Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Cain pulled his phone from his jacket. Something wasn’t right.
He didn’t know what yet, but he planned to find out starting now.
First, he needed to get Betsy home where he stood a better chance of protecting her.
In his opinion, nobody’s name on the current business partner life insurance list was safe.
“Mr. Crestfall, we all got to talking so much,” Cain said. “You didn’t answer her question about the two big settlements twenty-some-odd years ago.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, Betsy. That just completely slipped my mind.” The insurance agent popped his palm against his forehead. “Anyhow, the first one was when Mr. Dash was killed in the robbery at the original car lot.”
“He was one of the original partners, right?” Cain clarified.
“Yes. From the second the three original investors signed their partnership agreement, there was a business partner life insurance policy plan dropped into effect. Three partners. Three policies. When Mr. Dash was killed, that policy was paid out per the policy arrangements. All two million dollars.”
Betsy paled as her mouth dropped open. “Two million dollars. That can’t be. Joanie and her mother barely had money to put food on the table.”
“It wasn’t paid to the family,” Mr. Crestfall said. “It was paid to the owner of the policy—Carrington & Son automotive business.”
Seeming paler than before, Betsy stared at a picture on the wall, one of mountains with a lake in front.
Cain stepped up beside her and guided her to a chair.
Grabbing her purse, she rummaged inside till she found a small zip-bag of jellybeans and hard candy.
As she chewed a few of them, he grabbed a bottle of Gatorade from the mini fridge in her office.
“Of course, when I said two events, that didn’t include the most recent policy payout,” the insurance agent continued.
“As you are aware, when your husband Phillip died, his two-million-dollar business partner life insurance disbursement was paid directly to you—excuse me, I mean Peyton’s—in the form of a check. ”
“What? What are you talking about? I never received a check from your company for Phillip’s death.” Her tone and words were strong and clear. “Never.”
Mr. Crestfall flipped through the records on his phone.
Stared at what he was evidently searching for.
“Ah, now I remember. I personally brought the check here to your office, but Papa C said you were still at home recuperating from the accident. Said you weren’t accepting anyone but family as visitors at that time.
He offered to take the check to you so it could get in the bank as soon as possible. ”
Betsy began pacing. “I’m telling you, I never received a check.”
Slowly guiding his screen info upward on the phone, he stopped and turned the phone toward her. “Here’s a photo of the check and endorsement for the check’s bank deposit. This is all here in our company files.”
Taking his phone, she stared at the front and back of the check. Showed it to Cain as she turned to the side and leaned close to his ear. “That’s not my signature. What should I do now?”
His brain compartmentalized each issue that needed further investigation. The problem was that things were piling up rapidly. But since Betsy trusted him enough to ask him for advice, he’d try to get as much info as possible from Mr. Crestfall without out and out lodging a complaint now.
Cain took the insurance agent’s phone from Betsy.
Enlarged the endorsement bank codes long enough to snap a photo with his own phone before handing it back.
“Mr. Crestfall, Betsy’s not recalling this check.
Could you send her a copy of the front and back.
And can you or the main office send her copies of any and all paperwork, notes, etc. pertaining to this payment?”
“Certainly.” With only a few clicks he emailed Betsy the check copies on his screen. “As soon as I’m back in my office, I’ll have everything else sent as requested.”
“Thank you. I’m not feeling well, Mr. Crestfall,” Betsy said. “Could we finish this conversation tomorrow?”
“Certainly. Take care of yourself. Call any time. I’ll make space on my schedule.” Mr. Crestfall nodded and stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind him.
She watched the man leave, then turned back to the mountains in the picture. Cain readied to call JB. Suddenly she raced past him. Yanked open the back door and chased after the insurance agent. Cain chased after her.
“Wait!” Betsy shouted, catching up to the insurance agent as he tossed his briefcase into the back seat of his van. “What was the second big settlement from over twenty years ago?”
Mr. Crestfall glanced in Cain’s direction, then turned to face her. “I figured you already knew, Betsy.”
“Knew what?” she asked. “How would I know what the other settlement was about? I was only ten, going on eleven years old at that time.”
The insurance agent swallowed big and blew out a heavy sigh. “The other two million dollar pay out to Carrington & Son was after the death of your dad.”
Cain stepped up next to Betsy as she paled, then started to tremble. All he could do at this point was be there for her no matter where this conversation led. Investigating would come later.
She steadied her hand against the nearest car. “My dad?”
“Yes. Mr. Peyton was insured as a business partner with Carrington & Son New and Used Car. He’d been added to the policy just a couple months before he was tragically killed there at the FBI office in Jefferson City,” Mr. Crestfall said.
“That can’t be right. My dad never worked for the dealership.
Never!” Then as if this was more than she could take, tears trickled from her eyes.
More and more. Fuller and faster until her cheeks were wet.
Her chin quivered as tried to speak. “My mama and us, we never saw a penny of that insurance disbursement.”
Calmly, Cain motioned the insurance agent to leave, then followed up with a gesture indicating he wanted to talk to him later. Mr. Crestfall nodded in return, then started his car and drove away.
For the next few minutes, he held Betsy, and she let him.
A lifetime of emotions seemed to be spilling forth from her.
He figured he was one of the very few people who had ever seen her cry.
Especially with such raw to the bone emotions fueling the crash.
Especially when she’d been holding everything deep inside since she was eleven years old.
All the while he held her, his mind scrambled to think of all the assorted implications this information could have. Others who might have been on that insurance list at one time or another in the last twenty years. Right now, though, his only concern was Betsy and her family.
Finally composed, she eased back, and he gave her space.
A stab of pain jagged through his body from his gut to his heart to his brain. Right now, he needed to ignore his heart and think only with his brain. His gut feeling was always his brain’s trigger. Just knowing his name was on the business insurance list had put his flash point on alert.
The last few minutes had been what cases were made on.
Where hints of clues tumbled forth from nowhere.
He needed to catch up on Crayton and its people.
The entire region might fall into whatever this was…
maybe even more. Priority, make some phone calls.
Review what he already knew. What he didn’t know.
He didn’t like his premonition. This had been a hell of a long couple of days.
His gut told him this was only the beginning.
Walking far enough away to be out of earshot with Betsy, he called Truman in New York. No answer, so he left a voice message to call him back ASAP.
The moment he disconnected, his phone rang with an incoming call. “Yeah. That was fast.”
“I don’t know who you’re expecting, but this is Joanie.” Her voice was tense, and she seemed to be talking faster than usual. “I’ve got a jalapeno pizza for you. Where should I deliver this ASAP special double-boxed order? ASAP was his exact word.”
His shoulders tightened. For the second time in less than an hour, the back of his neck chilled. Corner of his eye twitched. “Joanie, are you where you can talk without being heard?”
“Give me a second.”
He heard the closing of a door and a lock being thrown on her end.
“What do you need?” she asked.
He started to follow Betsy into the building, then he stopped and glanced around the car lot instead.
Nothing to see but the usual cars and trucks and SUVs.
Still, he lowered his head and covered his mouth with his hand.
He’d learned a long time ago how easily someone could zero in with a pair of binoculars to read a person’s lips.
And just in case the building hadn’t been swept for listening devices, he walked over to an SUV in the second row and leaned as if checking the insides.
“Lift the top box and see if there’s a note beneath it.” He’d always trusted Joanie and had no reason not to at this moment. In fact, she’d be in the top ten people he could trust in Crayton if he was making a list.
“Yes, there’s a note, just like you said. And I know for a fact it came from the guy with the white hat. I saw him fix the box myself,” she said.
“Good. Now read me the note.” Funny how quick he had fallen into his undercover routine. Guess some things would never change. “Oh, and this is all confidential.”
“Of course,” she replied in a snarky tone, then sighed. “Everything to do with you or JB or the sheriff…in fact, any of the local law enforcement, is always confidential.”
Suddenly the back door of the building opened, and Betsy stepped back outside and closed the door behind her. Glanced around the lot as if looking for him.
“Hey, Betsy. I’ll be right there,” he shouted over to her.
She nodded then jerked on the back door as if making sure it was locked. “I’ll walk on down to the service building and lock up down there, too.”
“Sounds good. I’ll meet you there.” He turned back to his phone conversation. “Okay Joanie, what does the note say?”
“Arrest me ASAP—middle of town—front of a lot of people. Make it believable! White hat between 5:30 p.m. Armed. Won’t draw.” She lightly cleared her throat. “That’s all there is except in all caps he wrote HBL with a double-slash mark underneath.”
HBL—hell broke loose—Cain’s flash point went off. “Joanie, take that pizza and note to the police station. Give it only to JB, Kennett or the sheriff.”
“On my way. Bye.”
Texting JB as he ran across the car lot toward the service center, Cain told him to read the note when Joanie arrived. I’m on my way to the station, also. Bringing Betsy.
He shoved his phone in his pocket as he saw her do a doorknob jerk on the door to the service center. “Get in my truck ASAP,” he shouted. “We’re headed to the police station.”