Identity (13 page)

As she pulled it closed behind her, Dimitri walked over to the glass walls that fronted the rest of the office and pulled the blinds shut. “Sometimes the fishbowl can be a bit much.”

“I thought it was good for collaboration and all that,” Fina said, sitting in an Eames chair next to the couch.

“It is, except when you need to think.” Dimitri took a seat on the couch and crossed one ankle over the other knee. “What can I do for you?”

“I appreciate your seeing me without an appointment. I know how busy you must be.”

Dimitri Kask was a technical wunderkind who’d made and lost his first million by the age of twenty-five. Now forty-five, he had an international reputation, the go-to guy when anyone needed a pronouncement on the future of technology. He was extraordinarily bright and generally well liked.

“Obviously, I’m here about Hank,” Fina said.

“Yes, Michael told me you might be stopping by. You just missed the police.”

“Who’s leading the team?”

He peered at her. “Lieutenant Pitney. They don’t know you’re on the case?”

“I’ll be coordinating with Lieutenant Pitney and her team.” She mentally crossed her fingers behind her back.

Dimitri nodded. He picked a piece of lint off his expensive-looking black pants. He was wearing Italian leather loafers and a dress shirt without a tie.

“Can you tell me how Hank had been acting recently? Anything out of the ordinary?” she asked.

Dimitri chuckled. “There was nothing ordinary about Hank. Did you know he was one of the first people to market software platforms for e-commerce? Everything that we buy online nowadays, Hank had a hand in making that possible.”

“But he was more a business guy than a tech guy, right?”

“Correct. He understood enough about the technology to hire the right people, and his instincts were fantastic. He was able to identify the next big thing and jump on it.”

“When did you two start working together?”

“It’s been almost ten years.”

“So is e-commerce still the company’s focus?”

“We have a number of companies and projects under the Universum Tech umbrella.”

Fina nodded. His answer was pleasantly vague. “Did you two get along?”

Dimitri grinned. “Are you asking if I killed him?”

“Did you?”

“Do murderers usually confess to you?” He reached for a bottle of water on the glass coffee table and took a swig.

“You’d be surprised what people tell me.”

“No, I didn’t kill Hank, nor did I want to. I considered him a friend, not just a business partner.”

“Anyone you can think of who might have been upset with him?”

Dimitri scanned the room as he thought. Most of the surfaces were free of paper, but pieces of hardware littered the room. There were computer towers and laptops and what Fina assumed were motherboards and other components. Some had exposed innards from which wires were sprouting. Black-and-white abstract photographs hung on the walls, and on the credenza behind the desk, family photos offered the only pop of color in the space.

“I don’t know. Our competitors, maybe? Hank was arrogant—most hugely successful businesspeople are—and he didn’t mind stepping on toes. I can’t imagine anyone would kill him over business, though.”

“What about Danielle?”

“What about her?”

“Do you like her? Did she and Hank seem happy?”

“They seemed happy.”

Fina tilted her head. “You didn’t answer the first question.”

“Danielle is perfectly nice. Personally, I’ve always felt more of a connection with Juliana, but my husband is quite fond of Danielle.”

“Do you still see Juliana?”

“Occasionally at functions. I try to support her philanthropic work.”

Fina looked around the office. “I understand that Michael Reardon works here.”

Dimitri took another swig of water. “Yes.”

“But maybe that’s going to change?”

“I don’t know anything about that. You’ll have to ask Michael.”

“Was Hank grooming him to take his place?”

“He’s a little young to take his place, but I think that was his hope down the road.”

“And do you think Michael could fill his father’s shoes? If he wants to, that is.”

Dimitri pondered the question. “He’s smart and certainly ambitious.”

“But?”

“But his ambition comes from a place of having things as opposed to wanting things he’s never had.”

“I’m guessing the latter was the case for you and Hank.”

He nodded. “Hank grew up in a working-class family in Illinois, and my parents were immigrants from Estonia. We both felt compelled to do better. It’s a different dynamic than being the son of a billionaire.”

Fina thought about her own family. Carl and Elaine had built their fortune from nothing, and she and her brothers had been raised accustomed to a privileged lifestyle. The Ludlow children were all ambitious—it was in their blood—but none of them knew what it was like to fret over the electric bill. That kind of worry was uniquely motivating.

“Anything else that may have been causing problems for Hank?” she asked.

Dimitri shrugged. Fina watched him and waited. He watched her
back. Dimitri Kask wasn’t going to fall victim to her usual bag of tricks.

“And the whole sperm donor issue?” she asked.

“What about it?” He shifted—just a tiny bit—on the couch.

“How did you feel about the revelations?”

“It wasn’t my business.” His expression was flat.

“So you didn’t have any feelings about it either way?” Fina smiled at him. “I find that hard to believe.”

“I wasn’t thrilled with the publicity,” he conceded.

“It is a little tabloidish. Donor babies coming out of the woodwork.”

“As I said, it didn’t really concern me.”

“You weren’t worried they would want a piece of the pie?”

“Of Universum Tech? There’s no legal basis for that.”

“There’s no legal basis for Renata Sanchez’s lawsuit, but that isn’t going to stop her.”

“With the help of your family’s law firm, if I’m not mistaken.” Irritation flashed in Dimitri’s eyes.

“You’re not mistaken. I make no excuses for my father.”

“But you do for yourself?”

Fina narrowed her eyes and gazed at him. “I don’t have anything to apologize for. I didn’t reveal Hank Reardon’s identity as the donor to the media, and now I’m just trying to find his killer.”

“So no guilt by association?”

“No, no guilt by association.” She leaned forward in her seat. “What about you? How’s that investigation into your child labor practices in China going? How old were they? The same ages as your kids?” Fina looked toward a picture on the credenza. It was an eight-by-ten photo of Dimitri, his husband, and their two young children.

“I think this interview is over,” Dimitri said, sitting forward.

Fina raised her hand. “Look, I didn’t come here to have a pissing contest or give you grief about your business practices, but turnabout is fair play.”

Dimitri looked at her, and then his gaze drifted to the picture behind his desk. “We resolved the China factory issue.”

They were silent for a moment.

Dimitri glanced at his watch. “I really wish I could provide more help, but I don’t know anything about Hank’s death, and I have another meeting.”

Fina rose from her chair and followed him to the door. “If you think of anything, let me know.” She handed him her card. “Would it be possible for me to see Hank’s office?”

Dimitri looked at the empty room on the other side of the space. “I’ll have to speak with our attorneys.” He slipped her card into his pocket.

“Sure. What about the murder scene?”

Dimitri’s assistant looked up with a pained expression and dipped her head again quickly.

“Just check in with reception before you go snooping around.” He walked back into his office and closed the door.

•   •   •

Fina found Tony behind the reception desk engaged in a spirited discussion with his desk mate. The snatch of conversation that Fina caught included the mention of boxers, Popsicles, and carpet cleaner. Tony was so engrossed in his story, he failed to notice Fina until his colleague nodded in her direction.

“How can I help you?” Tony chirped.

“I just spoke with Dimitri, and he said I should check in with you in order to see the crime scene.”

Tony winced. “That area is still closed off to cars, but I think you can walk around if you like.”

“That would be perfect.”

He touched a button on his headset and turned away from Fina. The circumstances did lend themselves to a certain amount of intrigue, but Tony would probably infuse any job with mystery. Fina could imagine
him whispering into the microphone at Dunkin’ Donuts—“A sausage and egg croissant, please”—while stealing glances at the customers. It wasn’t the content but the delivery that made life exciting.

A moment later, a security guard in a blue blazer and pants appeared from behind double doors and walked over. Fina couldn’t peg his age—probably in his late forties—but the rest of his appearance did little to make her feel secure. He was about five feet five and overweight; most of the extra weight was around his waist, and when he walked toward her, there was a roll to his gait.

“This is the investigator who needs to see the area,” Tony confided to the guard.

“Joseph Skylar.” The guard thrust a beefy hand at Fina. “I’ll take it from here.”

Joseph led Fina to the doors from which he’d emerged and swiped a key card over an electronic sensor. The door beeped, and he held it open for her. Fina’s height advantage gave her a bird’s-eye view of the top of his head, which she could have lived without. Joseph’s hairline was sneaking over the top of his skull, and he seemed to be attempting to compensate by growing his hair down the back of his neck. It was not a good look.

“So you’re with the BPD on this one?” he asked as they waited at a bank of service elevators.

“I’m working with them, yes.”

“But you’re not a cop.”

“Private detective.”

The elevator dinged, and they got on. Joseph pressed the button for the third floor.

“I considered going the private route,” he said, rocking back and forth on his feet. “Decided I could do more good in a corporate setting.”

“Sure, I understand.” Fina snuck a glance at his torso. He had a small collection of key cards hooked onto his belt and a walkie-talkie, but he wasn’t armed.

“Did you ever consider joining the force?” she asked.

Joseph’s lip curled slightly. “What’s the point? Here, I do the work and get great benefits.”

Fina interpreted this to mean that he hadn’t passed the entrance exam at the academy.

The elevator moved at a glacial pace.

“I assume Mr. Reardon’s death was unusual,” Fina said. “I mean, this isn’t a violent place to work, right?”

Joseph took a deep breath and pulled up his belt, which couldn’t decide if it wanted to be above or below the pudge. “We keep a lid on things. People know that Universum isn’t the place to go looking for trouble.”

They emerged on the third floor, and Fina followed her guide across the parking garage.

“So you’re probably more focused on prevention and support,” she said.

“That’s right. Stop it before it starts and help those in need.”

Dead car batteries, flat tires, fainting spells, stolen wallets. These were the kinds of incidents that probably occupied Joseph’s time, and he was probably very good at dealing with relatively minor crises. You weren’t going to be locked out of your car, not on his watch.

They reached the southeastern corner of the parking garage; an area encompassing half a dozen spaces was roped off with police tape.

“Were you the one who discovered Mr. Reardon’s body?”

“No, ma’am. You’ll have to talk to our security director about that.”

Fina looked at the tape. “The police haven’t cleared the scene?”

“They did, but Mr. Hogan told us to leave it this way.”

Fina looked out of the concrete structure toward the building next door. It seemed to house more offices. “What was Mr. Reardon like?”

“Oh, he was great. A really nice guy. I feel bad for his family.”

“Sure. His son, Michael, works here, doesn’t he?”

Joseph traced a pattern on the pavement with his shoe. “That’s right.”

Fina studied the ground. “I heard he might be leaving Universum.”

Joseph shook his head. “I don’t really know.” He glanced over his shoulder and then leaned toward Fina. “They didn’t always get along.”

Fina raised an eyebrow.

“Michael and his father,” Joseph added.

Fina nodded. “Yeah, I’d heard that.” She hadn’t heard any such thing, but that was a minor detail. “Did you ever see them fight?”

“Actually, they had a doozy on Friday, a few days before all this.” He held his hands up in a gesture that seemed to encompass the scene before them.

“I guess that’s what parents and kids do sometimes, right?” Fina remarked. “Where’d you see them fighting?”

“Right here. In the garage.”

“I wonder what it was about,” Fina mused.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t close enough to hear, but they both looked angry.”

Fina was silent in case Joseph had anything else to offer. After a moment, the implication of his revelation seemed to dawn on him. “I’m sure it was nothing serious, though. I don’t mean that they got physical or anything.”

“I understand. Just a typical father-son thing. My brothers are always arguing with my dad.”

“Sure, sure. That must have been it.”

Fina dipped under the tape and surveyed the scene. Joseph stood on the other side and followed her gaze.

“Thanks so much for bringing me up here,” Fina said. “You don’t need to stay.”

“I don’t mind.”

She smiled. “I’d feel terrible if you neglected your other duties on my account.”

“I guess it’s okay for me to go. I should probably do a recon of the other floors. Make sure everything is in order.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Fina said, and turned her back to him. After a
moment, she heard his footsteps echoing across the floor; her junior deputy had moved on.

Fina scanned the pavement. Her eyes stopped on a dark stain a few feet wide. She dropped down to a crouch and examined the spot, confirming on closer inspection that it was in fact blood, not motor oil. The stain was close to what would have been the driver’s-side door of a car parked in the space. There was nothing else of note, which didn’t surprise her. Fina didn’t expect the crime scene to offer any clues at this point, but seeing where Hank had been killed only raised more questions. Had his killer been lying in wait? Was it spur of the moment? Did the killer bring the weapon or find it at the scene? How long did it take for Hank to die? This was always the way in an investigation; the scope expanded before it narrowed, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating.