“Thanks for calling, Marshall Swift,” Laura Sanchez said. “Sergeant O’Malley is here. I’m going to put you on the speakerphone.”
“What’s up?”
“Nothing on our investigation, here. We want you to help us out some more. It turns out that the Garrapata fire is bigger than they thought. We’re not going to be able to get to Satori tomorrow. For that reason, we need you to interview some of the folks that we would have talked to, the people that worked with Bryn Moore, particularly the administrative staff.”
“Fine. I would be glad to do that.”
Sergeant O’Malley spoke up. “We want you to tape these. You don’t have to read the interviewees their rights, but we don’t want anyone else present.”
“You don’t want my boyfriend, Tom, to be present.” How stupid does he think I am? “Of course.”
“Let us know what you find out, Kate.”
“That was fast, Kate,” Laura said, when Kate called back two hours later.
“What did you learn, Marshal?” O’Malley asked.
“I’ll let you be the judge.” Kate cleared her throat. “I began by interviewing Bruce James. He had no idea who would harm Mr. Moore. He claimed that he was an exemplary employee, who pretty much kept to himself.” Kate paused. “I felt something was off, so I pushed him on the nature of ‘Bryn Moore’s relationship with Malcolm Eastwick. Bruce James hemmed and hawed and then said, ‘This is all hearsay, but I think they had (ahem) an unusual relationship.’”
“Meaning what?” O’Malley asked.
“Meaning that Bruce James believed that Malcolm Eastwick and Bryn Moore had a sexual relationship.”
“Sounds like Eastwick was boinking everyone,” O’Malley said.
Sanchez laughed.
“Next, I interviewed Carl Oliver, the HR guy. He knew nothing. He’d met Bryn Moore, because they worked in the administrative offices, but he claimed he didn’t know him socially. Oliver has only been on the job for two months.”
“No complaints about Moore?” Sanchez asked.
“I asked and Oliver said Moore’s personnel jacket was clean.”
“Who else did you talk to?” O’Malley asked.
“Next, I talked to Marcia Ball, the Satori development director. She claimed to have a cordial relationship with Moore and had no idea why anyone would kill him. I could tell she was lying, but at the time I had no idea how to get her to open up.”
“Why did you believe she was lying?” Laura asked.
“She had two tells: whenever she got ready to lie, she would look up into the corner of the room, and she would wring her hands.”
“Good catch,” Laura said.
“Thanks. Next, I interviewed Sequoyah the administrative assistant, real name Simone Wertheimer. She’s getting ready to leave Satori, feeling that she is not working in the ‘psychologically mature’ organization she was led to believe it was. She admitted that, to use your words Sergeant, everyone was ‘boinking’ everyone. Sequoyah said that she slept with Malcolm Eastwick to get her job; she said that after that one night, he treated her ‘like dirt.’ She said that Bryn Moore and Malcolm Eastwick had an ongoing sexual relationship; she felt it meant more to Moore than to Eastwick, whom she described as ‘an amoral dickhead.’ Sequoyah indicated that Marcia Ball had had a sexual relationship with Eastwick but that it was over; next Marcia Ball had a relationship with Bruce James, but it also had ended. She indicated that James now has a long-term relationship with a Carmel psychotherapist named Mary. Sequoyah believed that Marcia Ball and Bryn Moore had a sexual relationship of ‘convenience.’”
“What does that mean?” Laura asked.
“Sequoyah indicated that Moore sold favors. And that Marcia Ball periodically paid him to service her.”
“He was a male escort?” O’Malley asked.
“However you want to describe it, Brynn Scott apparently turned tricks for money or drugs.”
“Lord have mercy,” O’Malley said.
“Do you want to ask questions, or shall I continue?” Kate asked.
“Continue, please,” Laura said.
“There’s a founders’ office in the administrative section. Apparently, Malcolm used it intermittently. Since his demise, it’s been occupied by Cheryl Taylor, the last remaining founder. She signs certain documents, such as Bruce James’ paycheck.”
“You interviewed her?” Laura asked.
“Cheryl showed up as I was ending my interview with Sequoyah, so I interviewed her.”
“And?” O’Malley asked.
“You’re aware that Cheryl is one of the leaders of the workshop that I’m in?”
“Yes.”
“Given that I have somewhat of a personal relationship, I was circumspect with her. I asked her about Bryn Moore, and she said she didn’t know him well; she indicated he was one of Malcolm’s clients.”
“Malcolm was Moore’s therapist?” Laura asked.
“That’s what Cheryl said.”
“He was ‘boinking’ his client,” O’Malley said.
“That seems to be the case,” Kate said. “I asked Cheryl about Marcia Ball, but she wouldn’t talk about her as Marcia is one of her clients.”
“What else?” Laura asked.
“I asked Cheryl if she knew about the money said to be missing from the Satori accounts, she indicated that Bruce James had informed her of the situation. Cheryl said that when her husband, Richard Staybrook died, she and Malcolm agreed that he would become the Satori managing partner.”
“What does that mean?” O’Malley asked.
“They agreed that Malcolm would handle the business side of Satori.”
“Anything else?”
“I told Cheryl that I had heard rumors that Malcolm had ‘inappropriate’ relationships with his therapy clients. Cheryl laughed and indicated that had been a long-term problem. She said that because of client complaints Malcolm had been placed on probation by the California agency that credentials psychotherapists. Apparently, he had cut back on his practice and, therefore, had some money problems.”
“Did you ask Cheryl who she thought killed Bryn Moore?” O’Malley asked.
“No. Given the context, I didn’t think that would be a useful line of questioning.”
“Thank you, Kate,” Laura said. “I’m very impressed by the results of your interviews.”
“Amen,” O’Malley said.
“One more thing,” Kate said. “Can I examine Bryn Moore’s cottage?”
“Good idea,” O’Malley said.
“Can I have my partner, Tom, accompany me?”
“Yes,” Laura said. “Just don’t use the bed.”
Both women laughed.