“And she loved you?”
He stirred in his seat. And paused for just one telltale heartbeat. “She did.”
“Then why do you think she hired me, Billy?”
“You see,” he said, clearly rattled, “that’s what I don’t understand. Why Jennifer would give a rat’s ass about whether or not Ned was fooling around when we were planning on running away together.”
“There’s a possibility, Mr. Star, that whoever came into my office last week was merely posing as Jennifer. And it’s possible that that imposter is responsible for her death.”
“Then you’d better find her before I do, Dodd.” I could see the clenching of his fists, a graphic reminder of his temper. “Because if I get my hands on whoever killed Jenny, I’ll kill them.”
I nodded, fully believing him.
“How did it start between Jennifer and you?”
Billy tensed visibly. “It was payback at first. Ned took from me, I wanted to take from him. For years, I wanted that bastard to hurt like he hurt me and so many others. So, I thought what better means of payback than to take his wife. Not that I had any initial interest in Jennifer.” He paused for my reaction.
Which would have been
“I’d known Jennifer for years, but always as Ned’s wife. Nothing more. But I did know that she was lonely. And yes, I knew I could take full advantage of that. So I started to flirt with her whenever I saw her. I’d call her to say ‘hello’. And it led to more. But then … when I started to get to know her, how could I not fall in love with her? She was so smart, so witty and so very alone in the world.”
“Alone?”
“Jennifer never fit into Ned’s world. Not with his parents, not with the snooty neighbors. They all wanted her to be the same — quiet and polite and fucking plastic. She couldn’t be. She wasn’t a high-society snob. She wasn’t the shopaholic doting daughter-in-law. So she kind of retreated from everything and everyone in her world. Know what I mean? She retreated into herself. But once I got to know her….”
“Did Ned know about the affair?”
“He thought it was over,” Billy said. “We convinced him it was over. That was part of the plan, too. We didn’t want him suspecting anything while we got our ducks in a row to get the hell out of here. We were going to leave before the renewal of the vows this weekend.”
“I take it the vow renewing thing was Ned’s idea?”
“Worse.” Billy snorted with disgust. “It was the minister’s. Can you believe it? But Ned got caught up in this new preacher’s bullshit that that would make everything better. Renew the romance and all that. It’s bad enough Ned got in with that new church — all the money he’s donated to it would make your head spin — but now the minister is trying to re-cement the marriage? Just makes me sick!”
“So he knew about the infidelity?”
“Yeah.”
“Was Jennifer scared of her husband?”
Billy hesitated a moment too long. I could tell he was picking and choosing his words carefully. That always made me suspicious.
“Not really. She just didn’t want the public hassle. The pictures on page four, the in-laws growling her out….”
“Did Jennifer have a pre-nup?”
“No. When she and Ned were married, Weatherby Industries was in its infancy, hardly worth a thing. Actually,” Billy’s jaw tightened with anger, “it was Weatherby and Star Industries back then.”
“So once the divorce was through,” I offered carefully, “half the assets — including half the business would be Jennifer’s, and then yours and Jennifer’s if she married you. Financially, you’d be on top again. Right, Billy?”
He stared at me unblinking, and I stared back.
“I think you’d better get your ass out of here, Dodd. I don’t like what you’re implying.”
He stood, towering a good eight inches taller than me, his clenched fists shaking.
“I just have one more question?”
“We’re done,” he said coming around the desk and advancing toward me.
My mind shrieked
“Why didn’t Ned fire you?” I asked.
He stopped in his tracks and looked at me, startled. “Christ! You’re not too damn good at this job, are you, Dodd?”
Ouch. “What do you mean?”
“He can’t. If that son of a bitch ever tried to—”
He shut up. Too quickly; too thoroughly.
And at the sound of the cigarette-scratchy voice from behind me, I realized why.
“What’s going on here, Billy?” Luanne marched into Billy’s office, followed by two burley security guards that looked absolutely clueless as to what to do. And bringing up the rear, of course, were Tweedledumb and Tweedledee.
“Nothing, Luanne. Nothing at all. This lady was just leaving.”
She hissed at him. “I hope you weren’t telling any of your lies against Mr. Weatherby.” The woman stood close to him. He dwarfed her in height, but it was easy to see she was scaring the crap out of Billy.
“I … I didn’t say a thing, Luanne.”
“Gentlemen, you know what to do.” Luanne nodded to the security guards.
“Yes, Miss Laney.”
Left-side guy grabbed a little too roughly. The maintenance staff were dismissed with a wave. I expected to be steered toward the elevator, but was turned right and directed down the staircase, away from prying eyes. Unceremoniously, I was escorted/tossed/shoved out the back door.
“If you ever come back here, Dix Dodd,” Luanne said, “I’ll have a restraining order filed against you so fast your ugly little head will snap!”
I was about to tag her with my best “Ha! There’s already one against me,” but I thought better of it.
And I couldn’t help but wonder as I got to my feet and dusted off my butt, how the hell did she know who I was?
Chapter 10
Uh-oh.
