Double Vision by Fiona Brand

implicated, which was crazy; le Clerc had disappeared more than a decade ago. “I didn’t know that.”
    â€œWe tried the number. It belonged to le Clerc’s sister. She’s since disappeared and the number has been disconnected.” There was a pause. “Do you know how to reach le Clerc?”
    â€œWhy would I have any connection with him?”
    Lopez’s gaze was unblinking. “Your wife had a meeting with a former colleague from Bern on Tuesday. Dana Jones. She works at RCS.”
    Shock reverberated through Cesar. Now, finally—too late—he could see the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. “I’ve never heard of her.”
    â€œDana Jones was in Bern at the same time Esther and Xavier le Clerc were there. Don’t you think that’s a coincidence?”
    â€œYes. No. ” Cesar shook his head, trying to clear away the heavy ache. “I don’t know. If I did, I would tell you.” He rubbed at his face. “If you can’t find le Clerc, maybe this Dana Jones knows something.”
    Lopez’s expression was cold. “Finally, you’re beginning to think.”
    Â 
    Annoyed at being kept late when she needed to be home for her daughter, Dana Jones lifted her head as the branch manager strode into her office.
    Jeremy Prattwurst—Pratt for short—didn’t look happy. His mouth was tight, and his expression cold. There had been whisperings all afternoon that someone had slipped up, big-time, and signs of stress showed in the unusual length of time spent behind closed doors in meetings, but so far none of the executive staff had spilled any details. The lack of information was, in itself, worrying. In this place, rumors spread like wildfire.
    â€œYou saw Esther Morell two days ago.”
    â€œThat’s correct.” She had made sure that was no big secret. If she managed to pull even a fraction of the Morell resources under the RCS umbrella, it would be a major coup.
    â€œEsther Morell’s dead.”
    â€œWhat?” For a second Dana thought he wasn’t serious. When his expression didn’t change, she shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”
    â€œA car accident. The thing I’m trying to work out is why she came to see you when the Morell Group banks with Bessel Holt.”
    Dana blinked. The fact that Esther still dealt with Bessel Holt was, to put it mildly, shocking. Dana had had the distinct impression that she had cut her ties and was dealing locally. “She said she was interested in making some investments.”
    â€œShe wasn’t interested in making an investment. She stole a client’s money.”
    By the time Pratt had finished detailing how Esther had managed to bypass the account security features and transfer the funds, Dana understood exactly what Esther Morell’s visit had been about. She had been using her. She had remembered her terrible memory and her trick with the card. The whole thing with the coffee spilling, and Esther helping mop up the mess, had been staged so she could lift her keyboard and get a look at the access codes.
    Pratt seated himself on the corner of her desk and hitched up a trouser leg. The movement was calm and studied. “What I’m interested in,” he said slowly, “is how, exactly, she managed to get hold of our access codes. The only conclusion I can come to is that she got them from you.”
    Dana swallowed. “I didn’t give her anything. I wouldn’t. It’s more than my life’s worth—”
    He leaned forward and lifted her keyboard. Adrenaline pumped and for a raw moment she couldn’t breathe. The card was sitting right where she always kept it.
    He picked up the card. “Della told me about your little habit. It looks like she wasn’t the only one who knew.”
    Dana sucked in a breath, trying to control the rapid pounding of her heart. Della worked in the adjoining office.