“Gislinde adored Marcus. She wouldn’t have killed him.”
“Would her adoration have turned to hatred if Mother had come between them?”
Theo’s long dark eyes didn’t blink. She saw the uncertainty in his face.
A thunderous crash from the ceiling and an uproar of laughter made Casey flinch. The jumper must have missed the bed. She moved to the window overlooking an alley.
“Theo, do you think the Mexicans are entitled to the money?”
“No, in fact a significant portion of Marcus’s fee was supposed to go back into the partnership.”
Just as she thought, Theo wanted that money. “Gislinde said Dad was planning to end your partnership.”
“Yes.” Theo hesitated. “Marcus wanted to form his own company. I didn’t like it, but as long as he honored contract clauses, it was okay. The problem was that he reneged on a couple of clauses, so we agreed to meet and sort things out. Unfortunately, I was too late.”
“How did you learn about the murder?”
“Marcus was supposed to pick me up at the airport that night. When he didn’t show, I called the house and got no answer, so I took a cab and arrived shortly after eleven.” Theo looked out the window. “The front door was unlocked, which seemed odd, so I walked in and found him on the floor in his den.”
“The police weren’t called until midnight, which gave you an hour to remove any evidence linking him to TZ Inc.” Casey didn’t wait for a response. “Think you swept up any murder clues?”
“I was careful.”
“Are you sure? The address book Lalonde found had your name and two addresses inside, one for San Francisco, the other for Geneva.” Casey watched his impassive expression. “I’m guessing you found Dad’s current planner or whatever type of itinerary he kept, so why not take his address book too?”
“It wasn’t in his den. I started searching the living room when I heard a dog barking out front and some guy yelling at it to shut up. I dialed the police and took off.”
“Did you break in the next day to keep looking for the address book, or were you after the money?”
“Both, but first I had to find his house keys, which I never did. Do you have them?”
“I have one.”
The room felt stuffy. Casey released a brass latch and pushed open the window. The odor of rotting food mingled with the damp air. She looked up and down the alley. No sign of lurkers. She turned to Theo. “Have you heard of a woman named Simone Archambault?”
Theo’s eyes widened. “Do you know her?”
“We talked on the phone.” No need to mention her trip to Victoria.
“How did you find her? Is she in Paris?”
“I came across her phone number in Dad’s house, and I have no idea where she is right now.” Dad had wanted her to find the receipt, not Theo, or he wouldn’t have stashed it in their secret spot. “Simone insists Dad’s been dead three years, despite the body in the morgue.”
“She and Marcus were close, I gather. Maybe she knows about the Mexicans and is afraid they’ll come after her.”
Or she was afraid of Theo. Casey remembered Simone asking if she’d been followed.
“I need to ask her about these clients,” Theo said, leaning against the wall. “May I have her number?”
“I don’t remember it and the slip of paper with her number is at home.” A lie, actually. “Why would Dad have told her more than he told you?”
“Possibly because hardly anyone knew Simone existed. I also know that she’s elderly and slightly eccentric, so who would think she’d be privy to confidential business matters?”
Casey looked up at the sky, wishing the moon was visible. Above her, music began to play, and it sounded like people were dancing.
“Every day seems to get darker,” she said. “Strange, isn’t it, since we’re heading into summer.”
“Only if you assume that the opposite of dark is light.”
“Oh?” She turned to him. “And what do you think it is?”
Theo studied her. “Truth.”
Casey chuckled. “Yeah, well, I’ve learned a few truths on this trip and things just keep getting darker.”
“May I take you out of this dark, pink misery and buy you a drink?”
“Thanks, but no, I’m exhausted.”
Theo strolled to the chair and picked up his jacket. “Are you angry with me for not being more forthcoming?”
“More distrustful than angry.”
He put on his coat. “What can I do to change that?”
“Answer a few more questions.”
“I’ll try, but I won’t compromise my clients’ privacy.”
“What does Gustaf Osterman look like?”
He swept his hand over his hair. “Middle-aged, light brown hair, average build; but why do you want to know?”
“I’m not sure. I just have a feeling about him, that’s all. Think he stayed in touch with other employees or associates of yours?”
“I doubt it.” Theo put on his jacket. “Gustaf wasn’t easy to get along with. Whenever you bring up his name I think of all the arguments between us.”
Casey perched on the edge of the windowsill. “Is your import business legitimate?”
Overhead, more feet stomped to the beat of loud music.
“Some of the things we buy and sell are controversial, but not illegal.”
“Give me an example of controversial.”
“Technology.”
Casey thought she heard something outside. She jumped up and scanned the alley. No sign of anyone, but she closed the window anyway.
“You’re a bit edgy, aren’t you?” Theo remarked.
Casey told him about the American’s attempt to mug her and the invasion of her hotel room.
“I did warn you,” he said.
A body crashed to the floor above her and Casey winced. Another chorus of laughter erupted. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and instant silence. A man began yelling.
“Looks like I’ll have a peaceful night after all,” she said.
Theo picked up his coat. “May I buy you breakfast tomorrow?”
“Sure, but I’ll be checking out and heading back to England before noon.” Now that he knew where she was staying it was unlikely she’d get rid of him anyway.
“Would you like to see more of the English countryside?”
“No, thanks.” The last thing she needed was to be alone with this guy on a remote road.
“What more do I have to do to earn your trust, Casey?”
She thought about this. “There’s one thing that would make a difference, depending on how much influence you have with my mother.”
“Well, she does listen to me.”
“Mother’s threatened to tell Rhonda’s adopted daughter the truth about her birth, to hurt Rhonda, and I’m asking you to tell her to stop.”
“Why would Lillian want to hurt Rhonda?”
“There’s a lot of history between them, and Rhonda’s engagement to Dad didn’t help things. But an eleven-year-old child doesn’t deserve to be caught in the middle.”
“Agreed, but I’d have more leverage if I knew the details.”
Casey sighed. She didn’t want Theo to know Rhonda’s private business, but if it meant keeping Mother from hurting her and Summer, then it was worth the risk.
“Summer’s biological mother was a heroin addict. She also happened to be Rhonda’s younger sister.”
“The sister you mentioned at dinner the other night—the one who overdosed?”
“Yeah, it happened two months after Summer was born. The father could have been one of several guys, none of them any good, from what I heard.”
“Why doesn’t Rhonda tell her daughter the truth before Lillian does?”
“She’s terrified Summer will hate her for lying all these years. Rhonda made up an elaborate story about giving birth, the whole bit. Anyway, Mother recently found out the truth from Summer’s grandmother. It’s bad enough that Rhonda’s afraid of being attacked by the same freak that went after Lou, but this too?”