Double Indemnity, page 9
“There are several single women around your age who attend. One that comes to mind is an accountant who works for one of the local banks. Her name is Cynthia Jones. I’ll introduce you to her.”
“Does that mean I have to come back to the church?”
“Yep,” Connor confirmed.
Outside the restaurant, Liz and Connor walked to his car where he gave her a packet of information about the church.
“When will there be another of those big dinners after the service?” she asked. “It reminded me of a family reunion.”
“We only have three or four of those a year.”
“You should do it more often. People like that sort of thing.”
“If we did, what would you bring?”
“Picadillo à la habanera. Are you familiar with it?”
Connor paused for a moment. “A stew that sings?”
“Pretty good translation. It’s made with ground beef, tomato sauce, olives, and seasonings.”
“We’ll have another church dinner around Thanksgiving. Maybe you can bring it then.”
* * *
Driving home, Liz thought about how magical it would be to visit the Greek isles.
Thirty minutes later there was a knock on her door. It was Bev Devon with a small plate in her hands.
“I brought you some date bars,” she said, handing Liz the plate. “Do you like dates?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t get a chance to ask you about the service,” Bev continued. “Doesn’t Reverend Grantham do a good job? He’s so smart. It’s like every sentence comes out so polished it could be written in a book.”
“I think he reads his sermons.”
“Maybe. I’m not sure. I saw you talking to him in the foyer.”
“He invited me to lunch.”
The excited look on Bev’s face brought a smile to Liz’s face. She motioned for her landlady to step inside.
“It wasn’t supposed to be the two of us, but the other couple he invited had to cancel,” Liz said. “You probably know this, but he takes visitors to lunch so he can get to know them, and so they can ask questions about the church.”
“Where did you eat?” Bev asked.
Bev was unfamiliar with the Olive Tree, but she nodded and said, “That sounds perfect for two young people. I’m so glad you had that time together.”
“It was nice. Connor is an interesting man. We talked about—”
Bev held up her hand. “Oh, I won’t ask you what you discussed.”
“Mostly about family and what we’re interested in,” Liz continued.
“That’s great,” Bev said enthusiastically.
“He’s going to introduce me to a woman named Cynthia Jones. He thinks we might become friends.”
“You’ll love Cynthia. She’s a huge sports fan. And I know you like to exercise.”
Liz didn’t see the correlation. “Thanks again for the dessert,” she said.
* * *
When Liz arrived at the office Monday morning, there was a thank-you card on her desk from Becky. She and her boyfriend had enjoyed their meal from the taqueria. Also on her desk was a file with a message on top from Harold: “See me ASAP.”
“Sit,” Harold ordered when Liz entered the senior partner’s office. “I woke up at four this morning thinking about the Simmons Company fire claim and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I came into the office. A detective with the sheriff’s department questioned some of the workers, but I can’t get a summary of the report from one of my contacts because it’s an ongoing investigation. I want you to interview three of the Latino workers who were there that day and find out if they know anything about the fire.”
“How soon do you need this?”
“As soon as possible. Depositions start next month.”
Liz hesitated. “Is someone going to interview the English-speaking workers?”
“Of course!” Harold barked. “A private detective firm is doing that, but they don’t have a Spanish speaker available.”
“Yes, sir.”
Late that afternoon, an exhausted Liz returned to the office. Becky greeted her.
“Where have you been all day?” the receptionist asked.
“Going into sketchy parts of town to track down people who are hard to find. After today there are a lot more folks in Etowah County who know that I’m a lawyer. I handed out a lot of cards. Is Harold here? I didn’t see his car.”
“Yes, his Mercedes is in the shop again.” Becky glanced down at her phone. “He just finished a call.”
Liz returned to the senior partner’s office. For someone who’d been up since before dawn, he looked surprisingly chipper.
“Any luck?” he asked.
“Not sure about luck, but I found all three of them. I’ll put everything in a memo but can give you a verbal report now if you have a few minutes.”
“Go ahead.”
Liz held up her phone. “I obtained recorded statements that are in Spanish.”
“Anything relevant?”
“I think so.”
Liz summarized her findings. One worker provided information that was very helpful to their theory of the case.
Harold perked up. “Did you get this fellow’s home address?”
“Yes.”
“Transcribe his statement and get him to sign it tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir,” Liz said.
She turned to leave. Harold’s voice stopped her.
“Liz,” he said.
She faced him again.
“Good job.”
* * *
It was dark when Liz finally arrived at home. She kicked off her shoes and sat down in her tiny living room. Her phone vibrated, and she reluctantly took it from her purse. It was Elena Thompson. She let it go to voice mail.
Chapter 10
Connor was out of breath when he reached the summit and scrambled onto a rock outcropping. Spread out before him was Bryson. From this vantage point the downtown area was visible, but much of the residential sections of town were obscured by trees along the streets and in the yards. He could see the roof and part of the parking lot for Rock Community Church.
Few people visited the overlook where Connor sat because it required a thirty-five-foot technical climb up a steep rock face. Scaling the summit was by far the most dangerous thing Connor had attempted on his local treks. Going down safely was tougher than climbing up. Today, he’d decided to work to reduce the risk in the future and brought some heavy-duty climbing rope that he was going to attach to a tree at the top. So long as the ropes were secure, climbing up and going down would be much simpler. Trusting the integrity of a rope required a different kind of faith than using only his hands, feet, and strength.
Taking a thermos of coffee from his daypack, Connor took a drink and tried to figure out how to work the climb into a sermon. If he talked about scaling the rock wall unaided, there would be men and boys in the congregation who would want to give it a try, and their wives and mothers would be upset with Connor for mentioning it.
On the drive to the trailhead, Connor had listened to the podcast he’d mistakenly forwarded to Matt Thompson about the parable of the rich man and his bigger barns. It was a confrontational message. Connor couldn’t imagine the senior minister at his father’s church in Atlanta basing a sermon on the passage. Many of the people in the affluent congregation had massive virtual barns, with more under construction.
Connor took another drink of coffee and stared out across the valley. The previous afternoon, he’d learned about an opening for an assistant professor of philosophy and religion at a small, prestigious college in Virginia. It was exactly what he’d been hoping to find. The school was located within reasonable driving distance of the mountains. And the wooded campus was perfect. It was easy to imagine himself sitting in an office in the liberal arts building with a view of the quad through a window. The record of his qualifications and recommendations were already in place. All Connor had to do was update his résumé and press the send button. But if he wanted to be considered for the job, he couldn’t delay. He pressed his lips together and prayed silently for guidance.
Two hours later, he stopped by Michelle’s desk. “Any fires to put out?” he asked.
“The phone has been a lot quieter than usual after you preached the sermon about heaven,” she said.
“Is that good or bad?”
“You’d have to ask God or the church board the answer to that question.”
Connor reached into the front pocket of his shirt and gave her the receipt for the meal at the Olive Tree. “This is for the visitor lunch,” he said.
“Why not Parker’s?” Michelle asked. “That’s where you always go.”
“Liz Acosta suggested the Olive Tree. It’s a new place on Poplar Avenue.”
“Just the two of you?”
“Without a chaperone,” Connor replied with a smile. “We were in a public place. Liz and I had a good conversation. I think she’ll be back. She wants to meet people, and I suggested Cynthia Jones.”
“That’s a great idea, except Cynthia moved to Greenville, South Carolina, last week to be closer to her family. I think her mom has some health issues. And Cynthia will love being closer to Clemson so she can go to the football games.”
“I didn’t know about her mother.”
“It came up all of a sudden.”
“Send me Cynthia’s cell number, and I’ll give her a call.”
“Will do.” Michelle paused. “Do you want me to see what I can find out about Liz Acosta?”
“Why?”
“She’s cute, and as a lawyer has to be smart. I could see you getting to know her better, that’s all.”
“That will happen naturally if she keeps coming. And I’d rather conduct my own reconnaissance. I’ve not dated anyone in the church since I came here. As a general rule, that’s not a good idea. If I go out with a woman in the church and it doesn’t go well, it could be a problem.”
“Maybe, but have you dated anyone at all?” Michelle asked, then immediately continued, “Sorry, that’s none of my business.”
“I’ve spent time with a woman in Atlanta who I’ve known since high school, but it’s not been regular.”
“You’re smart to be careful about women in the church,” Michelle said. “And once word got out, there would be a ton of interest. People would jump to all kinds of conclusions and opinions. Just stick to internet dating sites in your search for a mate.”
“I’m not on any dating sites, but if I decide to sign up, should I come to you for advice?”
“Absolutely. I can help edit your profile. A nice picture of you standing behind the pulpit on Sunday morning would set you apart from the crowd.”
Connor went into his office. Pulling up the portal for online submission of his application for the assistant professorship, he stared at it for a couple of seconds. It just didn’t feel like the right time to apply for a teaching job. Connor closed the portal. He rarely made a decision based on feelings, but this time he did.
* * *
There was an envelope on Liz’s desk when she arrived at work the following morning. Inside was a gift card. When she saw the amount, Liz dropped the card in surprise. It was for one thousand dollars. Jessica appeared in her doorway.
“How’s your day going?” the assistant asked with a smile on her face.
Liz held up the card. “Did you know about this? Where did it come from?”
“Harold called me first thing this morning and sent me out to get it. He said you hit a home run for him in the Simmons case.”
“I hope so.”
“Harold must think you did.”
“Is he here?”
“No, he’s coming in later but wanted that on your desk first thing. It was the kind of errand I prefer to typing the responses to interrogatories.”
“I was just doing my job.”
Jessica stepped into the office and lowered her voice. “Harold is an odd guy. Sometimes that’s good; other times not so much. He can be randomly generous. I’ve seen that in operation. Today was your day.”
Liz looked again at the card. “I’m not sure what to spend it on.”
Jessica held up her right hand, which glistened with three different rings. “You’ll think of something,” she said.
Liz put the gift card in her purse. Instead of sending Harold an email, she handwrote a thank-you note. Swiveling in her chair, she listened to her voice-mail messages. There was another one from Elena. The tone of voice was firm. Liz returned her calls in the order received. It was close to 10:00 a.m. before she dialed Elena’s number.
“I’m not sure what’s going on with Matt,” Elena said as soon as she answered the phone. “He’s acting strange. Did Connor Grantham say anything about him when the two of you went to lunch on Sunday?”
“Uh, no. How did you know I went to lunch with Connor?” Liz asked.
“That’s what I heard. Did you and Connor discuss Matt and me?”
“No. Connor invites people who’ve visited the church out to eat so they can ask him questions.”
“He never did that with me.”
Liz didn’t know what to say so kept quiet.
Elena continued, “And you’re sure that you’ve not talked to Connor about Matt and me in the past twenty-four hours?”
“No, he doesn’t even know you’ve retained the law firm. Why are you asking me this?”
“I let it slip that I’ve hired you during a private conversation with Connor during a counseling session last Friday. I also believe Matt found out that I’ve consulted a lawyer.”
“What makes you think that?”
“The way he’s been acting for the past few days. He was so agreeable during our session with Connor that I realized he was manipulating the situation, but I can’t figure out his angle. He took me out to a nice dinner on Friday and told me that he’s going to get serious about God. Then, he only worked a couple of hours on Saturday and came to church on Sunday without being asked. He’s setting me up for something. What could it be?”
“What makes you think he’s insincere?”
“You don’t know him like I do. Matt is a top-notch salesman who knows how to convince people to do things they’d never consider otherwise. That’s one reason he’s been so successful in business and how he swept me off my feet when we started dating. But once he closes a deal, Matt moves on to the next challenge.”
The way Elena described the foundation of her relationship with her husband and how she viewed him now made the possibility of future marital bliss unlikely.
“Did he ask you to change anything about your finances or living arrangements?”
“Not yet, but I can feel it coming.”
“That’s what you should be on guard against. Also, any suggestions about interaction with his ex-wife or the kids. You’re hypervigilant, so it’s going to be hard for you to be taken advantage of.”
“He claims he’s going to cut back his personal interaction with his ex, and I’m checking the bank balances every day to see if there are any odd transactions.”
Liz thought about Elena’s secret stash. It wouldn’t be surprising if Matt had done the same thing.
“What could he do that I wouldn’t know about until it was too late?” Elena continued.
“That’s covered in the memo I prepared for you. For someone as sophisticated as Matt, transferring funds offshore so we can’t trace them would be a possibility. Another area would be modifications to his estate plan or life insurance program. You have the original wills and copies of the insurance policies, but he could secretly sign a new will and make a change in a life insurance beneficiary, which you wouldn’t know about until he had to reveal it in discovery.”
“Or if he died,” Elena said. “Remember, Matt’s divorce papers from Anne require him to keep life insurance in place for her and the kids. I don’t have that protection.”
“That’s legally correct.”
“It seems like the only way a woman can guarantee the future is if she’s divorced and her husband is under some kind of court order.”
Liz had never considered that point of view and wasn’t ready to believe it was true. She glanced at her computer. She was scheduled to be on a conference call in five minutes.
“Anything else?” she asked.
“I guess not. Oh, there is one more thing,” Elena added quickly. “If I call the law firm that prepared our wills, does the attorney have to tell me if Matt has modified anything?”
“No. Any conversations Matt has or actions taken are protected by attorney-client confidentiality.”
“What about the insurance agent Matt uses? They’ve been friends for years. Does he have to tell me if there’s been a change in the life insurance policies?”
“There are rules, but I’m not sure about the details. Do you want me to research it?”
“No, I’m friendly with the guy’s assistant. If I call and ask her to send me copies of our policies, she’ll do it.”
After the call ended, Liz quickly entered her time. True to Harold’s prediction, Elena was burning through her deposit.
Chapter 11
Tuesday morning, Connor received a text from Matt Thompson requesting a day they could meet for lunch. Connor suggested Wednesday of the following week. Matt gave him a thumbs-up. But instead of moving on to something else, Connor decided to call him.
“Hope this isn’t a bad time to talk,” he said.
“No, I just came out of a meeting going over final details for the company retreat this weekend at Burnt Pine Tree.”
“Are you still planning on talking Friday evening about what we discussed the other day?”
“Yeah, and it’s going to be different from any boardroom speech I’ve ever given. I’m both excited and nervous.”
“What are you going to say?”
“I’m going to read the story in the Bible without telling them where it’s from, then ask them what they think. Once that’s done, I’m going to tell them how it’s changed my perspective on life. And if it’s okay with you, I’m going to recommend they listen to what you said at church this past Sunday.”
