Page 43 of Night Watch
“It’s to keep us from drawing attention in a credit search, and of course becoming so desperate for money that we might do something stupid.” Kennedy rubbed the palm of her good hand down her leg. “When I told Finley about the money in the safe, she seemed eager to spend it. She’s probably embarrassed about the debt.”
“Likely so.”
Kennedy tilted her head, her sleek red hair sliding over her shoulder. “But how does that relate to my mom’s death?”
“We don’t have enough information to draw a conclusion yet. It’s just a piece of the puzzle.”
Kennedy lifted her shoulders. “Finley would never kill our mom, so don’t be thinking she would.”
“I didn’t think that, but she could be in debt to someone who would.” He wished he didn’t need to say that, but he always had to speak the truth. “Maybe she knew about the cash and told someone, and they were trying to steal it.”
“If she knew, why not take the money herself and pay off her debts. I was thinking more like she owed money to a loan shark.” Kennedy took several exaggerated breaths, her gaze flitting around the room as if seeking answers. “But in that case, if Finley was the one who owed the money, why kill my mom?”
“They couldn’t kill her or they would never get their money back. But it’s also a stretch to think they would kill your mother. Hurt her, yes. With something obvious. Maybe a broken bone. Not something to cause a heart attack. I’ll get one of my brothers to look into it.”
“Why don’t I just ask her about it?” Kennedy grabbed the strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes and twirled it around her finger.
“You can, but she might not tell you the truth.”
“Sadly, that’s probably true, but I’ll ask anyway.” Kennedy released her hair and gripped the arm of the couch.
“Right, now, I’m going to call my brothers and let them know about the money. See if they have any ideas on how to investigate it.” He placed a video conference call, and when all except Drake were connected, he scooted closer to Kennedy and held out the phone, giving her a clear view of the screen.
Erik didn’t waste any time. “In my search of Wanda’s place, I found forty thousand dollars in cash in her safe.”
Aiden let out a low whistle. “That’s some chunk of change. You thinking she cashed out a few of those monthly deposits?”
“No,” Erik said. “I’ve reviewed her financial records, and the cash didn’t come from her checking account. And before you suggest that it’s from Silas’s past before WITSEC, the bills have a 2003 issue date.”
Aiden scratched his neck. “So where would she get that kind of cash?”
“That’s what I was hoping you all could help with,” Erik replied.
Clay’s eyebrows pulled in. “Maybe Silas started working on some illegal scheme again.”
Kennedy lifted her chin, and her nostrils flared. “I can’t see that happening. I really can’t. Still, I know it’s possible. One thing I’ve learned on the job, is that people do unexpected things. Maybe he desperately needed the money.”
Aiden stared into the camera, his gaze penetrating. “If so, wouldn’t he have spent it instead of socking it away in a safe?”
Clay cleared his throat. “He could’ve died before he had the chance to.”
Kennedy’s gaze shot to him. “But then wouldn’t my mom have paid for whatever it was?”
“Perhaps with your father’s death, the problem went away,” Clay said.
“But if he owed money to someone, wouldn’t they still come after my mother?” Kennedy asked.
“Logic says they would,” Aiden said. “But we don’t always deal with logic.”
Clay propped his elbows on the desk in front of him and leaned on his hands. “He might’ve gotten more money than he needed.”
“I want to look into his finances,” Erik said. “Wanda didn’t have records going back to when Silas was alive, and it’ll take time to find anything. So let’s move on for now. Any other thoughts on the money?”
“Not from me,” Aiden said, and the others murmured their agreement.
Erik gave each brother a pointed look. “Give it some thought and let me know if you come up with anything. And would one of you look into Finley’s potentially borrowing money from a loan shark?”
Clay arched an eyebrow. “You think that’s likely?”
