“I understand. Halle is the first priority.” I turned to Bern. “Were you able to find that two million Sigourney liquidated on the day of her death?”
Bern frowned.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
“I’ve checked all of our accounts,” Runa said. “It’s not there. It wasn’t wired in and then wired out or withdrawn. It didn’t come in as a big chunk or in smaller deposits.”
“Ramma munnuf,” Leon said.
“Swallow your food,” Bern told him.
Leon gulped his iced tea. “Ransom money.”
Thank you, Captain Obvious. Just because we hadn’t blurted it out in front of the client didn’t mean we all weren’t quietly thinking it.
Runa froze. “Do you think Halle was kidnapped and Mom withdrew the money to pay the ransom?”
“It’s a possibility,” I said, keeping my tone measured.
“Catalina, stop treating me like I’m made of glass! Everything is ‘may’ and ‘possibility’ and ‘we’re not sure’! I deserve an honest answer.”
You know what, fine.
“Okay. Here is the truth: I don’t know. I’m trying not to get your hopes up, because you’re grieving, and it makes you prone to rash decisions.” There, that was honest.
“Dun dun dun,” Leon intoned dramatically.
“Rash decisions? Like what?” Runa demanded.
“Like poisoning the man who could’ve told us who hired him to cover up this murder.”
Runa waved her arms. “My mother’s body attacked us, I freaked out! And besides, it was your boyfriend who stabbed him.”
“Please. Conway was a dead man walking before he left the room. You poisoned him so well that his body grew an inch of black fuzz after he was already dead. And for the last time, Alessandro isn’t my boyfriend.”
Runa’s eyes narrowed. “When I saw you, you had your hand on his arm, as if you were walking into prom. You had that look on your face.”
Leon and Bern looked like they were watching a great movie and had just come to the best part. Ugh.
“What look?” I asked.
“The I’m-touching-the-dreamiest-guy-in-the-universe look.”
“I was flustered. I’d just watched him stab a man and then smile at me like nothing happened.”
“Well, I was flustered too!”
Arabella walked into the kitchen. “I smell chicken. Give.”
“You’re gonna want to sit down for this,” Leon told her. “Catalina and Runa are having a fight. We’re about an inch from hair pulling.”
“A fight?” Arabella’s eyes widened. “A real fight?”
“Yes,” Bern told her.
“Pass the popcorn,” my sister said.
Why did I put up with all of this? Oh yeah, they were family and I loved them no matter what. But sometimes, like right now, I loved them significantly less.
I turned to Runa. “Your sister could have been kidnapped. The ransom would explain where the money went. But this scenario has problems.”
“Okay,” she said. “Like what?”
“First, if someone kidnapped Halle, and your mother paid the ransom, why kill her and why plant a fake Halle? If your mother failed to pay the ransom, where is the money, and again, why the decoy? It would make much more sense to contact you and say that they killed your mother and they have your sister. You would pay whatever they asked. Also, your mother says in the video that she didn’t regret her actions and that she did what she felt was right. That suggests that the fire was an act of punishment. She expected to be in danger, but she says nothing about your sister, and she made no effort to shield Halle by sending her away, for example, which implies your mother thought she was the only one in trouble. So no, none of this makes sense.”
Runa pondered it. The silence stretched.
“Fair enough,” she said finally. “What about this Diatheke thing?”
Bern cleared his throat. “On paper, they’re an investment firm ‘seeking partnership with high net worth individuals, families, and firms.’ They mainly invest in enterprises in South America. Average Web site, pictures of corporate officers, which are old white guy, younger white guy, and some people in their thirties with good dentists and above average income.”
So far, pretty average.
“There are no reviews or testimonials, which isn’t unusual for a private investment firm,” Bern continued. “Their Glassdoor listing is vague. Employees: one to eighty. Net worth: unknown. Revenue: unknown. Salaries: unknown. Again, not unusual. Bloomberg, which gets its info from S&P Global Market Intelligence, lists Randall Baker as a founder. He doesn’t belong to any House and he isn’t on Herald. He hasn’t been indicted. He hasn’t declared bankruptcy. The company never declared bankruptcy and has never been sued or sanctioned. They’re a private equity firm like dozens of others in Houston. The only thing