Swindled (19 page)

“Are you jinxed?” he asked looking amused as he rubbed her lower back in small circles. She relaxed against him. “What is it? If trouble can’t find you, you go and look for it? A closet?? Beth you are jinxed,” he was quietly shaking with laughter.

“No I’m not,” Beth said stubbornly knowing she sounded childish. “I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I thought he would need to know that they missed something.”

“Oh he did need to know,” David agreed resting his chin on her head as he tucked her against him and gave her a hug. “Of course the fact that you, his murder suspect, had to point out that he missed something was probably not what he wanted to hear.”

“Men are so sensitive,” Beth huffed. Anyone would think she had gone out of her way to make trouble for the man. “I was helping him and he acts like it’s a crime,” she said mildly outraged. It was hard to hold onto her anger and fear when she felt so safe in David’s arms.

“Technically going in to your brother’s flat was a crime.” David said still laughing as he leaned back to look at Beth. His dimple made the strong planes of his face softer and more gentle. He was without a doubt one of the handsomest men Beth had laid eyes on. He didn’t have boyish good looks or rugged model type features. His face had character and came alive when he spoke to her and laughed with her. She reached up and put a hand against his cheek.

“I had a spare key!” she argued without heat. “And it was our paperwork,” explaining herself.

“Yes but no invitation. In fact, you were going there specifically to take something. That I think you’ll find is stealing,” David continued with a smirk on his face. She laughed back at him. He was endearing.

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Beth said stubbornly giving him a mock glare. Sparing with him was such a pleasure she thought as David leaned forward to catch her hand.

“You did the right thing,” he said growing serious. “You could have kept quiet and not put yourself back on the detectives wanted list again but you didn’t. I admire you for that.” He kissed her hand and looked at her with those beautifully deep blue eyes.

“Do you?” Beth was sounding very forlorn despite their previous levity. There was a niggling worry that this could all blow up in her face. Doing the right thing and telling the detective about the bra may not have been the right thing for her. She felt gratified that David at least thought it was worth the chance. He pulled her more tightly against him.

“Yes. I think you were an idiot to go to Brian’s flat in the first place but I’m glad you told the detective,” David agreed smiling down at her. He kissed her gently on the lips and set her on her feet. Together, hand in hand they went off to find breakfast.

Chapter 33

Feeling emotional was not the way into a business meeting Beth told herself two hours later. David had run to meet a client one hour before leaving Beth to panic about the meeting with her neurotic sister while Scott was at work. The two sisters had got themselves worked up into a mild state of panic within minutes. Now Beth stood alone in front of the formidable glass-fronted office building trying to calm down.

Taking a deep breath, she quickly let her breath out again. She was wearing one of her new designs but in their haste Vickie had made it smaller then Beth needed. Breathing in deeply risked popping out and revealing all. As it was her breasts swelled over the top of the turquoise satin making her look nearly indecent under the white transparent button down top she was wearing. A turquoise silk skirt cut on the bias and white strap sandals completed the outfit. Beth had tied a bow in matching colour to one of the straps and she was done. Hair up in its usual twist and an old fashioned doctor’s case in hand filled with samples. She really was as ready as she could ever be.

The reception was marble and glass with vaulted ceilings. Everything had its place and matched. The receptionist herself looked like an ice sculpture poised and efficient. At the corner of the desk was a pot plant clinging to life. Other then Beth it seemed to be the only living thing in the room. As she introduced herself, she could feel the eyes of the security guard assessing her and she had to admit at least to herself that the outfit she was wearing was a thin line away from call girl. Still wearing their wares, she figured, had worked at the funeral so why not try it again. She crossed her fingers behind her back as she headed up in the elevator.

Stephen met her at the door to the lift as they opened. He looked as reputable and distinguished as she remembered. Grinning at her, he led them into a nearby boardroom to meet two of the company’s senior buyers. There was a suppressed glee in Stephen’s movement and he seemed more excited then she was about the range. Beth took it as a good sign that he talked about where they would stock the merchandise rather then if they would. She felt the stress leave her body. What will be will be she decided and it looks like good things this time around.

“What did I tell you? Will these pieces make an impression or what?” Stephen asked his buyers with a jovial tone of voice. He looked incredibly pleased with himself as he introduced Beth and waved a hand toward her ensemble. She wondered if she should pirouette. It seemed almost expected.

The woman sitting at the table stood up at the same time as her colleague but had her vibrant eyes glued on Beth’s bra. Her hair was a pile of curls that looked fit to burst from their confining pins. There was a bright eager look about her as she surveyed the way Beth’s cleavage swelled out of her top.

“Wow,” she said. “I don’t suppose you have another one in that case of yours?” she asked grinning at Beth. “I have a hot date tonight and that would be perfect!” Beth grinned back. It was nice to have someone really appreciate their work. This was exactly the type of woman that the sisters had in mind when they designed their stuff. High powered, professional, sophisticated women who when they let their hair down were ready to have fun. Beth figured she couldn’t have planned a better reception if she had managed to bribe the buyers.

“I have one in yellow that will look fantastic with your skin tones or maybe one with feathers?” Beth raised an eyebrow and looked the woman appraisingly. “What are you planning on wearing tonight?” This was the fun side of business. Matching styles and sets with personalities and occasions. This was the type of thing that Beth’s creative mind thrived on.

“Susan Jackson,” the lady introduced herself as she shook Beth’s hand. “And I’m wearing a dark green bustier that yellow would set off very nicely, thank you. You’re good.” She gave a smile and nod at Beth. A fellow woman who understood the need to show off and play when not working hard, Beth decided. She liked her.

Beth laughed as responded, “I try!” She turned to shake hands with the other gentleman in the room.

“Mitch Adams,” he said with a disarming smile. He was an average sort of man with an open friendly face. He looked like a good guy to work with. “I don’t think there is anything in that little bag of tricks for me.” Giving a greedy grin he continued, “I do know, however, a few fine retail establishments that would give their eye teeth for a product like that within their hallowed halls,” he said with a wave toward Beth’s top. “Oh and at home as well, I’m sure!” he added as an afterthought. Everyone chuckled.

“Actually,” Beth returned with a sly smile. “I may have something in my bag of tricks for you to take home. Let’s just say it’s something special for your wife that you can take advantage of yourself!” They all laughed again, starting the meeting off with a high note. Beth unloaded scraps of lace, satin, feathers, and leather adorned with all manner of decoration. There wasn’t one design that the buyers couldn’t place with one of their boutiques. They loved the variety, the different styles and the quality. Beth braced herself as they got to the inevitable discussion around costs but her fears were unfounded. The team seemed to feel the costs were reasonable.

An hour later Beth looked around to find Stephen, Susan and Mitch were arguing good-naturedly over the various styles they preferred. This was how business should always be done she decided. With good people who were willing to try new ideas and give credit or money where it was due. While the bottom-line was undeniably important so to was the product and that was what seemed to take precedence here. She smiled and focused back on the question at hand.

Before long they had hashed out the details like payment and timings. Because Stephen’s company provided only exclusive boutiques with their merchandise, they were looking for a moderate volume of stock which Beth and Vickie would have no trouble providing. Clutching the order in her hand, Beth left the meeting walking on air. With the stock they had already and the designs in the works, the business was well on the way. She wanted to jump in the air and tap her heels together. After all that hard work they had done it!

Chapter 34

By lunchtime Vickie and Beth sat in a coffee shop just off Oxford Street celebrating the success of their first purchase. The coffee shop was on the corner of a little square. The whole area had a historical feel accentuated by the cobble stones and the traditional fronted pub on another corner. It was a tiny slice of untouched London life just a minute away from the rushing bustle of busses, people and cars that filled the famous shopping street. The coffee shop had probably been there longer then any of the high street shops had been in existence. With its bullet glass panes and low ceilings it felt like the twins were stepping back in time.

“So we’re in the clear?” Vickie asked sipping her frothy cappuccino. They were sitting in the front corner of the shop soaking in the atmosphere and watching the people in the street as they wandered by. It was just cold enough for the heating to be on low so there was a warm feeling in the air. Coming in from the crisp weather into the welcoming heat had been bliss.

“Well we’re on the right track. We can make the first payment toward the loan and pay for some supplies for the next range,” Beth explained. “It’s more then we could have hoped for and the timing is just perfect.”

“With all the excitement of the last few days it almost feels like a bit of an anticlimax doesn’t it?” Vickie asked as she watched another shopper struggle into the shop and drop relieved into a chair at a nearby table. Beth shook her head at her sister. She decided that pregnancy must be making Vickie feel invincible. Hadn’t she felt the same panic that had consumed Beth over the past week? Where was the neurotic and chaotic sister that Beth knew so well? Here in her place was a calm and sensible replica who drank her caffeine without a worry in the world.

“You are kidding right?” Beth asked incredulously looking more closely at the stranger sitting opposite her.

“Oh I’m relieved, don’t get me wrong but after murder what’s business?” Vickie asked with a shrug. She gave Beth a sweet smile as she sipped more of her hot frothy drink.

“Too true I guess,” Beth said reluctant to agree. Looking at it that way it did seem a bit of an anticlimax. She smiled. Who was she kidding? Having the business up and running was a thrill. Now all they could wish for was the police to do their job, solve the murders and life would be good. Beth sat back. Surely there had to be an easy answer to the murder?

“It just seems that there must be as simple an answer to Brian’s death as there was to the business,” Vickie said setting down her cup taking the thoughts right out of Beth’s head.

“How do you figure that?” Beth asked. Maybe Vickie could shed some light on what was bugging Beth about the whole murder. The detective seemed determined to make it a complicated case but did it have to be? Maybe the answer was right in front of their noses but nobody was paying attention. Beth decided that she and Vickie needed to figure out what happened before the detectives let it get out of hand. If they didn’t at least look in the right direction no one else seemed like they would.

“Well, for the business to work out all we needed was that one contact, Stephen Wilash, to make an order,” Vickie leaned forward to explain.

“We always said we just needed one purchase.” Beth agreed. It had been, in the end, a simple solution to a simple problem.

“Yeah but it was all about timing and the right person. Put the two together and the business is up and running. Everything else was in there but we needed that one crucial piece for it all to work,” Vickie went on. Beth was content to let her as it might make things clear in her own mind.

“So you’re saying that Brian’s murder is the same?” Beth said trying to get Vickie to explain in more detail. Nothing yet was clicking into place. There had to be a simple answer.

“We’re missing one crucial piece,” Vickie said “One thing that would make sense of the whole thing.”

“Yes,” Beth replied nodding. That made sense although it didn’t help them get closer to finding out who did it. “We’re missing the murderer,” she said looking pensively out the window.

“Right,” Vickie agreed and continued leaning closer to her sister. “But the police aren’t finding the right piece. Instead they seem determined to link you or anyone else remotely guilty looking to it. That’s not how it works,” Vickie paused. “They have to find the right piece or they’ll never solve the murder.”

“Don’t remind me,” Beth groaned and waved over a waitress, it was time to ask for the bill. This wasn’t getting them anywhere. She still couldn’t figure out who would kill Brian and why the police couldn’t find the culprit. Never mind she decided, it was time to get back into the real world and get working on their order. The sooner everything was delivered the sooner the invoice would be paid and the sooner they could make their loan payment.

“But don’t you see? It means that there is a piece missing. They have lots of people who didn’t like Brian but no one that was particularly standing out as the person who did it,” Vickie was earnestly trying to explain. Beth sighed and sat back ordering another couple of coffees. It didn’t look like they were going to leave until Vickie had had her say.

“All that means is that the murder covered their tracks,” Beth said frustrated. She didn’t like being the murder suspect anymore then Vickie liked her being suspected but there was nothing she could do about it until the police found the guilty person. So much for something simple to solve the whole thing.

“No what it means is that we haven’t seen something to put it into the puzzle,” Vickie put her hand over Beth’s to get her attention. “Who would really want him dead and why? Brian owed a lot of money but the people he owed wouldn’t want him dead. They had a chance of getting their money back with him alive and the business working. Now they have no chance at all. Who else would want to do it?”

“You mean we’re missing a motive,” Beth said focusing on what Vickie was saying as it started to turn over in her mind. “Why kill Brian? It seems a really drastic thing to do unless, well…”

“Unless it was more personal then money,” Vickie finished.

“Exactly,” murmured Beth thinking about it.

“It had to be more then that,” Vickie said with a flourish.

“Like an ex-wife or a dumped girlfriend,” Beth thought. “He had plenty of each but I don’t see any of them breaking a nail to do it.”

“No I agree. That doesn’t feel right. If it were a crime of passion then surely it would have been done in the spur of the moment. There would be some evidence for the police. They wouldn’t be chasing you if they had more evidence,” Vickie agreed. “We have to look at what doesn’t fit. Think about the flat. Was there anything there that seemed out of place,” she asked.

“Everything was the same,” Beth said helplessly. She could feel they were getting closer but couldn’t for the life of her figure out what it was. So they figured it wasn’t someone Brian owed money to and it wasn’t one of the exes. Who did that leave? She thought about the flat as she and Karin had seen it. “It didn’t look any different then usual. It was just spotless,” she explained. She talked Vickie through exactly what she and Karin had seen from the minute they went into the flat. The sisters fell into an uneasy silence as they thought. What were they missing?

“Well who cleaned it up?” Vickie asked suddenly looking up at her sister.

“The housekeeper was the one to find him so she probably did,” Beth said vaguely thinking what about what else she could have missed from the flat.

“Everything?” Vickie asked slowly as she thought about it. “The bathroom and kitchen, yes but what about his stuff?”

“What do you mean?” sipping her coffee, Beth sat back to try and understand where Vickie was going with it. It was obvious that her sister was spending most of her spare time in front of the daytime detective shows. Some of it seemed to be rubbing off on her which given the situation was no bad thing Beth decided.

“There is no way that Brian could have kept the place as neat as you say it was. Remember the last time we were there? He liked having his papers and his charts and his diary out in the open to show off. We both know that. Brian liked his stuff around and there is no way that any housekeeper worth her salt would have touched it without his permission. You’re saying that everything was neatly put away. That doesn’t sound like Brian,” Vickie rushed to explain. She paused, “There had to be a reason someone cleaned up like maybe they were looking for something.”

“Or maybe,” Beth said struck, “They were taking something away and didn’t want anyone to know.” That seemed far to simple an answer.

“Nothing was missing was it? The detective would have said something if it were a robbery. Something like that would be the missing piece. The motive,” Vickie said confused.

“Nothing of obvious value was missing,” Beth agreed nodding in agreement and trying to stop herself from getting excited. A piece had just fallen into place in her mind. “But something was missing that was back by the time we left his flat the next day.”

“The paperwork,” Vickie said sitting up in her chair and sliding her empty coffee cup to the side. The two sisters stared at each other. Could that be it?

“It’s the only thing I can think of,” Beth replied.

“But there was nothing in the paperwork,” Vickie was exasperated and she was right. There was nothing in the paperwork, nothing that they could see anyway.

“No but did the person who took it have time to look through it? Did they have time to find out? And maybe what they were looking for wasn’t in there,” Beth said as she thought it through.

“What do you mean?” Vickie asked.

“We were calling the office making pests of ourselves asking for the papers. Anne must have had someone start looking for the files in the office. Everyone knows everyone else’s business there so it wouldn’t have been a secret from anybody that we were looking for it. It would only be a matter of time before someone went upstairs to Brian’s flat to look for the paperwork if they couldn’t find it in the office. The murderer knew the paperwork they took the night of the murder was what we were looking for,” It was Beth’s turn to explain.

“So?” Vickie didn’t look like she knew where Beth was going with this.

“Well if Anne hadn’t found it in the office or in his flat, she would have raised the alarm that something was missing. She knew Brian as well as we did and it was no secret that he liked to have his papers around him. There is no way they would have been anywhere else. Even if she didn’t think it was serious enough to raise the alarm, at the very least she would have told us and we would have said something to the police,” it made sense to Beth. Whoever put it back would have done it to try and cover their tracks either after they took what they want or because what they wanted wasn’t there.

“So they had to put it back,” Vickie finished quietly. Her eyes were wide open as she took it all in. Around them people shifted in and out of the warm as they had their coffees and cakes.

“Exactly,” Beth finished satisfied.

“It would prove that it must be someone from the office. Why else would anyone return the papers or even know that we were looking for them?” Vickie pondered it. It was a simple explanation and one the detectives had probably not looked into. It seemed to simple to actually be true but there was no other way to take into account both Brian’s murder and the missing paperwork. It also conveniently linked in Tina’s murder. She also worked in the office. Had she seen or known something that had got her killed Beth wondered.

“You’re right. We need to shake them up again. Anything to get them to make a mistake,” Beth said with a grin to her sister. “I think we need to give back the stuff that isn’t ours.”

“How will that help?” Vickie smiled back sure that Beth was coming up with another plan.

“Well if we make a big deal about the fact that we found our paperwork but the police want it for the investigation. Maybe we leave the box in the reception for Joseph to pick it up for fingerprinting or something,” Beth suggested taking the last sip of her coffee. She was wired. Too much caffeine and now she was going to be bouncing off the walls.

“Sneaky. And then?” Vickie asked.

“Well someone might just panic and try to do something about the box. All we have to do is drop Joseph Serrate a line to get him to watch who takes the box. About time he did something for us,” shrugging, Beth paid the bill and the two sisters got up.

“All we have to do is say that there is paperwork being checked for clues and the detective is looking into it,” Vickie agreed. “It won’t that make us a target will it?”

“They’ve had it before. All we have to do is leave it somewhere they can get to it before the detectives pick it up. All we really need is for someone to panic and do something stupid for the police to take notice,” Beth said helping Vickie get her arms into the wool jacket she had draped over her chair. It was cool enough to need the protection. Beth wrapped a long multicoloured scarf around her own neck to ward off the chill.

“At the very least it might get the police looking in the right direction,” Beth said over the noise of buses and the sheer mass of people. It sounded like a mad idea but it might just work. It was also all that they had. She couldn’t think of anything else that might help get the detectives off their backs.

Arriving home the sisters put their plan into action. Beth wasn’t sure that it was going to make any difference but it felt good to be doing something positive. Everything else was fitting in to her life, the company was up and running. David, well David seemed to be hanging around. Beth didn’t want to look too closely at his motives for staying. She just enjoyed his company and maybe just maybe this would turn into something wonderful.

Beth grabbed the paperwork from the box that was meant to go back to the office. She headed into the kitchen with Vickie and ten minutes after arriving home, Vickie was calling Anne. They had decided that in her ultra efficient way Anne would spread the word. By evening everyone would know the sisters were dropping off a sampling of their paperwork at the office so that the detectives wanted to check it for fingerprints. That, the twins decided, would get someone worried. Hopefully enough to make some mistake to get some notice. In the meantime, they would send back the papers that weren’t theirs. It should if nothing else prove to whoever heard the news that they had seen the papers from under the bed.