Chapter 5
Haley worked for several hours, compiling information on the Winters group. She’d done only a cursory examination of the company when she interviewed with them, which she regretted now. Her normal predisposition for research, conciseness and detail had fallen to the wayside when she’d been downsized from her previous job and had to scramble to find another in a flat economy. Now, she had a decent pillow of savings if she didn’t have extraordinary expenses. “Like a legal fight to prove I haven’t embezzled money,” she muttered.
The Winters and Madden Investment Group had incorporated twenty years ago and had been growing steadily in the real estate investment sector ever since. With the two offices, they seemed to have a handle on both holiday and residential development. The Charlotte office appeared to focus on the mid-range residential with a smattering of commercial buildings thrown in. The Asheville office, as Haley knew, concentrated their attention on mountain getaways and high-end residential developments. It always amazed Haley at the number of people who wanted to live at the end of mountain lanes, wanted to deal with the icy roads of winter and curvy roads on a daily basis, but each to their own. Houses worth millions were planned and erected in the mountains bordering the city and commuters came in daily. Not to mention the vacation rental and time share business.
She looked up information that was readily available on the web about the group and found nothing that was alarming. Madden, the partner she knew the least about, had a wife, grown children and a grandchild. He was active in the Charlotte business community, attended a local church, and apparently was an avid fisherman, from the photos posted on social media. Nothing came up to put him in a negative light.
Mr. Winters, on the other hand, had been married three times, had no children and loved the night life. The vacations Haley knew he took several times a year were spent on the coast or in the Caribbean. She saw too many pictures of him bare-chested and grinning with younger women on his arm. As she continued to research her immediate boss, she realized, she’d not known him at all.
While distant and somewhat curt in the office, he seemed happy enough in the photos. Other than the somewhat messy divorces he’d been through, though, with allegations of his infidelity, she couldn’t find anything negative on him.
With a sigh, she turned to the financial reports that were available to the public about the company. She went through the usual places, the company’s website, the state offices and regulatory agencies for anything that might stand out. Finally, she grabbed her credit card and logged into some search engines specifically geared toward the business community. Once there, she started finding some relevant information.
Wishing she had a printer, Haley instead opened a document and started recording everything she could find. While nothing clearly criminal was coming through the search engine, niggling little facts about sub-par materials kept popping up. How was that possible? She’d compiled numerous financial reports about the costs and outlays of materials for projected developments. All of them were at least mid-level quality, and those targeted for the high-end developments were of highest quality.
She continued for several hours, vaguely aware of Nathan entering the house, then leaving again. Once Sampson distracted her with a lick on her hand as she was typing and she’d distractedly petted him then went back to her work. Finally, she became aware of both the need to stretch her back and to go to the bathroom.
When she looked up from the computer, she noted the light from the window was fainter than it had been when she started her project. She glanced back at the computer for the time and realized she’d been at it for six hours.
When she returned from the bathroom, she realized she smelled something garlicy and felt her stomach growl. Glancing toward the kitchen area, she saw Nathan at the dining table, with plates set to the side, writing in his notebook.
“I’m sorry,” she said and approached him.
He looked up with a slight smile. “For what?”
“For getting so wrapped up in my research. It happens too often.”
He flipped his notebook closed and leaned back in his chair, stretching his back. “Find anything?”
“Maybe,” she said and gestured toward the plates. “I have some notes on a document, if you want to review them. Can I help with, um supper?” It was that time, right?
“Yeah, supper. But no, I’ve got it covered. We’re having spaghetti.”
“From your stash?” She’d been surprised the dehydrated and canned food he’d brought to the cabin was as appetizing as it was. While she’d love to have fresh vegetables and fruit, she was grateful she had anything to eat at all.
“Yeah. Although, if we stay for much longer, we’ll have to make arrangements for some shopping to be done.”
Haley felt a spurt of fear run through her at the thought of leaving the mountain. It might be too isolated for the Haley used to restaurants and a twenty-minute drive to work but for the Haley hiding from society, it was ideal.
Her fear must have shown on her face, as Nathan waved a hand and stood. “Don’t worry. We won’t have to go off the mountain. I’ll arrange for someone to meet me when I need to resupply.”
He picked up the plates and she trailed him to the counter where he dished up spaghetti and placed a piece of toasted bread on each plate. As they carried their dishes to the table he followed with the pot of coffee. When he started to pour her a cup, she shook her head. “I think I’ll drink water. I’ve had more caffeine today than I usually do in a week.”
He shrugged and poured his own as she retrieved a glass from the cupboard and filled the glass from the tap. When she’d joined him, she bowed her head to pray, aware of the halting of his fork’s clatter.
When she raised her head from her silent prayer, she caught him studying her, then he returned his attention to his food. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes, with one standing to retrieve salt and pepper and the other refilling their plate, before each pushed their empty plate away and leaned back. Haley complimented Nathan on the food only to have him laugh. “I open the pack and heat it up. That’s the extent of preparation.”
She arched her eyebrow, “And the garlic powder and Parmesan packet that are on the counter? You didn’t add those to the mix?”
He shrugged, “I’ve learned over the years some hot sauce or garlic powder helps with the taste. And you can never go wrong with cheese.”
She laughed, surprised at the ability to do so but grateful. “I wish we had some real food. I make a mean beef roast with vegetables.”
He perked up. “Really? I’ll put it on the list for resupply.”
“Agreed.” She sobered. “How long do you think I’ll have to stay here?”
“We could go down the mountain today, if you want to. But there are a couple of things to keep in mind.” He stood and picked up their plates and headed to the kitchen area. Haley picked up the salt and pepper shakers, the cup and glass and followed him. She crowded him away from the sink and started running water for the wash as he searched in the cabinet for containers for the leftover spaghetti.
“One,” he continued, “We haven’t found any evidence that there was a shooting or the result of the shooting. Was the man shot injured? In the hospital somewhere? Hank hasn’t found any evidence.” At her look of surprise, he nodded his head toward the computer, now blank. “While you were doing your research, so was I.”
“Two, you’re still accused of taking money from the company. Going down the mountain might be helpful there, since you could confront Winters about it. But it also could mean the authorities have a warrant out for you.” At her appalled look, he waved a hand. “No, there isn’t one but it’s still a possibility. And finally, if Winters was willing to try to injure or kill you before, he’s still apt to do the same now. So, it’s up to you.” He put the container with spaghetti in the refrigerator and then turned and leaned against the counter beside her as she washed the pan. “Do you want to go down the mountain or stay?”
Haley shook her head and returned to the dishes, accepting the one he’d heated the spaghetti in. “I’m still wanted for questioning, right?” At his nod she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t have any power, unlike Mr. Winters. I’ll be better off up here, I think.”
As he watched her finish the dishes, Nathan wondered at her statement about power. It was a good point, one that needed to be explored more. He’d check in with Hank about that. If Winters had influence over the local police, he and Haley were definitely behind the eight ball.
He inwardly quirked a grin at himself. How long had it taken for him to completely be taken in by her? Sure, she was innocent of any fraud or robbery, of that he was sure. His soldier instincts, honed over years in the field being forced to trust strangers with his life, told him she was a woman who’d been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. And her involvement with Winters appeared to be that of an employer/employee only.
They worked together in silence for a few minutes then Haley excused herself and headed into the bedroom. Nathan had grabbed a last cup of coffee and settled into the easy chair with his notepad and phone, ready to call Hank when she reappeared. Her eyes were rimmed with pink, a sign she’d been crying, and she carried a worn book. Where’d she gotten that, he wondered. When she sat on the far end of the couch and opened it, he realized it was a Bible and immediately felt uneasy. Was she one of those people that forced their religion on everyone? He’d noted her prayer earlier, and he respected everyone’s freedom to practice their faith, but don’t force it on him.
When she silently began to read, he relaxed and began to review his notes. While the shooting was the obvious trigger for Haley’s flight, he wondered at the reason for the event. Men usually had one of three reasons to attempt to kill others, hate, love and greed. From Haley’s recollections, he was leaning toward greed. A real estate investor would have ample opportunities to find loopholes in laws and construction methods and garner profits that would never face a legal audit. And the partner unlucky enough to have remorse? Would face the consequences of his attempt at honesty.
He’d moved on to the next point, that of Haley’s threat, when he noticed she’d set her book aside and was watching him. He lowered his pen and smiled. “Finished with your reading?”
“For now. I’m having trouble concentrating,” she said and nodded toward his notes. “I’ve noticed you writing on the pad. Is it something you can share? Or is it personal?”
He chuckled. “I really don’t have any ‘personal’ business. I like to write my thoughts down when I’m working on a case. It helps me to see things from different angles. In your case, there’s quite a few balls in the air so I needed to jot some thoughts down.”’
“Like what?” She leaned forward then shifted her body so she could tuck one leg under her hip and appeared to get relaxed, though he thought she wasn’t succeeding well.
He reviewed his thoughts about the businessmen arguing and the shooting. When he’d finished, she leaned forward again, her expression fierce. “I found something online this morning that might corroborate that. There were complaints on some media pages about second-rate materials and construction jobs. It seemed petty to me, since I’d reviewed the materials lists and orders as part of my job. The cost of those materials were always indicative of top of the line materials, not construction grade or second rate.” She shook her head. “I’m just not sure the business could have done that. Use shoddy materials, I mean. Wouldn’t it have come out in their reviews? I know it didn’t in the audits.”
“With the audits, there can always be two sets of books. As an accountant, you should know that. As far as the reviews go, I don’t know.
And marketing departments are responsible for a lot of reputations, right?”
Haley nodded. “The marketing budget is one of the largest for the company.”
“I think it’s something we could pursue more,” Nathan said and watched Haley as she processed the statement. When she shook her head, he lifted a questioning brow. “I think I’ve found as much information as I can without being in the office. If I was at my desk, I could access internal files and maybe even information that is hidden.”
He wondered if Hank could help with that too. When he mentioned it to her, Haley lifted her own eyebrows. “Does he have that capability?”
Nathan shrugged. “He has some sharp guys on the payroll and they’ve found information on companies, private individuals, even countries that I’d never thought would be found. I’ve learned since I’ve worked with him to ask first then figure out something if that doesn’t work.”
“What exactly does he do?” She asked and Nathan realized she knew nothing about him or the organization he occasionally worked for. “Hank Patterson is over Brotherhood Protectors. It’s a company he started after he came out of the military. He hires ex-military personnel to do body guarding, security work, that sort of thing.”
“And you work for him doing tracking and security?” she asked, and he shrugged. “I’m more of an independent contractor. I like being able to choose my jobs.”
She tilted her head at him and he thought she was going to pursue the subject then she relaxed into the sofa and said softly. “I’m glad he hired you for this job.”
He realized he was glad too. She was unlike any woman he’d ever met before. While her fear and anxiety was obvious, she was also calm to the point he wondered if she knew more than she revealed. Or did she have some knowledge that kept her at peace? If so, he’d love to know what it was.
He shook himself out of his pensiveness and straightened. “You want to hear the other points I’ve written down?”
At her nod, he continued. “Why are you being threatened? Was Winters panicking and has he calmed down? Or was he intending on killing you, just as he apparently meant to kill the guy he shot in his office?”
“I don’t think Mr. Winters panics. I’ve never seen him do so.” She wrapped her arms around her middle as if she was cold. “I remember the expression on his face when he saw me. It wasn’t panic or anything like that. It was evil. Pure evil.” She met Nathan’s gaze. “You might think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not. I’ve seen the look in his eyes on one other creature in my life and it was a snake. Flat, cold and without any emotion at all.”
He nodded. “No panic, then. I kind of figured he wanted you out of the way, since you were the one person who’d heard the conversation and could finger him as the shooter. Now, the next question is where is the victim? Is he dead? If so, what happened to the body? If not, why hasn’t a hospital ER reported a gunshot wound? That’s something else Hank’s crew needs to delve into.”
She sighed. “I wish I could do more to find the answers. I’m pretty computer savvy, but I’ve realized today that my knowledge is narrow, not broad. I know accounting and financial software to a great degree and could bore most executives with my expertise, if not impress them. But I don’t know how to trace a man who is missing, who may be dying or worse, dead.”
“That’s never been your job. And that’s why men like Hank have companies like his. Finally, I want to know to what extent Winters is willing to go to find you. We already know he’s trying to ruin your reputation so you don’t show up as a credible witness in court. But is that the extent of his plans? And how do we combat that?”
She shook her head. “I’d like to know that as well.”
“Let me give Hank a call. He’s a few hours earlier than we are so he should still be on the job.”
Nathan didn’t bother leaving the room was he dialed his phone. Instead, he leaned back and watched Haley pick up the Bible again and thumb through the worn pages. She’d pause on one page then flip through to another and read, before finally closing the book and replacing it on the coffee table in front of her.
When Hank came on the line, Nathan filled him in on the media posts and complaints Haley had found online and then asked for an update. The body still hadn’t been found, nor had any medical personnel reported a gunshot wound to the police. When Nathan asked about Winters, Hank only said he’d been in the news asking for information on Haley. “He was the classic used car salesman, asking for her to come on down and they’d talk. Don’t do anything foolish like ruin her career over some monies he was sure was mistakenly taken. If you didn’t know the inside story, you’d think the guy was Santa Claus and the Easter bunny rolled into one generous being.”
“How was he even given a public platform?” Nathan asked, amazed that a city newscast would broadcast that kind of drivel.
“Don’t know. Maybe he knows the reporter, or something. Maybe Haley knows about him. If he has that kind of pull in the media, it’s not going to go well for her, what with the BOLO and all. I have a feeling this is just the beginning of a smear campaign.”
Nathan’s response was silent but Hank must have caught on to the tension because he continued. “I’ll be on the lookout for more info. If you have access to the internet, you’ll probably find some stuff too.”
“We’ll watch for it. What about the BOLO?”
“Still in effect and I have another piece of news for you.”
“What?” Nathan asked, sure he’d not like the answer.
“Ephram Collins is on the job for the Sheriff’s department.”