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IT WAS LATE MORNING when I met Alex Jepson at the bar at Billy’s Place. Alex had worked with me as the assistant director of security for the Jacksonville Sharks baseball team. She took over as Director when I got my private investigator’s license and resigned to start Walsh Investigations.
She had her eyes down on her laptop in front of her as she sipped her hot cup of tea.
For Alex, it was the offseason. The Sharks had once again missed the playoffs, which meant her vacation started in early October, as it had for me the five years I’d worked for the Sharks.
She knew I had met with Angela Thompson.
“So, will you help me?” I said.
She looked up from her computer and took a sip from her cup of tea. “From what I’ve read, I don’t see how his death was anything other than an accident. He went down a slippery hill, hit his head, and fell off his bike and into the pond. There doesn’t appear to be any foul play.”
“If you’re getting your information from the press, I’m sure they got their information straight from the Sheriff himself.”
She turned to me and stared for a moment, then put her eyes back on her computer screen.
My good friend and owner of Billy’s Place, Billy Wu, was behind the bar, as he was most any time you’d walk in the place. He walked through the door from the kitchen and over to me and Alex. “Alex said your new client is John Thompson’s ex-wife?”
“Do you know him?”
“Not well, but I know he’s the insurance guy. Used to run those commercials around here.”
I nodded. “I met with Angela last night.”
Billy made a face. “I thought he fell off his bike...”
I nodded. “His ex-wife doesn’t believe it.”
Alex looked up from her computer. “I know you think all I did was read some articles online, but I actually called Mike Stone for you. I thought maybe I could get something from him.”
I laughed. “Detectives love when private investigators are hired to prove them wrong.”
“I didn’t give him any specifics or even mention your name. I just tried to pick his brain.”
“What’d he say?”
She paused a moment then shrugged. “Exactly what it said online. Investigation’s closed.”
I gave her a look then reached for a cup of coffee Billy slid in front of me. I took a sip and looked back at Alex. “Was it even his case?”
“No, but he knows all about it. He said Angela Thompson was being very demanding, requested they keep the investigation open. But then she just stopped bothering them.”
I reached for a menu and skimmed over the sandwiches.
Alex said, “So what else do we have to work with, besides he wasn’t wearing a helmet?”
“She told me it was my job to figure it out. I’m meeting her later today, at her office. I was hoping you’d be available?”
Alex nodded. “If the rumors I’m hearing are true and Bob sells the team in the offseason, I might end up more available than I’d like to be.”
“Chasing unfaithful spouses pays the bills, but barely. I just have a feeling, if this works out, it’ll be good for business.”
Billy turned his head from a few feet away as he mixed a couple of Bloody Marys. He smiled. “There’s no other line of business—outside of owning a funeral home—where you’ll hear someone say death is ‘good for business.’” He delivered the drinks down the other end of the bar, then poured himself a coffee on the way back. He leaned on the bar with one hand down and sipped his coffee from the other. “You’re doing what you were meant to do. Success will come, I’m sure of it.”
––––––––
ALEX AND I SHOWED UP at Thompson Insurance just off Riverside Avenue, east of the river. We were met by a heavy-set security guard seated behind a desk who barely moved when we walked through the revolving door. His eyes were down in his phone until he raised his head and straightened himself up. He looked toward us but didn’t say a word as we approached him.
“We’re here for Thompson Insurance.”
He tapped on the clipboard on the desk. “Sign here.” He stared at Alex, kept his gaze on her for a moment. “Both of you.” He leaned on the desk and pushed himself up from his chair, then straightened his pants and pointed down a hall. “Straight down there, turn right and take the elevator to the twelfth floor.”
We rode up the elevator and off onto floor number twelve. Just a few steps from the elevator we entered Thompson Insurance through a set of glass doors. When I saw the front desk was empty, I looked at my watch and wondered if anybody was still there.
A tall, attractive woman with straight red hair and dressed business-like walked through a door. She looked right at me. “Mr. Walsh? I’m Kayla Morton. Follow me and I’ll bring you to the conference room.”
We followed her into the conference room with a dark wood table as long as my boat. There were at least twelve matching, leather chairs on either side and one on each end. A TV hung on the wall on the far end of the table and a wall of shelves filled with books I wondered if anybody’d ever touched.
“Angela will be right in.” She glanced at her watch. “She’s running a little late. But Eric should be here any minute.”
“Who?” I said.
“John’s brother. Didn’t Angela tell you he’d be here?”
I shook my head. “No. But that’s okay. That’s good.”
Alex and I exchanged a look as we both took a seat on the same side of the table.
Kayla pulled at a strand of her hair and looked toward the door. “Angela asked Eric to be here. He’s a little, well...I’ll let you judge for yourself.” She reached for the door. “I’ll go check on Angela.” Her eyes moved back and forth from me to Alex then settled on me. “Can I offer you a drink?”
Both Alex and I shook our heads, then Kayla left the room.
A moment later a man no more than in his early thirties walked into the conference room. His shirt was untucked, his pants wrinkled, and he didn’t appear to care much for a razor. Not that I could talk...
He had his head down in his phone and walked toward the seat on the far end of the table. He sat, his head still in his phone and his thumbs moving rapidly on the screen. He put down his phone and looked down the table toward me. “You the detective?”
I gave Alex a quick glance out of the corner of my eye. I nodded. “Private investigator. I’m Henry Walsh. This is Alex. Alex Jepson. We’re with Walsh Investigations.”
“You’re not one of ours?” he said.
“One of your what?”
“Investigators? We have a handful on the books. To investigate fraud and such.”
“Oh. No...that’s not me.”
“I wonder why Angela would bring someone else in when we already...” Eric didn’t finish what he was saying and picked up his phone. He held up his finger toward us and started tapping away on his phone again.
The door opened and Kayla walked through. Her eyes jumped to Eric. “You’re here?”
Eric looked up from his phone. “Always so perceptive, Kayla.” He let a slight snort out his nose and continued tapping on his phone.
Kayla stared back at him, her nostrils somewhat flared for a moment. She pulled on a strand of her long, red hair and twisted it between her fingers. “Henry, Alex. I’m so sorry but Angela’s going to have to reschedule for later.”
Eric jumped up from his seat. “What a shame.” He walked out of the room without a word.
I pointed toward the door with my thumb. “Is he always like this?”
Kayla rolled her eyes and looked down toward the floor before answering. “He doesn’t understand why Angela’s hired you.”
I nodded. “Okay, well...should we wait for her?”
“No, she’s on a call with one of our bigger clients. There’s some sort of issue...and these calls can go on for hours.”