Рита Браун - Pay Dirt

"The ring had fallen out of Cynthia's pocket when she jumped into action, so to speak. Actually, I shouldn't make light of it. They were out of control and someone could have been hurt. Aysha handed the ring back to Cynthia. 'Married?' she asked. Cynthia said no, she had no secret life. The ring was found near the corpse in Sugar Hollow. She was a little sheepish about it, but she said if she carried it around, now that it was back from the lab, she was hoping it would give offa vibration and give her an idea."

He shook his head again. "Crazy morning. Oh, and Laura Freely came in just looking like death. What's the matter with her? Hogan running around or something?"

"Hogan doesn't run around," Mim said frostily.

"Kerry's got to get over Norman," Susan jumped in.

"Either that or kill Aysha," Market said.

19

Dark circles under Norman Cramers eyes made him look like a raccoon. He stood before Hogan Freely, whose office was adorned with golf mementos.

"—the staff was great, but we couldn't find what does appear to be a two-million-dollar deficit. We keep coming up short, but we can't find the location of the loss, so to speak. We've gone over everything and I feel responsible for this—"

Hogan interrupted him. "Don't blame yourself."

"I was hoping this was an isolated accounting error."

"This must be what the Threadneedle virus was really about."

"I don't know, sir. Odier banks aren't reporting losses. They're reporting downed computers."

"Norman, go home and get some sleep. I'll face the music."

"I should be there with you. This isn't your fault."

"I appreciate that, but the duty is mine to break the news to our investors and customers. Why don't you just go home and sleep? You look like you need it. I appreciate how hard you've worked on this."

"Well"—Norman folded his hands behind his back—"there has to be an answer."

"Yeah"—Hogan smiled weakly—"I just hope I live long enough to find it. Some slick investigator will figure this out. I spoke to an old college buddy down in Virginia Beach at Atlantic Savings and he said the bank has already retained the services of Lorton Rabinowitz."

"The experts on corporate sabotage." Norman's pupils widened.

Hogan stood up. "Go on, get some sleep."

Wednesdays Fair worked the western end of Albemarle County. That was his excuse to show up at Harrys farm. He found her repairing fences on the back line of her property.

"In the neighborhood."

"So I see," Harry replied.

"I was wrong. That guy pisses me off, but I was wrong."

"How about an apology for hanging up on me."

"That too. If you'd waited a minute, I would have gotten to that. I'm sorry I swore at you and hung up." He jammed his hands in his pockets.

"Apology accepted."

"Need a hand?"

"Sure."

They worked side by side as they had done for the years of their marriage. The light faded, the mosquitoes appeared, but they pressed on until it was too dark. They knew one another so well, they could work in silence without worrying about it.

20

The hot, hazy, humid days of August fled before a mass of cool, sparkling air from Canada, the second in the last ten days. The clear skies and rejuvenating seventy-degree temperatures delighted everyone's senses except perhaps diose of Hogan Freely, Norman Cramer, and Mim Sanburne. Not that people clapped their hands when they heard over the morning radio and local television that money was missing from the bank, but in the relief from summer's swelter it didn't seem so immediately important. Also, they believed Hogan when he declared their funds were secure.

Mrs. Hogendobber drove over to Waynesboro Nursery. She wanted a pin oak for the northern corner of her property, a half-acre lot right behind the post office on the other side of the alleyway.

Mrs. Murphy slept in the mail cart. Tucker stretched out under the table in the back. Harry boiled water for tea to counteract her midmorning slump.

The door opened. Aysha glanced around before stepping inside. "Morning."

"Morning, Aysha. No one's here."

"As long as Kerry's not around." Aysha slipped the key in her mailbox, opened the heavy little door, and scooped out her mail. "I suppose you heard what happened yesterday. I guess everyone has."

"Market said you and Kerry got into it." Harry shrugged. "It'll blow over."

Aysha placed her mail on the counter. "She's mental. How can it blow over when she's obsessed with Norman and likewise obsessed widi me—negatively, of course. If he had been in love with her, if it had been the right combination, he would have stayed, right?"

"I guess." Harry was never comfortable when people veered toward analyzing one another. She figured psychology was another set of rules with which to restrain people. Instead of invoking the wrath of God, one now invoked self-esteem, lack of fulfillment, being out of touch with one's emotions. The list could go on and on. She tuned out.

"What am I supposed to do?" Aysha wondered. "Hide? Not appear at any social function where Kerry might be present lest I bruise her fragile emotions? Everybody wants to be loved by everybody. That's her real problem, it's not just Norman. She has to be the center of attention. This sure is one way to get it. Why… I even worry about going into the bank. If she had any decency, she'd transfer to another branch. Norman says he avoids her like the plague."

Harry thought Kerry a bit emotional, but the Kerry she knew didn't fit Aysha's description. "Right now neither one of you can be expected to feel good about the other. Ignore her if you can."

"Ignore someone who would have killed me if she could?"

"It wasn't that bad."

"You weren't there. She would have killed me if Cynthia hadn't separated us. Thank God she was there. I'm telling you, Harry, the girl is disturbed."

"Love does strange things to people."

Susan and Mim, one by the front door the other by the back, entered at the same time.

"How's Norman?" Mim asked.

"Stressed out. He can't sleep. He's frantic over the missing money." She knitted her eyebrows. "And this episode with Kerry preys on his mind. He insisted on going to work today, on being there when Hogan made his press statement. I keep telling him, 'Honey, no one blames you,' but he blames himself. He needs a vacation, something."

Mim changed the subject. "Marilyn will take your place at Ash Lawn tomorrow. I know she called and left a message on your machine, but since I'm here, I thought I'd tell you."

"Bless her heart." Aysha's face relaxed. "I can spend tomorrow with Norman. Maybe I can slip a tranquilizer into his coffee or something. Poor baby."

Susan, in her tennis blouse and skirt, checked the old railroad clock. "Harry, I'm late for my game. You gonna be around tonight?"

"Uh-huh. I'm on the back fence line."

"Okay. Ned's going to Richmond, so I'll bring a cold supper."

"Great."

Susan left, Aysha swept out, and Mim stayed. She flipped up the divider and walked behind the counter. As Harry's tea water was boiling, she poured Harry's cup of tea and one for herself too. "New seat covers."

"Miranda couldn't stand the old ones. She's so good at stuff like this."

"Harry, will you do me a favor?"

"If I can."

"When you sort the mail, if you see an unusual number of registered letters or large packages from brokerage houses"—she paused—"I guess you can't tell me, but call Rick Shaw immediately."

Harry gratefully sipped the hot beverage. "I can do that."

"I think the money has to go somewhere. Buying large quantities of stock would be one place, although not the safest. I considered that." Her large gold bangle bracelets clanged together when she reached for her cup. "But a person could say the money was inherited or they could even be in collusion with a broker. But the culprit could be anywhere, and two million dollars doesn't disappear."