Promise Not To Tell(46)

“We’ve heard that there are rumors of financial problems at Night Watch,” Cabot said.

Josh froze, stone-faced. “Where are you going with this?”

“When did you first realize that someone in-house was embezzling from you?” Cabot asked.

For a moment Virginia didn’t think that Josh was going to respond. Then he seemed to deflate.

“A few weeks ago,” he said. “Why?”

“Think Sandra Porter was the embezzler?” Cabot asked.

“No,” Josh said grimly. “Or if she was, she’s continuing to work from beyond the grave. I checked my financials an hour ago. More money has disappeared into the ether.”

“Maybe she was working with someone else,” Cabot suggested.

Josh frowned. “A partner who killed her? I’ll admit that possibility did occur to me.”

Cabot put his business card down on the table. “If you think of anything else I should know or if you want me to refer you to a very discreet cybersecurity firm who can investigate the embezzling, give me a call.”

Josh pocketed the card without looking at it. “Do me a favor. If, in the course of your investigation, you happen to turn up any leads on who is siphoning off money from my business, will you let me know?”

“Depends,” Cabot said.

“On what?”

“Whether or not it turns out to be a conflict of interest.”

Josh frowned. “How the hell could there be a conflict of interest?”

“You never know. But if there isn’t one and if I do get a lead on your embezzler, I’ll be sure to send you my bill.”

Josh gave him a curt nod. “Fair enough. You get me some answers and you’ll get your money.”

“Out of curiosity, any idea of where I should start looking for a potential embezzler?” Cabot asked.

Josh drummed his fingers on the table. “I ran my own investigation. Took a close look at everyone in my accounting department and in the IT department. Figured the thief had to be someone who knew how to move money around.”

Virginia leaned forward. “Did you find anything?”

“No. But now I’m starting to wonder if I’m overlooking some possible suspects simply because I didn’t think they had the skill set required to rip me off. But if one of them was working with Porter, who certainly did have the skill set —”

“Got a name?” Cabot asked.

Josh hesitated. “There’s a writer in our social media department, Kate Delbridge. There’s nothing I can put my finger on, but something about her makes me wonder if she might be involved in the embezzlement.”

Virginia raised her brows. “Because she’s the last person you’d suspect?”

“No. Because several months ago we had a weekend fling while on a business trip to San Francisco. I warned her going in that I wasn’t interested in a serious relationship. Told her the ground rules – if she breathed a word about it at the office, I’d have to let her go. She seemed okay with that, but now I’m starting to wonder if she wants revenge. I can’t get a read on her.”

“Does she have the skills to embezzle and not get caught?” Cabot asked.

Josh shook his head. “No, I’m sure of that much. But it doesn’t mean she wasn’t working with Porter. Maybe she knows enough to keep the scheme running even though Porter is dead. Hell. I knew I should have fired Delbridge when we got back from that trip.”

“Why not let her go now?” Cabot asked.

Josh snorted softly. “Ever hear the old adage, ‘Keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer’? If Kate is fleecing me, I’d rather have her where I can keep an eye on her.”

“Got any other suspects?” Cabot asked.

Josh’s jaw tightened. “Maybe. But I’m not ready to give you another name. Not yet.”

CHAPTER 29

Cabot opened the passenger-side door of the SUV. Virginia climbed into the seat. He closed the door, looking thoughtful. She watched him walk around the front of the vehicle. There was a blast of cold air when he opened the door and got behind the wheel.

He sat quietly for a moment. Back in the zone, she thought. Doing his art.

“What are we waiting for?” she asked after a while.

“Thought it might be interesting to see how long Preston sits alone in that bar,” Cabot said.

“Ah, I get it. You don’t think that the CEO of a business like Night Watch spends much time drinking alone.”

“It would be unusual,” Cabot said. “People in Preston’s position usually have friends.”

“People who want to be close to the guy at the top.”

“Yeah.”

Virginia settled into the corner of the seat. “Do you do this sort of thing a lot?”

“Sit around and wait for someone to do something interesting? No. Most people are eager to share their lives with the whole world online. But once in a while there’s no substitute for the old-fashioned approach.”

“What happens if you need to use a restroom?”

Cabot looked at her. “Do you really want to know the answer to that one?”

“Probably not.”

A fleeting expression of amusement came and went in his eyes.