Home of Nancy Winter

Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY

Tuesday, May 20

There were still plenty of cars parked on the Winters' street when they returned, but this time Alex found a spot close to the house. Frannie's minivan and Ron's sedan were missing from the driveway.

Captain Ross had faxed a search warrant to the Safety Shield office before they left. When Bobby called Mrs. Winter, she'd promptly agreed to let them take the laptop for testing. Bobby folded the warrant into his binder, and they walked up the driveway to the house.

They only intended to pick up the laptop and go, but when Mrs. Winter answered the door, she insisted that they come inside. There were fewer people and more flower arrangements than there'd been in the morning.

"Thanks for seeing us again," Alex said

"Come on through to the back porch. Frannie took the children over to her house – they behaved the best they could, but it's hard for them." She paused at the kitchen doorway. "Mark, dear, will you bring the computer from Dad's office? It's under the desk, in that black bag."

Mark Winter was leaning against the refrigerator, talking into his cell phone. He quickly ended the conversation when he saw the detectives. "Sure, no problem." He smiled at Alex as he passed.

The kitchen table and counters were heaped with food: fruit baskets, casseroles and platters of sandwiches. Mrs. Winter waved at the abundance with a brief laugh. "I told Frannie we should start selling gift baskets at the stores – we'll make a mint!"

She needed her handkerchief as her laugh turned into a sob, but she recovered again by the time Mark returned with the black nylon case. He accompanied them out to the deck.

Alex paused behind one of the chairs at the round table on the deck. Mark swiftly slipped past his mother and Bobby to sit in the chair beside her. Alex didn't miss a beat as she calmly moved over, offering the seat instead to Mrs. Winter; she then took the next chair. She kept a straight face although she badly wanted to laugh at Mark's obvious disappointment. Bobby took the fourth spot, next to Alex. She didn't need to look at her partner – he'd seen Mark's attempt.

Mrs. Winter, who hadn't noticed the brief comedy, pushed the case across the table. "You keep it as long as you need," she said. "It's got the cords and everything inside. I don't use it at all."

"Did your husband use it?" Bobby asked.

"A little. I think the last time he opened this thing was when the young man from the security company was testing it."

"What do you think you might find on there?" Mark asked.

"Someone gained access to the store's security system," Alex said. "We need to know the initial point of entry."

"You think it was from this computer?" Mark looked offended.

Bobby replied, "If a hacker found a way to put spyware or malware on it, you wouldn't know it was happening."

The sliding door was opened slowly, and they all turned. A young woman smiled self-consciously as she said, "Aunt Nancy? Frannie's on the phone – do you want to talk to her? Sorry to bother you..."

"That's all right, dear, I'll come in. Please excuse me," Mrs. Winter said as she rose. At the door she looked back. "You be sure to let me know if you need anything else. And don't go without saying goodbye."

Alex shifted restlessly – they'd simply come to get the laptop, and she'd rather not give Mark any opportunities. But as the door slid shut Mark looked at her and asked, "You think someone inside the store did this – an employee?"

"Well, they had easy access," Bobby replied. "Do you think your father's employees are trustworthy?" Bobby rested his elbows on the table, drawing Mark's attention. He didn't seem in a hurry to leave.

Mark shrugged. "Hey, I haven't been around for nearly twenty years, but Dad always tended to think more highly of people than they deserved."

Bobby focused his gaze on Mark, but spoke to his partner. "Trust seems like a commendable trait, Eames, doesn't it?"

Alex asked, "You think your father was gullible?"

"No, nothing like that," Mark quickly replied. "He just... gave people the benefit of the doubt. It worked for him."

"But not for you," Bobby said.

Mark leaned back, looking uneasy. "Look, my dad was a great grocery man – ask anybody - but I couldn't fit into his way of doing business."

"That's why you moved to Florida?" Bobby asked. "To get out of range?"

"I found what works for me," Mark replied. "He understood."

"He certainly was generous," Bobby said. "He got you started in your carpet business. How big of a check did he write for you? Ten thousand? Twenty?"

If Mark was surprised or irritated by the question, he didn't show it. "That would be between me and my parents," he replied with a smile.

"How about Ron?" Alex asked. "Does the grocery business work for him? Is he a great grocery man?"

Mark shrugged again. "Ron... Well, if he wanted, Ron could have done something else, too. Dad never made me feel I had to follow in his footsteps."

"But maybe Ron felt that way," Bobby said, leaning toward Mark. "Maybe he wanted a check and a ticket to Florida, too?"

Mark looked truly uncomfortable now, probably wondering if they suspected his brother. "No, no – Ron's okay with the store. He's fine."

Alex shared a quick look with her partner. Bobby was on the same page: Ron merited a closer look.

She also wanted to get out while Mark was off-balance - she was afraid he'd ask for her number if they stayed any longer.

MCS, 1PP, NY

Tuesday, May 20

Alex led the way out of the elevator into the MCS squad room. She and Bobby strode past their desks to the break area, where she began rearranging items on the counter. Bobby waited patiently, holding a large platter of deli-made sandwiches. Once Alex had cleared enough space she moved aside to let him set it down.

Several detectives and officers had followed them, attracted by the sight of food. They hovered until Alex stepped clear and said, "Help yourselves."

She and Bobby backed away as the sandwiches disappeared. Captain Ross came out of his office to watch, and he joined them.

"What's all this?" he asked.

"Mrs. Winter sent it," Alex said. "She ran out of room in her kitchen, and people kept arriving with food."

"So you were doing her a favor," Ross said with a tight grin.

"She practically twisted our arms, Captain," Alex replied. She didn't mention the large fruit basket that had already been divided and deposited in her car and Bobby's. "Oh, and we saved this one for you. Roast beef." She held out a paper bag.

Ross accepted it. "Thanks. While you were out, we got confirmation on Jared McKay's alibi. He's still in the holding cell – you can street him any time." He turned back toward his office. "Come on in. Did you get the Winters' laptop? I told the IT guys to give you top priority."

"We dropped it off on our way in," Alex said, entering the captain's office. "Mrs. Winter thought it hadn't been turned on in the past week, and the Safety Shield folks told us they reinstalled their program, so..."

Bobby continued, "If someone hacked into the security system, it probably wasn't through this computer."

"What's your theory?" Ross asked. "Have a seat."

The detectives gave him a summary of their interviews at the Safety Shield office.

Bobby concluded, "I think we're looking for someone already inside the system, not an outside hacker. Safety Shield says they restrict the access, but it doesn't look too difficult for an employee to just walk up to a monitor and... explore."

"You have the list of their people with access," Ross said. "Keep searching. What else are you working on?"

"Family members and Winter Market staff," Alex said.

"Plenty of possible suspects," Ross said.

Bobby nodded. "Plus the owner of that other grocery store. We're seeing him tomorrow morning."

"The competition," Ross said.

"Right. Ben Beldsen," Alex said. "His store is called Best Fresh Foods, also in Long Island City. He tried to purchase the same store in Park Slope that Robert Winter got, but he was too late. Apparently Ben has a bit of a temper."

"Okay, keep me updated," Ross said. "I put a rush on the financials of Winter Market. You should have them within the hour. Let me know if you need help." He held up the lunch bag and nodded his thanks.

They didn't really need the interview room, but they both liked having the white boards at hand and a clean table to spread out their work.

"Winter Market has forty-one employees between the two stores," Bobby said. He referred to some stapled sheets. "They're non-union, but they pay comparable wages. The benefits package is decent."

"Well, not everyone may be satisfied," Alex said. "It looks like Lasalle understated those bookkeeping errors. There are consistent cash losses – different amounts, nothing too large."

"Trying not to attract suspicion?"

"If these were really honest mistakes," she said, "you'd think there'd be some errors in the other direction, too. I want to see when this began, and I think we need to talk to Brother Ron."

Bobby picked up a different set of papers and began to study them. In a few minutes he tapped the table to get her attention. "Eames." Alex looked up, and he continued. "When Frannie said there was a fight over the Park Slope property, she wasn't kidding. Beldsen filed a suit against Winter for seven million dollars."

"What? That can't be the value of the property, even if you include all the stuff inside the store."

Bobby kept scanning the documents. "Beldsen claimed he was the first to make an offer to the seller. The seven million reflects his business loss, he said. This would have been his second store, too."

"Wait," Alex said. "He sued Winter? Not the seller?"

Bobby shrugged. "Interesting. Winter's lawyer pointed out that Winter had a contract, and that Beldsen had nothing in writing."

Alex tsked. "Talk about your frivolous lawsuit. It didn't actually go to court, right?"

Bobby quickly checked several pages. "No, it didn't." He looked up at Alex. "There's no record of a settlement, either. Why did Beldsen just give it up after all that effort?"

"Well," Alex said, "our chat with him tomorrow morning should be fascinating."

She went back to the accounts, and Bobby began scanning the LUDs for the Winter home. They worked quietly again for a while, each making notes. Finally Alex sat back to stretch her neck, and realized that Bobby was watching her.

"What?" she said.

"Mark Winter is interested in you."

Alex wasn't surprised at his comment – Mark hadn't been subtle. She could tell Bobby was keeping his voice neutral to find out if she returned the interest. "I noticed," she said, setting down her papers. "He was completely inappropriate – who acts like that at a wake for his own father?"

Bobby started fiddling with his highlighter pen. Alex didn't go back to her research. She leaned her forearms on the table to wait for him.

"But, um," he said, "but if – if the circumstances were different..." Bobby looked at some spot on the wall behind Alex. "He looks like a nice guy."

"You know what?" she said. "We don't get different circumstances, Bobby – we just get things the way they happen. And I have a problem with people who-"

Her cell phone, lying on the table, beeped and vibrated with a loud buzz. Alex checked the display. "It's my Mom," she said. "I'm going there for dinner tonight; I bet she's checking up on me."

Bobby rose, but she gestured for him to stay. "It's okay," she whispered to him. She flipped open the phone. "Hi, Mom! Don't worry, I didn't forget."

It was her mother's husband, Dan, who replied. "I know you didn't, Alex, but... we need to postpone."

She smiled. "What? You got a better offer than dinner with me? I admit I'm usually late..."

"No, nothing like that," Dan said. "It's, umm... Well, let me tell you what happened."

Alex's teasing attitude evaporated instantly as Dan explained that her mother had felt unwell yesterday. He'd noticed that she wasn't speaking clearly. He'd immediately given her aspirin and called for an ambulance on the guess that she was having a stroke.

Alex abruptly stood up, knocking her chair over with a clatter. She was vaguely aware that Bobby was standing directly in front of her, watching her keenly. She felt dizzy.