The Heirloom Murders - Kathleen Ernst [86]
“Even if she thought so when she was writing the article, I asked her specifically about what was in the research file,” Chloe said stubbornly. “And she lied about it.”
“Maybe she didn’t see that clipping you read.”
“She’d have to be a half-wit to have missed it. And Valerie Bing is sharp, I assure you. Although—” Chloe paused. “She also considered her article a puff piece. Nothing to take seriously.”
“You’ve met this lady, not me. Does she seem—hold on.” A dark sedan had zoomed up on Roelke’s ass. The last time someone had tried to kiss his bumper, he’d crashed. If this guy tried the same thing with Chloe in the truck …
The sedan swerved into the other lane, roared past, and disappeared. Roelke unclenched his fingers from the wheel. “Sorry. Does Valerie Bing seem like the type who’d go crazy over a century-old rumor of a second diamond?”
“No. But she is desperate for money. Six months ago she was living the high life in New York City. Now she’s living with her parents in Eagle. Libby found out that she got screwed in a nasty divorce.”
“Well, shame can be as much of a motivator as pure greed,” he admitted.
“I imagine so.”
Enough of the Eagle Diamond. “There’s something new about Sabatola,” Roelke said. “I think he was responsible for me getting run off the road that night.”
Chloe stared at him, wide-eyed. “Why would he do that?”
“I have no idea. But if I’m right, it means that Sabatola is trying to hide something big. I have no way to prove he may have been abusing his wife, so … there’s something else going on.”
_____
Chloe processed that news in stunned silence, her skin prickling. “Be careful, OK? Please.”
“I will. I’m still digging, though. I’ve learned a little about Sabatola’s childhood. His secretary’s, too.”
“That Guest guy? Dellyn pointed him out to me at the funeral.”
“They both had a rough time as kids. Guest is likely just as needy as Sabatola, but without the good looks and wealthy step-daddy. There’s the possibility of fierce motivation—shame with some greed mixed in.”
Chloe rubbed her arms to ward away shivers. Simon Sabatola, Edwin Guest, Valerie Bing. Could any of them have been the person who attacked her in the barn? It was pretty hard to imagine.
She considered telling Roelke about finding the second rose-carved cultivator in the Frietags’ barn … but she didn’t want to bring Markus back into the conversation. It was unsettling enough to know that Markus would be back at Old World the next day, touring with Dellyn. Chloe planned to lay low.
Besides, maybe the Frietags’ cultivator was just a bizarre coincidence. Maybe some prolific craftsman had made hundreds of them. Maybe rose-carved cultivators were hanging in barns and tool sheds all over southern Wisconsin.
There were more important issues to consider, anyway. The Eagle Diamond probably had nothing to do with Harriet Van Dyne’s murder … but everything revolved around Dellyn.
“I’ve learned some things about AgriFutures,” Roelke said.
“Yeah?” Chloe was glad for a distraction. “Anything helpful?”
“Financially, the company is doing great, and Sabatola told me that he was a sure bet to take over as CEO. But evidently it’s not that simple. Simon runs the implement division, and his half-brother Alan does chemical stuff. They’re both vice-presidents now. The Board of Directors seems to be split on who should take over.”
“Two brothers fighting for the top spot? Ouch.”
“Simon is older, and he definitely wants the job,” Roelke said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if even the hint that Alan might be given the CEO nod would make Simon go ballistic.”
“How big a company is it? Do they sell all over the country?”
“They’re international. Sabatola told me he wants to revolutionize agriculture in developing countries. They’re creating special equipment designed for conditions in African countries. Probably Latin America too. There’s obviously a hell of a lot at stake for an ambitious man. A lot of pressure.”
Chloe sighed. “If he held it together at the office, all that steam might have exploded when he