FROM DETECTIVE THORNTON’S DEMEANOR, there was more to the crime scene than he was letting on. Peter waited until Hailey was out of earshot before asking, “What aren’t you telling us?”
The detective’s frown deepened. “I’m not at liberty to share the details at this time.”
Peter studied him. “But it was bad.”
A muscle twitched in the other man’s cheek. “Gruesomeis a better word for it.”
Hailey returned, Jenna on her hip, and Peter decided to let the matter drop. For now.
“So you have no idea who did this or why?” Hailey asked.
“We’re still working on that. Peter brought up a good point. Considering the attempts made on your life and Ms. Novak’s interest in turning people against you, I have to wonder if there’s some connection.”
“I’m wondering the same thing. Could she have been killed by the same people who are after me?”
“It’s a possibility.”
Peter frowned as he thought through that scenario. His best guess up until last night had been that the threats against Hailey were in relation to the money laundering scheme she’d discovered. But Alessandro Luque had indicated that wasn’t the case. If he was telling the truth, what did it mean that another CPA had been targeted? Was something more going on at Pendleton Accounting?
He refocused on the detective. “Had Ms. Novak received any threats or warnings recently?”
“No. None that she reported, anyway. She does have a longtime fiancé that we’ve been unable to reach. Perhaps he’ll be able to confirm that.”
This situation was bizarre. Peter locked gazes with Hailey, silently inquiring if she was going to tell Eric about yesterday’s developments. He could see her indecision, and he understood it. But this might be her best chance to discreetly get law enforcement involved. She wouldn’t have to risk a phone call or a visit to the police station. And though he didn’t know Detective Thornton well, he was fairly certain they could trust him.
Hailey seemed to come to the same conclusion. She heaved a deep sigh and untangled Jenna’s fingers from her hair before setting her daughter on the floor to play. “I don’t know anything about Stefania’s death, Eric. And I don’t want to distract from that investigation, but there’s something I need to tell you. There’s a possibility it might be connected.”
By the time she finished, Eric’s pen was clicking in a fast-pacedrhythm. “And you didn’t think I might need to know all this sooner?”
“Of course I did. But I didn’t know what to do. He said he’d know if I tried to report him. It almost sounded like he’d bugged my phone or had someone following me.”
“He could have been bluffing.”
“He could have,” she agreed. “But you weren’t there. His voice was so cold, almost detached.” She shivered. “He sounded like the kind of guy who could order a hit on a day care, then treat himself to a crème brûlée. I was afraid not to take him seriously.”
“But you’re telling me now.”
“You’re here about something else. He has no way of knowing what we’re talking about.”
Peter hoped that was the case. At his suggestion, she’d left her phone under a pile of laundry in her bedroom. It might be overkill, but if someone was listening in via the device, that would limit what it could pick up.
Eric pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, here’s what I’m going to do.”
Twenty minutes later, the detective departed with a promise to leave the money laundering situation alone for this afternoon. The Kincaid police force was small, and anyone watching would expect all resources to be thrown behind cracking the murder case before the killer’s trail went cold. There was just too high a risk of tipping off Eukaria’s CFO if Eric started poking around in the wrong place.
But he’d be working on a plan. Ignoring the situation with Eukaria was a temporary solution at best. They couldn’t afford to delay acting on Hailey’s situation for long. Her deadline was ticking nearer with every second.
After locking up behind the detective, Peter returned to the living room and sank onto the couch next to Hailey. “How are you doing?”
“I’m not sure. My relationship with Stefania wasn’t great, but I wasn’t at all prepared for her death.”
“The detective said she’d been harassing you?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve only been back to working full-time at Pendleton Accounting for about nine months. For most of that time, Stefania largely ignored me other than to make a snide comment every now and then. She wasn’t a particularly happy person, and she took that out on others. But when I inherited Eukaria’s accounts after Frank died, she went ballistic. Ever since then, she’s gone out of her way to make my life miserable. I have to wonder now if she knew something and that’s why she wanted them so badly.”
“She wanted Eukaria specifically?”
“Yes. I didn’t think much of it until now. Eukaria is the biggest firm that uses our services. There’s a certain amount of prestige that comes with having them as a client, as well as an increase in pay. And she’s got seniority at Pendleton Accounting now that Frank’s gone. It made sense that she felt slighted when I got their accounts instead, but I guess it could have been more than that. Is it terrible that I almost wish I’d let her have it? Maybe she’d still be alive and I wouldn’t be in this mess.” She buried her face in her hands.
