Chapter Thirty-Two #2
“Oh my God.” My heart spasmed. The cops said Bill Warren wasn’t supposed to be back until tomorrow.
I glanced toward the house to see if I could make a run for safety, but my front door seemed a million miles away.
As did Binti and the pepper spray Nasser gave me.
All my vigilance since the break-ins, getting a dog and my insistence on always having the pepper spray with me, meant nothing now that this man had caught me alone and unprepared.
I backed away. “What do you want?”
“I don’t want to scare you.” He held out his arms in front of him, palms down, trying to placate me.
“Then get the hell away from me.” I glanced down the empty street. It was midafternoon. The neighborhood was quiet, but someone was bound to come walking by with their dog or on their afternoon run.
“I’ll call the police,” I warned him. An empty threat because my phone was in the house, along with my pepper spray.
“I’ve already called the cops,” Bill Warren said. “I have an appointment to talk with some detectives later this afternoon. But I owe it to you to tell you the truth first. You’ve been through enough.”
“Why did you lie about being Jake Barnes?” I backed up in the direction of the house as I spoke.
“I figured you’d give Ali’s computer to Jake Barnes, no questions asked. But you might hesitate to hand it over to someone you’ve never heard of.”
He wasn’t wrong. “Why did you want my husband’s computer?”
The man looked down before meeting my gaze. “Because I’ve done things I’m not proud of.”
“Oh my God.” I felt the blood rush from my head. “You drugged Ali.”
“What? Ali was drugged?” Shock stamped his face. “I had nothing to do with that. I would never.”
“What was on Ali’s computer that was so important that you were willing to lie to his grieving widow to get it?”
He took a long breath. “Ali and I worked together on an engagement. He was the manager on the project. As the senior, I reported to him.”
“And?” I kept inching backward toward the house.
“I made a serious mistake on a final report for the client. One that could cost me my job.”
Up the street, Claudia appeared with her dog on a leash coming back from a walk. I waved to make sure she saw me. Just in case I needed help. She waved back, her curious gaze falling on Fake Jake.
“What does your mistake have to do with Ali’s computer?” I asked him.
“I wanted to delete our chat history and any emails that implicated me in the mistake. I swear I only wanted to read Ali’s business emails to see if he’d told any of the higher-ups at the firm about my error.”
Barking erupted from inside the house; Binti was at a downstairs window watching us.
“And?” I pressed. “Had he?”
“No. That’s why I went by Waterman’s, to ask him, to beg him, to give me more time. He said he needed to tell the partners, that he couldn’t wait any longer. But then the accident happened.”
“What a lucky coincidence.” I felt sick to my stomach. “How convenient that my husband did you the favor of dying right before he could tell the firm about your screwup.”
He looked stricken. “I’m very sorry about your husband’s death. I liked Ali. Everyone did. He was a good guy.”
“But that didn’t stop you from trying to turn his death to your advantage.”
“I admit that I did see a chance to save my job.” Beads of perspiration glistened on Bill Warren’s upper lip, despite the brisk day. “In a way that wouldn’t hurt Ali or his family.”
“What was the plan?” I asked. “To erase any evidence of your mistake, and then what? Blame it on Ali?”
He had the decency to look ashamed. “Ali was dead. It wouldn’t hurt him.”
“Your lie would have damaged his reputation even more,” I snapped, losing any fear. “People already believe that Ali bought a house for his secret girlfriend. But you didn’t care about anything but yourself.”
“I’m sorry.” He pulled a handkerchief from his jacket and mopped his face with it. “I was desperate.”
“Is that why you delivered the things that were in his desk?”
“Yes, I wanted to look through them to make sure there was nothing in there that implicated me.”
“And the notebooks? Why did you even bother to give those to me?”
“I honestly thought you might want them.”
“After you looked through them, I assume. Did you do it?” I asked harshly. “Did you pin the blame on Ali for your mistake?”
“I’ll make it right.” He pocketed his handkerchief. “I promise. I will tell the partners the truth.”
“Who were you to my husband?” I wanted to know. “Why did Ali push so hard to get you a job at the firm?”
His eyes slid away. “We were old friends from school.”
“Really? But not close enough for him to ever mention you to me.” I’d made it to my front door, but this agitated, perspiring man no longer felt like a threat. “And his college roommate has never heard of you. That’s a little strange, don’t you think?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Just how close were you and my husband before he got you the job?” I pressed. “Did you meet up occasionally?”
“No, we just stayed in touch via occasional texts.” He glanced at his phone. “I really have to go. I’m meeting with the police in less than an hour.”
He was lying. It was obvious. This man had no intention of telling me the whole truth. Maybe Fox and Lloyd could get more out of Bill Warren. “Well, don’t let me keep you from the police.”
“I don’t expect you to forgive me—” he began.
“Good.” I pushed open the front door and slammed it hard behind me. So forcefully that you’d think Fake Jake was responsible for murdering my husband and stealing my life.