Once again, Anthony did the dramatic thing, this time a shocked sigh, before answering with, “My sincerest apologies. I do believe I was wrong in the timing. It must’ve been the weekend prior. He was here with Brian Wright and Seth Jacobs, God rest their souls.”
That made more sense. “Did anything seem off with them when they were here?”
“Not that I recall. They stopped in quite frequently to have lunch or dinner, play a round of golf, or even to have a drink in the gentlemen’s room.”
Charlie wasn’t going to touch that one.
“Do you know if there’s anyone here who might know Mr. Hawkins? Perhaps they’ve seen him recently? Outside of the club, I mean.”
“It’s a bit early in the day,” Anthony said, his head tilting back in that haughty manner that had her molars clamping together. “Perhaps you’d like to come back this afternoon.”
“Actually,” Slade interrupted, “we’d like to find Mr. Hawkins before then. And for us to do so, we could really use your help. He’s currently missing. Two of his partners were murdered. We’d very much prefer he didn’t meet the same fate.”
Anthony didn’t seem at all bothered by the curtness in Slade’s tone. “I understand, sir. However, it’s unfortunate that I cannot help you at this time.”
Before Slade could say something more, Charlie intervened. “Thank you for your time. Would it be all right if we got a look at the locker room where Mr. Jacobs’s body was found?”
That seemed to catch him off guard. “I’m sorry?”
“Mr. Jacobs’s body was found here,” she relayed, recalling the updated information she had. “It was an active crime scene.”
The snooty man looked sincerely confused, shaking his head. “No, that’s not correct. Mr. Jacobs’s body was never here.”
“Perhaps he was and you weren’t told?” she inquired.
He was shaking his head in earnest now. “No. No, that’s not correct. I truly don’t know where he was found, but it certainly was not here.”
Charlie could’ve continued to argue because the police report reflected as much, but she got the impression this man was telling the truth. Which meant there was something fishy going on, and she got the distinct feeling he would not appreciate them snooping around, interrupting their clients by chatting them up, so Charlie opted to refrain from asking.
“Well, we appreciate your time, Mr. Grandley.” Charlie produced her card, held it out. “If you happen to come across any information you might believe helpful in finding Mr. Hawkins, don’t hesitate.”
“Of course.” He nodded once, took the card, holding it as though it might possibly contaminate him.
She cast a quick glance at Slade, nodded toward the door.
Once outside, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“That was … odd,” Slade stated.
“More than a little,” she acknowledged.
“Where to now?”
Before she could answer, her cell phone buzzed with an incoming text.
It was Reese letting her know they were stopping to talk to Mallory Jacobs, the wife of one of the partners. After that, they would be grabbing some lunch and requested them to join.
Charlie quickly typed a response, confirming they would. At the last second, she added on what they’d learned from Anthony Grandley the Third. Figured knowing that Seth Jacobs wasn’t found here at the club was rather pertinent information. Especially since it appeared someone had tampered with the police report.
Chapter Ten
Brantley hadn’t been at all impressed withAnnie Hawkins, the wife who coated herself in diamonds and let her boy toy with the law degree do all the talking.
He was even less impressed with Mallory Jacobs.
And it had nothing to do with her outward appearance. Compared to the first wife they’d interviewed, Mrs. Jacobs was what he would consider tame. They were similar in the fact it looked like Mrs. Jacobs spent a vast majority of her time in a spa. Her glowing skin was flawless, her fiery red hair glossy and straight, emerald-green eyes highlighted with makeup that probably cost as much as Brantley’s Sig.
No, she didn’t have diamonds dripping from everywhere, nor was she sporting ankle-breaking heels, but there was something about this woman that set off red flags.
