Firebreak (Josie Gray Mysteries #4)(41)

“What about close friends?”

“They know everyone,” Vicki said. “Brenda networks like a politician. That doesn’t mean they’re friends with anyone though.”

“There’s a kid who hangs out whenever Billy’s playing. He’s probably late twenties. Cocky little shit. He tries to play himself off as a personal assistant for Billy.”

“Brenda’s the manager though, right?”

He nodded and looked perplexed. “That’s the weird thing. I can’t figure out why Brenda hasn’t put an end to this kid. Maybe she’s tried and can’t. He’ll even sit with her sometimes when they’re playing. You can tell she can’t stand him though.”

Vicki made a face as if she wanted to say something.

“Go ahead,” Josie said. “This is a private conversation.”

“I don’t think Brenda would put up with someone, no matter who it was, if she didn’t have something to gain.”

“What’s his name?”

Mick sneered. “Ferris Sinclair. What a name, right?”

“Do you know where I can find him?”

Mick glanced at Vicki and they both shrugged. He said, “No clue. I don’t really think he’s from here. I’ve only seen him hanging out at the bar.”





FOURTEEN

Josie found Otto sitting at the conference table, surrounded by piles of file folders and a stack of what looked like billing statements.

“What’s the word, Chief?”

“I talked with Mick Sinner and his business partner for a while,” she said. “Vicki Macke provided Mick a solid alibi for the night of the evacuation. The only odd piece to the interview was that they were both in the Nixes’ house in the past year to deliver a couch they had reupholstered for them.”

“Didn’t Hank say they hated each other?”

“I think they dislike each other intensely. It seems odd you’d let someone you hate fix your couch. You’d have to think about them every time you sat down to watch TV.”

“Maybe Billy’s clueless,” Otto said. “He might not have any idea Mick hates him. He doesn’t strike me as someone who’s very self-aware.”

Josie walked over to her desk and pitched down her notepad. “You’re right. I wouldn’t read too much into it.”

“Nothing more?”

She sat down and faced him again. “This is a little better. Some kid named Ferris Sinclair hangs around the band. Apparently Mick’s seen him in the bar.”

“A fan?”

“Something like that.” Josie said. “Mick says the kid’s infatuated with Billy and the band. And he’s a ‘cocky little shit’—Mick’s words, not mine. And Mick says Brenda doesn’t like him.”

“Better get an interview with him.” Otto pursed his lips in thought. “I went out to the Nixes’ to search for the box containing the stun gun. Want to guess what was inside the box where the Zaner was supposed to be kept?”

“Nothing?” she asked.

“Exactly.”

*

Otto spent the next four hours logging information from the Nixes’ computer files. When Marta came on duty at 3:30 p.m., she systematically checked each document on the Nixes’ computer. The files were extremely well organized, with expenditures tediously noted. Fortunately, like most people’s, the Nixes’ information was woefully unprotected. She found a spreadsheet under “Home Files,” with tabs that contained an identity thief’s gold mine. One tab contained credit card numbers, expiration dates, and security codes. Another tab included all of the online sites they frequented along with logins and passwords. One of the tabs included all of the family’s insurance policies and health-care information, all wide open to any hacker in the world.

Marta called each credit card company and found a total credit card debt, at least using the cards listed on the spreadsheet, of $9,467. Not too out of line for a couple trying to grow a small business. Payments were up to date and on time each month. Incredibly, Marta even found the Web site and password for their online free credit check. She logged in and discovered that their credit was within the “Good” classification, not surprising given Brenda’s managerial skills.

Otto found life insurance policies in the manila file folders that were paid up. Each carried $100,000 in insurance, with the spouse as the sole beneficiary. No new insurance had been obtained over the past eleven years, assuming they would have kept paperwork on such a policy. Otto also finally made phone contact with the landlord of the Nixes’ home. He lived in Idaho and hadn’t even heard about the wildfire, and was shocked to discover that his old family home had been demolished.

Otto also found a ledger with information about booking dates and earnings. There were notations about how much each band member made after each performance. It appeared that Billy made about thirty to fifty percent more than the other band members for each gig, but it also appeared that his money paid Brenda’s managerial fees. Otto intended to ask other band members their opinions on Brenda’s role as manager and keeper of the finances.

While Marta and Otto worked on the Nixes’ files, Josie ran a background check on Ferris Sinclair and found nothing of consequence. Since Ferris’s connection to Billy was the Hell-Bent, she opted to try there first for background information on him and his relationship with the Nixes.