Take Stock in Murder (13 page)

“Are there more?”

“Just a few.” Jake was clearly enjoying himself now. “There were also several meetings with Sara Chaney. However, their meetings really did seem like business.”

“What makes you say that? Was there a difference with those meetings?”

Jake nodded. “You know, regular hours, folders and papers on the table. They didn’t seem concerned if other members saw them.”

“Very observant, Jake. Sara Chaney was working with Todd on the Investment Club orders. It was probably just business.”

“Although I believe Sara really liked him. The last two I know very little about.”

“Two more, huh?”

“The first was Mrs. Brad Barrington.” Jake lowered his voice, even though no one else was around. He knew when he was dropping a bombshell.

“Linda Barrington, Todd’s brother’s wife! Are you sure?” Charles asked.

“Mr. Faraday, please. If there’s one thing I know, it’s people.”

“Sorry, Jake. I didn’t mean to question your abilities. But you have to admit this one is a shocker. I mean, a real affair or…I mean, they are relatives.”

“Well, I never saw them making out or anything like that, but they fit the pattern. Meeting at odd hours, making it look like they just happened to run into each other, but then they would go off together. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think so.”

“Who’s next?”

“This last one…I don’t think there’s much to it. Plus she’s single, so there’s no jealous husband.”

“She’s a member?”

“Not exactly. She’s the lady golf pro, Jennifer Foster. They just seemed to be good pals. Todd would come in with her on occasion, sort of like a date—you know, for dinner, a game of tennis, or other events. But as the golf pro, she was pretty much on site for those events anyway.”

“I know the name, but what does she look like?”

“Kind of a looker—sun-bleached blonde with a very, very short, wavy cut, like Peter Pan. She has dark eyes, sort of sad looking, and she’s about five seven. After a while I didn’t see them together anymore. At the same time, I heard she was in an accident.”

“An accident on the golf course?”

“No, she was in a car accident. Apparently she totaled her car and was out for several months recovering.”

“Were they still an item?”

“No, after she returned to work, I didn’t see her with Todd again. Maybe somebody said something to her about being so chummy with one of the members. Or maybe she gave him some golf lessons, and there was never anything between them.”

“If they hit your radar, there was probably something there. Is that it?”

Jake put his hand to his chin and thought for a second. “Wait, I just remembered something. Todd did have another gal before all the others started. It’s a real shame too, because she was a real nice girl. She was Todd’s age—long, brown hair, which she often wore in a ponytail, and overall she was pretty good looking. Plus, she had a great smile.”

Charles couldn’t help but think that maybe Jake and this young lady should get together, and they could control the smile market between them.

“Can you remember her name?”

“I think her name is Diane. No, wait—it’s Dawn. Never knew her last name, but I think she works at the Nottingham Bookstore. She goes to the local college, and her parents aren’t Club members. She may not have been high enough on the social ladder for the Barringtons. It was after she stopped coming in with him that he started with the others. I bet if Todd had stayed with her, he would still be alive, assuming it was an angry husband that did him in.” Jake paused and started to wipe imaginary spills on the bar top.

“Jake, is there something else?”

“Mr. Faraday, there’s one other thing I should mention.”

“What? Another candidate for investigation?”

“I guess the police would think so.” He paused. “I saw Mrs. Faraday the night of the dance.”

“You mean with Todd?”

“No, later, about two thirty in the morning. I saw her slip back into the Club. But I haven’t told anyone.”

“Now you know the pickle we’re in. Carrie woke up and realized she didn’t have her tennis bracelet. She figured she’d
lost it in the library when she was struggling with Todd. She returned to the Club to get her bracelet. Actually, I returned too.”

“I didn’t see you.”

“I was here, and that’s the problem. We were both here during the murder period. But I assure you, Jake, when Carrie was in the library, Todd’s body wasn’t there.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You know?” Charles was astonished.

Once again, Jake looked around to see whether anyone was listening. “When I saw Mrs. Faraday, I went after her. I thought maybe there was a problem, or maybe I could help her with something. I saw her go into the library. However, I was at the other end of the hall just outside the ballroom. By the time I got to the library, she was gone. I looked out the window and saw the taillights of a car, so I figured she had left by the veranda. I walked back through the library. I can tell you Todd’s body wasn’t there, and there was a huge, blazing fire providing plenty of light. If he was there, I’d have seen him.”

“Jake, why haven’t you told the police you saw Carrie leave? You can verify she didn’t commit the murder,” Charles said excitedly.

“Now hold on, Mr. Faraday. Think about it. Remember, I didn’t see you. I can say I saw your wife leave, but it means I’d also have to admit she was here. And where were you? Did you think she was meeting Todd? Did you confront Todd after she left? You see the problem?”

“Yeah, I do. I appreciate your thinking this through. I know I’m not guilty, but proving it’s going to be another matter.”

“Exactly! The police questions haven’t been specific, so I haven’t lied. I just haven’t told them everything I know.”

Charles put a couple of twenties on the bar. “Jake, as always, you have been a wealth of knowledge. If we could keep this conversation just between us…”

“You bet, Mr. Faraday, but you don’t have to pay. I’ve no intentions of telling the police anything.”

Charles pushed the empty glass toward Jake. “Just paying for my drink.” Charles got up to leave, then turned back. “Jake, if the police questions get more specific, don’t lie, including the fact that you saw Carrie. Just tell the truth. Ultimately, the truth will clear us.”

“You got it, Mr. Faraday. If and when asked, I’ll tell the truth.”

fter Charles paid the bill, he was anxious to get home and tell Carrie about his conversation with Jake. He had a few more details to add to their file on Todd, plus a couple of new names of ladies involved with him. Charles wondered in particular about Linda Barrington’s relationship with Todd, as well as Delores Chaney’s.

As he was passing through the lobby of the Club, he saw Delores Chaney sitting in one of the lobby chairs. Delores always made a nice appearance, whether she was in ball gowns, casual clothes, or something to wear for dinner at the Club. She was one of the few women Charles knew who didn’t mind her age and also seemed to age well. While her skin had developed some of the telltale aging signs, her complexion had a youthful look.

No time like the present
, he thought. “Delores, hello.”

“Oh, hello, Charles.” She looked past him. “Carrie not with you?”

“No, she’s home doing some writing. How about John?”

“He’s parking the car. It’s starting to rain, and I’ve a bit of a cold, so he didn’t want me walking from the parking lot. You’re welcome to join John and me for dinner and drinks.”

“That’s kind of you, but I’ve had my dinner, and I just finished my drink. I’m on my way home. However, there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“Ooh, this does sound intriguing. However, I guess I shouldn’t be so glib. Your questions have to do with Todd’s death, don’t they?”

Charles nodded. “I’m just trying to gather as much information as I can. I’m sure you have heard that I was the one who punched Todd at the dance. That kind of puts me in the police spotlight.”

“Since Carrie’s revelation at the meeting this afternoon, I’m sure by now everyone has heard. However, as far as I’m concerned, Todd deserved whatever he was dealt. No one holds it against you that Todd got punched. Of course, getting punched isn’t the issue, is it? It’s the fact that someone went to the next step and murdered him. Charles, did you take it to the next step?”

“Me?” Charles was shocked that Delores was so direct.

“Yes, you. You said you were in the police spotlight. They must have more than a punch in the nose to have the light shining on you.”

“I assure you, Delores, and anyone you care to tell, that Todd was an incredibly minor character in our lives. We barely had any contact with him until the night of the dance. But now it’s time to turn the tables. What about you, Delores?”

“OK, fair is fair, but why do you ask?” Delores showed no reaction to Charles’s question.

“The famous Club rumor mill has you meeting with Todd on several occasions.” She started to answer, but Charles continued. “Before you answer that the meetings were part of the Investment Club, I should say, well…private meetings.”

“Oh my. The meetings do sound sinister, the way you tell it. How much do you know about the ladies’ TC3 Investment Club?”

“Only what Carrie mentioned from her discussions with you and the other ladies at the golf game today. However, being a businessman who has dabbled in the stock market, to me the return on investment seems extraordinarily high.”

“And as a man who has ‘dabbled,’ what are your conclusions for this high rate of return?”

“Off the top of my head, I’d say there are three possibilities. The person making the purchases is a Wall Street wizard, or he’s an extremely lucky fellow, or…” Charles hesitated.

“Or…?” she prodded.

“Or he has come up with a scheme that the rest of us haven’t discovered.”

“Charles, that’s why I like you; we think alike. I came up with the same possibilities. However, based on a particular transaction, I came to the conclusion that the third scenario was more likely than the first two.”

“Is that why you were meeting with Todd?”

“At our first private meeting, I asked him why he’d waited over a week to purchase a stock we had decided to buy in our meeting. The second time I wanted to know why my daughter,
Sara, was no longer allowed to attend the Investment Club meetings. Sara works for the Barrington firm and was supposed to be sharing responsibilities,” she stated firmly.

“Carrie mentioned she was originally helping Todd with the Investment Club. And the next time you met with Todd?”

“The next and last time I met with Todd, I demanded a detailed explanation of exactly what he was doing with the Club’s investments. At that point we had all received several statements, and I thought the profits were very high. I told him if I didn’t get a satisfactory explanation, I’d have to ask his father for one.”

“Did you ask Mr. Barrington for an explanation?”

“Not formally. I did briefly mention the Investment Club to Mr. Barrington one night a couple of weeks ago, when I ran into him here at the Club. I congratulated him on the success Todd was having with our little investment group. I also commented that the returns were so wonderfully high that the ladies were overwhelmed. Did he know the secret of Todd’s success?”

“And did he know the reason for his son’s success?”

“No. He simply said, as any father would, that Todd was doing a fine job. However, later Sara mentioned that an internal audit had begun. Perhaps Papa Barrington took my suggestion and was attempting to find out the secret of his son’s success.”

“What about Sara? Did she know how Todd was achieving the success with the Investment Club’s dollars?”

“No. As I mentioned, after the second meeting, she was no longer included in our sessions. However, when she saw my
statements, she too thought the returns were excessively high. When she tried to talk with Todd about it, he brushed her aside.”

“Aside from Sara, do you know any other women who were involved with Todd?”

“I know of several. I’m sure Carrie repeated some of the gossip from our golf game.”

“I know about the romantic liaisons, but I specifically meant the financial side. Is there any other woman who may have been helping Todd at the firm?