AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Because I don’t know how long I’m going to stay solid. The faster we finish getting the case together, the faster I can carry you into the bedroom.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“You’re ridiculous.” She bit her lip glancing at the paperwork and then at him. “But, I could use a break, and I—”
His mouth was on hers, stopping her mid-sentence. She smiled against his lips as Mel pulled her up from the couch and they escaped into the bedroom.
The case could wait.
“Where’sthecopyofJay’s up-to-date expenses for the bar?” Mel reached out his hand, curling his fingers for the pages.
Anastacia flipped through a small pile, handing over the correct file while focused on the laptop screen. Her eyes started burning over an hour ago, but she couldn’t look away in case she missed something. Fingers danced over the keyboard, organizing the paperwork from Jason’s business files, checking some large amounts being paid out to an unknown account. Assuming it was the partial payment to Knight for the murder, she had yet to find the connecting piece to prove it.
“Do you wonder how Dominic got a hold of all this?” Anastacia pondered out loud with a sigh. “And why he didn’t bring it forward before now.”
“He believed Knight was in his pocket until now. He would keep it under wraps until he had to use it. It’s smart to hide your cards before you play your hand.” Mel ran a hand through his hair, brushing the long pieces away from his face.
“I’m just hoping this won’t be considered fruit of the poisonous tree.” She drew her bottom lip between her teeth as she worried at it. “Knowing it came from Dominic, I can’t say I found it in good faith.”
“Well, speaking from a business side, most of Jason’s accounting information is public and able to be accessed through a few entities. Not to mention the possible investors he contacted. As long as it doesn’t have his personal information, several people can view it with no legality issues.” Mel rattled out the information. Lifting his attention from the paperwork to Anastacia who had yet to reply. “What?”
“You knew all of that off the top of your head?”
“I’m my father’s son. Despite not being made for the business world, I learned tons from my dad.” Tapping at the side of his head, he grinned. “I’m more than a pretty face.”
“Why didn’t you start the bar on your own? You have the business mind for it.”
“Ah, I have the knowledge, sure, but I don’t have the passion for numbers. Jason did. I thought it was a match made in business heaven.”
“Instead, he became the devil.” Anastacia groaned and clicked open another computer file. “Now, how do we take him and Knight down?”
“We’ll figure it out.”
“We’ve been at it for two days! The best we have is the money transferring out of the business account, but no deposits to Knight. The life insurance policy, the main motive, hasn’t been cashed in yet since the case is ongoing. And Knight… Dominic gave me information on his past dealings, but nothing directly to you or Jason. He’s a fucking good detective.”
“He’s a killer who knows how to think like a detective,” Mel corrected and huffed. “I wonder why he brought you in on the case.”
“It would take suspicion off of him if he brought in someone to help with the case. Would have worked, too, if I was as incompetent as he originally thought I was. Or he saw he could guide me down the pathhewanted me to follow.”
“Knight should have seen how brilliant you were when you found the evidence he missed at the scene.” Mel picked up a random file. Flying through the information on the page. “Stacia, about that life insurance policy. It’s in effect and all, right?”
“Yeah, all stamped and approved.” With a few clicks, she brought the document back up to show him. “Why?”
“Was it ever submitted in the files for the case? I don’t think we ever saw it. Hell knows I didn’t, and I signed the damn thing.”
Thinking back to the countless pieces of paper for the business, licenses, and one-year plans, there was no sign of a life insurance policy for either partner. Hours were spent going over the business paperwork; she couldn’t have missed it. But then again, someone couldn’t miss something that wasn’t there.
“Maybe it was suppressed. Knight hid it from discovery?” Anastacia dug in her bag for her notebook, only to remember it was destroyed when her apartment was ransacked. She huffed in frustration and hit the empty satchel. “He would know we would have to look into Jason at that point. Life insurance payouts are big motivators for the homicidal-minded. You think there’s more to it?”
“Just checking all the boxes.” He settled behind her as she stared at the document. “What if there was something on there not pointing to Jay?”
“For him to get the money, it would have to—” Anastacia highlighted the beneficiary line and stopped before finishing her thought. “Beneficiary is listed as a charity… The Robert Quint Charity Fund.”
“And who said they were heading the charity? None other than one Anthony Knight.” Mel poked at the screen. “There’s our connection to Knight. You think it’s enough?”
“It’s enough to start a full investigation. He didn’t set the charity up to help a friend in need. It was to cover for when the insurance paid out.”
“Wouldn’t the company be reaching out to the station about the policy?”
“Insurances never really know about a policyholder’s death until they’re contacted. Knight wanted to wait until the case was over to go in for the payout.”
