Cheryl Bradshaw - Black Diamond Death

“Let me guess,” I said. “You relisted it for a significantly higher amount.”

“We hired someone to come in and clean, maybe slap on some paint and make a few changes, but in the listing we fudged the truth.”

“How so?”

“We mentioned the improvements that were done, and they had been, but we also said there were others.”

“Ones you never made?”

He nodded.

“Vicki had a way to make a hundred dollars of work look like several thousand.”

“When in fact, most of the changes and upgrades never took place?”

“It depended on what shape the house was in. She would hire guys on the cheap to make a few fixes to certain items that were easily noticed and then she would lie about other items that weren’t visible in a walkthrough. I chose comps in the area of higher-end homes and made it look like they were similar to the home we had for sale so that she could market the listing for an inflated price and the purchaser thought they were getting a good deal. And because I signed off, there was never any question about the validity.”

“And the money?” I said.

“Vicki gave me a cut and kept the rest for herself.”

“Was the investor in on it too?”

“That’s the interesting part. A couple months ago she admitted there was no investor. The money came from a trust fund she received when her parents died. She’d blown through most of it, but this scheme of hers was a way for her to maintain the lifestyle she wanted.”

“How did she manage to pull the deal off without the so-called investor there to sign?” I said.

“Most homes in Park City sell to people who live out of the area so she forged the signatures and at closing, she produced a document that she was granted attorney-in-fact privileges on behalf of the investor, and that’s all she needed.”

“Wouldn’t the title company recognize that?”

“She used a different company every time, and if they ever needed to call and speak to the investor, when they dialed the number Vicki gave them, it rang through to me.”

“And Charlotte’s role in all of this?”

“From what I know, she didn’t have one. Charlotte and Vicki had their own listings and then worked as a team on homes or properties that went over the million dollar mark. Vicki made sure the homes she purchased never sold for that much so it wouldn’t raise any suspicions.”

“But Charlotte found out, didn’t she?” I said.

He moved his head up and down.

I had almost all the pieces to my puzzle, and for the first time in weeks, my thought process was clear. The phone call Audrey got from her sister saying she needed to talk to her about something had nothing to do with Parker and everything to do with Vicki. From what I knew about Charlotte she would never stand by while fraud was being committed whether they were friends or partners or not.

“I need to get something else off my chest.”

“Go on,” I said.

“Charlotte came to see me and said she knew what we had been doing and that it needed to stop. She said she wanted to give me the opportunity to turn myself in.”

“And did you?”

He shook his head.

“I was going to. I called Vicki and told her I couldn’t go through with it anymore. I wanted out.”

“Did you tell her Charlotte had been to see you?” I said.

He nodded.

“You’ve got to believe me; I didn’t know anything would happen to Charlotte at the time or I never would have said a word about it.”

“When did you tell Vicki?”

Some time passed before he produced an answer and then he said, “It was the night before Charlotte died.”

CHAPTER 57

I didn’t even make it to my car before I called Nick. It went to voicemail, and I suspected his return flight had taken off. I sent him a text and then flung the car door open and sat down and pressed the number 3 button on my phone. A female voice on the other end announced herself.

“I need to speak with Chief Sheppard,” I said.

“He’s in a meeting right now. Shall I tell him to call you when it’s over?”

“Rose, this is Sloane,” I said. “Do you know when I will be able to speak with him? It’s a matter of some urgency.”

“They’ve been at it for at least an hour already so I bet they wrap it up soon. Can someone else help you?”

For a split second it crossed my mind to talk with Coop, but then it passed.

“Please tell him to call me the second you see him,” I said.

“Sloane, you’re not in any kind of trouble are you?”

I heard a series of beeps.

“There’s a call coming in on my other line and I need to take it. Please have him call me, okay?”

I clicked over to the other line. It was Tommy.

“Where the hell is she!”

“Calm down Tommy. What happened?”

“I got out of the shower and Bridget was gone.”

So much for my advice to her to stay put.

“Did she say she was leaving? Maybe she ran a few errands.”

“Without her keys or her money and stuff. Nuh, I don’t think so. Her car is still parked out front.”

“Did anything happen between you two?” I said.

“We were uh, spending some alone time in the bedroom and stuff and then she said she was hungry so she was going to make us some lunch while I showered.”

“And did she?”

“There’s a finished sandwich on the counter and another one that’s not all put together and the music is still on.”

I found it hard to believe that she would get up and walk out sans her wallet. No woman leaves home without their lifeline. But I didn’t want to worry Tommy more than he already was.

“Let me make a few calls and see if I can find her, okay?”

I ended the call and dialed Chief Sheppard’s direct line. There was still no answer. I left a message and told him where I was headed and gave him a brief summary of the day’s events. Tommy might not know what happened to Bridget, but I did. And I wasn’t about to wait to find out.

CHAPTER 58

Vicki’s car was parked sideways in the driveway and the hood of the trunk was propped open. Dangling from the release handle was a six inch strand of hair that looked like it ripped off when it caught in the latch. The floor of the trunk was wet and a few pieces of snow remained intact. Duct tape was on the floor of the front passenger seat. Bridget was here.

I cocked my gun and sprinted toward the front door. It wasn’t closed all the way. I stepped inside and looked around and was relieved she didn’t share my affinity for small furry warning signals.

The house was silent except for the heater which sounded off with a slow hum. I cleared the entry way and front room and moved to the kitchen. An unlit candle rested on the counter next to the refrigerator. I picked it up and recognized the smell. It was the same aroma that wafted outside Charlotte’s house right before I was knocked unconscious. It was Vicki who hit me that night––it had been Vicki all along.

Aside from the candle, the only item of significance on the counter was a small container with a label that read Aconitum Napellus, or as Maddie tagged it, Monkshood. Vicki’s drug of choice. The same poison used to kill Charlotte. The cap was secured around the bottle. I hoped I wasn’t too late.

At the end of the hall a dark passageway led to the basement. I felt my way down and turned the corner into the first room. It was empty. I checked the bathroom and then headed for the other room. When I neared the door I heard a noise––it was faint but loud enough that I could make out the rhythm of someone’s voice.

“Not a sound, you hear me. Don’t make a peep!”

I held my gun out in front of me with one hand and reached for the handle of the door with the other. It was locked, but the door was cheap and hollow. I turned to the side and aligned myself with the area beneath the knob and then kicked––hard. It thrust open. There, on a chair in the corner of the room, was Bridget. She was bound to the chair with rope that Vicki had wrapped around her wrists. From the years I spent with a father who never got the sons he wanted, I could see Vicki’s skills in that department left a lot to be desired. A single piece of duct tape was stretched across Bridget’s mouth and her cheeks were stained with tears. Vicki was positioned behind Bridget and held a knife to her throat.