Chapter 15
Kai grabbed her phone and called Tommy. She put it on Speaker so Tyson could hear. She didn’t get a chance to even say hi before Tommy asked, “What the hell’s going on?”
Her voice tired, she said, “Have you seen the headlines?”
“Why would I listen to the news? You and I both know most of it is garbage.”
“Well, today will be some upsetting garbage. Warren is dead.”
Tommy sucked in his breath in shocked silence.
“There’s no easy way to break it to you. I’m sorry for the call so early in the morning. We went by his place last night to talk to him.” She rubbed a hand across her forehead. “We found him dead in his apartment.”
“What? … How did he die?”
“We’re waiting on the autopsy results. We’re not sure if he committed suicide or if he was murdered, but it was made to look like he committed suicide.”
“What!” Tommy exclaimed. “There’s no way he would’ve committed suicide.”
“Why is that?” Tyson asked.
“Because he was heading off on a vacation.”
“You knew about his flight out?” Kai asked sharply.
“I don’t know about a flight, but he said he was leaving next weekend, and he was excited about an upcoming holiday. He was really closemouthed about it. I figured he had some hot chick stashed somewhere who he didn’t want to share. You know what it’s like at the office,” Tommy admitted. “I figured he was just keeping her all to himself.”
“Well, he was certainly taking a flight over the weekend,” Kai said quietly. “Unfortunately it was a one-way ticket to Thailand.”
“Thailand?” Tommy said, impressed. “Wow, really?” There was a long pause before he said, “Wait a minute. Did you say a one-way ticket?”
“Yeah. Warren was leaving next weekend. And he wasn’t planning on coming back.”
Through the silence on the phone she could almost hear Tommy’s heartbeat. She realized just how much Tommy had looked up to Warren. “You knew Warren really well, didn’t you?”
Tommy’s voice was strangled when he said, “Yes. At least I thought so.”
“I don’t think he was thinking straight at the end, if that helps.”
“He was thinking straight enough to make decisions like that though, wasn’t he?” There was unmistakable bitterness in Tommy’s tone.
She winced. “Yes, as much as I hate to think about that. … Maybe he just wanted time to figure out his next step. It’s hard to walk away from everyone.” She was trying to stay positive for Tommy’s sake. He was only eighteen. And, although he was a genius in so many ways, he lacked a lot of stability in his relationships, and this was just, yet again, another ugly spot in his life.
“He was my uncle, you know? Or maybe step-uncle is a better term. I don’t know. His stepbrother is my father by blood but not in any other way. In truth I can’t stand him or the way he operates,” Tommy said stiffly. “When in the same room we don’t even acknowledge each other.”
She sat upright, the shock almost visceral. “Really? You’re related? Oh, I’m so sorry, Tommy. I didn’t know.” Tyson laid his hand on her thigh, but she could feel the tears gathering in the back of her eyes. “That makes it so much worse.”
“Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?” Tommy said. “My mother was Warren’s stepbrother’s girlfriend for a long time. So the connection wasn’t by blood or marriage. And when my parents split up, my father had nothing to do with her or me. Warren, at the time, got involved and probably paid my mother off. I don’t know why. Maybe he felt responsible for his useless stepbrother.” Tommy’s tone of voice slowed, his emotions ragged. “My mother was no winner either. She was looking for money back then and many times since. It’s quite possible Warren helped her out over time as he stayed in touch all those years. When he offered me a job, I accepted. I can do the work, but I don’t get along so well with people.” His voice was low. “As you well know.”
“I never had a problem with you, Tommy. And our everyday experiences should help our relationships get easier, but sometimes we lose the people we love without any warning.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” His voice broke, and he hung up.
She’d heard the sob in his throat—knew he would have a really tough time dealing with Warren’s death. She leaned back down and said, “Christ, I feel bad now. Did the police know?”
“It’s quite possible they didn’t,” Tyson said. “I just told Levi and Ice to track down Tommy’s mother and see what they can find out.”
“It’s all so confusing.”
“It will all be untwisted soon.”
“And then I have to wonder who inherits,” she said. “Does Warren have a will, and is Tommy in it?”
*
“You suspect Tommy?” Tyson asked, his voice neutral.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t. That took a little too much organization for him. Tommy might hit out in a rage, but I can’t see him systematically slicing Warren’s wrists. Not to mention the fact he faints at the sight of blood.”
Tyson raised an eyebrow.
“I cut myself with the coffeepot the first week working there. I felt pretty stupid, but I saw Tommy’s face, and he almost passed out. I had to force him to sit down, his head between his knees, while I cleaned up the mess.”
“And you don’t think he was faking it?”
“No, he wasn’t faking it. He almost passed out.” She threw back the covers and grabbed up her robe. As she put it on she said, “I certainly can’t sleep now.”
She walked to the kitchen and made coffee. While waiting for the brew to drip, she stared out the kitchen window. Somehow it was just so much worse knowing Tommy had been related to Warren. The police should have notified Tommy of his loss. Now the police would be knocking on his door, asking questions he wouldn’t have any answers for.
As she poured the coffee, she wondered about the other employees. They all seemed quite chummy. She pulled out her phone and sent Tommy a text. Did anyone else at the company know you were related to Warren?
The answer came back fast. Larry did. We’ve been friends for years. As for the others, no idea. It was never discussed.
Thanks. Do you know if Warren has any other family?
Just his stepbrother. Warren didn’t have any children of his own.
“Right,” she said aloud. She walked to the bedroom to stand in the doorway. “Tommy doesn’t think anybody else in the company is related to Warren, but they haven’t discussed it. He says Warren only had the stepbrother that he knew about.”
Tyson didn’t look up from his laptop, but he answered, “That’s what I’m finding too. We need to contact Warren’s lawyer to find out more.”
*
Tyson’s phone rang. He picked it up and answered, “Levi, what’s up?”
“Detective Mannford contacted Warren’s lawyer, and there was a partner life insurance policy for the business. With Warren’s death, Kai now owns the business one hundred percent. Warren did have a will. Kai’s not in it. Tommy is. But Tommy does not inherit any of the company.”
“Okay, that makes sense. She just spoke to Tommy, not realizing they were related, and broke Warren’s death to Tommy. He’s pretty devastated about it.”
“Yes, Warren apparently helped Tommy out over the last decade. Warren’s stepbrother was contacted by the police to let him know about his brother’s death. He’s not in the will. They’re looking for any life insurance policy or other motive for the stepbrother to kill Warren but haven’t found anything. The stepbrother owns Burning Edge. So we’re looking into that angle. But we don’t have any answers yet.”
Interesting that Burning Edge was the stepbrother’s company. Tyson’s mind immediately tried to work the angles and fit that information into the bits he already knew. “Does Warren have other assets?”
“The apartment he lived in. But it was due to close the day after he was murdered. Not sure what happens to that now. That’s up to the lawyers to sort out.”
Tyson nodded. “Right. So no reason you know of for killing Warren. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Unless it has to do with the stepbrother’s connection.”
“In what way?”
“For instance, if the stepbrother thought his company was getting exclusive rights to the VR system. He says Warren gave him a signed contract.”
“Yet Kai knows nothing about it and certainly didn’t sign that contract.”
“Maybe Warren tried to pull a fast one, like sell the software to his stepbrother’s company for some traveling cash. Warren must have known he would be in trouble as soon as Kai found out, so he decided to get out of it.”
“That’s possible. But Burning Edge doesn’t have a chance of enforcing the contract if it’s not transferred from both owners. So we need a signed original of that document to know for sure. Warren’s lawyer should have a copy. He handled the business side of things.”
“I’ll call him.” Levi hung up.
Tyson looked up as Kai walked in with a cup of coffee. He quickly shared the details learned from Levi’s phone call.
She sat down on the bed. “We never discussed selling of the VR program to Burning Edge. Warren knew how I felt about that particular company. I thought he felt the same. Burning Edge operates on the shady side. Never once did Warren mention it was his stepbrother’s company.” She frowned. Then added slowly, “Why was that? Obviously Warren probably didn’t want anyone to know. And of course he knew how poor a reputation Burning Edge had. Tommy would have known as well.”
“Whether he was ashamed of his father or just angry still over him being an absentee father, I imagine Burning Edge was something Tommy would not want brought up over and over.”
“Right. There’s no way any deal prior to my arrival would’ve been made because we didn’t have this progress on the VR system yet, so, if the contract was made afterward, that would mean Warren was trying to sneak something over on me.”
“Why would he do that?”
“No idea. We have to talk to the lawyers. That’ll tell us what contracts there are and whether they are legal and binding.” She ran her hand over her face, stopping to rub her tired eyes. “This is such a nightmare.”
“Or it could be perfect. On his death, his interest in the company reverts to you a hundred percent.”
“I signed something like that too.” She brightened. “Do you know that for sure?”
“Sure as I can be without seeing the paperwork. And of course that means, as far as the police are concerned, you move to suspect number one.”
“I always was suspect number one,” she said drily. “But I also have you as an alibi. And, if Tommy is inheriting Warren’s house and his bank accounts and anything else …”
“I know he inherits a lot. I don’t know if he inherits everything.”
She nodded. “That makes him suspect number two.”
“Exactly.”
“With no other family but Tommy, I guess the funeral arrangements fall to him and Warren’s stepbrother.”
“Yes.” Tyson thought about Tommy with his lime green pants and purple tie. “I can’t really imagine Tommy setting up funeral arrangements.”
Kai gave Tyson a sad smile. “I like that about him. He is innocent in so many ways. I’m really hoping this doesn’t change that. But of course losing a mentor and family member you care about, well, everything changes.” She looked at Tyson. “How can it not?”
He focused on his keyboard because of course she was right. Hadn’t it changed for him? “Have I changed that much?”
She stopped on her way to the bathroom, her eyebrows raised. “I wasn’t thinking of you when I said that,” she said. “In a way, I was thinking of me.”
It was his turn to be surprised. “In what way?”
She gave a crooked smile. “I’m more me. Back then when I was with her, I was an extension of Tracy. When I was alone, I felt like I wasn’t quite complete. The last two years was all about learning who I was. Doing things because I wanted to and not because she wanted to. I was learning the foods I like again versus the food she wanted. She was a force of nature, and I was a happy tree to bow in the wind. But, when I lost her, my energy wasn’t directed in one way or another.” She laughed a bit. “I had to figure out who I was, what direction I wanted to go. Just as Tommy will have to do.”
She walked into the bathroom, closing the door gently behind her. He stared at the door in wonder because Tracy had, indeed, been a force of nature. She’d been very good at coercing people into doing what she wanted them to do. Always with a gentle smile, but no doubt she had been a dominant force directing her world and his. He hadn’t been thinking about getting married, but, as long as she wanted to, he was good with it. He hadn’t been delirious about having a family, but, before he knew it, it was already happening. Even the house they bought together had been because she had adored it. When she was happy, he was happy.
For the first time he understood Kai’s earlier question about whether his relationship with Tracy would have lasted. Would his marriage have gone the distance? Would they have survived ten or even twenty years together? He’d still like to think so. But to do so, he knew there would’ve been a lot of compromise on his part.
At the time he’d been totally okay with that. Now maybe he was a little more like Kai, in that he’d learned a lot. As if that year with Tracy, working and smiling and laughing, had made his world brighter and so full of joy. Then, when it emptied out, he had reverted to the same quiet person he’d been before.
As he leaned against the headboard, he had to wonder if that was a bad thing.
Not that he was quiet because he was sad, and it wasn’t that he was depressed. He was just naturally reserved. It’d been exhausting being around Tracy. But he’d never wanted to let her down, never wanted her to look at him with disappointment. He’d have done anything and everything he could to keep the sunshine on her face. Going forward he would’ve adapted.
But it was so strange now to realize just how different life was without her. And yet, it was not that it was bad. In fact, maybe for the first time, he realized it would really be okay.