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“If there was, Pierce didn’t mention it. But he didn’t gossip. Honestly, he was a throwback to another era.”
“I know Madelyn,” Lynn said. “We became friendly. She didn’t have friends here, and when Pierce was on business calls, she’d lunch here—said our club was more comfortable than the Harbor House.”
“Which is?” Matt asked.
“The premier country club on the island,” John said. “Anyone who’s anyone in Washington belongs, though most of their members don’t even live on the islands, just vacation here.”
“The Jeffries belonged—it’s where Pierce did most of his business,” Ted said. “But to relax, he came here.”
Lynn agreed. “I didn’t like seeing her eat alone, so often I joined her. Madelyn was standoffish to most people because she felt they were judging her as a gold digger. Once you got to know her, you realized why she and Pierce had such a successful marriage. She’s far more mature than her age suggests, and very knowledgeable about art and books, but not in a snooty way. I like her. I went out to see her yesterday, to find out how she’s holding up. Her mother was there, so I didn’t stay long, just gave her some food I had the kitchen prepare.”
“And how was she?” Matt asked.
“In shock, I would say,” Lynn said. “She seemed lost.”
“Why all these questions about the Jeffries?” Adam asked. “They are good people. You need to be looking at IP!”
“Adam,” Ted said quietly.
“It’s okay,” Matt said. “I’m used to people telling me how to do my job.” He addressed Adam directly: “I have to look at all possible motives, suspects, and victims. Pierce Jeffries was by far the wealthiest person on that boat, and money can bring out the worst in people. So I need to look at anyone who might hold a grudge, or who might benefit from his death.”
“I would look at his rotten kids before Madelyn,” Lynn said. “I might be biased because I like Madelyn, and she’s rarely spoken about her family situation. But they were here in the spring for a long weekend, and Madelyn stayed a few days longer. I asked her about it because it was unusual. She said Pierce had to go to New York and she wanted a few days without family drama. She regretted saying it, tried to backtrack—as if she feared I’d talk to a gossip rag. But it was more how she said it—it clearly bothered her. Later I learned there was a write-up in a business magazine where Pierce’s daughter cruelly insulted Madelyn. It hurt her.”
Matt made a mental note to have Catherine read and assess that article and the relationship between Madelyn Jeffries and the family. But back to West End. “I need a list of every employee who was let go over the last year, or any employee who was let go over the last five years who you think might possibly have a grudge.”
“There’s no one.”
“No one?”
“We haven’t fired anyone this year. Like I said, this is a family business,” Ted said. “Small and lean. We hire locals. My kids work here. Lynn’s daughter works here in the summers—she’s in high school. I know everyone on the staff personally. There are people working here who’ve been here for twenty years, who our dad hired. People have left—usually because they moved off the island. We have a lot of temporary summer hires—a lot of college students. I recruit for the summer from University of Washington and hire ten to fifteen extra staff. It’s the nature of the business—we don’t do a lot of charters in the middle of winter.”
“Neil Devereaux worked year-round?”
“Yes, part-time. As needed—and we always needed him in the summer. Plus, because he was a former FBI agent, there were a few jobs I wanted him to take.”
“For what reason?”
“A few years ago I found out that one of my charter boats had been used to smuggle drugs from Victoria into the islands. I didn’t know how or who, so I asked Neil to do the run for a few weeks. He figured out who it was and how they did it.”
“An employee?”
“No. It was someone who bought a ticket, once a month, working with a dockhand in Victoria. They’re both in prison now, thanks to Neil.”
“I’ll need any files you have on that case,” Matt said, “just to cover bases.”
“I’ll get them for you,” Lynn said and wrote on her pad.
“I remember the case,” John said. “I can pull the arrest record.”
“You think some guy who is doing five years for smuggling blew up our boat and killed people?” Adam said with a distinct frown.
“I don’t think anything at this point,” Matt said. “But like I said earlier, I need to cover every possible angle.”
A knock on the door interrupted Matt’s next thought. A young man opened the door. “Ted? The protesters outside blocked access to the club, and it’s getting a bit volatile. Raul and his team are there, but they still won’t leave.”
John stood. “I’ll take care of it.”
“May I go with you?” Ted said. “This is my business. I know some of those kids. I can talk to them.”
