Quest For Justice

Kennedy studied her for a few moments and his scrutiny made her even more nervous. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision and leaned back in the chair.

“Smart deduction. Gates is one of his newest accounts, and it was the last file that was open on his computer before his death. We think he was about to update his notes when he was interrupted, so we wanted to check it out, as well. In this case, your instincts are pretty good.”

She breathed a sigh of relief at his words. “So I can stay?”

Kennedy’s pause made her nervousness return, but he finally nodded at her. “For now.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to join you for your appointment. But let me ask the questions, okay? Do you think you can do that?”

Could she? Keeping her mouth shut was not her forte, but if the choices were staying silent during the interview or occupying a jail cell, she’d definitely choose the former. She nodded and took her seat again, just as a secretary came to announce that the VP was ready to see her. Kennedy stood, introduced himself and explained that they needed to see the VP together. After seeing his badge, the secretary accepted his request and led them both past reception into the hallway. Bailey turned and looked over her shoulder one last time at the dark-haired man. Now he was watching her, and his eyes seemed to bore right through her as she walked. She didn’t know the man, but his expression was so intense that she was glad to get away from him. If looks could kill, she’d be lying dead on the floor right now.

* * *

The secretary led them to Mr. Johnson’s office, where a tall, graying man was seated behind a desk, working on a laptop. He closed the computer as they entered and rose before motioning toward the chairs in front of his desk.

They all shook hands before Frank spoke up. “Thank you for seeing us. I’m Detective Kennedy, and this is Bailey Cox. I had an appointment with you later today, but Ms. Cox and I thought we’d save you some time and talk to you together. We have a few questions we’d like to ask you.”

“I’m happy to help in any way I can,” Johnson said smoothly. They all sat and Kennedy opened up his iPad and started taking notes. “You’ve probably heard that Matt Cox was killed a couple of nights ago. We were hoping you could tell us about the work he was doing for you.”

“Sure,” Johnson said as he leaned back in his chair. “Gates Industries is headed for change. Our current CEO and president is stepping down at the end of the year, and we’re in the process of vetting the applicants for the position. Mr. Cox was investigating the backgrounds of the five finalists. He was due to give us his full report at the end of the month.”

Frank’s fingers flew over his iPad screen, documenting Mr. Johnson’s answer. “Had he told you anything he’d discovered yet?”

Johnson nodded. “He sent us a preliminary report about two weeks ago. I scanned it but unfortunately didn’t have time to read through the whole thing. As far as I know, though, nothing odd stood out on any of the applicants. Mr. Cox had completed the basic checks and was beginning to dig deeper. You know, interviewing references, that sort of thing.” He shifted. “Do you really think that his murder is related to the work he was doing for Gates?”

Frank shrugged. “We’re exploring every avenue at this point. Do you think we could get a copy of his initial report? We found one on his computer, but we want to make sure they match up.”

“Of course,” Johnson answered. “If you give my assistant your email address, I’ll have her send it to you.”

“That would be great. Did Mr. Cox have contact with anyone else here at Gates?”

Again, Johnson shook his head. “Not that I know of. I’m the one who hired him, and I had an appointment set to meet with him once he’d finished the job. Then I was going to present his report and findings to the board.”

Frank glanced at Bailey, who looked like she was about to burst. He had to give her credit. She was doing a good job of keeping quiet and fulfilling her promise. He looked back at his notes. “Is it standard procedure to hire a private investigator to do background checks on your prospective employees?” he asked.

“I can’t speak to other companies and their procedures, but it’s standard for upper management positions here at Gates. You’d be surprised by how many people lie on their applications. I guess they figure that companies don’t check, which is exactly why we do.”

Frank wrote down a few more things and then looked up. “Sounds like a good policy. Would you mind giving me the names of the five candidates?”

“Not at all. In fact, I’d appreciate any information you gain from your investigation that might have a bearing on our hiring decision. With Mr. Cox gone, we’ll have to hire a new investigator. That will really mess up our timeline.”

“Will you have to forgo some of the background checks?”

Johnson looked uncomfortable. “The board hasn’t decided. We might just go with Cox’s preliminary findings.”

“Does Gates have any enemies? Anybody who would like to see the leadership struggle?”

“Sure,” Johnson answered. “Atlantic Medical Supply is probably our staunchest competitor. We’re both bidding on a large contract with Nextco, a company that makes three of our biggest sellers.”

“And what happens if Gates doesn’t get the contract?”

“Well, we’ll have to lay off about one hundred workers.” He held up his hands. “I’m trusting you not to share that information. It’s one of the reasons the board is in a hurry to fill the position. We need a strong leader to secure the contract.”

“Do you have a frontrunner in this search?” Frank asked.

“We’ve been leaning toward Gabriel Jeffries, an entrepreneur who has done amazing things in the market. If the decision had to be made today, he would probably be the one selected, unless we discover some horrible skeleton in his closet. He has the most experience and would take our company in the right direction.” Johnson stood and motioned toward the door. “I’ll walk you out and get my assistant to send you that list of applicants and Mr. Cox’s preliminary report.”

They all walked back out to the secretary’s desk and she quickly emailed both of the promised items to Frank’s work email address. He noticed Bailey looking around the reception area as if expecting to see someone, but the room was empty. To his surprise, she stayed quiet until they had left the Gates building and were standing on the sidewalk.

“Okay,” she said, her eyebrows raised. “I held up my end and didn’t ask a single question. Can you share the list of applicants and report with me?”

Frank shook his head. “Our deal was that I let you in on the interview instead of arresting you. I didn’t say anything about sharing the list. We still don’t even know if this case has anything to do with your father’s murder, but, either way, that’s for me to investigate. You need to go home now and let me do my job.”

Her face flushed with anger. “Hold on now. I thought we were working together on this.”

Frank laughed. “I don’t know what gave you that idea. I certainly never said that.”

His response only seemed to make her angrier. “You implied it. I have a lot to offer.”

“I’ll give you a million reasons why that will never work.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So we’re singing that old song again, are we?”

“And we’ll keep singing it until you return the money.” Frank leaned forward. She was so close that he could feel her breath on his skin. When he spoke, his voice was low but forceful, and his words were for her ears alone. “You never served a day in prison for stealing all of that money. Do you honestly think that’s right?”

Bailey narrowed her eyes. “I was acquitted, remember? The DA tried to pin it on me and failed. The medical equipment was all anyone could prove I had stolen, and I served my time for that.”

“That stolen equipment was just the tip of the iceberg,” Frank said, his voice still deceptively soft. “You know it and I know it. You might have beaten the court system, but I still want the money you stole returned, and I’m not going to stop pushing until we get it all back. Every last cent. When you’re ready to turn it over, come see me. Otherwise, stay out of my way.”

She grimaced. “I need that list and my father’s report. I’ll trade you for them—do some computer work for you or...”

Frank leaned back. “We’re done here. Go home, Bailey.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I won’t,” she said stubbornly.

He moved closer again and she took a step back. “Tell me where the money is, Bailey. It’s the right thing to do.” She met his eyes but said nothing.

Frank stepped away. “Good-bye, Bailey.”

FIVE (#u63a0b0ec-751f-56b5-b57d-c2504b7bfdc9)

Frank turned on his heel and walked away, leaving her standing in front of Gates. He definitely needed to get as far away from Bailey Cox as possible before he was forced to admit that he found her attractive when she showed her strength and determination. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, angry with himself and the jumble of emotions that were flying through him. Why couldn’t he control his feelings? She was a criminal and an unrepentant one at that. Yet, without seeming to even realize it, she was drawing him closer like a moth to a flame, and his skin was already feeling the singe.

He widened his steps and sped up, suddenly in a hurry to get to his car and be off. It was ridiculous for him to feel anything for her besides contempt when she was still hiding the money she’d stolen. Sure, the case had gone cold years ago, and since the insurance company had paid the tab, nobody was really even looking for the money—except him. He just couldn’t let it go, even though it was probably a fool’s hope that he’d ever track it down.

He pushed his feelings aside and focused on the murder investigation. There was no reason to ever see her again, and that thought gave him some degree of satisfaction. For a moment, he’d thought he’d seen something in Bailey’s eyes that made him believe she was willing to make a bargain, but he had been wrong. She wouldn’t even talk about the money, and without that dialogue, he was done. It was time for them to go their separate ways.

He reached his car but couldn’t shake a strange feeling that he was being watched. He scanned the area but didn’t see Bailey or anybody else paying any attention to him. Still, hot electricity ran down his back. He checked again and this time noticed a man in black eyeing him from across the street. Frank pocketed his keys and headed across the street to confront the man, but several cars drove by and blocked him from crossing. By the time Frank reached the doorway where the man had been standing, there was no sign of him. Why had the man been watching him?

His stomach rumbled and he decided to stick around and grab a quick bite in case the man reappeared. He glanced up and down the street and then headed toward a nearby coffee shop and turned his thoughts back to Gates.