Chapter 16 #2
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Purple said.
“And since none of us believe that’s his real name, my guess is he’ll pop up somewhere else as a completely different person with the same old scam.
And please excuse me for poking my nose all the way in your business, but when I checked the website for your friend’s retreat, I did a bit of a deep dive into the sister and the assistant. ”
“Did you come up with anything?”
“Nothing on the sister. She was an accountant living in Colorado. Never married. Didn’t own any property.
Rented the apartment above the CPA firm she worked for.
It’s nice, but not extravagant. There was nothing about her life that raised any flags, and I couldn’t find any assets to speak of.
Only her name as one of the beneficiaries of her father’s trust.”
“Good.”
“But Kim is another story. She’s loaded.
I mean so loaded she’s almost out of my league and my family are no slouches.
Her dad died years back—heart attack, which is no surprise in the finance realm.
Her mother died recently though—complications with epilepsy—and Kim inherited everything as she’s an only child. And everything is very substantial.”
“I read an article on her and it alluded to significant money.”
“It’s significant all right. She sold the family home in NOLA, which isn’t surprising.
It’s old and historic but who wants to live in the place you watched your mother die in, right?
And it’s too much and too rigid for a younger person to want anyway.
Aside from that, she has a villa in Italy and a penthouse in Bahrain, but the most interesting item is the recent purchase of 100 acres on Horn Island. ”
“Where is that?” I asked.
“Mississippi Gulf Coast. Most of the island is national seashore, but there are private parcels and she scooped up well over half of them.”
“When was this?”
“Two weeks ago. I’m not trying to cast aspersions or anything, but the girl I saw in the pictures was pale as a ghost with what looked like natural red hair. I don’t see her lounging on a beach all day long.”
“Me either. I really appreciate the intel. I might have to put you on as a consultant when we have anything real estate related.”
“I’m happy to help. I did a little research on you as well.
You’ve quite the track record for nabbing the bad guys and helping out good people in the process.
I’m happy to consult, but I’d rather be your friend.
I’ll let you know if I hear anything else.
Have to run into a meeting. I’m looking at a hotel in Turks and Caicos. ”
She disconnected and I looked over at Ida Belle and Gertie.
“So Zion’s about to pull a runner to an island off the coast of Mississippi.”
“I don’t get it,” Gertie said. “Why not head to that villa in Italy or the penthouse in Bahrain? Seems like it would be easier to disappear that way. It’s not like he’s on the FBI’s most wanted list and they’ll be combing the world for him.”
I smiled. “Because he can’t get out of the country without using his valid passport, and I guarantee you someone is looking for our friend Zion under his real name. His passport is probably flagged. And there’s something else she said—about Kim’s mom.”
I grabbed my phone and dialed Cassidy. “I hope I didn’t wake you,” I said when she answered.
“Haven’t gone to bed yet, but I’m on my way. Your friend Calahan drove me to morning drinking, but he’s easily booked until tonight. Depending on what tests reveal, I probably can’t hold him any longer than that though.”
“One day is a lot of time for Carter to work. I don’t want you risking your job over someone like Calahan. If he even gets an inkling of your connection to me, he’ll be making a stink.”
Cassidy chuckled. “Oh, he’s already making a stink. The overnights wore masks the entire shift. If we were allowed, we would have fired up enough candles for an exorcism.”
“That sounds right,” Gertie said.
“Did you need something else?” she asked.
“Yeah, I had a quick question for you about phenobarbital. Would you prescribe it to someone with epilepsy?”
“Sure, and it’s common for late stages. It’s helpful for managing seizures due to the relaxation effect.”
“Thanks, Cassidy. Go get some rest.”
I dialed Carter next.
“You know that fingerprint you pulled off the meds that didn’t match Zion or Sapphire?”
“Yeah.”
“Try Kim.”
“Eleanor’s assistant?”
“And Zion’s latest target. Her mother died due to complications from epilepsy. Phenobarbital is a common drug given to epilepsy patients.”
“On it.”
He disconnected before I could ask if he was making headway on running down Zion’s true identity, but it didn’t matter. The walls were closing fast and even if Zion fled, we knew where he was going.
“You think Kim lifted her mom’s drugs?” Gertie asked.
I nodded. “Remember when we talked to her, she said she was looking everywhere for her sleeping pills but must have left them at the retreat?”
Ida Belle nodded. “And then she said her doctor refused to refill her Ambien. So you think she improvised with her mom’s meds.”
“That’s exactly what I think.”
“And she didn’t lose them,” Ida Belle said. “Zion lifted them.”
“Then why was he accusing Sapphire of having the drugs?” Gertie asked.
I shook my head. “Maybe to pretend he wasn’t involved and because he’d already told the cops that wasn’t his nightstand.”
“When he’s probably the one who put them there,” Gertie said.
“I don’t know. It still doesn’t make sense to me.
If you were going to drug someone and try to make it look like they’d taken them of their own accord and then killed themselves, you’d leave the drugs at the scene.
And if you weren’t smart enough to do so, why on earth would you bring them back to your own home?
Pitch them in the bayou for Christ’s sake. ”
“That’s true,” Ida Belle said. “It would be one thing if either of them were prescribed the meds. Then it would look stranger if they weren’t in their possession.”
“Most criminals think they’re the smartest person in the room,” Gertie said. “We’ve seen it before. If this whole retreat scam is Zion’s MO, then maybe he figured he’d hold on to the meds in case he needed them again. Maybe he was planning on using them on Sapphire once things settled down.”
I frowned. “Maybe.”
But somehow, none of the scenarios we’d come up with felt quite right.
My phone rang and I saw it was Mildred.
“The motion detector at the retreat’s office sent an alert,” she said.
“Do you have cameras?”
“No. Just the motion detectors on the front wall of the main building and the cabins. I turn them on when it’s vacant, mostly to let us know if bears are wandering around. We had one take a door off one time and stroll inside. They’re up too high for smaller animals to set them off.”
I looked at Ida Belle and Gertie. “Anyone want to bet on whether or not it’s a bear?”
“Not a chance in hell,” Ida Belle said.
“Do you have a security system?” I asked.
“The office door does but not the windows. They were all locked, though, and the system hasn’t been tripped or disarmed.”
“Interesting. Is the retreat still a crime scene?”
“I think so—Eleanor’s cabin anyway. But the motion detector isn’t working there. Hasn’t been for weeks. I kept telling Eleanor that we needed to get someone out to fix it, but she said it was low priority. If the police were going back out there, wouldn’t they let me know?”
“They should,” Ida Belle said. “Too easy to get shot trespassing in these parts.”
“We’re on our way to pick you up,” I said. “If we get caught out there without you, it might look bad. Plus we’ll need you to determine if anything has been disturbed.”
Mildred was waiting on the front porch when we pulled up. She clutched the railing and made her way down the three steps and over to Ida Belle’s SUV. I hopped out and helped her into the front seat.
“Have you received any more alerts?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Maybe it was nothing. I’m going to feel foolish having you drive all the way out there if it turns out a bird flew by or the sensor is malfunctioning.”
“Better safe than sorry given the circumstances,” I said. “Have you heard anything else from Carter?”
“No. But my attorney called while I was waiting on you.”
She angled a bit in her seat, and I could see her face was flushed with excitement.
“Apparently, Zion is relinquishing any claim to the cabins and has asked to void his agreement with Eleanor altogether and dissolve the retreat business. He said he’d be happy to sign whatever my attorney drew up.
My attorney already had a couple documents ready to go, hoping Zion would go for that option, so he got a signature right there. ”
Ida Belle, Gertie, and I gave one another knowing glances.
“What?” Mildred asked. “You don’t seem surprised.”
“We think Zion is about to make a run for it,” Gertie said. “With Carter investigating, the last thing he can afford to do is stick around here for a prolonged legal fight with you.”
“And I definitely would have given him one.”
“Carter is trying to run down exactly who he really is,” I said. “And we’re betting that he’s wanted for something somewhere.”
“But wouldn’t his fingerprints have come up when Carter ran them?”
“Not unless he’d been arrested. If he fled before cops could pin him down on something, then he’s still wanted for questioning but hadn’t been charged.”
“Doesn’t mean he’s not guilty though,” Ida Belle said. “In fact, I’m betting on fraud charges being forthcoming as soon as he’s exposed.”
She huffed. “That explains it. Here I thought maybe he’d finally acquired a shred of decency since a woman probably died over him, but I should have known better. Well, at least I won’t have to deal with fighting him for the cabins.”
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do with them?” Gertie asked.