CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Duncan actually had the nerve to ask, "How is that important?"
She shook her head in disbelief. "Uh, maybe because the Mannings hate you?"
"Not enough to kill somebody."
His faith in the Mannings didn't mirror hers. People were capable of anything given the right set of circumstances and the proper motivation. The list of Kane family secrets and sins was enough fodder for a network television series and yet Duncan was still clueless. His ability to see things the way he wanted to see them was astounding. Sighing, she sat in one of the visitor chairs.
"I assume your mother gave him stock too." At his nod, she asked, "how much?"
A shrug. "Eighty million shares?"
When he showed up at the house to enlist her help, he told her, 'my mom really pushed for me to come home; she's the one who worked things out with the Mannings'; so it shouldn't surprise her that Celeste's way of "working things out" was with a board seat and stock. After all, money is the go-to solution for all the Kane's problems —she smirked— money and murder.
"Were they Class B, super-voting shares?"
His eyes widened in surprise at her knowledge and it ticked her off, but not as much as his, "Someone was paying attention in FBLA." It was the same mocking tone that angered Logan.
"Just answer the question Duncan."
"Yes, they were part of her Class B shares." He started clearing papers off his desk. "I don't see the big deal; there are eight billion shares of Kane Software- it's only one percent."
But with ten votes each it was more like ten percent of control. Veronica needed to call Tomás. "Is Celeste selling the rest of her shares?"
"Yes and no. She's transferring a bulk of them to Laurel and selling the rest. She doesn't want to be part of Kane Software anymore." His mouth twisted into a grimace of disapproval. "I don't think she ever wanted to be part of the company; she just wanted my dad to pay for—"
There were too many ways to finish that sentence, but from Duncan's abrupt silence and deep flush, Veronica knew he was going to say Lianne. That was a discussion she would have with Duncan- never. "Giving her shares to Laurel?"
A look of relief crossed his face and he nodded. "She's putting them in Laurel's trust."
Veronica frowned. "Who are the trustees?" They would have the power to vote Laurel's shares.
"I'm the sole trustee."
Her cell chimed with an incoming text; it was from Logan and read: lunch? She typed out a quick give me an hour and hit send. "Does anyone else have super shares?"
"No, just Celeste, Laurel and me… and now Stewart."
It was blunt, but there was no delicate way to ask so she forged ahead. "Duncan, if something happens to you, who are the successor trustees and who gets custody of Laurel?"
"Stewart and Rose." A forced chuckle, "I better hope I don't die, right?"
"Was that part of the 'deal' to bring you home?" She used air quotes around the word deal. The pieces were coming together and they weren't creating a pretty picture.
"It's complicated, but yes. They get visitation rights and if something happens to me, they get full custody."
His blasé attitude about Laurel's custody irked her. Appointing guardians for Wyatt was a decision she and Logan had wrestled with for months and here was Duncan acting like it was inconsequential. He'd read Meg's emails to Child Protective Services, he'd seen Grace in that closet and yet he was still willing to risk it. "Meg—"
"Isn't here."
Her lips pursed in disapproval. She couldn't decide if he agreed simply for the selfish reason of wanting to come home or if he really believed nothing would happen to him while Laurel was still a minor. Probably both. Again, he was being naive- seeing the world the way he wanted it to be instead of facing reality. Meg would not be happy. She sighed. There's nothing you can do about it, Veronica.
"Could Stewart have stolen the Smartpaper drawing?"
He shook his head. "He doesn't come here and he's got no access to the lab."
If that was true, someone else needed to steal the drawing. Stewart has an accomplice; now the question was who? Getting up from her chair, she slung her messenger bag over her shoulder. "What time's the party on Saturday?"
"Eight." Duncan scribbled an address on a Post-it note and handed it to her. "It's at my new house."
She barely glanced at the paper; her focus still on the case and the accomplice. "Who told you Microtech was working on a bendable phone?"
"Rick…no, wait" —he frowned— "It was either Jim or Nigel." A one-shouldered shrug, "Someone in R&D."
As Stewart's contemporary, her first choice would've been Charles Shepherd, but if the Microtech rumor came from the R&D department that ruled him out. Veronica gave Duncan an absentminded nod and headed for the door.
"Are you still taking Laurel bowling? She's looking forward to it."
"Friday at five." she confirmed. "Should we pick her up here?" Veronica waved the Post-it.
"No, we'll still be at the Grand. We won't move in until after the party."
"Okay." Pulling open the door, she started to leave.
"Uh, it was nice to see you too Veronica; stop by anytime."
Without comment, she let the door close on his sarcastic goodbye. If her theory was right and Stewart was only pretending to steal Smartpaper then his accomplice would've been the one to start the Microtech rumor. That left the three people Duncan mentioned: Rick Abbott, head of the department and possibly the person responsible for Mac working that Saturday; Jim Soong, computer engineer and head of the project; and, Nigel Clark, computer programmer who knew Mac and could've known she worked for Mars Investigations. Did any of them have a connection to the Mannings?
On her way past the reception desk, she ignored the contemptuous glare from McFrosty. The security guard was back at his post by the entrance. Veronica paused long enough to offer him a smile.
"Don't worry, Gregg; he's still in one piece," she informed him before sailing through the glass doors. Getting in the car, she started the engine and pulled from the lot.
There was definitely more going on at Kane Software than faked espionage. Veronica was sure that Stewart Manning was planning to take over the entire company and he needed his granddaughter to do it. Once the transfer of shares happened, was he going to sue for custody of Laurel and control of her trust? Or were his plans more sinister? Just how seriously was Stewart taking the show no pity; life for life, eye for an eye passages in the Bible?
Her luck held and the traffic on the 5 was still moving at a rapid clip. Taking the exit for Front Street, she followed the GPS as it took her to Cedar and then to the turn for Fourth Avenue. Even without the GPS it would be hard to miss the computer store. Its concrete front was painted a bold orange with its name plastered above and across the plate-glass windows in bright blue letters. There was metered street parking and Veronica found a spot midway down the block under a flowering jacaranda tree. She needed to make this quick; she'd used more than half of the hour she asked Logan for and she didn't want to leave them waiting in the diner for too long.
The bold color choices continued inside the shop with walls the same shade as a ripe kiwi. A counter with open laptops ran along one wall and a lone guy was sitting on a high black stool fiddling with the laptop on the end. He looked up as she entered. "Can I help you?"
"I need a laptop."
"You've come to the right place" —he smiled— "What did you have in mind?"
Something I can ruin with a can of soda. "Something cheap." From his lack of reaction she guessed that was a standard customer request. He started to ask her about RAM and what size hard drive she needed and which programs she used. In order to cut this short, Veronica conjured up Amber. "Uh, do you like have any pink ones?"
It was enough to make him realize that she didn't care about its specifications only its color and price. He showed her a thirteen inch Macbook Pro and put a see-thru pink case on the counter next to it. "Apple laptops don't come in colors."
"Bummer." The price tag for the reconditioned laptop wasn't cheap and she was reluctant to spend close to a thousand dollars. You're not really paying for it, Veronica- Duncan is. She handed him the Mars Investigations credit card.
He studied it and her; afraid it was a fake. It was the first time during the entire exchange he seemed unsure. "Do you have photo ID?"
Veronica handed him her license. It was good to know that Amber would never pass as a private investigator. Between her airhead act and a disguise hopefully Nigel would be too busy with the computer to pay attention to her. She signed the charge slip and put the receipt in her wallet for the expense report before returning to the car.
The Corvette Diner was at the edge of a section known as Liberty Station; designated a historic place, it was the site of the former Naval Training Center. Logan liked to bring the baby down here to play in the waterfront park and watch the planes. When Veronica suggested he bring Wyatt to see the USS Midway, he declared he'd had enough of aircraft carriers for awhile and he'd wait until she was older.
She frowned. It wasn't that she didn't believe him. He'd had two years to think through his decision to not reenlist. And, for as much as he loved the Navy, he hated being away from Wyatt. His last deployment had been rough for him; letter writing and emails were not ideal communication methods for a baby. So she understood his reasoning, but sometimes making a choice was easier than living with the reality of it. Veronica shook her head. Logan's therapist, Dr. Feelgood, would tell her she was creating problems where none existed. This is where he wants to be.
Making the left on Decatur, she drove past the diner and made another left into its parking lot. She put the laptop in the trunk and traversed the lot to the restaurant. The diner itself was all chrome and neon and noise. With waitresses in poodle skirts and beehive hairdos, an actual soda fountain and a classic blue and white Corvette in the center of the restaurant, it was Fifties kitsch. Veronica walked past the hostess station and circled around the Corvette. Logan and Wyatt were sitting side by side in a booth near the DJ. As she got closer she could hear their conversation.
"This many." Wyatt held up one finger.
Logan shook his head. "That was your last birthday." She studied her hand and then held up all five fingers making him laugh. "Whoa, let's not rush time okay." Gently, he folded down three of her fingers. He tapped her fingertips and counted aloud. "One, two."
Wyatt giggled and popped all five fingers back up. "This many."
Enfolding her hand in his, he placed a kiss in the center of her palm. He raised his eyes and caught Veronica watching them. "Look who's here, Jellybean."
The baby turned her head and shouted, "Mama!" It was loud enough to be heard over the doo wop music and made half the diners turn in their direction, but Veronica didn't care. She relished the joy on Wyatt's face caused by her arrival.
Leaning over, she kissed the top of her head. "Did you have fun at the museum?"
Wyatt nodded. "Look," she shoved a misshapen lump of clay into Veronica's hands. It had streaks of yellow and black paint with black pipe cleaners sticking from its middle. "A bum bee."
"A bumble bee just like my baby; I love it." Smiling, she ducked down to give Wyatt another kiss. "It's very pretty." Sugar packets littered the empty side of the booth preventing her from sitting down. Veronica scooped them up and dumped them on the table.
"We were playing sugar bowl," Logan explained.
"Say what now?"
He moved the napkin holder and the ketchup bottle to the edge of the table. Then he took a sugar packet and flicked it across the Formica surface; it sailed between the chrome holder and Heinz ketchup landing on the booth seat. Wyatt raised both her arms in the air and yelled, "Tore!" Score, Logan gave the baby a high five.
Veronica bit her lip to keep from smiling and shook her head. "I think you're this many," she wiggled five fingers at him before picking up the sugar packet and sliding into the booth.
His smile was unabashed. "How did it go with Nigel?"
"Amber is meeting him later with her damaged laptop." She moved the napkins and ketchup out of the way. "Menus?"
"I already ordered for you- plain grilled chicken over a garden salad with a glass of ice water." At her look of dismay, he chuckled. "Relax, Mars; I got you the California Dreamin' and your milkshake."
"Mmm." The burger was one of her favorites; made with guacamole, green chilies and pepper jack cheese. "Fries or onion rings?"
"Both."
"You're a good man, Charlie Brown." Wyatt was kneeling in her seat still trying to flick her finger against her thumb and hit the sugar packet. Veronica tilted her head toward the baby. "Why no high chair?"
"She needs to be free." She raised a questioning eyebrow at the reason, but Logan didn't elaborate; he just smiled and said, "Wait and see."
The waitress brought their food; two California Dreamin' burgers and for the baby, a grilled cheese sandwich. In addition to the double order of fries and onion rings, he'd also ordered the boneless Buffalo wings and fried pickle appetizers. "I think I'm in love."
Logan smirked. "With me or the food?"
Echoing his earlier answer, she replied, "Both," and popped a fried pickle in her mouth. The waitress returned with two milkshakes and their side cars— the metal tin with the excess— and set them down in front of Veronica. One was the peanut butter, chocolate, and banana; the other was the Elvis- peanut butter, banana and marshmallow. "I take it back; I'm definitely in love."
He tapped one of the glasses. "You know this one is mine and Wyatt's, right?"
"Shucks," Veronica said, snapping her fingers.
The DJ announced the Corvette Diner dancers as Wilson Pickett's Land of 1000 Dances began to play. The wait staff lined up in front of the soda fountain and started shaking blue and yellow pom-poms.
"Me dance too," Wyatt slid off her seat disappearing under the table. She duck-walked out from beneath the booth in time for do the alligator. After watching the waitresses, she copied them. First, holding out her arms and clapping them together like an alligator's jaw and then rocking her hips from side to side. Her movements were a step behind and completely out-of-sync with the music, but they were adorable.
Veronica grinned and glanced at Logan who was recording the dance on his cell phone. When they got to the na, na-na na-na part of the song, Wyatt put her arms in the air, turned in a circle and wiggled her butt making the yellow tutu shake. Veronica was sad to see the song end.
Logan stopped recording and leaned over to help Wyatt climb back on the bench. "Are you hungry after all that dancing?"
Wy nodded and stared at her sandwich. Her gaze moved to Logan's burger, then to the French fries and settled on the milkshake. It didn't take a genius to see where this was heading. She pushed away her plate. "No want."
Picking his battles, Logan cut his burger in half and scraped off the guacamole and chilies. He swapped the half burger for her grilled cheese and added a few fries to Wyatt's plate. She smiled at him, her face beaming and Logan kissed her nose. "Now eat your lunch."
"Okay Daddy." She picked up the burger and took a big, showy bite. "Mmm."
He averted his face so she wouldn't see him grin at the over-the-top demonstration. "So… what did Amber do to her laptop?"
"Oh my God, I like totally spilled my Diet Coke on it."
Pausing with the burger halfway to his mouth, he asked, "What happens when he sees you at Celeste's party and you're not Amber?"
"I'm like totally gonna wear a disguise, natch."
There was a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Knee high socks and a plaid mini-skirt?"
"Maybe," she teased.
He tried to cover his groan by taking a bite of his burger and slowly chewing. "Your mystery woman from the photo wasn't at the museum."
"Of course not, that would be too easy." Veronica took a bite of her own burger and sipped her milkshake. "What about Vanessa?"
"She was there." Downcast eyes and a glum tone could either mean he didn't find out anything or he was sorry he did.
He checked Wyatt's lunch progress. The burger was only missing that first bite, but she'd finished her fries and was nibbling on a piece of grilled cheese as her gaze skipped around the diner. Logan added a few more fries to her plate and poured some milkshake into his empty water glass. Wyatt didn't even notice; she was too busy watching the other customers and tracking the waitresses to pay attention to her parents.
Logan briefly rested his hand on the top of her head before turning back to Veronica. "She was completely fuck—" He grimaced at his word choice. "Completely wasted."
"Are you sure?"
"Should we review my qualifications?" —he smirked— "Child of an addict, dated an addict, was an addict." The offhand comment and glib tone belied his agitation. "Yes I'm sure and, if I wasn't, the two trips to the bathroom and the resulting gossip would've eliminated any doubt." He glanced at Wyatt. Turned around in her seat, she was half-standing, half-kneeling and peering over the back of the booth. "She was using coke on a trip to the museum with her child."
Veronica frowned. Lisa got it wrong. Their client wasn't just interested in the trust fund; he was actually worried about his child and with good reason. If Vanessa was using coke during day trips with her son and driving under-the-influence with him in the car, what else was she doing? "Now we need proof for the Court."
Logan nodded. "I made a play date for the kids at her house."
"No," she shook her head. "You can't take our—"
"Veronica, do you really think I'd bring Wyatt?"
She had to admit that didn't sound like something Logan would do. "Then how are you going to show up for a child's play date without said child?"
"Well, see I have this bitch of an ex-wife who at the last minute decided I couldn't have my daughter for the day." He batted his eyes at her. "Vanessa and I bonded over how truly terrible our exes are."
"Bonded, huh? I thought you weren't even going to talk to her?"
"I wasn't." His lips thinned and the muscles in his jaw tightened. "But we can't just leave her kid with her, we need to do something."
"Okay," she conceded. "What's your plan?"
"We'll commiserate for awhile and I'll plant cameras around her house."
She smiled. "See? I told you - best husband ever."
"Yeah, but only you would be jazzed about her husband pretending to be her ex, calling her a terrible bitch and going on a date with another woman."
"Subterfuge and illegal spying are the ways to this girl's heart." With her straw, Veronica slurped up the last of her shake and looked at his. "And sharing your milkshake of course."
"Of course." Logan pushed his glass closer to her. "What time is Amber meeting Nigel?"
"Five thirty." She transferred her straw to his shake. "Max called me; he wants to meet tomorrow to show me what he's found on Lisa. He says it's weird."
"Weird how?"
"He wouldn't tell me." Her petulance garnered a grin from Logan. "Your lack of compassion makes me not want to share the identity of Kane Software's new board member."
"But you will anyway." Wyatt was now on her feet and starting to jump on the bench. Shifting in his seat, Logan picked her up and sat her on his lap. Before she could protest the interruption in her jumping, he gave her another quarter of her grilled cheese. "New board member?" He prompted.
"That's not fair - I can't resist you when you're holding Wyatt."
"Good to know." He rested his cheek on the top of the baby's head and smiled at Veronica, ratcheting up the irresistibility factor.
She tossed up her hands in mock surrender. "Fine… it's Stewart Manning. Celeste gave him her seat and some stock so he wouldn't protest Duncan's plea bargain."
"That makes more sense than the Mannings just really wanting to see their granddaughter."
Veronica smirked. "I knew you were eavesdropping on our conversation by the pool… why don't you believe they wanted to see Laurel?"
"If it was completely altruistic, why not reach out to Duncan before now? They had to know his family was helping him. Stewart could've gone to Jake or Celeste at any time to plead their case, but no… they were only interested because of the money."
"That's sad." She shook her head. "Laurel really won the genetic lottery with both sets of grandparents, didn't she?"
Doleful eyes accompanied his sigh. "At least Wyatt has your dad."
That was something Logan wasn't looking forward to - their daughter being old enough to ask questions about Aaron, Lynn, and Lianne: an abusive, child-molesting murderer, a pill popping suicide victim, and an alcoholic. Wyatt didn't really win the grandparent lottery either.
"Does Stewart being on the board have anything to do with the accident?"
"I don't know, maybe? Celeste is putting the rest of her stock into a trust for Laurel. So as her guardian, Duncan will have control of those super voting shares."
"But if the Mannings sue for custody…"
Veronica nodded. "They could petition the Court for guardianship of her and her assets."
"Would that be enough to force Duncan from the company?"
"It might, but what if they had a different plan? If something happens to Duncan, not only do his shares go to Laurel, but Stewart and Rose get custody of her."
"Wait, are you saying he plans to kill Duncan?"
"Think about it. If Lisa or Mac stumbled across a murder plot, it would be a better motive for the accident than a corporate takeover." A contract killer would be able to stage the crash to look like an accident and if Stewart already had one on speed dial for Duncan, why not use him twice?