Smoked (The Alex Harris Mystery Series) (24 page)

“So Ryan never sent them back,” Marla said.

“Looks that way. If I’m right, he was getting cheap stuff, pocketing the difference and hopefully no one would be the wiser.”

“But Maria found out he never returned the inferior merchandise and he killed her. Wow, Alex, you’ve done it again,” my sister said with pride. “Millie, I think we need to update our Web site to show we also offer detective services.”

“Calm down. I admit it looks like Ryan could have killed Maria over this stuff but what about Nena? Why would he kill her?”

“Why couldn’t there be two killers, Alex?” Marla asked.

“I just feel like it’s one person. I mean, Maria’s auto injectors are replaced with duds and then Nena Connick gets injected with the stuff? What are the odds?”

“Maybe the killer of Nena read about Mrs. Kravec’s murder and tried to make the two murders look the same to throw off suspicion?” Millie said.

“But how would a total stranger know of a connection between the two women? Nothing was ever mentioned about Nena in the papers or on the news in connection with Maria’s murder. No one would have any idea Maria Kravec knew Nena Connick. And the only reason to make the murders look connected is to have the police direct their investigation away from the second killer. So if there is a second killer how did he know Nena was sleeping with Maria’s husband?”

Was I on to something or just going in circles? From the looks I was getting from my colleagues, I figured I was going round and round. “Okay. The only way to get to the bottom of this box situation is to go and talk with Ryan.” I started to gather up my things, but first grabbed a handful of M&M’s—the real ones this time.

My sister stepped in front of me. “Alex, you can’t go and accuse this guy of being a killer. If he is, what do you think the chances are he’ll let you walk away? Huh? I’m going with you.”

“Maybe you should just call John. Tell him everything and let the police handle it,” Millie, the voice of reason, said.

“It won’t hurt to just go talk with him. We could say we’re just returning the boxes.” Marla had a big smile on her face.

“What do you mean
we
?” I asked.

“We’re not letting you go alone. We either call your husband or I go with you. Sam’s got young children and they need their mother and Millie is just starting out with her man. It’s me and you, Alex.”

My sister didn’t look so good. “Okay. But we’re giving you a time limit and then we’re calling the police.

Despite everyone’s feeling that I was about to meet my maker, I didn’t really share their concern. Ryan Reynolds was up to something. I always knew that, but something told me it wasn’t murder.

“I haven’t had so much fun on a job anywhere,” Marla said beside me as I drove my little Honda over to the office of the Vegan View. “Accounting. That’s all I’ve done my entire life. I ask you, does that sound exciting? No, it does not. Now you guys really know how to liven up a day.”

I had a feeling Marla’s chatter was the result of a case of
I shouldn’t have opened up my big mouth and offered to come
syndrome. I should turn around and take her back. If something did happen to her, I had a feeling it would be considered way beyond a typical Worker’s Comp case.

“When we get there, I think it best if you stay in the car. That way you can run get help if you hear a gunshot or see Ryan pull out a syringe.”

“No way. I’m going in. I came all this way. And besides, if he sees the two of us he might think better of doing something. He can’t stick us both at the same time so I’ll still be able to run and get you some help.” Marla stared straight out the window, her gold and black dangly earrings sparkling from the sun streaming into the car. I seemed to have a real knack for creating monsters. First, Meme and her gang and now Marla. Geesh.

A few minutes later Marla and I walked into the office and sure enough I could see Ryan in the back, this time talking on his cell. He turned and saw us and told whomever he was speaking with that he would call them back.

Ryan heaved a sigh and looked a bit more than just mildly annoyed. “I don’t have anything else to tell you and in case you didn’t notice, I have a business to run along with another job I need to be doing better or this will be all I have left.”

“It won’t take long. Those boxes,” I gestured with my head to a bunch by the wall, “aren’t those the ones from China that Maria told you to return?”

“How did you—. Okay. You need to leave. Now!”

“Not until we get an answer,” Marla said.

“Right. And I’m wondering what the police will think about this. What do you think, Marla, maybe a bit of fraud going on here?”

“Looks that way to me. Buying cheap stuff and pocketing your partner’s money,” Marla added.

Ryan put up his hand and his smirk returned. “Okay. You got me. You’re right. Maria wanted me to return the stuff and I never got around to it. Then she died and I tried, I did, but it’s not easy returning stuff to China, you know, with customs and all that stuff. But I’m not doing business with them again. This is it. Once this stuff sells, all our other products will be from more reputable manufacturers.”

“You know what I think? And what I mentioned to Detective Van der Burg just this morning,” I said, “is that you fought with Maria, she refused to see it your way and maybe you killed her?” Both Marla and I took almost imperceptible steps back away from Ryan. Now that I finally came out and accused him of murder, I suddenly felt a need for a bit more distance.

The smirk gone, Ryan’s face turned red. “Okay. That’s enough, lady. Did I buy cheap stuff and pocket some money? Sure. Okay, you got me. Did I
kill
someone? You’re crazy and it’s time for you to get out.”

“One more thing. Do you know Nena Connick?”

Ryan’s hands were on his hips. “Who?”

“Never mind.”

Back out in the parking lot, Marla turned to me. “So what’s your take?”

I shook my head. “Same as before. I just don’t think he killed her. And I don’t think he knows Nena either.”

“So we’re nowhere?”

“Let’s go see the brother,” I said.

“Does he live around here?”

“No. New Haven.”

“Well, then you’re on your own, Alex. I have a meeting with Sam and the accountant. Maybe you should just come back to the office and wait until someone can go with you.”

I drove Marla back to the office but didn’t bother going in assuring her I could take the lanky George Shruder on. Back on the turnpike I got to thinking about Ryan Reynolds. He caved rather quickly admitting to pocketing the money, which got me thinking. What was he really hiding?

Once I got to New Haven I made a stop first before heading over to George Shruder’s house. I walked into the lobby of PayAcc and headed for the reception desk by the elevators.

“Good morning. I’m here to see Ryan Reynolds.”

“One moment please.” The young woman behind the desk consulted a printout on a clip board. “I’m sorry but Mr. Reynolds no longer works here. Is there someone else who could help you?”

“No, that’s okay. I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by and say hi.”

It was almost lunch time. I wasn’t hungry but I could use a cup of tea and walked to the coffee shop next door where Ryan and I had first talked. My hunch had been right—Ryan didn’t work at PayAcc anymore. Whether he was fired or quit didn’t really matter but I had a feeling he quit. He was always at the Vegan View and it didn’t seem to me his heart was really into selling payroll and accounting systems—especially with so much more at stake. Because if my other hunch was right, Ryan had more in those boxes than just hemp shoes and purses. But it was no longer my problem. I planned to let John in on my suspicions and the police could handle it from there. The good thing was I was done with Ryan Reynolds and his Kevin Bacon smirk.

I finished my tea and headed over to visit George.

“You again,” George Shruder said as he tried to close the door in my face. “Go away. I’ve got nothing else to tell you.”

My foot and arm were wedged in between the door and the jam as I pushed back against George. “I just have one more question and then I’ll leave you alone.” I felt the tension against my limbs release.

“Fine. Come in but just for a minute. I have a practice session to get to.”

“Does the name Nena Connick ring a bell?”

“Only from what I hear on the news. She was killed and the police seem to think there might be some sort of connection between her and my sister, but they’re not saying what.”

“Nena Connick was having an affair with Sergei.”

George shook his head. “Why am I not surprised? I would imagine half the population of Indian Cove and the surrounding towns were too. The man got my sister killed. One way or another, either directly or not, but I’m sure he’s involved.”

“You seem to really detest your brother-in-law.”

“The man is an oaf. He was never good enough for Maria.” This seemed to be a strange thing to say coming from a man who didn’t seem to have a lot of time or affection for his only sibling. But then maybe Sergei had been the source of their tension from the very beginning and George’s dislike of the man caused Maria to keep her distance.

“Did your sister ever mention Nena to you?”

“No. Of course not. Why would she? I told you, we didn’t talk a lot. It’s not that we hated each other; we just never had much in common. And now—” This was the first time I had seen any emotion for his sister coming through.

“And you’re sure you didn’t know Sergei was having an affair?” I pressed.

“Sergei was
always
having an affair. Don’t you listen? If the man wasn’t having an affair, that would have been the exception.”

I left George Shruder with mixed feelings. On the one hand I felt I could cross him off the list for the murder of Nena Connick. But on the other, I still wasn’t sure about Maria, which screwed up my entire one-killer theory.

I made a sudden decision and headed my car in the opposite direction from Indian Cove. I might as well go to the university and ask Nadine if she knew who Nena Connick was.

I found Nadine sitting on the same bench we had sat on last week. Like Ryan, she was also talking on her cell. What the heck was the attraction to constantly being on your cell? How much stuff was there to say and didn’t anyone relish quiet time anymore? Of course, I did like my iPad, but I wasn’t glued to the darned thing for pity’s sake.

“You’re like a bad penny,” Nadine said as I approached. “I’ll call you back.” She put the phone in her purse beside her. “What is it today?”

I took a seat beside her. “It’s really lovely sitting out here. This seems like a nice place to work. You have this campus to enjoy every day.”

“Yeah, try hiking across it wearing heels when it snows.”

The woman really did have a sour disposition if she couldn’t appreciate such a beautiful autumn day. “You could always try flats.”

Nadine gave me a horrified look. I guess with her short and round build a pair of flats wouldn’t do. And then she smiled. “Maybe a pair of boots. The high ones. So, what brings you out here on such a lovely day,” she said mocking me.

“A few more questions. Did you know Nena Connick?”

“Who?”

“Nena Connick. She was having an affair with Sergei. Maria’s husband. And she died. Murdered.”

This elicited another horrified look from Nadine. “You’re kidding, right? What’s going on? Is there someone out there killing anyone who had a connection with Maria?” She was now on her feet. “Because then I want police protection or something.”

“Calm down. Nothing like that is going on.” At least I didn’t think so though if another body turned up with a connection to Maria Kravec, I would put Nadine in touch with John. “I just wondered if you knew who she was.”

Nadine sat down again. “Okay. And the answer to your question is no, I don’t know who that Nena lady is.”

“Fine. Now onto my next subject. You knew all along what Ryan was up to?”

“Huh?” Nadine tried to look clueless but she wasn’t that good of an actress, which made me believe she probably really didn’t know anything about Nena.

“Did you know what Ryan was up to with the stuff from China?”

“I’m not working there anymore. Whatever he’s doing I had no part in it. Nothing.”

“What exactly do you think is going on?” I asked calmly though I was hoping Nadine could shed some light on what he was really up to, because so far I only had suspicions.

“Okay. You didn’t hear this from me. But I know the stuff he ordered came from China and that Maria was pissed about it. I saw the emails.”

“And you deleted those emails didn’t you?”

“How do you know that?”

“Maria backed up her system. I saw the email exchanges.”

Nadine sighed and took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I figured he was up to no good. Maria fired me right before she died. As soon as I found out she was dead I used that order from China to blackmail him so he would keep me on. Of course I had already deleted all the emails just in case anyone looked at them, like the police. I didn’t want anyone to know I was blackmailing Ryan because it would make me look bad and then I’d be a prime suspect for Maria’s death. Ryan’s sneaky and I thought whatever he was mixed up in had to include big money and I wanted my cut.”

“So what happened? Why are you not working there anymore?

Nadine leaned forward and the sun caught her aubergine hair. I wondered how she kept it so shiny.

“For one, I don’t have the time and the business itself is a bust. I knew that from the beginning. Too much competition. I also knew Maria and she would have moved on to something else after a while. All I wanted was my cut. I thought Ryan was buying cheap stuff, pocketing the rest of the money and I wanted a part of that.”

“And you don’t want it anymore?” I asked.