Divine Justice (5 page)

"You're a sight for sore old eyes," he said, turning back to the monitor.

Jasi snickered behind him. "Yeah, you're so old, Ben. That bit of gray hair above your ears is spreading. Might have to get you a walker soon." She dragged a chair beside him. "Where's the coffee?"

"It's coming. I ordered breakfast for us, so we can start wading through all the files. The RCMP really didn't have much to give us. I can see why they're stumped."

She nudged the laptop. "What have we got so far?"

"Stats on Monty Winkler." Ben clicked on a folder. "He's married, no kids. A member of some exclusive social clubs, including the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club."

"Membership to the Hunt Club isn't cheap," she said. "Even for an MP. What's his wife do again?"

He scrolled through the file. "Marilyn Winkler is the CEO of Paragon Research Corporation, located at Shirleys Bay." He frowned. "Hmm, this is interesting."

"What?"

"Paragon is funded by three generations of family money."

Jasi's brow lifted. "Winkler money?"

He shook his head. "
Dailey
money." At her blank look, he said, "Warner Dailey?"

"I have no idea who you're talking about, Ben."

"Warner Dailey was a business tycoon who made it big back in the late 40s. He funded companies that sold weapons and ammunition to the US and Canadian military during the war."

"And he owned Paragon?"

"Dailey founded the company in 1952. His son Stephen took over when he passed away." He glanced at the monitor and a chuckle escaped. "You'll never guess who Stephen Dailey was."

"Who?"

"Marilyn Winkler's father."

"And now she's CEO."

"Her father died last year and left her the family business, plus all of his investments."

"That's some inheritance."

He watched as Jasi moved to the window. There was a calm grace in her movements, like a dancer. Of course, she was completely unaware of this and if he ever said anything, she'd deny it and probably tackle him to the ground.

You're one tough cookie, Jasmine McLellan.

"Money and a position of authority are a powerful mix," she said without looking at him. "It gives her freedom to travel with her husband."

"And keep an eye on him. The file says two women publicly accused him of adultery."

Jasi turned. "Who?"

"Karen Hampton and Deirdre…Dailey. Now that can't be a coincidence."

Jasi's eyes widened. "I remember hearing about Deirdre. She's Marilyn Winkler's sister."

"We'll have to check both women out. His wife too."

"Anyone else stand out as a possible suspect?"

Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door.

Jasi's face brightened. "Food."

He opened the door and a uniformed room service attendant pushed a wheeled cart inside. On the cart two silver-dome lids covered their meals. Along with the plates and condiments, there was a glass pitcher of ice water with lemon slices, a carafe of coffee and two mugs.

"Do you want all this on the table?" the attendant asked.

"Just leave the cart," Ben replied. "We'll put it out in the hall when we're done."

"Fine, sir. Please sign here."

Ben signed the electronic receipt.

"Thank you, sir. Here's a complimentary newspaper."

Ben took the newspaper and gave the man a ten dollar bill. He'd write it off as an expense later.

"Here." He tossed Jasi the newspaper. "See if there's anything in there on Winkler." He pushed the laptop to one side of the table to make room for their breakfast plates.

"There's an article on page two," Jasi said, pouring coffee into the mugs. "And we're in it, complete with a photo of us."

"Great," he muttered.

"Nothing new in the article. I can't believe they found out about us so soon. They mention us by name."

"So much for keeping a low profile, but I guess it's to be expected, considering who was murdered."

This new development did nothing but darken his mood, and he knew Jasi felt it too.

"Smells awesome," she said, adroitly changing the subject. She lifted the lid and grinned. "You know me so well."

He watched as she doused the omelet in ketchup and dove into it. Jasi always ate like it was her last meal.

"You're the only woman I know who can pack away food like a guy."

She almost looked hurt. "I burn it all off."

"Yeah, you're lucky that way. If I ate like you, I'd gain ten pounds a month." He picked up his fork.

"This is heavenly," she said, her mouth full. "Great choice. Thank you, Ben."

He was tempted to wipe the spot of ketchup from the corner of her mouth, but he didn't. It was too intimate of an action. Plus, she'd probably hit him.

"You're so ladylike, Jazz," he teased.

"I was raised by a man. What do you expect?" She picked up a piece of bacon with her fingers, stuffed it in her mouth, then licked her fingertips. "Shouldn't we get back to Winkler?"

Between bites of food and sips of coffee, they reviewed their respective files, Ben on the laptop and Jasi on her data-com. Ten minutes passed before he saw something interesting.

"Monty Winkler might have been well respected, but he did butt heads a few times on certain controversial issues."

Jasi raised her head. "Which ones?"

"Gun rights and gay marriage seem to be the hot spots."

"So it's possible that one of those hot spots set off a killer." She paused. "I'll look into Ravinder Sharma, the MP that voted with Winkler on gun rights. Maybe someone was threatening them."

"The locals have no leads yet," he said, picking at his salad. "Which is why Matthew sent us here. Today we get acquainted with Monty Winkler until we know everything about him. Tomorrow we'll head out to the crime scene, see if there's anything they overlooked."

"Secondary crime scene," she corrected. "We don't know where Winkler was killed."

He grinned. "Good catch. I thought you'd miss that one. We'll check it out first thing tomorrow morning.

"Sounds like a plan. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Really?" he teased, one brow arching devilishly.

She swatted his arm. "You've got a one-track mind. You know, I pity the woman who ends up with you. She'll be lucky to get out of bed each morning."

"Aw, Jazz, you know there's only one woman for me."

Before she could pull away, he tugged at her ponytail, thankful he'd remembered to put on his gloves.

She scowled at him. "Enough of that."

"But we're best friends, remember?"

She clinked her mug against his. "Bestest."

By mid-afternoon, they'd gone over more than half the files related to the case, plus some that delved into Winkler's political career. It was dry reading and Ben could tell that Jasi was getting impatient. Every now and then she'd let out a frustrated sigh, emphasizing it to make sure he heard.

He chuckled when she did it again. "Take a break, Jasi."

"I want to get this over with. You know I hate politics."

"Hey, you might actually learn something."

"Learn something?" She scowled. "I'd rather have a root canal done. Without anesthesia."

Ben was about to say something when his data-com beeped. He answered, then activated the speakerphone so Jasi could hear.

"Have you solved the case yet?" a gravelly voice asked.

"Ha-ha, Matthew," Jasi replied.

Ben watched as her smile brightened. Matthew Divine was almost a surrogate father figure, and he knew their boss held a special place in his heart for her.

"Are you both settled in?" Matthew asked.

"It's a very comfortable hotel," Ben replied.

"I've arranged for another SUV to be delivered to the hotel. For Jasmine. It's in the underground parking. Keys are at the front desk."

"I can't drive in an unfamiliar city," Jasi argued.

They heard Matthew sigh. "You drive in Vancouver."

"That's different, sir. I know Vancouver like the back of my hand. Anywhere else and I'm―"

Ben smiled innocently. "Directionally challenged?"

Even Matthew had to laugh at that.

"Half the time I'm with Ben," she said. "Any other time, I'm perfectly fine taking a taxi. At least they know where they're going."

"Traffic's too busy in Ottawa," Matthew said.

"Yes, it is," Ben agreed, ignoring his partner's flashing green eyes. "She'll survive, Matthew. It's everyone else in Ottawa I'm worried about."

Jasi tipped her head to one side. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence. My driving's not
that
bad."

"Tell that to the granny you side-swiped last month."

He grinned and held up his hands in surrender. She was fun to tease, but she had her limits.

"The SUV has a voice-activated navigational system," Matthew said. "All you have to do is say your destination out loud and it'll track your route for you."

Jasi scowled at Ben. "You think of everything, sir. Thank you."

"I'm looking at the police report right now," came the reply. "Some things are definitely out of whack."

"What do you mean?" Ben asked.

"Well, for one thing, Monty Winkler went missing two days before his body was discovered."

"Missing? I don't recall hearing anything about that."

"Marilyn never reported him missing until the day before his body was found."

Jasi cut in. "Where was his wife on the night Winkler disappeared?"

"At a charity fundraiser," Matthew said. "She called him that Wednesday night, April 11, but he never answered."

"His body wasn't found until Friday morning, April 13," Jasi murmured. "So where was he for those missing two days?"

"That's what we need you and Ben to figure out."

Ben frowned. "I don't get why Marilyn didn't report him missing right away. Didn't she think it was strange that he never came home after two days?"

"Apparently, it's a habit," Matthew said. "Winkler often came home late at night. Sometimes he'd be gone the next morning before she woke up. That's what she figured happened."

"So she never heard him come home, yet she still did nothing?" Jasi asked. "She must sleep like a log."

"Marilyn takes amitriptyline to help her sleep," Matthew said.

"What about the next day?" Ben asked. "Didn't she at least try to call him?"

"Marilyn tried his 'com both mornings. No answer. That's when she started to get worried. So she called his office."

"And?"

"Monty Winkler never showed up for work Monday or Tuesday. That's when she called the police."

Ben scratched his chin. "So he went missing Sunday before the charity event, but no one knows where he was until his body washed up on the beach." He checked the file. "Any sign of his vehicle?"

"Not yet. He drives a light tan colored 1972 Mercedes Benz 280SE. There's an APB out on it." Matthew gave him the license plate number.

"What about comparative cases? Has anything like this happened before?"

"Nothing conclusive. There was one case about nine months ago. Darlene MacKenzie, another Member of Parliament and a divorcee with no children, went missing for three days. When she resurfaced, she said she'd taken off for a much needed rest and was sure she'd notified her work. Her VISA bill recorded her stay at a bed and breakfast outside the city."

"You want us to talk to her?" Ben asked.

"OPS and the RCMP have already questioned her. I'll send you their reports."