Last Seen Alive

Chapter Eight

"Whoa! That's a serious accusation," Kelsey said, while Michael thought over everything he'd just heard.

"Do you have evidence to back that up?" he asked.

Kimberly hesitated. "Amanda's dismissal was pretty ugly. Tracy told her she'd make sure no one else hired her and that if she ever saw her in Pinehive again, she'd bury her."

"Just for leaking information?" Michael frowned. "That's a bit extreme."

"And that's not really enough evidence to support your claim that she killed her," Kelsey added, lacing her fingers under her chin.

In response, Kimberly folded her arms across her chest defensively. "It's still enough for you to look into her."

"Why are you throwing your boss under the bus?" Kelsey asked. "Isn't that against your contract or something?"

"I believe no one should be above the law," she replied with an innocence Kelsey didn't buy. "If my boss is responsible for Jane/Amanda's death, then she should be punished for it, regardless of being a millionaire."

"Thank you for the information, Miss Yates. If that's all--" Michael trailed off dismissively.

"I'm sure it goes without saying, that if you do confirm Jane's identity you'll let me know?" Kimberly said.

He gazed silently at her for a few seconds before saying, "Thank you, once again for stopping by. I trust you can find your way out. My colleague and I have a lot to discuss."

Kelsey barely resisted the urge to jump up and give Michael a high five as Kimberly finally took the hint and went out, leaving the door open. Michael called Lydia right away and shared the information Kimberly provided.

He got off the desk and gestured pointedly at the now vacant visitor's chair. Kelsey rose reluctantly from his and he settled into it while she took the other chair.

"What's your take on Kimberly's claims?" he asked.

"Most of what she said sounded logical, except for Tracy Bandieer's involvement in the whole thing," she replied.

"Elaborate."

"She has some vendetta against Tracy. It's not out of the ordinary for a subordinate not to get along with their employer. But to the point of accusing her of murder...There must be some serious beef there and I think it's about Tracy taking over H.B."

"Why do you think that?"

"Her body language when she talked about Tracy taking over and everytime she addressed her as her boss. It reaked of resentment and hatred."

"Would it be far fetched to say Kimberly killed Amanda so she could frame Tracy and then take over the company?" Michael asked, drumming his fingers absentmindedly on the table.

"I can see how that would be an option, but no. Kimberly is ambitious and power hungry and she'll step on anyone's toes to get what she wants. But she's not the type to get her perfectly manicured hands dirty with murder. So we're back to square one."

"Not entirely. She's given us a possible identity for our Jane Doe. Lydia said she'll see if she can get Amanda's dental records to compare and confirm if it really is her. It might take a while though to track them down."