At the end of the hall, Casey opened the door and entered the stifling heat of lizard-land. Reluctant to look at the creatures, she marched straight to Dad’s old desk and sat down. While she listened to the faint sound of voices upstairs, she removed her jacket.
There weren’t many files and the labels meant nothing. By the time she’d thumbed through the first half dozen, her focus was drifting to yesterday’s unsettling chat with Rhonda. Since Lalonde hadn’t yet arrested Darcy on assault charges, Casey felt she had to warn Rhonda about him. Unfortunately, Rhonda hadn’t wanted to hear anything bad about him. In two weeks, she’d gone from searching the man’s things to believing she had a real relationship with the scumbag. Casey had tried to reason with her, but Rhonda had told her to stop accusing Darcy without solid proof. Refusing to stay in the house with him, Casey spent last night on Lou’s couch. He’d wanted her to take the bed, but she’d declined his offer. And he hadn’t suggested sharing it. Just as well.
Her other worry was Simone Archambault. Casey was still waiting to hear from her, and the longer she waited, the more worried she became. She’d pop by her apartment today to see if Simone had left a message there.
Casey finished with the files and closed the bottom drawer. When she sat up she found herself staring at an enormous iguana lumbering toward her. She jumped out of the chair.
“Woah, where did you come from?” She sidestepped to the end of the desk. God, he must have been sleeping or something in front of the easy chairs. “Hi, Sydney, aren’t you a big boy.”
Nearly six feet long, the beast was a grayish-green color that was dull compared to the vibrant green of the babies she’d seen earlier. Dark bands added a sinister appearance to the tail that swished back and forth. The monster lifted his head higher.
“Nice, Sydney.” She glanced at the closed door. “Pretty boy.”
His claws looked lethal. The beast lowered his head and raised it again. Oh lord, how fast were these beasts when they attacked? Could she make it to the door? The iguana moved toward the front of the desk. Casey retreated to the chair. The sound of footsteps heading down the stairs allowed her to breathe again.
“Come on, Vincent,” she mumbled, “hurry up.”
She heard Vincent thank the client for coming by and the client’s reply fade. The front door closed.
“Vincent, I’m in here,” Casey called out, and tried to appear nonchalant as he opened the door.
“Oh, I see you met Sydney,” he said.
“Yes, any other pets wandering around?”
“No.”
Sydney lumbered out of the room and down the hall. Mercifully, Vincent shut the door after him, then turned and looked at Casey. His black dress pants and shirt made him look thinner than ever.
“I’m afraid I don’t have much time. I have to leave for a family dinner soon.”
“Sorry, Vincent, I didn’t realize you’d be so busy on a Sunday.”
“I’m usually not, but it was my client’s only free day.”
Casey moved to the visitor’s chair while Vincent took his place behind the desk. He seemed shaky. Was it because of his MS or the client, or her visit? The man didn’t look strong enough to whack someone fifty or sixty times with a meat cleaver. Besides, Darcy Churcott had soared to top spot on her suspect list.
“I didn’t get a chance to see Mother in Europe, but I met Theo Ziegler. What I need to know from you is if Mother’s involved in importing illegal or stolen goods for Ziegler.”
“I already told you—no, not that I’m aware of.”
She stared at him. “Vincent?”
“All right,” he sighed, “I think some of their clients were criminals, but neither Marcus nor Lillian ever hinted at moving stolen or illegal merchandise.”
“Did Dad ever mention two Mexican clients named Joseph and Carlos?”
“I remember him dealing with a couple of guys from Mexico, but I don’t remember the details.”
“Then they haven’t come here, asking you about some money Dad owed him?”
“No,” Vincent frowned. “Why?”
“First, do you know the name Darcy Churcott?”
Vincent sat back in the chair. “He was involved in the import business, but I’m not sure in what capacity. I do know that Marcus thought he was bastard with a real mean streak. I heard him have words on the phone with Churcott a couple of times.”
Great, just great. Casey’s stomach began to flutter. “Ziegler told me that Osterman was the anti-social mean one.”
Vincent shrugged and clasped his hands together. “All I know is that Marcus and Lillian liked him.”
“Or Ziegler lied.”
“He might be involved in some illegal activity.” Vincent gazed at the snake cages beneath the window. “I think Marcus knew it and wanted to break with him, but I’m basing this entirely on bits of overheard conversations. Neither of your parents ever discussed this with me directly.”
Or was he trying to protect his own ass? Casey heard a noise at the door. Oh geez, maybe Sydney wanted in again. “Vincent, did you give Detective Lalonde everything you had on TZ Inc., or are there more documents somewhere?”
“I gave him everything, though I’m not sure Lalonde believed me because he hinted about coming back with a search warrant, which he hasn’t yet.”
Casey stood and picked up her jacket. “The Marine Drive house was robbed and vandalized while I was away. I’m going to check the damage.”
Vincent got to his feet. “That’s awful.”
“Oh, and one more thing,” she watched him a few seconds. “Did you know that Dad had access to three million dollars in cash from his import business?”
His eyes bulged as he leaned on the desk. “And he didn’t put any of it into our firm?”
“It seems so. There’s disagreement about who the money belongs to. Ziegler thinks Dad was murdered for it by these Mexicans, Carlos and Joseph, but I have my doubts.”
Vincent ambled to the door. “Where’s the money now?”
“No one knows, but I think that’s why the house was ransacked. Maybe the thief found it.”
“This place was broken into last year.”
“Really?”
“I nearly caught the guy once, spotted him bolting out the back when I opened the front door.” Vincent leaned against the door. “For a moment, I thought he was Marcus. Guess that doesn’t seem so strange now.”
“Did you call the police?”
“No, nothing was taken. I drove to Marine Drive, though, to see if he was actually alive.”
“And?”
“No one was there and I was too busy to chase ghosts.” He gazed at the floor. “Funny thing, though. Twice I’ve had the feeling someone’s been here while I was out. Sydney would be agitated, and the place somehow felt a little different.”
“Maybe somebody found a way to deactivate your alarm. Do you keep a consistent routine?”
“Pretty much. Grocery shopping on Saturdays, Sunday dinner with my folks.”
As he opened the door Casey stepped back, but Sydney wasn’t there. She entered the hallway and spotted the monster heading for the kitchen.
“Thanks for seeing me, Vincent.”
Forty minutes later, Casey was showing a security guard her ID and asking to enter the house. The wary guard called his boss. After Casey informed the boss that she no longer needed security personnel, the guard showed her how to operate the new alarm, then left.
Without furniture, the rooms looked larger, the floors and walls dirtier. The living room floor would need replacing. Damaged boards were scattered around a four-foot-wide hole. Stepping up to the hole, she looked down at more debris and a few hand tools. Maybe the vandal wasn’t finished.
Casey’s footsteps echoed across the hardwood floor and into the dining room. This floor hadn’t been touched, or the one in the kitchen.