Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Ewan had to take a call and walked away. I was curious about what was going on between the sister and Jacks’s partner. I headed that way. They were close to some of the food booths, so I stood there listening, but acted as though I was trying to decide what I wanted.
“You cannae tell me there is no money to be had,” she said. “You were partners.”
“I am not sure how many times you need me to say that he lost a great deal of our clients’ money,” he said. “We are still climbing out of the hole left by his bad investments. And he never invested his own funds. There is no money.”
She huffed. “Says you. But you were partners, and I know that he went over everything with you. He wasn’t the only one investing.”
“How would you know anything? You haven’t spoken to him in a year,” the partner sneered. “We were more his family than you. All you want is money. You dinnae care a wit for your brother.”
She pointed at him. “You are a thief. How will your clients react when they find out you refused to give me what money is owed. I know he used some of his own funds for investments, and they were not all bad. The last time we talked he was telling me about some development happening outside of Edinburgh. He asked if I might be interested, to which I said no, given what happened the last time I invested my money with you.”
“You have no idea what you are talking about,” he said.
“Yes, and there is a difference between short term and long, where your money is supposed to accrue,” Kaitlyn Jacks said. “You wouldn’t have used the firm’s funds in your schemes. I know that because he told me. I want what rightfully belongs to our family. And I’ll sue to get it if I have to.”
Burns sneered again. “He always said the only thing you cared about was money. When that investment went bad, he knew you would never let him forget it. But that doesn’t mean he owed you anything.”
“We’ll see what my lawyer has to say about that.”
He laughed but it wasn’t a happy sound. “Waste your money, go ahead. He signed a contract when he joined the firm. You’ll find you aren’t owed a cent.” His tone was vicious and unnecessary.
He stormed away. He’d been smarmy when I’d seen him at his office. I didn’t trust him. But was he a killer? And what would be his motive?
Money. Maybe the forensic accountant would find something that would help us nail down the suspects.
Kaitlyn bent down and put her hands on her knees. It appeared she was having trouble breathing.
I went to her. “Are you OK?”
“I’m having trouble catching my breath,” she said between wheezes.
“Come sit down.” I guided her to one of the tables set up for people to eat.
Had Burns done something to her?
“Do you have any allergies, like your brother?” I asked. As I helped her to the chair.
She shook her head.
“My chest is tight,” she said between trying to take great gulps of air.
“Are you prone to panic attacks?”
“I dinnae know,” she said. “Never had one.”
“Lean onto the table and put your forehead on your hands. Count to four as your breath in, and I’ll do it with you. One. Two. Three. Four. Now breathe out. And again.”
It didn’t take long to regulate her breathing. She sat up, and the color returned to her face.
“Thank you,” she said. “That’s never happened to me before.”
“Do you suffer from anxiety? I only ask because if you do, it can make you prone to panic attacks, which is what you just experienced.”
She shrugged. “Not any more than the next person. We all have anxiety, right?”
I nodded. “True, but sometimes it can affect us emotionally and physically. I saw that you were arguing with Mr. Burns. That kind of stress could bring it on. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really. He’s a slimy—I have no idea why my brother went into business with him. From what I understood, he never liked the bloke. But he wanted to live here in Sea Isle and couldn’t see opening an accounting firm to compete. So, they joined forces.”
“That makes sense. We are a small town.”
“But now, he’s saying the family is owed nothing. That cannot be true. Yes, my brother made some bad investments, including with my retirement fund, but he also helped the firm to make money.”
“I’ll be honest,” I said. “I have no idea how any of that works. I’m lucky to have a great guy who handles all of my investments in the states.”
I pursed my lips. “I shouldn’t tell you this,” I whispered.
“But the police have a forensic accountant who will be going through everything. I’m sure if you’re owed money, they will be able to figure that out.
You should speak to the ACC, though, and let him know how you feel.
That way he can make certain you receive what you’re owed, if the evidence proves your allegations.
I have no idea about the financial side of things. I’m only thinking about your brother.”
She gave me a watery smile. “Thank you, Doctor—on all accounts. I thought I might have had a heart attack earlier.”
I nodded. “It can feel that way when your chest tightens. Anxiety can often come out of nowhere. It has been a very stressful few days with the death of your brother and trying to deal with everything. Even if you had been on the outs, it is obvious you cared about him.”
She sighed, and then shoved a hand through her hair. “I know we weren’t that close, but he was the only family I had left in the world.
“And yes, we’d been estranged because of what happened with my money. But I couldn’t quite write him out of my life. I liked at least knowing he was there.”
“That makes sense.”
“Do you know if they have any idea yet if someone tried to kill him?”
“Even if I knew, I wouldn’t be able to say, as I’m a part of the team investigating his death.”
“Yes, but that says it all, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“If his death hadn’t been suspicious, why investigate? And why keep me out of his home?”
“Those are good questions, and I wish I could answer. I understand you didn’t speak much, but do you know if he had someone else in his life?”
“Like a girlfriend?”
“Or boyfriend.”
She chuckled. “I wouldn’t know, but I doubt it. He never dated even when he was younger. Numbers and trains are all he’s ever cared about. Why do you ask?”
I shrugged. “When we were in his home, he seemed to be a bachelor, but one never knows.”
“Even if he were seeing someone, he wouldn’t have told me.”
“I had to ask,” I said. “Are you feeling better?”
She took a deep breath. “Yes, thank you.”
“Why don’t you come by and see me at the office tomorrow.”
“Oh, I’m not interested in taking medicine. I’m sure this is all temporary.”
“I am, as well. But I thought we might go over some breathing exercises in case it does happen again.”
“Oh. Uh. Thanks, that is kind of you.”
I handed her a card from my bag. “You can make an appointment online or call. It is up to you.”
“Any idea when I’ll be able to take my brother back to Edinburgh?”
“Once the investigation wraps up, and we’ve finished with the testing. I’d say by the end of the week at the earliest.”
She nodded. “It’s weird.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ve been so angry at him for so long, but now I’m sad. I wasted so much time being mad at him. I loved him, and I will miss him.”
“I can imagine. I felt that way when I lost my mom and grandmother. They were the last of my family, and I felt so alone.”
“Is that why you moved across the pond? I mean, it’s obvious you are American.”
“Moving here was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.”
“I’ve been so stuck in Edinburgh. Maybe I should make a move.”
“You’re the only one who can make that decision. I will say, it isn’t such a bad thing to shake up your life every once in a while.”
“You might be right about that. Thank you again for your help. I’m exhausted. I think I’ll head back to the B&B.”
I nodded, and then went in search of my friends.
They were all coming off the merry-go-round.
I smiled when they came through the gate onto the fairway.
“Did you have fun?”
They were all laughing.
“We did. Tommy tried to tell us that the ride was only for small children,” Mara said. “He thought it was too much of a kiddie thing for adults to do. We showed him how wrong he was.”
“I still like the Graviton better and the Ferris Wheel,” Tommy said before putting his headphones back on.
We laughed again.
Everyone was tired, so we headed to the shuttle to take us back down the mountain.
After speaking with Donald Jacks’s sister, I didn’t think she had anything to do with his murder. It was more a feeling than anything to do with evidence.
But someone had wanted him dead. And it could have been his business partner, the executive assistant or one of their angry clients.
The problem was, which one was responsible for his death?