Chapter 21
21
Aaron noted the long line as he stepped into Bess’s Bakery, but seeing Belinda would be worth it. She looked up and caught his eye, then waved him forward. Uncertain, he moved past the line and stepped to the counter. He’d left her apartment early in the morning to shower and change at his place. Now, he wished he could carry Belinda upstairs and make the world disappear again as they had last night.
“Here you go, Aaron. And I have one for Sam, too.”
Belinda placed two cups of coffee on the counter in a cardboard carrier. “I knew you’d have little time but hoped you would stop by.”
Touched, he said, “Damn, Belinda. This’ll hit the spot.” He held her gaze and then sighed. “Things may be tight for a while until we make more headway?—”
She waved her hand dismissively. “You don’t have to explain. Just take care of yourself.”
“You’re taking photos this weekend for the wedding, right?”
“Yes. You’ll be there?”
He nodded. “Weddings aren’t really my thing, but I worked with the deputy when he was a rookie.”
The sound of someone clearing their throat behind him sent the reminder that he was holding up the line. He picked up the two cups and stepped back. “Thanks.” With her smile warm upon him, he headed back to his SUV.
The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps caused him to turn around. Seeing Belinda jogging toward him sent a smile over his face. “Hey, did I forget something?”
She slowed as she approached, her smile tentative. “Yeah.” She nodded. “I forgot to wish you a good day. Well, I know it might not be a good day with what you are working on, but I wanted you to know I was thinking of you.”
He turned and set the coffee cups on the hood of his SUV before turning back. Opening his arms, she hurried into his embrace, and for a moment, the two stayed entwined. Her head was tucked under his chin, the delicate scent of the tropics tickling his senses. Her soft curves fit perfectly against his chest. The feel of her hands on his back as her arms encircled him made the day fade away until it was just the two of them.
Finally, she pulled back and looked up, holding his gaze. “Have a good day, Aaron.”
“Having it start with you in my arms will make it the best day, sweetheart.”
Her smile widened, and their lips met. Keeping the kiss light, they separated. She continued to walk backward with him in her sights until it was no longer safe for her to do so in the parking lot. She tossed him a wave, turned, and then jogged back to the coffee shop.
He stood for a moment and breathed deeply, taking in all that was Belinda. Her giving him a second chance was an act of faith on her part and one he wouldn’t take for granted. Picking up the coffee containers, he settled into his SUV, ready to face the day.
“Missing person report may be a match,” Sam called out as Aaron walked into the room. Aaron placed Bess’s coffee on Sam’s desk and grinned at the groan of delight that left his partner’s lips.
“Thanks, man. This is so needed. I got here early… couldn’t fucking sleep last night. But take a look at this.” He handed the paper to Aaron, who scanned the information, reading off the most pertinent.
“William Lionel Gaston. Goes by Bill. Forty-three years old. A financial broker from Richmond. Wife called police last evening when he didn’t come home from his trip and didn’t answer his phone.” He pulled out the photo the wife had provided to the Richmond Police Department, which was now attached to the statewide missing person report. Nodding, he said, “It looks like him. If you want to call them to get with Cora, I’ll let her know what we’re looking at.”
Two hours later, the Richmond Police lead detective for the missing man called and confirmed that the dental records matched.
“Detective Williams, did his wife say why he was in the area?” Aaron asked.
“All she said was that he was visiting some clients,” Detective Williams replied. “She reported he had clients all over the country and, of course, numerous ones in Virginia. I’m requesting a list of clients in Virginia and Maryland from his brokerage company. I’ve already spoken to his assistant, who said he was on his way to Maryland and then was coming back through the Virginia Beach area, but she didn’t know of any specific clients he was scheduled to meet other than one in Maryland. I’ll fax it to you as soon as I get it.”
“Any chance he was here on pleasure and not business?”
The detective sighed. “I asked her that and thought she was going to bite my head off. Claims he’s one of the great family men who would never step out on her.”
“But you have doubts?”
“Can’t say I have doubts, but I’ve been in this job too long to take things at face value. So he may have been in the area just to see clients, or he may have had another reason. We pulled his phone records, and I have to admit that I didn’t see anything suspicious.”
Thanking the detective, Sam and Aaron looked at each other. “Okay,” Aaron began. “Bill comes to the area to visit a client and gets himself shot and dumped into the water. Robbery? Is he into something his wife doesn’t know about? Maybe someone didn’t like the way the stock market was going?”
“Ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time?” Sam continued.
“What about the fact that his body wasn’t just taken out into the bay but was weighed down? That took some thought.”
“If he didn’t use his personal phone to set up appointments, what about his work phone? I’ll call them to see if they used a landline.”
“I’ll call Andy and see if the VMP can give us tide and current information for the past three days.”
A few hours later, he and Sam sat with Colt as they updated him on what they’d learned.
“The currents in the bay on our side of the Chesapeake run northeast. I have a tide chart from the Coast Guard, but Andy and Ryan gave me their best guesstimates.” Ryan was the local Virginia Marine Police chief and worked hand in hand with the North Heron Sheriff’s Department.
“Since the body washed up within two days, probably less according to Cora, then they surmised he couldn’t have been taken out too far from the shore.”
“So not as far out as where the cargo freighters docked in the bay?” Colt asked.
“No. They’re north of where the body was found and would be too far away from the shoreline to make it with a weighed-down body.”
“Do we know what was used to anchor the body?”
“Not yet. Cora sent the rope fibers she found to the state forensic unit for analysis. Who the fuck knows when we’ll get something back on that,” Sam said.
“Could be fucking months,” Colt muttered.
“Sheriff? Detectives?”
The three men looked up as one of the support staff stuck her head in the room. “I know you were waiting on this.” She walked in and handed Aaron several pieces of paper. “It’s the deceased man’s list of clients in Virginia and Maryland.”
“Thank you, Sonya,” he said, taking the papers and eagerly scanning the list to check the addresses. His finger moved down the information, stopping on a familiar name. Looking at Sam with wide eyes, he said, “You won’t fucking believe who one of his clients is? Harry Malroney.”
Sam’s gaze jumped from Aaron to Colt. “As soon as we question him, he’ll threaten to call the governor.”
“I don’t give a shit,” Colt said. Pinning them both with hard stares, he said, “Go by the book, detectives, but rattle his cage.”
With a grin, Aaron and Sam took to their feet, heading to the parking lot. It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at the gate of Harry’s million-dollar beach house. They had been there a couple of months ago when Harry reported thefts from several of his massive rental beach houses. In the course of their investigation, they’d seen two of his rentals and then another one the day they were called about the body washing up on shore.
Ringing the bell at the gate, they announced themselves, and it automatically opened. Aaron chuckled, gaining Sam’s attention. “Just thinking, I can’t imagine living with a security gate.”
“Hell, at my house, I’d settled for a better fenced-in backyard since the kids want to get a dog.”
“With your luck, the dog would dig up another skeleton,” Aaron said.
Sam groaned. “Jesus, you’re probably right.”
The Malroney’s house was just as magnificent, with the sunset in the background as the last time they had been there. Ringing the doorbell, they were prepared for Harry, but a petite woman with a sweet face answered the door instead. “Yes?”
“Detectives Shackley and Bergstrom from the North Heron’s Sheriff’s Department, ma’am,” Sam said.
She stepped back and waved her hand. “Please, come in, detectives. I’m Ruthanne Malroney. Harry is just coming in from the back?—”
“Who’s here, Ruthanne?”
“Detectives from the North Heron’s Sheriff’s Department?—”
“What do they want?” Harry barked as he walked into the two-story entry foyer. As usual, he was dressed in casual clothes that belied the man’s financial state.
Aaron shot his gaze to Ruthanne, but much to his surprise, she smiled indulgently at her husband as she walked to him. Sidling up next to him, she patted his stomach and said, “If you’d be a little less blustery and a little more accommodating, I’m sure these gentlemen will tell you why they’re here.”
Aaron braced in anticipation of Harry’s sharp tongue and felt Sam do the same. But much to his surprise, Harry’s ever-present scowl softened as he looked down at his wife.
She met his smile with a warmer one of her own before she turned to the detectives. “Would you like to come in and sit down?”
“I’m sure they won’t be staying that long,” Harry interjected. He aimed his narrow-eyed glare their way. “Are those renters of mine threatening to break their lease and involving the police?”
“No, Mr. Malroney,” Sam began. “But we do have some questions about the deceased that we need to ask you.”
“Me? What the hell do I have to do with anything?” he blustered, causing Ruthanne to flutter her hands in front of her.
“Harry, if you don’t calm down, your blood pressure will shoot back up again.” She turned to Sam and Aaron. “Detectives, I’m a firm believer that conversations are better when people are comfortable. Let’s go into the den, and you can ask your questions.”
She took Harry’s arm, propelled him around, and led her recalcitrant husband, who became docile in her presence. Sam and Aaron looked surprised as they followed. Once in the den, they settled on the sofa and chairs, again meeting Harry’s unhappy expression.
“The body that was found on the beach by your renters has been identified. We’d like you to look at a photograph,” Aaron began.
As Sam pulled out the copy of William's driver’s license picture, Harry shouted, “Don’t you dare show a picture of a dead man to my wife!”
“Mr. Malroney,” Sam said, keeping his voice calm. “This is a driver's license photo.”
Sam handed the photograph to Harry, and Aaron watched Ruthanne’s expression, knowing that Sam would be keeping his eye on Harry. Both reacted with gasps.
“Oh no! Oh, my goodness, no!” Ruthanne said, her voice still soft but tears filling her eyes.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Harry’s voice was full of his usual bluster, but his tone was no longer strident.
“Can you identify the man in the photograph, Mr. Malroney?” Aaron asked.
“Yes, of course I can. This is Bill Gaston. He’s our financial planner! But this can’t be the man who was on the beach!”
“Why do you say that?” Sam asked.
“Because… that makes no sense!” Harry said. “He doesn’t live here.”
He looked at Ruthanne, but her gaze was still on the photograph. She looked up and shook her head slowly. “I can’t believe it’s Bill.”
“I know we asked you this before, but we want to make sure we understand the sequence of events. When your renter, Jon Matherson, called you to say that he found a body on the beach, you didn’t go over to the rental house, is that right?”
“Absolutely! Why the hell would I have wanted to go over there just to stare at a dead body on the beach? It was a damn fool thing for him to call me in the first place!”
“And you told him to dial 911 and report it, correct?”
“Detective, I know you’re not deaf nor stupid. That’s what I said, and that’s precisely what happened.”
“But you did go over there because you met us at the rental house.”
“Yes, but that was after I thought about it. I wanted to make sure your deputies didn’t mess up the rental property.” He glowered and added, “And I wanted to make sure the Mathersons weren’t going to skedaddle, thinking they could leave, and I’d give them a refund!”
Ruthanne stood quickly and mumbled, “Please, excuse me. I feel… I think I’ll lie down.” She left the room, and Harry stared at her back, his brow lowered and his jaw tight.
Aaron and Sam shared a look and a barely perceptible shake of the head.
“Mr. Malroney, what time was your appointment with William Gaston?”
Swinging his head back around, Harry slid his bluster back into place. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Your appointment. What time did you see Mr. Gaston when he came to visit you?”
“Detective, you’re not making any sense! I haven’t seen Bill Gaston since Ruthanne and I last visited him at his office in Richmond last summer. We talked at the time that he might come to the Eastern Shore for one of our next financial planning meetings, but nothing had been finalized.”
“So you didn’t see him when he was here the other day?”
“I told you, no, I didn’t. And before you ask, the last time I talked to him was almost two weeks ago. I’ve been keeping my eye on the stock market as I do every day, and I thought he’d made a few dubious trades and wanted to talk to him about them.”
“How long has he been your financial planner?”
“We’ve been with his company for a long time. Probably close to fifteen years. Our previous broker retired, and Bill took his place. Overall, not a bad broker, but he still needs some seasoning, if you ask me.”
“And did you lose heavily with these dubious stock tradings?”
“I’m not going to discuss my financial situation with you, Detective. But I will say I’ve made money through hard work, some inheritances, and smart investing. You can’t get upset about every fluctuation of the stock market, but I’m also not going to sit around and bleed money if I think something needs to be done.”
“If you didn’t know he was coming through here, can you explain why he might have ended up in this area?”
“I don’t make it my habit to know what other people are doing and certainly not why they’re doing it!”
“Is there a chance your wife made an appointment with him?”
At Sam's question, Aaron watched as Harry’s face reddened to an alarming shade and wondered if the man was going to have a stroke. He jumped to his feet and shook his fist.
“I tell you, he wasn’t here! How dare you insinuate that Ruthanne tried to meet with him! Now, if you’re finished with these questions, I’m going to check on my wife. She had only met Bill a couple of times, but she’s a caring person, and this news has been upsetting.”
Aaron and Sam took to their feet and followed Harry back to the front door.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Malroney. We’ll be in touch.”
“The next time you want to ask me anything, make an appointment, and I’ll be sure to have my attorney present!”
When they stepped out onto the front portico, Aaron was surprised the door didn’t slam behind them. Neither spoke until they climbed back into their car and made it all the way down the drive and onto the road.
“I could’ve sworn from his reaction that Harry really didn’t know Bill Gaston was coming to the Eastern Shore,” Aaron said.
“I agree, but he’s too smart to admit to anything. Something still doesn’t add up, though.”
“And his wife?”
“She was a surprise. It’s hard to imagine anyone married to Harry, and I certainly wouldn’t have guessed a mild-mannered woman.”
Aaron thought back to their interactions. “She seemed to have the magic touch with him, that’s for sure. But her reaction to Bill’s death was strong for someone who’d only met him a couple of times.”
“I thought the same thing. Let’s check into her and Harry’s phone records.”