Final Venture

'If she's free, so am I. I'd like to make some new friends. I've always liked her, you know. Have you got her new number?'

I ignored his comment, but I didn't mind Daniel's kidding, however offensive it was, and it could get pretty offensive. It eased the gloom a bit.

'She thinks I killed Frank.'

Daniel winced. 'Oooh. That could take some forgiving. I do hope she's wrong.'

'Yes, she's all wrong.'

'Oh, well that's all right then.'

'But the police seem to agree with her.'

'What, that nice Sergeant Malone who asked all those questions?'

'Mahoney. That's right. He says I had the opportunity and the motive. I was at Marsh House the afternoon Frank was murdered, and I inherit half his fortune. Or rather Lisa does.'

Daniel frowned. 'That all sounds a bit circumstantial, doesn't it? Did they find the gun?'

'No,' I said, keeping my promise to myself not to tell anyone about Lisa's discovery.

'Pity.'

'Why do you say that?'

'If they found the gun in the middle of South Boston or somewhere, it would suggest that you weren't the guy who used it.'

'That's true.' For a moment I wished that Lisa hadn't thrown it away. Then I could have hidden it conveniently in Art's garage. But the moment passed. That would probably just have got me in deeper trouble.

There was one question I needed to ask Daniel. 'Did you tell Mahoney we were talking about how wealthy Frank was just before he died?'

Daniel winced. 'Yeah, I did. Sorry. But he did ask whether we'd had a conversation like that, and I had to tell him the truth. Did it get you in trouble?'

I sighed. 'Not really. I think Mahoney was pretty convinced anyway. It'll just give him some more ammunition.'

'Sorry, Simon. I didn't realize. He was asking all these bullshit questions, and I never imagined you as a suspect. At least not then.'

'Don't worry.' I sipped my beer. 'But what interests me is, if I didn't kill Frank, who did?'

'Good question,' said Daniel. 'All I know is it wasn't me. I was in New York.'

'No need to be so smug about it. What's the office gossip? I don't seem to hear any of it any more.'

'People usually steer clear of the subject. It's like it was in bad taste or something. And Gil did say he didn't want us suspecting each other.'

'And when they don't steer clear of the subject?'

Daniel gulped his beer. 'There's one name that comes up quite consistently.'

'Mine?'

Daniel nodded.

'But people can't really think I murdered Frank?'

'I don't think they do. Which leaves us kind of stuck.'

'What about Art?'

Daniel thought for a moment. 'Not a bad choice for second favourite. He hated Frank, although he was always polite to him. But where was he when Frank was killed?'

'I don't know,' I said. 'Mahoney won't tell me anything. And I could scarcely ask Art himself.'

'You could ask his wife. You know how much she likes you. You charmed the panties off her at last year's Christmas party.'

'Oh yes. I just ring her up and say, "Hello, Mrs Altschule. I just want to check whether your husband murdered my father-in-law. Do you know where he was on Saturday the whatever-it-was of October?"'

'Hm,' said Daniel. 'I see your problem.'

'You've worked with Art more than I have. Do you know much about his background?' Daniel was curious to the point of being nosy. I was sure he had picked up much more about the people at Revere than I had, even though we had both been in the firm the same length of time.

'He's known Gil a long time. I think they were at school together.'

'Harvard?'

'Yeah. After that they both went to Vietnam. Gil was in a regular army unit, and Art was in the Marines. I think Art saw some pretty hairy action, and Gil had a relatively quiet time of it.'

'I've heard about the Marines,' I said. Art loved to refer to the service.

'Yes. But he never talks specifically about what happened there. Even when I asked him.'

'I can understand that,' I said. There were one or two things in my own short military career I would rather not discuss.

'I guess so,' said Daniel. 'But it was still kind of strange. You know how Art likes to brag about stuff. I'd have expected a couple of stories about how he took out three gook villages single-handed.'

'I see what you mean.'

Anyway, after Vietnam he got an MBA, and then worked for Digital Equipment in Maynard. Eventually he left there and started some company selling mini-computers. According to him, it did brilliantly well. Although I'm not so sure.'

'Really, why not? Whenever I've heard him talk about it, it sounded like it was the biggest thing since Compaq.'

'He sold the company for something like twelve million bucks to ICX Computers. But once ICX got in there they found they had bought a can of worms. The accounts were rotten. ICX hit Art and his partner for ten million under the warranties they had given to ICX when they had sold out. Art's partner killed himself. Dark days.'

'Jesus.'

'The story is that Art didn't know anything about it. And I can kind of believe that. There's quite a lot Art doesn't know. Then Art's old buddy Gil started up a VC firm, and asked Art to join him. Art arrived a few months before Frank, I think. Then he had several years mediocre investing until he lucked out on BioOne.'

'Sounds like he and Frank were destined to clash.'

'I'd say it was unavoidable,' said Daniel.

We drank our beer. I thought through other possibilities. 'Gil?' I suggested.

'I don't think so,' said Daniel. 'He's so straight. And they were friends.'

'Besides, why would he do it?'

'No reason I can think of.' Daniel sipped his beer thoughtfully. 'But what about Diane?'

'Diane?' I said. 'Why would she want to kill Frank?'

'I don't know. She seems charming on the surface. But she's cunning. Devious. A skilful political animal.'

'Where did you get that idea?'

'Charlie Dyzart from B-school went to Barnes McLintock. He told me a bit about her.'

'Like what?'

'She was a very good management consultant. She became one of the youngest partners at Barnes McLintock. Certainly the youngest female partner. But she left some collateral damage in her wake.'

'What happened?'

'It seems her boss advised Pan United Airlines to change their image to appear more international and less American. They lost a quarter of their passengers within six months. They tried to sue Barnes McLintock. Diane somehow persuaded Pan United that she had always thought it was a bad idea, and she came up with some smart ways to fix the problem. Barnes McLintock didn't get sued, they kept the client, her boss got fired, and she got promoted. Charlie said the guy didn't stand a chance once Diane had him in her sights.'

'I see.' I remembered Frank had said something about how Diane had broken up a marriage at Barnes McLintock. It was something I had tried to forget. 'She didn't have an affair with him, did she?'

Daniel laughed. 'No, but there was something with an associate,' Charlie said. 'A young guy. Married. He walked out on his wife and left the firm. Then she dropped him a few months later. Everyone knew about it.'

'Hmm.'

Daniel looked at me curiously. 'You'd better watch yourself with Diane, Simon.'

'Oh, come on, Daniel. There's nothing between us. I like her. I respect her. She's a good venture capitalist.'

'She's after you.'

The trouble with Daniel was you could never tell whether he was joking or being serious. But either way I knew he was right.

'I still don't think Diane would kill anyone,' I said. 'That goes way beyond political scheming. No, I think Art is our best bet.'

Daniel allowed the subject to be changed. 'There is one interesting thing about Art,' he said.

'What's that?'

'I think he used to be an alcoholic'

'I've never seen him drink,' I said.

'Precisely,' said Daniel. 'And he doesn't act like the temperance type. In fact he seems more like the hard-drinking type to me.'

'You mean he must have given up?'