Pied Sniper, page 18
“How?” I waited as Jonathan’s gaze slid to Grace. “Ah, of course, Grace told you where she was.”
“It wasn’t any secret,” said Grace. “I’m only here because she wouldn’t let me out of my contract and I can’t afford to be sued. But I found a loophole.”
“You did?” I asked.
“The Grand Canyon of loopholes! Tiffany never signed the contract! I’m free.” Grace grinned.
“Do you know why Tiffany wanted to continue the façade of you two being in a relationship?” I asked, returning my attention to Jonathan.
Jonathan shrugged. “Who knows? The views probably. Our viewers regard us as a real-life soap opera and I’ll admit, it hasn’t hurt my career. But I was so done with the charade. I knew it was over as soon as Grace and I started getting close. I told Tiffany I would expose her if she didn’t let it fizzle out and never talk about me again.”
“What did she say to that?” asked Solomon.
“She threatened to tell everyone I was a loser and she dumped me. She also said she had way bigger storylines than ours for her channel.”
“Do you know what she meant by that?”
“No.” Jonathan shook his head. “I only know the stuff we planned in the past with our managers. Tiffany was always hard work, you know? I started avoiding her as often as I could.”
Flavia snorted and rolled her eyes. I’d almost forgotten she was still here but apparently she was listening keenly.
“Was?” I repeated.
“Was. Is. I don’t know.” Jonathan rubbed his head with his hand, apparently unconcerned about the slip.
“Did you get the ring back?” I asked.
“No. I told her I’d be back tomorrow and if she didn’t have it, I’d call the police and refer it to my lawyers. She called me names and told me to get out. I even thought about breaking in and stealing it. What could she do? Report something stolen that she stole?”
“Why didn’t you ask Grace to look for it?” I asked. Glancing up, I noticed Delgado had returned and now stood behind Flavia. His arms were crossed but he didn’t look annoyed at his trip to our building’s reception area.
“I didn’t want to involve her any further. The ring was for her. Plus, if she wore it, she might always associate it with Tiffany, and I didn’t want that. It should make her feel happy. It’s ruined now anyway. I don’t have the ring and the surprise is gone.”
“Oh, honey,” sighed Grace, “you know I don’t need any of that stuff.”
“Where did you go after you argued with Tiffany?” asked Solomon.
“I went to a bar, then back to my hotel and I was so angry I kept on drinking. Then I went out again and walked around for a while. I went back to the hotel and I couldn’t sleep so eventually, I gave up and I went out for breakfast before I wound up in that bar. You can probably check cellphone records, cameras, something must have recorded me. I hate Tiffany, but I didn’t hurt her, I swear!”
“Can I get this on camera?” butted in Flavia. “Can you repeat everything word for word?”
“No,” everyone chorused loudly.
“We’ll check,” said Solomon. “But you need to tell all of this to the police too. I can have someone take you to the station.”
“But I’ve told you everything,” protested Jonathan.
“And you need to tell the same thing to the police so they don’t waste their resources on suspicion of you,” I added. “We’re working with the police and the FBI so I can call ahead and explain.”
“I don’t know what else I can tell them other than Tiffany is bad news. I’m not sure anything about her is real,” said Jonathan.
“That’s something we keep hearing,” I said. “You spent time together. What do you mean?”
“Sometimes, things she says don’t add up. Like her family. She’s supposed to be an orphan but she changed the date of her parents’ death a couple times and once we ran into someone who recognized her from high school. They mentioned her brother. Tiffany said she didn’t have a brother but I could tell she was lying.”
“Yeah, and how did she suddenly have a grandmother if she had no family?” asked Grace.
“She was totally an orphan,” interrupted Flavia. “We had dinner for the anniversary of her parents’ death. I insisted on treating her.”
“Did you ask her about any of those contradictions?” I continued.
“When I tried, she’d say she couldn’t bear talking about it or just cry and tell me I was an asshole for even asking. Didn’t I understand the ‘burden of grief’ she had to bear? I backed off,” said Jonathan. “I felt bad for her.”
“And you?” I asked Grace.
“The only time she ever talked about them was on camera when she was doing a sob story,” she said.
“Same,” said Flavia. “She never wanted to discuss them. There was only that one time. She mentioned a sister once, but when I asked her if her sister survived, she froze before she said she was referring to a sorority sister. I asked her what sorority she pledged and she laughed it off and said she was messing with me. I never really thought about it seriously until now. It didn’t make any sense then or now.”
“I know you’re investigating, but I think we should talk to the police,” said Grace. “I want to get our names cleared and leave this town as fast as we can. Neither of us wants to be here. I never understood why Tiffany wanted to move here.”
“She never said?”
“Not a word.”
“Lexi will call her contacts and I’ll call a car to take you,” said Solomon.
“I’ll make the call,” I said. “Oh, there’s one more thing. Tiffany’s dog.”
“What about him?” asked Grace.
“The police are looking after him but he needs picking up.”
“I’ll take him. If Tiffany wants him back, she can deal with me,” said Grace. “She never actually looked after him anyway. She just wanted to cuddle him and pose with him for her social media. He’ll be better off with me.”
“Okay, then,” I agreed. It wasn’t my business to get in the middle of that and at least Elf would be with someone he knew and hopefully liked. I stepped out of the room and called Garrett.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“We’ve located Jonathan Brett,” I told him.
“The boyfriend? Where is he? We drew a blank. Even his phone isn’t pinging.”
“His phone is out of battery. We brought him to the agency and he wants to talk. He’s got a pretty solid alibi so I don’t think he’s your man. Tiffany’s assistant, Grace Underwood, is here too. They’re in a relationship. Plus, her supposed rival, Flavia, turned up.”
“Any chance they’re in on it together?”
“Not unless they’re very fine actors. Flavia seems genuinely concerned. Grace has a solid alibi too. She was out of town and pictures are all over social media; plus, phone records and probably security camera footage if you need it. Solomon is getting someone to drive them over so you can interview them. Jonathan is pretty angry about everything but he seems willing to talk and has a good explanation for the loud argument at her apartment.”
“Good. I wish you’d called me as soon as you found him.”
“I should have,” I agreed, “But he was largely unconscious.”
“Attacked?”
“Drunk. Any news on your end?”
“Nothing yet. No more demands made to Abigail either. The sooner we get instructions from the kidnappers, the sooner we can set up a sting.”
“Have you learned anything new about Tiffany’s background?” I asked.
“How do you mean?”
“Something keeps coming up. Most of the people who interacted with her didn’t trust Tiffany. I’m going to take a deep dive into her history and see what comes up. She claims to be an orphan but there’s something fishy going on there.”
“Keep me updated.”
“Will do.”
“And Mom says don’t be late for dinner.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Tonight? How am I supposed to know?”
“Nope. Tomorrow.”
“Phew!”
“She says it might be a cold buffet because she’s too busy to make anything more. Do you think she’s okay? It’s not like Mom to avoid cooking.”
“She’s cold cooking,” I said. “That’s a good thing. We can be late and no one will notice.”
“Hah! You try being late without a good excuse. I gotta talk with my team. Check in soon, okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed. When I hung up, I nodded to Solomon. Instead of making a call of his own to summon one of the agency employees, he signaled to Delgado. That was a smart move. Delgado would ensure Jonathan and Grace were safely delivered to MPD, and he’d also surreptitiously listen in on anything they said. “Thank you for being so open with us,” I added, since I sincerely appreciated their candor.
“You’re welcome, I guess,” said Grace. “Anything to get us out of here and back to normal life. I don’t wish anything bad happens to Tiffany and I really do hope you find her safe but I’m sure you’ll understand when I say I never want to see her again.”
I told her I understood before Delgado led them out.
“So what now?” asked Flavia and I jumped. “Obviously, they didn’t do it. So who did? And to whom do I write a check?”
I glanced at my notes. “What do you know about Tiffany’s publicity schemes?” I asked.
“Not much.” Flavia shrugged. “We tried to avoid business talk unless we were with our managers. Mostly, we just did what any good friends do.”
“Did she ever bring up any outlandish schemes in those meetings?”
“Sure. We tossed around all kinds of crazy ideas, but I can tell you for sure, I saw that video and there’s no way Tiffany would hurt herself.”
“Are you unconditionally confident about that?”
“I’m pretty sure. She’s very squeamish. I cut my finger once in the kitchen and she just about passed out.”
“Not even for a lot of money?”
“Tiffany has plenty of money. She doesn’t need to get shot on camera for more.”
“Are you positive about that?”
“Well, yeah. She’s totally rich. Her clothes are all super high-end, she’s only spotted at the best places, and you should have seen her apartment in New York. Tres chic!”
“The apartment she sold?”
“Yeah. I still don’t get why she did that but I guess if a job opportunity comes up that’s totally worth it, I get it.” She glanced around. “Even here, at the crossroads of nowhere and nowhere.”
I didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, I asked, “Tiffany had a job opportunity here?”
“Sure. Producing a movie. She knew it was risky but she promised it would pay off.”
I exchanged looks with Solomon. From the expression on his face, this was the first he’d heard of Tiffany’s involvement in the movie business. “What do you mean, ‘it would pay off’?”
“Well, I helped her with the investment, of course! She had so much tied up in the sale of the apartment and her relocation. Besides, it was hardly anything. I knew she’d pay me back.”
“Did she often borrow money from you?”
“Oh, no! Never. We hardly even split the tabs. Sometimes she’d pay for stuff, sometimes I’d pay for it. Tiffany is pretty forgetful so more often I probably picked up the tab but I know she always felt bad about it.”
“What kind of tabs did you pick up?”
Flavia shrugged. “One for a week we spent in Italy and another for a weekend at Cabo but only because her card was stolen both times. Dinner, a few times. I mean, she often had to leave early and she just forgot. Tickets. That time we went shopping and she forget her… oh.” She stopped, her nostrils flaring, and looked at the floor.
“Flavia?”
“She’d do the same for me,” she sniffed after a moment.
“Has she done the same?”
“Well, no, but she would…” She slid to a stop. “Okay, I know it sounds bad but Tiffany is a sweetheart. She’s fun, and… and…”
“And she never picks up the bill,” I finished for her. “Did you know she was in a lot of debt?”
Flavia twisted strands of her hair and didn’t look at me. “We’ve all got credit cards,” she said.
“But Tiffany doesn’t pay hers.”
“She’s very forgetful.”
“Her New York apartment was slated for foreclosure.”
“That has to be a mistake. Grace got that wrong!”
“And she doesn’t own the Montgomery apartment.”
“Sure she does!” But Flavia didn’t look at me as she protested. Instead, her gaze drifted around the room before finally settling on her pink stilettos as she breathed deeply. In, out, in, out, like she was counting to ten before she burst into anger. Or tears. It was hard to tell. “I think I should go. I have a reservation at the Belmont and I have to make a video appealing for Tiffany’s safe return.” She flittered around, looking for the Hermès purse she dropped onto a desk. I almost asked her if I could touch it but now wasn’t the best time. “I’d still like to help put some more money towards the tip line. People respond faster when there’s more money,” she said with a sigh of resignation. I knew she was thinking, at least, Tiffany would.
“Why don’t we get someone to take you back to your hotel and we’ll be in touch?” I said gently. Next to me, Solomon tapped his phone. “It’s very kind of you to want to help.”
“Sure.”
“Perhaps you could write down everything you remember about her. Maybe ask your friends if they also paid for Tiffany’s expenses?” I suggested.
“I guess I could do that.”
“This is one of our associates,” said Solomon as the office door opened. “He’ll take you to the hotel and here’s my card. If you need anything else, just call.”
Flavia took the card, looked at it, then up at Solomon, batting her eyelashes. “Or call my wife,” added Solomon, indicating me. I smiled and Flavia’s shoulders dropped as she sighed softly.
“Thank you,” she said, gathering herself. “I’ll do that. And I’ll email you the amount I plan to contribute to the tip line reward.”
“I know your friend will appreciate all the help you can give us,” I said.
“I guess I don’t have to ask what you make of everything,” said Solomon after she left.
“The more I hear about Tiffany, the less I like her. She sounds like a grifter.”
“What’re the odds that she owed money to the people who kidnapped her?”
“Higher than a business deal so important in Montgomery that she just had to sell and leave the city to move here. A movie, really? Flavia fell for that?” I dropped into my chair and fixed a look at Tiffany’s laptop. “I need to study this more closely. I must have missed something.”
“Agreed. Why don’t we team up for the next hour? You do that and I’ll deep dive into her finances. If she owes big money to someone unscrupulous, and there’s a paper trail, I’ll find it.”
“There’s definitely something wrong with this case. I can feel it.”
“Trust your instincts.”
“I do. I just don’t know what to do with them.”
“Don’t think too hard. If something’s on your mind, let it come to you. Maybe we just need more pieces of the puzzle before everything becomes completely obvious.”
“I know what’s obvious. I don’t trust a damn thing about Tiffany. This kidnapping included.”
While Solomon went to retrieve his laptop, I called Maddox.
“Garrett filled me in already,” he said. “I’m on the road following a lead but it sounds like you’re making good progress.
“I think so. Jonathan and Grace are on their way over to MPD, and Tiffany’s friend, Flavia is in town. She wants to help.”
“Flavia? The Barbie-doll lookalike that Tiffany is always fighting with?”
“You’ve done your research. She’s staying at The Belmont.”
“You think she’s involved?”
“No, but she’s going to reach out to people they know. I think Tiffany ripped off a lot of people but they failed to notice.”
“Ouch. So what can I help you with? Or are we shooting the breeze?”
“Tiffany was served a subpoena before she left New York. Thought you might want to look into that.”
“Any ideas why?”
“None. Grace saw Tiffany being served but she doesn’t know why.”
“I’ll look into it.”
“What’s your lead?” I asked.
“Probably a dead end so I’ll tell you later. Hey, Lexi?”
“Yes?”
“It’s good to be working together.”
I smiled as I hung up. Solomon brought his laptop out into the office and sat down at Fletcher’s empty desk. He typed in smooth, fast strokes and I knew he was concentrating hard. It wasn’t often that we worked so closely together on a case and there was something warm and fuzzy about it. No breakthroughs, despite his many years of experience, much more than me. That wasn’t comforting. I knew something strange was going on, but what? Could Tiffany really have staged the whole thing? The more I thought about it, the more troubled I was by her owing so much money and probably feeling desperate to pay it off. But would she really do it this way? The notes on her laptop proved she at least considered it.
This time when I opened her laptop, I researched her emails. I needed to know everything about her business dealings, her personal ones, and the ones right before the kidnappers called Abigail with ransom instructions. She certainly had no problem presenting a very fake life to her audience. If Tiffany sponged from her friends so frequently, I was sure she had no problem hiding things from them too.
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