âGetting ready to chop me off at the knees, I imagine.â
In response to Bill Whittenâs keyboard commands, the TV monitor slid back into the cabinet, the doors in front of it closed, and the blinds opened, filling the room with the unexpected light of watery, midwinter sunshine. Watchingthis process I remembered what Whitten had said to me earlier, in the car, about him being a prime suspect.
âIs there any truth in Don Wolfâs charges?â I asked. âThat you were diverting funds?â
Whittenâs somber gaze met mine across a vast expanse of polished desk. âThere are diversions and then there are diversions,â he said.
âIn the event of an independent audit of the company books, do you think youâd be exonerated?â
âThat depends on the CPA,â Whitten answered casually, but not quite casually enough. Something in the way he looked at meâthe tiniest flicker of an eyelid perhaps, put me on edge and on point. Before I could say anything further, however, he reached out and tapped the keyboard once more, unlocking the door to his office. He immediately pushed a button on his phone.
âYes, Mr. Whitten?â
âDeanna, I need you to make copies of these three tapes for Detective Beaumont. Heâll need them as soon as possible.â
âI may not be able to do that until after lunch,â she said.
Whitten glanced at me. âDo you want to wait?â he asked. âOr would you rather have them delivered later on today?â
I checked my watch. The morning was already almost gone, and I had barely made a start. âIt might be better to have them delivered.â
Whitten spoke back into the intercom. âWhenever you get around to it will be fine,â he said. Then he turned his attention on me. âI suppose youâll need to see both his apartment and his car, wonât you?â
âYes, butââ
He punched the intercom again. âDeanna, youâll also need to call the manager over at Lake View. Even though you canât tell Jack Braman whatâs happening, you can let him know that Detective Beaumont will be stopping by. Jack should let him into the apartment. Weâll fax written permission if he needs it. And call the dealer on the car lease and see if he can make arrangements for a duplicate key on Donâs Intrepid.â
âRight away,â Deanna answered.
âWhy is it you have access to Don Wolfâs apartment?â I asked.
âD.G.I. owns it,â Whitten replied. âDon leased it from the company temporarily in order to facilitate his move up from California. Lake View is on Lake Union, just south of the Fremont Bridge. Do you know where that is?â
âI can find it. Now about these tapesâ¦â
âYes?â
âIf the taping was done without consent, and if word about them gets out, you could end up having an invasion-of-privacy problem on your hands.â
âWith the girl?â
âPossibly.â
Whitten shrugged. âI guess weâll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it. I look at itthis way: With Don Wolf dead, sooner or later youâd come looking for me because of what was going on between the two of us. If nothing else, the tape shows that Iâm not the only one who had a problem with good olâ Mr. Don Wolf. I may be a good solid suspect, but at least Iâm not the only one.â
I did my job thenâthe job Iâm paid to do. Even though my motivation was lacking, even though Don Wolf wasnât a prince among men, I was still obligated to investigate his murder. As I pulled out my low-tech notebook and pencil, I glanced back over my shoulder toward what I was sure was a dummy thermostat near the door.
âAre we being taped?â I asked.
Whitten grinned. âWe could be if you want to be.â
âNo, thanks,â I said. âIâll pass.â
I spent the next hour asking