Broken Trust (20 page)

twenty-eight

Nora leaned back in
her desk chair and rubbed her eyes. After she’d taken Petal and Abigail home and made plans for going to Mount Evans later, Nora changed into her hiking boots and jeans and hurried back to the Trust. Abbey settled in his now-usual place by the coat closet and Nora pulled her chair up to her desk.

For two hours she’d been waiting for her meeting with Mark and going through the financial statements and monthly project reports. She’d discovered the $400,000 had been withdrawn from a long-term investment account over a year ago, though the Trust’s accounting program didn’t reflect that. She guessed Darla didn’t actually reconcile savings and investment statements often. If they weren’t used for general transactions, they shouldn’t change and maybe Darla counted on that. If someone else had passwords and could transfer
,
and if the
F
inancial
D
irector didn’t pay attention,
the
$400,000 could go missing.

Who would have those passwords besides Darla?

Mark.

The initial transfer was deposited in a short
-
term savings account
for
one month. It had been moved from one account to another over the course of several months, sometimes in a lump sum but more often in two or three transactions. If you weren’t zoned in on that sum, and you weren’t a particularly good accountant—or lazy
—
you’d never notice it.

Last month, the money had been transferred to Sylvia’s restricted account and soon after, an ACH payment went out to an unnamed bank account.

“Excuse me, Ms. Abbott?” The authoritative voice belonged to a thin man in his mid-fifties standing at her office door. He
’d
combed his gray-streaked hair neatly from his head and smelled of Old Spice. He wore khakis and a navy blue blazer. “I’m Detective Ross from the Sheriff’s office. Can I ask you a few questions?”

She stood and shook his hand and indicated the wicker chair. “Have a seat.” She wheeled her desk chair over.

Detective Ross sat and pulled a small notebook from his blazer pocket. “I was supposed to meet with Mark Monstain but he’s out. Do you know when he’ll be back?”

Guess she wasn’t the only one Mark had stood up today.
Nora shook her head.
“Sorry.”

He flipped open the notebook. “That’s okay. Can you answer some questions?”

“I’ll try.”

He clicked his pen. “Did you know Darla Barrows?”

She shook her head. “No. I was hired to replace her.” She indicated a box on the floor near the door. “That’s all the personal stuff I found here. I didn’t know who might want it.”

He gazed at the box. “No one’s come to claim it?”

Nora studied the framed picture of Abbey on her desk, her iPod dock, a silly figurine of a polar bear
,
and her
Tree Hugger
mug. If Nora disappeared suddenly, Abigail would collect her things. Darla’s remained unclaimed.

He studied her. “I understand you were here when they were notified about Darla.”

The thought of that scream sent a chill over her skin. “Petal found out. She was a friend of Darla’s. I think the police called her.”

“Petal. I see. What’s her last name?”

Good question. Part of Nora’s duties involved payroll and some HR. Nora fished in a desk drawer and produced the file cabinet key. She unlocked the employee file drawer. She flipped through searching for Petal’s file. She finally found it and pulled it out. “Petal Rainbow.”

The detective didn’t crack a smile. He flipped open his notebook. “Address?”

Nora scanned the papers inside the folder. “62 Canyon Boulevard.”

He started to write and stopped. “That’s Loving Earth’s address.”

That was stupid. “You’re right.” She paged through the rest of the forms. “They all have the same address.”

“Do you have a phone number for Petal?”

Nora snatched a staff contract printout off a bulletin board next to the desk. She ran her finger down the list. “I guess not.”

He closed his notebook and stuffed it into the chest pocket of his shirt. “I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. One last question
:
Do you have any theories why someone would want to kill Darla Barrows?”

She really needed to talk to Mark about the missing money before going to the police. Maybe he had a perfectly good explanation. If she didn’t meet with him by the end of the day, she’d go
to
the cops with her financials tomorrow. “Sorry
,
”
she said again.

Detective Ross
picked up Darla’s
box of
things and walked to the door. “Thanks for talking to me.”

Nora wanted to dive back into the books. Why had Abigail volunteered her to go with Petal to M
ount
Evans? She needed to investigate the missing money.

Bright blue flashed in the corner of her eye and she jumped and gasped.

Daniel stood in the doorway wearing a deep blue shirt. “Sorry I couldn’t get here any sooner.”

His jeans hugged his long legs and all his shapely
…
shape. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, showing a bit of black hair. Man, oh man. “No problem. I need to go to the mountains with Petal in a few minutes, anyway.”

“And Cole, no?” He stepped into her office and rolled up his sleeves. Like a strip tease, his fingers played with the fabric. Dark hair lay soft against his forearms. Who knew arms could be so sexy?

“Where would you like me to start today, boss?” His lips formed a smile but Nora imagined those lips kissing someone. Okay, kissing her.

She grabbed a handful of files and set them on the work surface. “These are invoices and payments. I’ve been going through them for this fiscal year, sort of hunting for
…
”

A light touch on her shoulder startled her. She paused and saw Daniel’s dark eyes fixed on her face. She straightened.

His hand traced down her arm, his fingers light. “You are beautiful.”

How did her legs continue to support her weight when her knees felt like peanut butter? Breathing was out of the question. “Um.” That was witty conversation.

His hand traveled up to her cheek, his touch like satin. “Not only beautiful but brilliant. Do you have any idea how sexy you are?”

Tongue-tied would be super compared to how she felt
at the moment
. Good thing he didn’t seem to expect a response.

Daniel
leaned into her. His lips captured hers with the same gentle touch of his fingers on her skin. He kissed her slowly, and even if it sounded like
a line from
a bodice-ripper novel, he kissed her thoroughly. Her knees weren’t the only body part melting.

He drew away slightly and gazed at her with intensity from his bottomless, fire-lit eyes.

Then h
e kissed her again. Sweet, with deep undertones and a hint of restrained passion. For dog’s sake, she sounded like she described a glass of wine. Really good wine. Like the
five-hundred-bucks-a-
bottle kind. The sort of wine she couldn’t afford.

Right. She didn’t drink wine like that because, well, because. It would end up making her throw up in the morning
…
or something like that. What she meant was that she didn’t really want him.

Nora stepped back. “Okay. Well. So.”

He laughed. “Nora. You can take a little pleasure, no?”

She reached for her coat. “I think I ought to go find Petal.”

He leaned back on the counter with a cat-chomping-canary smile on those full, warm lips. “You looked radiant this morning. You should wear a dress more often. Your legs are exquisite.”

If only he weren’t so gorgeous. She zipped her coat. “Knock it off.”

“Life is short,
mi amor
. Why not enjoy each other?”

“I’m an accountant. We don’t enjoy things.” She unzipped her coat.

He laughed. “You are ripe for pleasure.”

Her face could not burn any hotter. She zipped up again.

A vibration in Daniel’s pocket—not the kind he’d been hinting about—thankfully ended the talk of juicy fruit.

Daniel’s face clouded with annoyance as he listened to the phone call. He slid the phone back in his pocket. “Sadly, we will finish this conversation at another time. I must go.”

He hurried away and Nora plopped into her desk chair. It took a few moments for her vital signs to return to normal.

“
‘
You should wear a dress more often. Your legs are exquisite.
’
” Cole’s mocking voice made her jump. He leaned against the door frame.

“You were spying on me!” She flamed in embarrassment.

He walked into the room grinning. “Petal’s waiting in the pickup. Are you ready to go?”

How long had he been there? Had he seen Daniel kiss her?

Nora followed him out the door, wondering why she cared what he thought.

twenty-nine

The doorbell rang as
Sylvia opened the shower sauna door. She set her wine glass on the bathroom counter and tightened the kimono. Had she ordered anything and forgot about a delivery?

Sylvia padded down the stairs and peered out the window at the side of the door. Th
at
irritating stray cat would
have been
a more welcome sight than what stood on her porch. What was Mark doing here? She unlocked the door and opened it. A whoosh of cold air followed him in, making the kimono feel like a sheet of ice. A few flakes swirled outside. “I’m in a hurry to get back to the Trust
, Mark
. What do you want?”

That supercilious grin begged for a slap. “Sorry. I need to talk to you.”

She left him in the foyer and started up the stairs. “Can we schedule a meeting? How about sometime tomorrow?”

He seemed to be trying for coy. “Oh, I think you’ll want to talk to me.”

“What is it?” The sauna would be warming up nicely by now.

He stayed just inside the door. “Nora Abbott and Daniel Cubrero are combing through everything.”

She stopped and gave him a frosty stare. “So what? I have nothing to hide.”

He licked his fat lips. “We know better, don’t we?”

“What are you talking about?”

His eyes had a weird gleam. “It can be our secret. We take care of each other, isn’t that right? We’re special friends.”

What would get him out of here the quickest? “Yes, Mark. We’re good friends. But I don’t think I need to be protected.”

His voice rose in a hysterical giggle. “They could find the four hundred thousand dollars you stole last month.”

More ways to waste her time. “Don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t take any money.”

He sniggered. “You don’t need to play stupid with me anymore. I know you have it. Darla made the approval and the money disappeared in an electronic transaction. No record.”

All the oxygen suddenly left the room. Someone took her money. “Where did it go?”

He shrugged. “Only you and Darla know that. And Darla turned up dead. Do you suppose the cops will suspect you had a motive?”

She stared at him.

“I won’t tell. That is, if you show me what good friends we are.”

She didn’t have time for this. She stomped up the stairs in search of her phone. Eduardo needed to know her money was stolen. It proved Nora set her up. Sylvia didn’t know how Nora could have done it when she didn’t work at the Trust
until a few days ago
, but she’d figure it out.

Her toes sank into the deep pile of her white carpet as she hurried down the hallway.

Mark’s heavy breathing startled her. He
had
followed her. “Oh, I know that with someone like Daniel Cubrero around no one notices me. But, Sylvia, I promise you, whatever Daniel has to offer, I can do better.”

She couldn’t concentrate on what his words meant.

Mark followed her into the bedroom.

Sylvia strode to her black lacquered dresser but the phone didn’t sit in its usual place. She hurried to the bedside table but it wasn’t there. She spun around scanning the spacious room and her gaze found it. Her phone lay in a heap at the base of the wall by the bathroom.

Mark minced his way across the room and stepped close to her, his fetid breath warm on her neck. “You’re a beautiful woman.”

She skirted him and walked to the end of the bed. “Where would Darla have hidden the money?”

Mark brushed his hand against his crotch. “You won’t be disappointed.”

She glared at him. “I’m trying to save your butt. If
four hundred grand
is missing, it’ll be your fault. If you don’t go to prison, at the very least, the board will fire you.”

He closed the space between them. “I can make you feel like a woman.”

“Are you sure the money is missing?”

His hand snaked out and brushed her waist. “We’ve skirted our desire for three years
, Sylvia
. Here we are. Your bedroom. Now is the perfect time for us. I’m more than you would suspect.”

The hiss of the shower sauna filled the silence while Sylvia stared at him in disgust. The faint odor of stale coffee and sweat seeped from him.

He reached out and stroked her breast through the silk of the kimono.

She sprang back. “What is the matter with you?”

His eyes glazed and his moist lips slackened as he stared at her breast. “You think I’m stupid, don’t you?” He spoke with a whine, like a four
-
year-old.

What a hideous man. She backed up.

He stepped toward her. “I’ve treated you like a goddess. I left you alone so you could work on your oh-so-important research.”

“You are
way over the line. Leave now.”

Sweat glistened on his face. “But now you need me even more. You don’t want me to tell the cops about the money, do you?”

He wouldn’t have the
cojones
to go against her.

He stepped toward her again. “You’re not really working on climate change and beetle kill, are you? You never were. Where are the reports, Sylvia? Where is all that money going? Who are you really working for?”

She laid a hand on his sweaty chest and shoved him back. “You’re crazy. I’m calling the cops.”

His shrill laughter sent a chill up her spine. “The cops?
Sure.
When they get here
,
let’s tell them about the night Darla died.”

Sylvia didn’t kill Darla. Of that, she was certain. “What do you know about that?”

He crowded her against a cabinet and slid his fingers under the kimono belt. “I know she came to see you. You argued. She left and I heard shots fired. Next thing we know, Darla is a goner.”

Her mind reeled. She needed to shut him up.

The kimono slipped open and Mark slobbered on his fat lips. His gaze traveled to her face. “Do you want to know what I was doing there?”

Think Sylvia. How can you shut him up?

He touched her nipple and moaned. “I’ve waited for you for a long time. And I’ve watched. I know your favorite coffee shop. I know where you buy your lingerie.”
He panted. “I’m good for you, Sylvia. And I can make you feel so good. Even Daniel Cubrero can’t do what I can.”

“You need help,” she said, letting her contempt drip from her voice in a hiss like the sauna. She jerked her kimono closed and strode to the other side of the bed. “You’re a disgusting little man.”

“I would kill for you. In fact, if Nora hadn’t thrown up all the drugs I gave her, I would have been successful. As it is, I destroyed all the bank statements for the climate mapping account. That will slow her down.”

“Get out.”

He followed her. “You don’t need to fight it, Sylvia. I’ve loved you and protected you. Now let me pleasure you as only I can.”

She pointed to the door and shouted. “GET OUT!”

He ignored her demand. “I know you were here. With him.”

Sylvia curled her lip. “Leave.”

He stalked her around the bed. “Not until I get what I came for. Only I can protect you.”

She laughed, a cruel sound
meant
to emasculate him. “You think I’d sleep with you? You really are crazy.”

“I’m not planning to sleep.”

He grabbed her wrist, leveraging her
weight
to toss her onto the bed.

Sylvia wrenched her wrist free and whirled around to the bedside table. Her fingers clasped the handle and jerked open the drawer. Keeping her eyes on Mark, she felt around for the plain Smith and Wesson Airweight she kept there. It didn’t have the sex appeal of her gold-plated model
,
but it was
just
as deadly.

He only had a nanosecond to register his surprise before she slipped off the safety
,
buried the small barrel in the soft flesh of his chin
,
and pulled the trigger.