The Price of Greed

CHAPTER 39

Friday

"Brighton Investigations, how may I help you?"

"Is Jarlayne there please?"

"Oh... uh- just a sec..."

"Hello, Hood."

"Hi. I was wondering—"

"I'm in court all morning for a client but I can be free for a bit around one."

"Oh... sure, that'd be great. I just want to tell you how things turned out."

"I'd like to hear."

The silence became too awkward to manage and Jarlayne finally broke it off with regrets that she had to get to court.

"I'll call."

"Sure. Bye."

********

"Gloria made her own bed, Victor. It's unfortunate but it has happened and you have to move on. At least you won't have to go through a messy divorce now." Charlotte handed him a large snifter of brandy and poured one for herself.

"That's a bit cold, Charlotte; she was my wife."

"Please, don't give me the grieving husband bit. You were threatening to crush her into the dirt when you found out about the codes... and you never did have any proof that she took them."

He snorted and took a sip of brandy. "I didn't need proof; Gloria's fingerprints were all over that scam."

"Be that as it may, here's to us and a new future, and thanks for seeing me out of the police custody."

Victor looked at her with a fuzzy stare. "Why did they pick you up anyway?"

"Detective Hood had a theory that was obviously baseless."

"Yes, but how did you even figure in his theory?"

Charlotte set down her drink and stood at ease in front of Victor, hands on hips and eyes riveted on his.

"I will tell you everything you want to know, Victor."

"What I want to—"

"Silence!" The command was so sharp Victor blinked and shrank back in his chair.

"After nearly fourteen years of dutifully sitting by while you played in your power sandbox, enjoying boating and golfing conferences and taking speaking engagements with your bigwig cronies, I decided enough was enough. I wanted you out of your company and into retirement and I also wanted rid of your wife."

He opened his mouth to speak and she shut it with a warning finger.

I suggested to Gloria that you were contemplating a divorce and that if she wanted to protect herself financially, because of your prenup, I could show her a way.

"My codes!"

"Don't speak again, Victor." She lifted her glass and drank considerately. "I put her on to Milo who, with a little incentive, made a copy for her. What I didn't expect was Gloria to be clever enough to enlist her brother as an arm's length dealer. Then I planted the bug in your ear about her indiscretion and predictably, you hired your detective. When he presented you with the proof you confronted her and threatened divorce. In self defense, she threatened you with our arrangement.

"You called her bluff and fired Milo then started proceedings. Gloria panicked because she didn't have the codes. When she got them she had her brother call immediately and ask for a sum that she knew would make you reconsider. Frankly, so did I when I heard the amount. The problem was your detective got into the mix and Gloria's brother was exposed before you made a payment."