continued.
“It’s not that Colleen hasn’t noticed him, she’s just keeping him at arm’s length. There’s a really hot scene in the first book. He’s telling her that learning how to crochet has changed his existence and she says she wishes she knew how to crochet. So, he teaches her, but not the usual way by demonstrating. He stands behind her, molding his body to hers, with his arms against hers, guiding her hands with his. Kind of like that scene in
“So Anthony has made crochet sexy,” he said, and I nodded.
“The promotional material for
“I get it and he’s hoping to catch her under the mistletoe and wow her with his hot kisses.”
“Something like that,” I said. “Oh, and the other vampires are upset with Anthony and they’re supposed to show up at Colleen’s and cause trouble. Did I mention that her family doesn’t know Anthony is a vampire?”
“Thanks for bringing me up to speed,” Mr. Royal said, handing me the Anthony doll. “Since you seem to be an expert, why don’t you finish the display.” He started to walk away and then stopped. “I heard that neighbor of yours who was missing turned out to be a suicide. Do you know why Pamela was so upset about it?”
What could I tell him? Certainly not the truth, but I didn’t like lying, either. I was struggling for an answer when Dinah saved me by walking up and interrupting.
“Well, I told him,” Dinah said. She seemed oblivious to Mr. Royal standing there and after a moment I noticed he’d disappeared. “I don’t think Commander would mind the kids—if their father was someone else. He was kind of quiet after I explained who they were.” Dinah looked down. “I hope this doesn’t turn out to be a deal breaker.”
I did my best to reassure her and said he probably just needed a little time to process. I hoped what I was saying was true. Dinah noticed the display. I told her Mr. Royal had ordered all the action figures without even knowing the story line.
“Or so he says,” Dinah said with a knowing nod. “Did you ever think that he was A. J. Kowalski?”
“Wow,” I said. “I hadn’t thought about him.” I looked in the direction he’d gone. He was helping a customer in the travel section. “Maybe he was just pretending not to know the story line. Having me bring him up to speed was just a cover,” I said as Dinah steered the kids toward the children’s department.
When Mrs. Shedd returned, her face clouded when she saw the display. That is until I explained whose idea it was. Then she smiled and pronounced it brilliant.
“I found out some information about Bradley’s business,” I said, checking that no one was in earshot. I told her what Logan had said about the stocks being sold and the money divided up among the investors.
“Molly, I don’t find that very reassuring,” she said. “Or the complete story. Who is handling the business right now? Who is going to sell the stock and divide up the money?”
“I don’t know,” I said. An image of the man and woman in the suits I’d seen at the Perkins’ came to mind. In all that had gone on, I’d forgotten about them. I repeated what Emily had said about them being from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mrs. Shedd seemed even more upset when I mentioned they had wanted to have a friendly interview with Bradley before he disappeared.
“What they call a friendly interview is an investigation, Molly. Bradley must have known and that’s why ...” She let her voice trail off as she wrung her hands.
Of course what she said made sense. I didn’t know that much about high finance. I was pretty much on the same page as Commander and had all my money in CDs. But the people showing up from the SEC might have been what pushed Bradley over the edge. Mrs. Shedd looked around the store and then at the time.
“We have to do something,” she said. “I told you if I don’t get back the money I gave him, the bookstore is in trouble. We’re all in trouble.” She sighed deeply and shook her head. “Someone is answering his office phone and taking messages. They must know something. It’s pretty quiet for the moment around here. You know how to do sleuthing. Why don’t you go to Perkins’ office right now and see what you can find out.”
CHAPTER 10
THE ADDRESS MRS. SHEDD GAVE ME TURNED OUT to be a high-rise in the Warner Center area of Woodland Hills. I’d often admired the way the all-glass high-rises reflected the sky. The directory gave a suite number on the seventh floor for Perkins Financial. This place looked like high rent to me.
A woman sat behind a counter in front of a wall of windows with a clear view of the Santa Susana Mountains. I was glad she was on the phone since I didn’t know what I was going to say and it gave me time to think. I wasn’t there just for Mrs. Shedd. I had a personal reason to find her money. I loved my job at the bookstore and didn’t want to lose it.
The woman went to another phone line. “Pearson Productions, please hold,” she said. A moment later, I heard her answer, “Higgins Insurance.” I stood up, thinking I was in the wrong office, but she answered the phone again and this time she said “Perkins Financial.” I listened while she asked their identity and put them on hold while she contacted somebody and announced the caller. A moment later, she went back to the caller and said she would have to take a message. I thought it was some kind of scam until I realized it was one of those office suite arrangements where you get some office space and services like having someone answer the phone. But even better, I figured out that someone from Perkins Financial was there. The woman clicked off after she’d written down a message. She glanced in my direction and asked if she could help me.
I didn’t want to tell her I wanted to talk to somebody from Perkins Financial and have her announce me and take the chance of being turned away. Then I had an inspiration. Instead of telling her the truth, I said I was looking for an office.
“Oh,” the woman said, brightening. She took out a brochure and began to describe what they offered. I tried to appear interested and nonchalantly asked if I could look around. I said I was really checking it out for my husband. Her phone started ringing again and she gestured toward the hallway with a nod. I was in!
I walked down the corridor and looked in the first open door. The office was so small as to be claustrophobic with the door closed, which ended up working to my advantage. The doors to most of the offices were open. Halfway down the hallway, I caught a glimpse of Emily and the couple in the suits in one of the offices. Before any of them could see me, I took a step back and slipped into the office behind them. The clear desk and empty shelves made it obvious it didn’t belong to anybody. At least I didn’t have to worry about someone coming in and wondering why I was in their space.
The walls between the offices were paper-thin, and with the door open, it was easy to hear what was going on in the next office.
“I realize this is a very difficult time for you and we appreciate you cooperating with this informal investigation, but there have to be more records than this,” the man said. “We received a tip from one of your husband’s clients that they were having trouble taking their money out of this investment club. All you’ve shown us is checking account statements and canceled checks. What accounting firm did your husband use? And where did he keep the physical securities he bought for his clients?”
“I don’t know,” Emily said. Her voice sounded strained. “I helped him with bank deposits and sending out quarterly statements, but that’s it. Who complained?”
“That’s confidential,” the man said. Emily said something about a box of files that Bradley had taken back and forth to the office with him, but she didn’t know where they were now. The woman asked if they could take an image of Bradley’s computer. Emily gave them her permission.
“What do you know about these checks?” the man said. “They’re all written to casinos.” Emily sounded confused as she said she knew nothing about them. She insisted she’d never seen Bradley gamble or even heard him talk about gambling. She finally excused herself to go to the restroom. I slid behind the door until she’d passed.
With her gone, the SEC pair began to talk. Their investigation was by no means finished, but they’d come to several conclusions. Even though it was questionable that there was no body, they believed that Bradley was really dead because there was still fifty thousand dollars in his checking account. They reasoned that if Bradley had been trying to fake his death, he would have cleaned out the account. The second part made me shudder. The couple,
