Paws off the Boss - Casey Griffin (best books under 200 pages .TXT) 📗

“It wasn’t,” he said, an amused smirk under his mustache. “That’s why it’s called charity.”

“It was more of a blessing,” Marilyn said. “He used all his own money. Nothing to do with his company.” Her cheer faded, and she began wringing her hands again. “I met Zoe at the old center this morning. She explained everything that happened. I just feel so terrible for keeping you three in the dark about my deal with Mr. Caldwell. I thought it would be a nice surprise, you see. I never imagined how turned around things could get. And, of course, there was the poor timing of my vacation, and then it all went a bit pear-shaped.”

Pieces were fitting together in Piper’s brain, calming the chaos erupting inside. “No, Marilyn. You can’t blame yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Piper coaxed Marilyn into one of the plush chairs, hoping some tea would calm the older woman’s nerves. In fact, she needed to sit herself. Her legs felt like two elastic bands at the moment. She collapsed into a chair.

Colin whined, curiosity nagging him to explore this new place further. But he must have sensed that Piper needed his emotional support more. With an impatient huff, he spun in two circles and settled on the rug next to her.

She ran her fingers through his fur distractedly. “I tried to get ahold of you so many times,” she told Marilyn. “I left a hundred messages on your voice mail and with the cruise ship too. Did you not get them?”

“Not until we docked in Los Angeles late last night.” Her face dipped sheepishly. “Like a daft cow, I dropped my phone overboard the very first day. I would have bought another one at the next port, but I came down with food poisoning, if you can believe it. The seasickness didn’t help much, either. I spent the entire cruise locked in my room or in the infirmary.”

Piper laid a hand over hers. “Oh, no. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“The second I heard all of your messages, I tried to call you right away.”

“Inspector Samuels had my phone for evidence.” She turned to him. Her brain had finally kicked in, questions coursing through it. “Aiden might have built us this new center, but he still… I mean, the vandalism, and the fire, and the hit-and-run, and…”

Inspector Samuels sat down across from her. He was already shaking his head before she finished. “It seems he had no part in any of it.”

“But the recording. He said—”

“Yes, it sounded that way at first. But it all comes down to perspective.” He huffed and shook his head like even he couldn’t believe it. “Aiden had been planning to build this place all along, but he didn’t let his COO in on his plans. Since he was building the new center as a personal charity, he had Larry Williams do the bargaining on behalf of the company. Said he didn’t want to mix business with pleasure.”

Piper snorted but let Inspector Samuels continue his explanation.

He took a long sip from his cup. “Aiden told Larry to give Marilyn an offer she couldn’t refuse to help with moving costs.”

“I guess he didn’t think of offering money,” Piper said sarcastically.

Marilyn picked up her teaspoon and fidgeted with it. “Well, he did. He offered me a hefty sum, but it didn’t feel right, what with Mr. Caldwell already building us this new place. So I turned him down.”

“Aiden felt that if Larry knew about his plans for the new center, he would try to lowball Marilyn,” Inspector Samuels said. “So he kept it to himself. You see where the miscommunication happened.”

“Of course. He kept his personal life separate from his business.” Piper snorted. “And when Marilyn refused the money, Larry assumed that meant she was refusing to leave.”

The inspector nodded. “Larry Williams then took matters into his own hands. It probably isn’t the first time he’s done business this way. I’m sure he has a few skeletons hidden in the company closet. We’re digging into it. Years’ worth of sneaky deals and community complaints. It will be a headache, but Mr. Caldwell has offered to assist us in undoing any misdeeds done on behalf of the company.”

“So, Aiden had nothing to do with the attacks on the center?”

“No,” he said. “Until your visit to his office yesterday, Aiden had been clueless.”

She recalled part of the conversation she’d overheard from Aiden’s closet. What’s important is getting rid of those damn dogs, Larry had said.

And I’ve done just that, haven’t I?

At the time, Piper had thought that meant Aiden was responsible for the fire, for forcing out the dogs. She thought she’d caught him red-handed. But he’d gotten rid of the dogs by building them a new home. She’d had it all wrong, blinded by her anger and humiliation, the fear of betrayal. Guilt tore through her like a Tasmanian devil on a rampage.

“And what about the other stuff?” Piper asked him.

“You were right about the graffiti on your car and apartment window. Laura from the SFAAC did it. Once we listed all the other things she was under suspicion for, she confessed to it right away. But she didn’t break your car window and steal your mail. That was Barney.” He said the name like he was picking gum off the bottom of his shoe. “He’d been stalking you for some time, so he knew where you worked and where you volunteered, but he had yet to learn where you lived.”

“I’m unlisted,” she said. “I’m subletting from my aunt. Or, at least, I was. So he broke into my car to get my address. I take it he vandalized my apartment then?”

“That’s right.”

An image of her underwear dangling from a pen popped into her disorganized brain, and she cringed. So far, her instincts about those involved had been right, more or less. Only, she hadn’t expected the guilty party to be, well, all of them.

“And the attempted hit-and-run? That was obviously Tamara.” When Piper had seen the Prius at Aiden’s office, she thought that he’d tried to help cover it up by lending her his own car. “Officer Tucker said that she had an alibi. That she was tied up at work.”

“Ah yes, her alibi.” Inspector Samuel’s mustache turned down. “Larry Williams corroborated that.”

Piper’s eyes widened. It was sounding more and more like the conspiracy theory she’d first suspected. “They were working together?”

“No, but protecting Tamara worked in Larry’s interest. It kept any investigators clear of Caldwell and Son Investments and from focusing on Aiden, who was still on our persons of interest list.”

At the news, Piper straightened in her seat. She hadn’t known they were investigating Aiden. Then again, why would they share that with her? She’d been too close to the case. Thinking of all the things she’d gotten wrong along the way, they were right not to tell her. Heck, they’d probably been investigating her too.

“I had no idea,” she said.

The inspector took a sip of tea before continuing. “Apparently, Tamara had been following you during your date with Aiden. When she saw the two of you together, it seems something just”—he spread his hands—“snapped.”

“Oh, it snapped a long time before that.”

His eyebrows twitched up like he agreed with Piper’s statement but was too professional to voice it. “She’ll be undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about her for quite a while.”

“That’s good. I hope she gets the help she needs.” She’d thought that once somebody finally believed how unwell Tamara was, she’d feel vindicated. But she only felt pity for the girl. Piper stared at her hands. “So, you’re saying Aiden didn’t actually do anything wrong?”

“I know it’s a lot to take in after everything that happened yesterday.”

Marilyn set her teacup on the table, watching Piper carefully. “He’s here now, you know. Aiden.”

Piper’s heart skittered in her chest, proving that it was still working. “He is?”

“He’s out back being interviewed by Holly Hart. The Holly Hart. Can you believe it?”

“I can’t believe it,” she replied flatly.

“Are you going to be okay?” Marilyn asked.

Yes and no, Piper thought. She wasn’t sure what to think anymore. “Yeah. I just need a minute, I guess.”

“Of course.” Marilyn cleared her throat and stood up. “Inspector Samuels, may I show you around the grounds awhile?”

“I’d like that. And please, call me Bob.”

“All right.”

Piper wasn’t so distracted that she missed Marilyn’s expression. This time, she was certain that was a blush lighting up her manager’s face.

Before Marilyn left the room, she gripped Piper’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

Piper patted the woman’s hand. “It’s not your fault.”

Piper smiled as the two of them left the room, but she didn’t exactly feel relieved. She was confused. Since the day before, she’d become used to feeling angry, to the rage that was justified by Aiden’s heinous actions. But now that those actions had been nullified, where did that leave her fury?

It turned out, the only one to blame was her for jumping to conclusions, for not talking to Aiden about them first. After everything that had happened, could they move forward?

“Well, Colin?” she asked. “What do you think?”

But for once, he kept his opinion to himself. This was something she would have to figure out for herself. She supposed there was only one way to find out.

Gathering her strength, she drew a deep breath and headed for the door through which Zoe and Addison had disappeared. As she passed the reception desk, she noticed the wall behind it. Well, not so much a wall as the