AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course he is.” Daniel’s eyes flashed. “Neil and I were together when the acquisition started to happen. Stan neverdreamedhe’d be acquired. You have to understand, it’s like winning the lottery. You know how much they’re buying him for?”
“Yes.”
“So imagine that. Stan thought he died and went to heaven. I mean, Runstan makes money, but it’s basic, if you know what I mean, and Stan is all about money. I wouldn’t be surprised ifhewas stealing, from the jump.”
“But he’d be stealing from himself.”
“Please.” Daniel snorted. “You know a business and a CEO are two different things, right? Plenty of CEOs steal from their owncompany. I think my boss skims, too. Bosses steal legally, and the books lie. Stan’s family drives company cars, and they go on trips paid for by the company, Neil told me.”
“Really? But he drives an old Explorer.”
“To work, he does. He has a Corvette at home and his wife drives a Benz. They have a motorboat, too.” Daniel rolled his eyes. “I’ll tell you something else you don’t know about Stan. He’s a tough guy, for a CEO. He came up through the ranks and he’s got a lot of union pals in Philly. I wouldn’t be surprised if one was Barry Rigel. Stan could have had Rigel bug your apartment and follow you and your brother.”
I tensed, hearing it said aloud. “I wondered about that, too. Do you think Stan would kill Neil?”
“No.” Daniel met my eye, directly. “I think Stan would killyou.”
I felt a chill. “Why?”
“To shut you up. You’re asking questions. You could blow up the acquisition. Your brother’s willing to shut it down and play along. He stands to gain financially, just like Stan. You know who doesn’t? You. You went rogue when you went to Rigel’s house. They don’t know how to control you, and you won’t let it go.You’rethe loose end.”
“Oh man.” My mind reeled. “I’ve been wanting to go to the police. If I do, I’ll be safer.”
“No, you won’t. They take care of the powers that be. Runstan employs a lot of people, and the acquisition is major business news. Your father erased your involvement with Barry Rigel’s death, didn’t he?”
“Yes,” I answered, cringing.
“Well, Stan’s got more clout than your dad. If you start making dangerous allegations about him, it’s your word against his, and you’ll be even more exposed.”
I knew he was right, since ex-cons generally didn’t win credibility contests. “I could try to make a federal case out of it. Get to the FBI.”
“Bad idea. You’d have the same problems, and it will take longer.”
“So I can’t go to the cops, but I can’t let it go. What do I do?”
“You’re an investigator. So, investigate.” Daniel leaned over. “But on the down-low.”
“Right.”
“One last thing.” Daniel paused. “I know who owns the maroon Volvo.”
•••
I walked Daniel to the garage, where he’d parked his maroon Volvo. I’d been imagining the car for so long that it was impossible to believe it was in front of me, and that its owner wasn’t homicidal.
“Nice car,” I told him.
Daniel shrugged. “It runs great.”
“And you lent it to Neil that night?”
“Yes, his car was in the shop. He told me he had a meeting to go to, I assume with your brother. And by the way, he had a bandage on his forehead and told me he hit it on the countertop when he bent over. So we had a quick lunch, and I followed him to the shop and he dropped off his car. It wouldn’t start from time to time. Then he drove me to the station, and I took the train back to Philly.”
“And the next day?”
“We swapped. I took the train, we went to the shop, he got his car, and I drove back to the city. We were going to have dinner in town, but I was busy.”
“And that night, he drove to the park.”
