Page 31

I was sitting in Alexander Beaumont’s study with Giovanni, waiting for Alexander to finish the call he’d just taken behind closed doors in his office. A few minutes passed and then he joined us, his eyes laser-focused on my wig.

“New hairstyle, I see,” he said.

“I needed a change,” I said.

“Can’t say I’ve known many women to don such a color, but you, my dear, you pull it off well.”

“Thank you.”

Compliment aside, he shifted his attention to Giovanni. “You have a familiar look about you. Have we met somewhere before?”

“I don’t believe so.”

“What’s your name, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Giovanni Luciana.”

Alexander ran a hand along his jawline, repeating the surname under his breath. “ Luciana ... might be a longshot, but you wouldn’t happen to be related to Matteo Luciana, would you? He’s of the New York Luciana family, lives on the family estate, if I’m not mistaken.”

“Matteo is my uncle.”

“Ahh, yes. You look a lot like him.”

“How is it the two of you are acquainted?”

“I own several homes, one in the heart of New York City. I spend the fall season there. When I’m visiting, I participate in a weekly poker game with some buddies of mine. Your uncle has attended a few times. Nice fellow.”

“Small world we live in,” I said.

“Small indeed, Miss Germaine.” He flicked a finger left to right. “So ... how do the two of you know each other?”

“Giovanni is my fiancé,” I said.

“Ahh, and does he accompany you during your investigations often?”

“Sometimes.”

I leaned back and looked Alexander in the eye. If he had anything to do with my assault, nothing in his placid demeanor indicated as much. Then again, he struck me as a man who had plenty to hide and was good at hiding it when it suited him.

As I thought about the best way to catch him off guard, an idea came to mind. I grabbed my wig, yanking it off my head, a gesture that came as a surprise to both men. It was just the reaction I wanted.

Alexander slapped a hand to his lips. “The new hair, I understand now. What happened to you?”

“Someone assaulted me as I was leaving my workplace.”

He glanced at Giovanni, offering a slight nod, suggesting he had a better understanding of why I wasn’t alone today.

“The man who attacked you, did you get a good look at him, at least?” Alexander asked.

“I never said a man attacked me.”

“I ... I, well, I just assumed. Are you all right?”

“A little banged up, but I’m fine.”

“Any reason why someone would do such a thing? I mean, if I had to guess, I’d say it must have something to do with your murder investigation. Are you getting any closer to solving it?”

“I am, and I’m positive the incident is related. My handbag was stolen in the process, along with a couple of important files.”

“’And did these files contain sensitive information relevant to your case?”

I nodded. “Are you aware of the Ophelia Albrecht Center? It’s a women’s center founded by Dominic and Noelle.”

“I was not made aware of its founders until after her death. There was an article about the center in the paper. I knew of the center, of course. I just wasn’t aware of Noelle’s association with it. I’ve heard great things about the place. It’s made a big difference in many women’s lives over the years.”

“In the weeks before Noelle died, a woman named Dawn Salisbury came to the center seeking help. Does her name sound familiar to you?”

He shook his head. “Any reason why it should?”

“When Dawn arrived at the center, she had been badly beaten. Noelle was able to talk Dawn into getting her injuries looked at by a doctor. Not long after, she fled the center.”

Alexander narrowed his eyes, looking at me like he was trying to determine my angle, the reason I was relaying Dawn’s story, and what it had to do with him.

“I feel for any woman in such a position, but tell me, Miss Germaine, why share what happened to this woman with me?”

He was about to see the correlation.

“I believe Dawn fled the women’s center because Noelle recognized her or vice versa,” I said. “Noelle remembered seeing Dawn before, arguing with someone in the parking lot of the tennis club.”

“Strange coincidence. Do you know with whom she was arguing?”

“Not yet, but I intend to find out. I plan to stop at the club today, talk to a few people, and see if they have any security cameras. If there’s footage of the argument, I need to see it.”

“I suppose whether or not there’s footage depends on when the argument took place.”

I crossed my arms, confused by his comment. “Why does that matter?”

“There might not be any footage.”

“Why not?”

“A couple of months ago, we had a company meeting with the club’s investors. The focus of the meeting was on cutting costs. The club is profitable, but profits can always be better. We discussed the ridiculous amount of money we’ve been paying each month to our security service. We’ve never had a single break-in or theft ... well, aside from Owen’s misconduct.”

“Are you saying you canceled the security service?”

“We did. In saying that, we’re aware it’s good measure to have some form of security. But given how much more convenient technology has become, we figured why use an expensive service when we could install and monitor security cameras ourselves, right from our phones.”

“You still have security cameras then, right?”

He nodded. “We have them. The reason they won’t be of any use to you is because we installed them in front of the main entrance of the club. Monitoring the parking lot is of no concern to us.”

It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, and the timing seemed convenient.

Perhaps a little too convenient.

“I suppose I’ll need to figure out who was arguing with Dawn some other way,” I said.

“You must have someone in mind. Otherwise, why would you have told me the story at all?”

He didn’t miss a beat, always assessing my motives.

It bugged me.

At the same time, I found his attention to every detail of our conversation impressive. I was certain he knew who I suspected had been arguing with Dawn, even if I didn’t know the reason why.

“Given your nephew’s misbehavior, it’s easy for me to suspect he could have been the person talking to Dawn that day,” I said.

Alexander offered a slight shrug, pausing, and then saying, “Theft and abuse are two entirely different things, are they not? If you’re right, and I don’t believe you are, I wouldn’t know anything about it.”

For a moment, I looked at him, and he looked at me, neither of us speaking. I’d paid close attention to his demeanor when I voiced my opinion about Owen. He showed indifference, nothing more.

Maybe he’d had a lot of practice when it came to accusations pointed at himself and members of his family, whether true or not.

“If I may,” he said, “we can agree on one thing—my nephew has grossly mismanaged money coming into the club. It’s important to note that he’s been dealt with and will be working at the club no longer. I can assure you, as long as I draw breath, he will never again work in a position that involves our family’s money in any way. As to your feelings on Owen speaking to the woman in question, even if it was him, he’s no abuser of women.”

Prior to what he’d learned about Owen in the last week, he may have said the same thing about his thievery.

It was possible he didn’t know his nephew as well as he thought he did.

Or he did know him well, and he was lying to me.

“Dawn hasn’t been seen since she left the women’s center,” I said. “Noelle hired a private investigator to find her, which was an uncharacteristic thing for her to do. It makes me wonder why she did it.”

“I’m guessing the investigation into Dawn’s whereabouts was not a success or you would have more answers than questions. Pity Noelle didn’t hire you. I’ve no doubt your search for the missing woman would have been far more successful.”

“You’re right. The investigator never found her. I was given a copy of the file he turned over to Noelle with his findings, or lack thereof.”

“A file that was stolen, correct?”

I nodded.

“Were you able to look through it beforehand?” he asked.

First, he’d questioned me about whether I’d gotten a good look at my attacker. Now, he was asking if I’d seen the file.

Suspicious.

“I’ll find Dawn, with or without the file,” I said.

“I have no doubt.” He reached for the teapot next to him, pouring himself a cup. He took a sip, frowning as he muttered something about the tea going cold.

“You know from our last visit that I’m a frank man,” Alexander said. “I’ll admit, as much as I enjoy our visits, my patience is running thin. If there’s a point to all of this, beyond what you’ve already said, you best get on with it.”

“All right, I will. I believe there’s a connection between Noelle’s death and Dawn’s disappearance, as I’m sure by now you’ve realized. The way I see it, the person who assaulted Dawn was someone Noelle knew, and the tennis club seems to be at the center of it all.”

“You may be right. Time will tell.”

“Here’s how I see the chain of events. Noelle saw Dawn arguing with someone from the club. At some point after that, Dawn was assaulted. Noelle assumed she knew who did it. She confronted the person, possibly even making a threat to share what she knew, and she was murdered for it.”

“All good theories, until they’re proven.”

“I plan to speak with Owen.”

“Owen is unreachable at present.”

Even more suspicious.

“I don’t understand,” I said.

“Upon visiting him at his home, or I should say, entering his home without his knowledge, I discovered an assortment of drugs. It explains his actions, his need to steal from the club. He was confronted and given an ultimatum—enter drug rehab or be cut from my will.”

“I’m guessing the rehab facility does not allow visitors, which is why he’s unable to speak with me, right?”

“You are correct. He isn’t supposed to have any contact with anyone outside of the facility. I have some pull, however, and if you permit me, I will speak to him about our conversation today ... only if he’s of the right mind to receive it.”

I appreciated his offer, and given I had no choice, I took him up on it.

I left with one question: was Alexander sincere in his offer to help me, or was he trying to keep Owen from me while he cleaned up his mess?