Hiding in the Shadows by Kay Hooper Read Free Book Online Page B

surprised Kane; it was not one he would have thought to ask. But the investment manager’s answer surprised him even more.
    “Sometimes,” Conrad said, clearly unaware of having said anything remarkable. “She’d come in here and talk, and days or weeks later I’d read one of her articles and there’d be the things she told me about.”
    “How about recently?”
    It was Masterson’s turn to frown. “Let’s see. She told me about that murder out in Buckhead about six months ago.”
    Both Kane and Bishop nodded; that article and its outcome had already been thoroughly checked out.
    “And a few weeks after that she was talking about that political scandal she covered, all those goings-on in the lieutenant governor’s mansion.”
    Kane said, “Which, like all good scandals, ended with a miserable whimper instead of a bang.” Bishop lifted a brow at him, and Kane explained. “They paid the girl off and she suddenly remembered it was somebody else with his pants down around his ankles. Then she decided she’d rather live elsewhere, and moved out to California.”
    He looked back at Conrad. “But that was more or less just reporting, and everybody knew what was going on. What else did she talk about?”
    Conrad pursed his lips in thought for a moment, then an arrested expression crossed his face.
    “What?” Kane demanded instantly.
    “Well … let’s see, it must have been around the first of August or thereabouts when she came in looking really upset. Said she felt rotten and the heat made it worse. It was terribly hot that day, just dreadful. I asked her what was up, and she said she’d just stumbled across what looked like a really big story. She said …”
    He closed his eyes, the better to concentrate. “She said heads were going to roll, no doubt about that, and what made it worse was that it appeared somebody she liked an awful lot might be involved. I said involved in what, and she shook her head and said it was big, very big. Then she got a look on her face I’d never seen before, sort of cautious and very worried.” He opened his eyes and peered at them. “She wasn’t—isn’t—cautious, you know. Reckless if anything. Always prone to rush in without thinking if somebody’s in trouble.”
    “I know,” Kane said.
    Bishop looked at him, then at Masterson. “Soundslike it might be political. Did she tell you anything else?”
    He brooded. “No, not that day. And I didn’t hear from her again for weeks. She called me about a month later, very … subdued. Said she wanted me to free up half a million.”
    Bishop blinked. “And you didn’t find that request unusual?”
    “It wasn’t the largest amount she’d needed, if that’s what you mean. But it was big enough that I asked her if she was sure she wanted to do that, since it’d mean selling a few things better kept awhile longer. She just said somebody had gotten hurt because of her, and she had to take care of the matter.” He shrugged. “I did as she asked, freed up the money, and wired it to her bank.”
    Kane frowned. “There was no deposit that size into her account in the last six months.” Dinah’s bank had been more cooperative than Conrad in releasing information to the police.
    Conrad hesitated, then said, “Well, it wasn’t her regular bank. She used another one for this sort of thing. And a lawyer other than her usual one to arrange things, I believe.”
    “Will you tell us which bank, so we can verify this?” Bishop asked.
    After a few moments, Conrad nodded. “I suppose I can do that.” He jotted down the name and address of the bank on a piece of paper.
    Bishop took it.
    “What about this other lawyer, Conrad? Who was it?” Kane asked.
    “I’m afraid I don’t know. She just mentioned oncethat it was sometimes handy to have two attorneys on retainer, one for public stuff and one private.”
    “And you have no idea exactly what she intended to do with that half million?”
    Conrad shook his head.