"First thing in the morning. We'll go through the Conners' house again. We just did a walk-through after Ryan's death. This time, I want a thorough search done and some pertinent questions asked Autumn Conners. So get another search warrant. I don't want her coming back at us."
"And she damn well would," Cliff said, standing. "With two little kids she'll be up early. So, I'll meet you here at six-thirty with warrant in hand."
*****
Angie and Sandy were curled up on each end of the couch watching a television program when the phone rang. Angie picked up the portable on the end table.
"Hello." She shot a look at Sandy. "I don't know, Ken. I'll check and see if she wants to talk." Covering the receiver with her hand, she glanced across the couch.
Sandy stood. "I'll take it in the kitchen." Thirty minutes later, she came back into the study, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
Angie flipped off the television with the remote. "So, what did he have to say?"
"Tom went by there this evening after he left us. Ken talked to him for two hours and told him everything."
Furrowing her brow, Angie looked at her. "What do you mean, 'everything'?"
"He hopes he convinced Tom that he had nothing to do with the murders of Bud or Ryan. And it is true that Ken was at home when both murders were committed. You even talked to him the night Bud disappeared. The night Ryan was killed, one of the twins got a good case of food poisoning. She stayed up most of the night vomiting. Ken and I took turns taking care of her until daybreak."
Angie reached over and grasped her arm. "Sandy, I've never believed Ken killed Bud. But I worried about it because of his behavior toward you, thinking maybe I didn't know the man like I thought I did."
"Thanks for your faith in him. To tell you the truth I had my doubts too. But now, knowing he's talked to Tom makes me feel a lot better."
"So what's he worried about?"
"He did take money from the company. But, he told Bud about it and promised to pay it back. Somehow, Autumn Conners found out and is now blackmailing Ken."
Angie jumped up. "What? Autumn Conners? How?"
She gave Ken a copy of a letter that she says Ryan left. The original is with a lawyer. It implies that Ryan and Ken were embezzling funds together. Ken says it's a lie, but he can't prove it now that Bud's dead. He swears he only took money once for gambling debts. But the letter instructed her to warn Ken that if he doesn't give her everything she wants, she's going to the police."
Angie shook her head. "I can't believe this."
"If there's some way we could prove that Bud knew about it and had given Ken an alternative, then it wouldn't be embezzlement. Otherwise," Sandy choked on a sob, "Ken will probably go to jail."
Angie snapped her fingers and hurried to the computer.
Sandy jerked her head around and followed Angie. "What are you doing?"
"This might be a futile search, as I know nothing about accounting. But let's see if Bud entered anything in the books that might explain Ken's debt. Maybe between the two of us, we can spot it."
"I don't understand what we're looking at," Sandy said, watching the monitor as Angie reviewed pages filled with columns of numbers.
"Original records of the company. It's a long story. I'll explain it later. Right now, pull up a chair and let's go through these entries."
"Good Lord, how many are there?" Sandy asked, scooting up a chair and watching Angie scroll through the pages.
"At least three years worth. Probably a jillion figures we'll need to decipher."
"We'll be brain dead by morning," Sandy said, trying to get comfortable in the hard-backed chair.
Chapter Twenty-nine
When Tom walked into his office at six-thirty the next morning, he found Cliff, coffee cup in hand, staring out the window. "Good morning. You look ready to go."
Cliff raised his cup in a salute. "Want a cup?"
Tom checked his watch. "Sure, we have a few minutes."
Cliff filled a mug for him, then sat on the corner of the desk. "Really didn't sleep that well. You got me to thinking."
"I know what you mean. This case has taken on quite a twist."
"Let's just pray we're not too late."
"Got the search warrant?"
Cliff patted his jacket pocket. "Yep. Ready to go?"
Tom left his unfinished coffee on the desk. On the way out, he called for a backup.
The two detectives pulled up in front of the Conners' home, followed by the black and white. Just as Tom started to ring the bell, the door flew open and his eyes met Autumn Conners' furious glare. "What do you want now? You know it doesn't look good for you to keep coming around here. Neighbors are going to start wondering what's going on."
Cliff pushed on the door, but Autumn kept a tight grip, not letting it swing open. He pulled the warrant from his pocket. "Mrs. Conners, we're coming in whether you like it or not."
Her eyes narrowed, then her gaze dropped to the paper. "What's that?"
"A search warrant."
"You've already been through once, right after Ryan died."
"We need to look some more."
Her hand dropped from the door and she stepped back, clutching a gray shawl tightly around her shoulders. "I guess I can't stop you."
"I don't think it would be wise," Tom said, leading the way into the house.
Cliff motioned for the two officers to stay outside until further notice.
The two little girls were playing on the floor, but moved to their mother's side. Tom noticed their sunken eyes and pale gray skin as they stared up at him. These children aren't healthy, he thought. No rosy cheeks on these two little girls. He wondered if they ever got out of this stinking house and played outside.
The mornings were chilly, yet there appeared to be no heat in the house. The floors were barren of rugs and he felt a draft on his feet. Yet, these two little girls were barefooted. "We'd appreciate it if you'd keep the children in the living room while we search the rest of the house."
"What are you looking for?" Autumn asked curtly.
"Not sure, but we'll know when we see it."
Cliff had already meandered down the short hallway. Tom followed him into the master bedroom. The sheets on the unmade bed were dingy and looked like they hadn't been changed in some time. An odor of dirty clothes hung in the air. The two detectives glanced at one another. Cliff pointed to a closed door across the hall.
"You start there, I'll begin in here."
Tom tried the door, but it wouldn't open. He walked back to the living room. "Mrs. Conners, would you unlock this door?" he asked, pointing to the room.
Unsmiling, she scurried past him. "That's where my computer is. Why do you need to go in there? I keep it locked so the girls won't mess with it."
Trying not to lose his patience, he repeated firmly, "Open the door, Mrs. Conners."
Exhaling loudly, she pulled a key from her pocket and inserted it. She flung open the door and stared at Tom intently as he walked into the room. A much neater area, he thought. And it doesn't smell. Strange she'd keep this room cleaner than the rest of the house. Noticing only one computer, he glanced at Autumn. "Is this your personal computer?"