Drawing Close: The Fourth Novel in the Rosemont Series by Barbara Hinske

for?”
    “Impossible to say. Maybe he got so much pressure
from the mob that he felt his family wouldn’t be safe if he talked. Maybe he
didn’t trust the Witness Protection Program. Who knows? When someone commits
suicide, they’re not thinking rationally.”
    Maggie rose and began to pace. “This still doesn’t
paint the whole picture. It’s simply confirmation of what we already know. We
need to find out where the money went after it was siphoned out of the town’s
accounts and into these offshore banks. Who got it after that?”
    Alex slapped the table with both palms. They
turned to each other.
    “Do you think there might be other lists hidden at
the Wheeler home?” Maggie asked.
    “My thought exactly,” he replied.
    “I’ll have another search warrant by tomorrow
morning.”
    Maggie put her hand on his arm. “Can you hold off
on that? You know how public that would be. Even if you tried, you couldn’t
keep it a secret for long in this town.” Maggie held his eye. “What if I can
get the Wheelers to allow us to search for additional lists? Would that work?”
    “If they’ll cooperate, that would be ideal. But we
can’t run the risk of your tipping them off and their destroying the lists
before we get in there. And it has to happen soon.”
    Maggie nodded. “Understood. Our timing may be
perfect. David told me that they’re losing their house to foreclosure and
moving out this weekend.”
    “That’s rough. They can’t catch a break, can they?
Where are they going?”
    “They plan to move in with her brother, which
isn’t ideal for David, so John is going to offer to rent them his old house.”
    Alex arched one brow. “Pretty nice rental, if you
ask me. Can they afford it?”
    Maggie smiled. “He’ll make it affordable. I
married a kind man.”
    Alex nodded. “Do you know when the foreclosure
sale will be?”
    “I had Tim Knudsen find out for me. It’s Monday
morning. Right here on the steps of Town Hall.”
    “We need to get in there this weekend. If we
don’t, I’ll have a search warrant ready to serve on the new owner right after
the sale. Investors buy foreclosures to fix and flip, and they get started
almost immediately. We need to go through that house with a fine-toothed comb
before any-one starts tearing it to pieces.”
    “I’ll drop by the house to talk to Jackie Wheeler.
I’ll let you know.”
    Alex rose and pointed to the purse in Maggie’s
open desk drawer. “Get that thing, and we’re out of here.”
    “I’ll be right behind you. I have a few things—”
Maggie began and Alex cut her off.
    “Not a chance. I’m walking you out. We’re both
exhausted and need to get home to our significant others while they’re still
speaking to us.”
    “When did you become so bossy?” Maggie laughed as
she slung her purse across her shoulder and they headed for the elevator.

Chapter 18
    Frank Haynes shifted his weight
from foot to foot as he stood in the taxi queue at JFK International Airport,
his cell phone to his ear. He’d decided to deliver Roger Spenser’s affidavit to
Simon Wilkens in person. The attorney’s reaction to it would tell him volumes
about whether the document would successfully advance his claim to Rosemont. He
wanted to witness that reaction firsthand. But he would have to wait. His
flight to New York City had been delayed in Dayton, and he’d arrived much later
than expected. He’d rescheduled his meeting with Simon Wilkens for the
following afternoon.
    The phone at Haynes Enterprises continued to ring
in his ear, but no one picked up. Haynes disconnected before the call went to
voice mail. Where was Loretta Nash? Maybe she’s making the bank deposit, he reasoned with himself. After all, she’s given you no reason not to trust
her.
    He replaced his phone in the breast pocket of his
jacket as he moved to the front of the line. A driver signaled to him and
opened the rear passenger door. As Haynes slid into the leather backseat, he
realized he