Identity (38 page)

“There’s a difference between adventure and destruction, but hey, do what you want. You’ve been warned.”

“You’re kind of a worrywart under that tough exterior, aren’t you?”

Fina snorted.

“Anyway,” Theresa continued, “thanks for the gig. I’m working on a little something for you in return.”

“Meaning?”

A group of young men walked by them on the way to Universum’s front door. They looked to be in their early twenties, wearing cargo
shorts, T-shirts, and a variety of casual footwear, including flip-flops. A couple of them didn’t look old enough to shave, and they were sporting various body types: reedy, round, bony, pillowy. They had to be engineers.

“It means that I was going through some of Hank’s papers, and there was something off about his most recent physical.”

Fina straightened up on the bench. “What do you mean specifically?”

“I haven’t figured that out yet, but it aroused my suspicions.”

“Can you give me more to go on?”

“I’m working on it, but I have to be careful. I can’t screw around with his medical records.”

“I’m not asking you to, but I can only get so far on supposition.”

“I’ll let you know.”

“Sounds good.”

Theresa balled up her bag and tossed it into the trash can next to the bench. “Do you have contacts any other place where I could get a gig?”

Theresa could give assertiveness training to a bull in a bullfight.

“Not off the top of my head, but I’ll think about it and let you know.” A shadow fell across Fina.

“Hi, Dimitri,” Theresa said, and stood.

“Theresa. I didn’t realize you knew Fina.” He looked at the two of them.

“We have a mutual friend,” Fina said. “It’s nice to see you, Dimitri.”

“I’m heading in,” Theresa said, nodding toward the building. “See you up there.” She walked away.

Dimitri shoved his hands into his pockets. “You don’t really expect me to buy that, do you? The mutual friend bit?” he asked.

“It’s the truth, but it doesn’t really matter if you believe it or not.” Even with sunglasses, Fina had to shield her eyes to look up at him. He was backlit, making his expression hard to read and putting her at a decided disadvantage. “Have a seat.”

Dimitri looked around, as if worried about being seen with her, before sinking down onto the bench.

“Is there an end in sight to your hanging around?” he asked.

“Most definitely. Once the case is solved.”

Dimitri crossed one ankle over his other knee. “Of course.”

“I haven’t been
that
disruptive. Andy and the kids seemed to like me.”

“Andy’s taste can be dubious, and my children love Barney.”

Clouds darted in front of the sun, and Fina shivered. “Did you attend Hank’s funeral? I heard that Juliana and Danielle got into it.”

“It wasn’t pretty. Andy was upset about the whole thing.”

Fina nodded. “Right. More Team Danielle than Team Juliana.” Fina rose from the bench. “Give my regards to Andy.”

“What? No other questions for me?”

“Not really. Everything I hear says you were extremely angry about being left out of the waterfront development deal. Was that reason enough to kill Hank? Maybe.”

“I didn’t kill him.”

“So you say. See ya.”

Fina walked back to her car, mulling over Theresa’s suspicions about Hank’s health.

It raised a big question. She had to find a lead in the question.

•   •   •

Fina decided to head home and formulate her next steps. Under other circumstances, she would have found a place for a snack, but given the threats hanging over her, home seemed like the best place to relax and regroup.

She was reaching into a bag of tortilla chips when there was a knock on her door. A glance into the peephole revealed Cristian and, unfortunately, Pitney.

“I know you’re in there,” Pitney said when Fina didn’t respond right away. “The doorman told me.”

“Remind me to dock his Christmas bonus,” Fina said, unlocking the dead bolt and opening the door.

Pitney walked in, and Fina glared at Cristian. He was always welcome in her home, but she wasn’t in the mood for Pitney. He gave Fina an apologetic look.

“So this is where you spend your time when you aren’t making the streets of Boston more dangerous,” Pitney said.

“It’s my grandmother’s place,” Fina said, following Pitney into the living room with Cristian bringing up the rear.

“You live with your grandmother?” Pitney took in the view of the harbor.

“My grandmother’s dead. It was her place when she was alive.”

“Well, that explains the decor.” So said the woman wearing a plum-colored pantsuit with a clashing chevron-patterned shirt underneath.

“Interior design isn’t a priority. Is that why you’re here? To critique my home?”

“No.” Pitney walked over to one of the armchairs. “May I?”

“Knock yourself out.”

Fina took a seat on the couch, and Cristian joined her, but kept his distance.

“I hear you have a Haley situation,” Pitney said.

Fina looked at Cristian. “Do you have something?”

“No, but we wanted to follow up,” he said.

Fina felt the brief surge of adrenaline subside. “I don’t have anything new to report.”

“Can I see the photos?” Pitney asked.

They were tucked under a pile of papers on the coffee table, which Fina pushed aside. She handed the envelope to Pitney, who examined them.

“Are you working on another case that could inspire this reaction?” Pitney asked.

Fina shook her head. “Not really. The Reardon case is definitely the most likely.”

“We heard there was quite the dustup at Hank’s funeral,” Cristian said.

“I wasn’t there.”

“No, but what did you hear about it?” Pitney asked.

“Probably the same thing you did, that Juliana and Danielle got into it.”

“What more can you tell us about them?” she asked.

“About the wives?” Fina asked. “Nothing.”

“So you’re doing all this investigating and haven’t turned up anything of interest about the two of them?” Pitney asked. “You’re a better investigator than that.”

Fina smiled. “Really? You think you can flatter me into telling you something?”

“Worth a shot.”

“I don’t have anything to tell you except that they both seemed interested in his money.” Fina adjusted on the couch. “What do you think about Walter Stiles?” she asked.

Pitney looked at her. “The clinic director? Nothing in particular. Why?”

“He just seems fishy to me.”

“Fishy?” Cristian asked.

“There’s something off about him and the cryobank, and no, I don’t have anything specific to back that up.” Fina didn’t see the need to share Ellen Alberti’s musings with them, not until she knew what was in those files.

“I’ll put that in my pipe and smoke it,” Pitney replied, rising from her chair.

“Well, that was a thoroughly unproductive visit,” Fina said.

“How’s Haley doing?” Pitney asked as they approached the door. Pitney didn’t know the extent of Rand’s crimes, but she knew that Haley had been through a difficult few months, and she’d done what she could to protect her.

“She’s okay. She’s playing field hockey and getting more involved in school stuff. My sister-in-law, Patty, is a great influence.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I’ll make a call over to Newton and ask them
to keep an eye on things in their neighborhood—suspicious cars, that sort of thing.”

“I would appreciate that, and it will reassure Patty and Scotty. Thank you.” She looked at Pitney.

“You’re welcome, Fina.”

Fina poked Cristian in the shoulder. “I’ll talk to
you
later.”

“Sounds like you’re in trouble, Menendez,” Pitney teased.

“Great.” Cristian frowned. “Something to look forward to.”

“Don’t forget that you’re legally obligated to share relevant information with the police,” Pitney said once in the hallway.

“How could I forget? You’re constantly reminding me,” Fina said. “Good-bye, Boston’s Finest.” She closed the door behind them.

•   •   •

Rosie and Renata agreed to meet at Scotty’s office later that afternoon. Scotty was squeezing them in between a client meeting and a client dinner, so Fina got right to it.

“We know that you lied about your whereabouts the night Hank died.”

Renata pivoted in her seat and stared at Rosie. “What is she talking about?”

Rosie looked down at her hands and picked at her cuticles. They were sitting in the conversational seating area separate from Scotty’s desk. Michelle had offered beverages; Fina and Scotty were nursing diet sodas, but Renata and Rosie had declined the offer.

“Actually, can I get a bottle of water?” Rosie asked. Fina got one from the bar and handed it to her. Rosie took her time unscrewing the cap, had a sip, and screwed the cap back on.

“Rosie. Stop stalling,” Renata said. “What is this about?”

Rosie blinked back tears. Fina and Scotty exchanged a look.

“There’s surveillance video that shows Rosie in a car at one
A.M.
the night Hank was killed,” Fina said. “We suspect this is what the cops had when they were so keen on hearing her alibi.”

“Is this true?” Renata asked.

Rosie swallowed another gulp of water. “Yes.”

“How could you be so—” Renata started.

“Don’t lecture me, Mom!”

“We’re not here to fight about this,” Fina interceded. “We’re here to make a plan.”

“Whose car was it?” Renata demanded.

Rosie looked at Fina, who remained silent.

“It was Tyler’s,” Rosie admitted.

Renata looked at Scotty and Fina. “Does Marnie know about this?”

“One thing at a time,” Scotty said. “Right now, I’m going to counsel you not to discuss this with anyone else, especially not Tyler and his mother.”

Renata opened her mouth to speak.

“Do you understand that?” Scotty said. “You cannot discuss it with anyone, and if anyone asks, you refer them to me.”

Renata pressed her lips together.

“I don’t want you speaking to the police—either of you—without me present. Okay?” Scotty asked. Obviously, Renata’s choice to reveal Hank’s identity to the press was fresh in his mind.

Rosie and Renata nodded. Scotty looked to Fina.

“Where did you go that night, Rosie?” she asked.

Rosie squeezed her half-filled water bottle, which produced a crunching sound. “Mostly, we just drove around.”

“Mostly? And what about the small part when you weren’t driving around?”

There was a long pause. “We went to Hank Reardon’s house.”

Renata gripped her armrests tightly.

“For what purpose?” Scotty asked.

“No purpose. We just were talking about him and decided to check out where he lived.”

“You went to the man’s house?” Renata couldn’t control herself.

“We went to our
father’s
house,” Rosie said. “Remember that whole thing, Mom?”

“Were you drinking or on any drugs?” Fina asked.

Rosie avoided her gaze. “We’d smoked a little pot.”

Renata looked like her head might rotate on her neck, like a maternal version of the girl in
The Exorcist
.

“Did you do anything when you got to the Reardons’?” Scotty asked.

“No, it was the middle of the night. We sat on the front step and talked.”

“So you have no idea if he was home?” Fina said.

Rosie shook her head.

“Did anyone see you hanging around?”

“I don’t think so.” She drained her water bottle.

“How long were you there?” Scotty jotted notes on a legal pad.

“I don’t know, fifteen, twenty minutes, maybe.”

“And then where did you go?”

“Tyler dropped me back at Sam’s, and I went to bed. I assume that Tyler went home.”

Scotty finished writing something and put his pen down. “I’m not a criminal defense attorney, so if this gets any more involved, I’ll have to refer you to someone else. I can put you in touch with some top people.”

“You’re abandoning us?” Renata asked.

Fina was annoyed. “That’s not what he said, Renata. Would you please listen and stop adding your dramatic interpretation to everything?”

“Exactly! This is what I have to deal with every day!” Rosie interjected.

“Don’t speak to anyone about this, and be in touch if something else happens,” said Scotty, staring at mother and daughter. “It’s that simple. The lying and the pot is something you two need to figure out.”

“We will, believe me.” Renata rose from her chair and pointed Rosie in the direction of the door. “Thank you. We’ll be in touch,” she said formally before striding out of the office.

“That’s going to be a fun ride home,” Fina commented. She stretched her arms over her head and gently moved her neck from side to side.

“Any progress on the Haley front?” Scotty asked.

“I only told you a few hours ago. I need a little more time.”

Scotty sighed.

“Stop acting like Dad,” Fina said. “Seriously. You are not allowed to turn into him.”

He stood and walked around from behind his desk. “If anyone is going to turn into him, it’s you.”

Fina winced. “Ouch.”

Her brother grinned. “Hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Touché. I’ll call you later, and thanks for squeezing this in.”

“No problem.”

Fina left Ludlow and Associates and sat in her car with the doors securely locked.

Scotty’s anxiety was reasonable. What the hell was she going to do about the Haley situation?