mention two rather expensive cars and a two-million-dollar retirement fund.”
“Really?”She looked surprised.“I knew about the Florida house, obviously.He heads down for a week every month during the winter.He was gone the end of March, but he was back in the office on Monday.”
“How does Damien feel about that?”He wondered if Damien resented his partner being gone so much.
“No idea.Damien never complained to me, if that’s what you’re asking.”She tipped her head to the side, her gaze going sharp.“You’re saying Damien doesn’t have similar money stashed away?”
“Nope.That’s why I was wondering if he might have resented Richard.”That sort of resentment could be the motive behind embezzling from the company.But murder?That took things to a whole new level.Yet he also knew that criminals would go to great lengths to hide their crimes.
How had Damien ended up dead?That was the puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit.
“What’s this about offshore accounts?”Bryn glanced up at him.“You think that’s where the embezzled money is?”
“Exactly.Did you ever hear if either Richard or Damien used accounts in Europe or maybe in the Cayman Islands?Those are popular places to hide money.”
“Never.”She stared down at her coffee for a moment.“If Richard has assets here, it seems less likely he’s involved.Maybe the reason Damien doesn’t have a lot of assets on file is because they’re in those offshore accounts.”
“Maybe.”That was one possibility.“He never indicated he was short on funds, though, right?”
“Not while we dated.In fact, he was always extravagant.Making reservations at the most expensive restaurants, that kind of thing.”She grimaced.“It was impressive at first, but I grew annoyed with it after a while.I didn’t understand why he felt the need to flash his wealth around like that.”
He nodded, thinking that was interesting.He always imagined people were drawn to those who were obviously wealthy.He thought about how his buddy Mac had resisted falling for his wife, Lauren, because she came from money.As it turned out, they were perfect for each other.Lauren was one of the most down-to-earth women he’d ever met.And her daughter, Lucy, was adorable.
“Would you like me to make breakfast?”Bryn asked.“I have a feeling it would be best to talk to the police after I have something in my stomach.”
“I’ll do it.”He jumped up, anxious for something to do.“We don’t have to hurry in for that interview either.We’ll shop for clothes and shoes first.”
She wrapped her fingers around the coffee mug as if seeking warmth.“I guess that’s fine.But I’d almost rather get the interview over with.They questioned me for so long, repeating the same questions over and over again, I started to feel sick to my stomach.I don’t think I’ll be able to relax until this is behind me.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”He wondered if Lieutenant Krogan would treat her the same way this time around.It seemed likely he would.If for no other reason than Damien’s body was found inside her home.
“Did Damien have keys to your place?”he asked, glancing at her as he pulled eggs from the fridge.
“No!We weren’t—we didn’t...”She waved a hand, her cheeks pink with embarrassment.“You know.I told Lori we didn’t get that far along in our relationship, and that was the truth.”
“Okay, I had to ask.”The police would ask that and more.Lots more.
For some reason, he didn’t want to go straight to the police station for the interview.Obviously, he was Bryn’s alibi.She couldn’t have killed Damien, or Lori for that matter, since she was with him.
