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“Tell me.”
“I suspect the corporations were created to pay Vanna.”
“Why would they need a shell company?”
That question was what had driven Lia crazy as she searched the Internet for hours. It just didn’t make sense that a corporation would be opened and then closed just a few months later. Two of them had only been open a couple of weeks.
“At first, I considered the possibility that it was to hide the fact the company was in trouble with the EPA. Violating the environment is never good for public relations. Especially in an area where people depend on the land for their livelihood.” She shrugged. “If they could pay the fine through a separate account, they might have hoped it wouldn’t be traced back to them.”
“But you don’t think that’s the answer?”
“If it was all legit, I should have been able to find something online that showed the payment had been made to the EPA. Plus, your brother would have the reports listing the violations Vanna discovered, along with the paperwork for the penalties. Even if he hadn’t noticed them while he was working with the EPA, it’s in the public domain and his private detectives would easily have located them.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t see anything in the files.”
She hadn’t seen anything either when she glanced through the stacks of papers Kaden had shared with her. There had been a few minor violations that were cited, with a date for the company to make the necessary changes to prove they were compliant. And even a couple of tickets handed out to two separate landfills had been paid. But nothing in the amounts that were written on the back of the map.
“That’s what makes me suspect the payments were made off the record.”
“Off the record?” It took Kaden a second to realize what she was implying. Then he flinched. “Bribes?”
Lia held up her hands in a silent apology. “I’m sorry. I know Vanna was going to be part of your family.”
“No.” He made a sound of impatience. “I mean, yes, she was engaged to my brother, but there’s no need to apologize. Honestly, I never liked her.”
Lia was caught off guard by his blunt confession. “Why not?”
He answered without hesitation. “She seemed shallow. When they visited me in Hollywood, all she could talk about was her new Porsche and flash around the diamond ring that must have cost my brother a fortune. I even said something to Darren about her obsession with material things.”
“He didn’t mind?”
“Darren was convinced it was a result of being raised in a series of foster homes. He said she constantly needed to prove to herself that she’d succeeded despite her rough childhood.” Kaden scowled, making no effort to disguise his opinion of his soon-to-be sister-in-law. “He also swore that beneath her hard exterior was a soft heart. If that was true, she kept it well hidden.”
Lia would always feel sympathy for the woman she’d seen climb onto the railroad bridge and jump. She’d obviously been driven by some intense emotion. But assuming it had been Vanna Zimmerman, Kaden’s impression of a money-hungry woman would fit into her theory of bribery.
“She had a Porsche? On a government salary?”
He nodded, easily following the direction of her thoughts. “Yeah. I wondered at the time if Darren had bought it for her, but he said she had it before they met.”
“My guess is she was making money on the side.”
Kaden abruptly turned, pacing across the cramped space as he considered what Lia had told him. He didn’t look upset, but there was a tightness to his features that suggested part of him was disappointed to discover Vanna was as ruthless as he’d always feared. Or maybe he was wishing his brother had never gotten involved with her.
Finally, he turned back to face her, his disappointment replaced with a grim determination.
“If she was using her power as an EPA inspector to blackmail local businesses, that might explain why no one wants her identified.” He deliberately paused. “Including the mayor.”
Lia slowly nodded. “It would certainly be awkward.”
“It might be more than awkward.”
He didn’t have to spell out his suspicion that whoever was being blackmailed had murdered Vanna. Either to hide the evidence of their violations or to avoid paying the bribe. Or both.
An ancient regret sliced through her heart. “I can’t wrap my mind around the thought I might have seen Vanna running from her killer.”
“And that whoever killed her is still in town.”
Lia shivered at his blunt words. If it was hard to imagine she’d seen Vanna in the final moments of her life fifteen years ago, it was even more difficult to imagine the person who’d murdered her was still walking the streets.
