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Lia rolled her eyes. She’d never spent much time with the businessman, but she’d known plenty of people who worked at the meatpacking plant. According to them, Ryan Burke was cold and ruthless and willing to cut any corner to save a buck. Certainly not the sort of man to hand out thousands of dollars to anyone, let alone a college student he barely knew.
“No. He would more likely make up the fellowship for a tax break and pocket the money.”
“So, did Vanna discover something about the meatpacking plant while she was an intern?”
“I used to visit the extension office with Mom,” Lia said. “They had a large greenhouse where the students tested hybrid seeds for the university ag program. In the fall, they would donate the vegetables and fruits. We put out crates in front of the store for the locals to grab.” She struggled to think of the last time she’d been there. “I’m pretty sure it shut down at least ten years ago.” Her breath caught in her throat as she pictured the dilapidated building. “Oh.”
“What is it?”
“The old office isn’t too far away from the railroad bridge where Vanna jumped.”
Kaden arched his brows. “We should check it out. But while we’re in Madison, we should see if we can track down Professor Sanderson. She might know more about the supposed fellowship.”
They were both potential leads in discovering Vanna’s various connections to Pike, but Lia was hoping to find something more tangible. Didn’t the cops always say to solve a crime you had to follow the money? That seemed like the most straightforward way to discover who might have the motive to murder her. And, just as importantly, who might have profited from her death.
“What happened to Vanna’s belongings after she died?”
“My brother donated most of her clothes, although he kept a few of her personal items.” Kaden nodded toward a door across the room. “I have them packed away in his study.”
“Are there financial records?”
“There were some bank statements my brother gave to the private investigators.”
“Can I see them?”
“Sure.”
Kaden crossed the floor and pushed open the door, leading her into a large, distinctly masculine room with heavy wooden furniture and walls lined with bookshelves. It was surprisingly cozy compared to the sleek starkness of the living room, and Lia silently wondered if Vanna had chosen the décor for the public area of the condo, while Darren stamped his own personal taste in here.
Kaden headed directly to the walnut desk. He touched a button and one of the shelves swung open to reveal a hidden closet. It was all very 007, but Lia was too distracted to appreciate the craftsmanship. Vanna’s foster mother had revealed that Vanna had a habit of manipulating the people around her for monetary gain. It confirmed their suspicion that the woman was capable of blackmailing someone—or several someones—in Pike.
Kaden stepped out of the closet carrying a box he placed on the desk. Flipping open the lid, he pulled out stacks of files and handed them to Lia.
“These are the originals, along with the private investigator’s report. He didn’t find anything.”
Lia offered an absent nod, quickly scanning the private investigator’s notes. It was thorough, but it wasn’t what Lia was interested in.
“He didn’t find anything because he was searching for evidence of Vanna being alive. Or if someone had killed her and was drawing money from her accounts.”
Kaden positioned himself so he could glance over her shoulder as she sorted through the bank statements.
“What are you looking for?” he asked.
“Her cash flow.” Lia read through one statement after another, all the way up to when they abruptly stopped in December 2007. She blew out a frustrated sigh. “It’s not here.”
“You’ll have to explain. Numbers give me a brain cramp.”
She turned to meet his wry smile. “If Vanna was bribing companies or towns for large sums of money, there should be some evidence.”
“Maybe she stashed her ill-gotten gains in a secret bank deposit box,” he suggested. “That’s what they do in the movies.”
“The numbers we saw on the back of the map indicated she was receiving electronic transfers into an account, not cash.” Lia considered the various ways a person could hide such large amounts of money. “She might have another savings account for the bribes, but you said she had expensive tastes.”
“She did.”
Lia held up the top statement so he could see the transactions. “This appears to be a woman who lived a very modest lifestyle. Two thousand bucks or so for rent, utilities, and groceries. Easily within her monthly salary.”
Kaden reached to take the statement, his brows snapping together. “This can’t be right. Vanna spent more than this on her weekly spa treatments. And her rent had to be triple what this shows.”
