Page 52 of Little Hidden Fears

And though I was tiring to the point my eyelids began to feel heavy, I waited, trying my best not to push.

“If I level with you, telling you what I know, what’s going to happen?” she asked.

“I don’t think you’re asking the right question.”

“What would the right question be?”

“An innocent life has been taken. What’s it worth to you?”

“It’s worth a lot. Noelle was a good friend. I’ll be honest—ever since she died, I’ve been having a hard time sleeping.”

I assumed the lack of sleep wasn’t just over Noelle’s death, but also over the fear that if Noelle died because of what Annie had told her, maybe she was next.

“Do you think your lack of sleep is because you feel guilty?” I asked.

“It’s part of it.”

“You don’t have anything to feel guilty for, Annie. You did the right thing. Maybe confessing what you haven’t yet will help. You don’t want to live the rest of your life asking yourself who murdered Noelle and why, so help me find her killer.”

“It’s all heavy ... too heavy. I want nothing more than to put it all behind me and move on.”

“I want that for you too.”

Annie placed her plate on top of mine and took a sip of water.

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she said, “Here it is, and what I suspect you already know ... I believe Owen has been using some of the club’s money as his own personal bank account.”

“In what way?”

“Several checks have been torn out of the checkbook without the carbon copy to say who those checks were written to and why.”

“If he’s stealing company funds, it seems logical he’s been writing checks to himself and then cashing them. Would you agree?”

“I would.”

“How long do you suspect he’s been doing it?” I asked.

“Since he took over the position. It wasn’t a daily occurrence, though. I suspected once or twice a month at first. Then I think he got comfortable, assumed he was getting away with it—and that he could keep getting away with it.”

“Did the number of missing checks increase?”

“They did. Once or twice a month turned into once a week, or more. I’m not sure how much he’s taken in total. I don’t have access to the company’s bank account.”

I considered all she’d told me so far.

It was good information, the strongest lead I had in the case.

If I was going to nail someone for embezzlement, and for murder, I needed to be sure I had the right person.

“How do you know Owen stole the money and not someone else who works there?” I asked.

“For one, the longer we’ve worked together, the more accessories he seems to own, accessories he didn’t wear to work at the start. The most notable is a watch. He never wore watches to work at the start of my job, and then one day, he started wearing the same one every day. One time, I got close enough to get a good look at it.”

“Were you able to identify the brand?”

“Yes, Cartier. I looked it up online. It sells for over seven thousand dollars!”

“If Owen’s uncle is the main investor in the club, I’m assuming he has money.”