Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [125]
“Then why do you say Annie is the guilty party?”
“Because all the evidence points to the three of them, her in particular. All the other suspects were eliminated. There are literally pounds of reports. I went through all of them; so did my partner. It’s either Clark or Abbott. Miss Clark was, as the police say, on the scene. Jane Abbott was in the apartment, and there’s no one to vouch for her. Mr. Richardson was in his store. And, his car windows were closed and his car locked. The Abbott and Clark cars were open and unlocked. There were eleven or twelve other cars with open windows but they weren’t anywhere near where the robber could have tossed the money bag. The Abbott and Clark cars were right there, in the first row of parking spaces. Andreas and I did dry runs for a whole day. First I’d run with the money bag and toss it, then he would do the same thing. Each time it landed in the Clark car. Peter Newman did the same thing while he was investigating the case. He was convinced it was the Clark car.”
“If it was such a perfect crime and if Annie Clark did find the money, why in the hell did she give it back?”
“Guilty conscience. Everything I’ve ever read about the lady says she’s squeaky-clean and a straight arrow. Fear maybe. The Abbott woman and the pharmacist are above reproach. Abbott’s husband is a scoundrel. They have zip when it comes to money. He lives beyond his means. She appears to be quite frugal, and there’s a child involved.”
Parker digested the information. “A half million dollars is not that much money, Ben. Annie Clark has megamillions.”
“Back then she had zip and she was working sixteen and eighteen hour days. A half million dollars was the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for someone like Annie Clark, who worked her way through school carrying a full load. My guess was she found it and panicked.”
“I don’t believe any of this. Annie is a fair, tough-minded businesswoman. She’s not a thief. All right, let’s head out. I need to pack a bag. Meet me at the airport in say, three hours.”
“You’re upset, aren’t you?”
“You could say that. Did you talk to Annie at all?”
“No. I planned on doing that in Boston. Andreas tells me her class reunion is scheduled for next week. He got a copy of the acceptance list, and her name and Jane Abbott’s are on it. It’s my last shot. Andreas is going to take Abbott, and I’ve got Clark.” .
“If I asked you to let this go, would you do it, Ben?”
Ben stared at his uncle for a long time before he replied. “No.”
“What about the pharmacist?”
“We’ve crossed him off our list.”
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
“In my opinion, it was the right thing to do. He’s old and in failing health. His bank records show nothing but regular deposits and a history of hard work. The last report we had on Mr. Richardson is that he is terminally ill. Neither Andreas nor I want to be a party to anything that might ruin his last days. Besides, we’re convinced he had nothing to do with it.”
Parker closed the door behind him. It was all making more and more sense by the minute. Annie’s deep, dark secret. The way her face had gone alabaster white when he’d said the rainbow was Annie’s rainbow. Pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Damn, what the hell was this going to do to his business? The six-month contract had only three months to run. Would Annie renew? Would he be forced to shut down the lab? What could two law students do that the police and a monster insurance company couldn’t do? Rake up old skeletons? To what end? The case was closed. He wondered then if he was capable of blackmail. How far would he go to pursue the work he’d started in the lab? How important were the caffeine-free coffee beans to the world? Damn important. No one in their right mind would pass up billions of dollars down the line. Christ, he was so close. Another six to eight months and he was sure he’d have the decaf coffee beans. So close. All he needed was money—Annie Clark’s on-time money payments. With only three months