anything.
However, Laurel did. “Theo and my father were involved in several business deals. Major ones. And some of the investors pulled out when I broke off the engagement.”
All right. Now,
that
was motive.
“How big were these business deals?” Jericho asked.
“Millions,” Laurel provided.
Yeah, definitely motive.
“A misunderstanding, that’s all,” Theo insisted. “A few of the investors were worried that I didn’t have Herschel’s backing. I do. And once that’s made clear, then they’ll pony up the money again.”
“So, you’ve got Herschel’s backing even if he’s trying to murder the woman you want to marry?” Jericho concluded.
“My mother accused Herschel of wrongdoing. You didn’t hear that from me. And you won’t,” Theo added. “Because I don’t believe Herschel would do anything like this.”
Interesting. Dorothy’s reaction was interesting, as well. She turned those frosty eyes on her son.
“If Herschel’s not behind this, then who is?” Jericho asked Theo.
“You and your family maybe,” Theo answered. “From everything I’ve heard, none of your siblings or your mother wants you involved with Laurel.”
They didn’t. But Jericho had no intention of admitting that to this beefed-up jerk. He tapped his badge again. “I’m a lawman. My brothers are all lawmen, too. That means we’re not into attempted murder or other assorted felonies. Now, talk. If not Herschel, then who? And this time, I want your answer to make sense.”
Theo’s mouth tightened. “You’d have to ask Laurel. I suspect she was involved with someone else, or she wouldn’t have ended our engagement. Someone who’s angry enough to want her dead.”
Laurel cursed, something he’d rarely heard her do over the years. “There was no one else.”
“Right.” Theo shot Jericho a glare.
“It appears you’ve got something to say to me?” Jericho challenged.
Oh, Theo wanted to say plenty, all right, but Jericho saw the moment the man reined in his manicured claws.
Dorothy, however, appeared to be sharpening hers. “When you look at other suspects, look at a businessman named Quinn Rossman.”
The very man involved in the money laundering scheme that Herschel was trying to use to have Laurel arrested. Theo clearly knew the name, too. Clearly didn’t like his mother mentioning it, because he glared at her.
A glare that the woman ignored. “Rossman’s the one who’ll take the biggest financial loss because of these failed deals,” Dorothy added.
So, the claws weren’t for Jericho but for this Quinn Rossman.
Laurel nodded. “Quinn Rossman will lose several of those millions, but like everyone else involved in this, I haven’t found anything to link him to what’s going on with the attacks.”
“Then, keep looking,” Dorothy insisted. “You don’t have to worry about his moron of a partner, Diego Cawley. He doesn’t have the stones or the brains to do something like this.”
“Mom,” Theo whispered. And it was indeed a warning. “You’ve said enough.”
Jericho didn’t agree. He wanted to hear a whole lot more. “You seem to know plenty about these two, Rossman and Cawley. How much do you know about their money laundering deal?” He stared at Dorothy, waiting for an answer.
“She knows nothing about that,” Theo snapped, and he took his mother’s arm. “If you want to question us further, then contact our attorney.” He rattled off his lawyer’s name and left, practically dragging his mother with him.
“Want me to stop them?” Mack asked.
Jericho gave it some thought, and while it would give him some instant gratification to grill Theo like a common criminal, he wasn’t likely to get any other answers from the pair. Not tonight, anyway.
“No, let them go,” he told Mack before turning to Laurel. “You need to be back in the break room. Away from these windows.” They were bullet resistant and the blinds were pulled all the way down, but there was no
However, Laurel did. “Theo and my father were involved in several business deals. Major ones. And some of the investors pulled out when I broke off the engagement.”
All right. Now,
that
was motive.
“How big were these business deals?” Jericho asked.
“Millions,” Laurel provided.
Yeah, definitely motive.
“A misunderstanding, that’s all,” Theo insisted. “A few of the investors were worried that I didn’t have Herschel’s backing. I do. And once that’s made clear, then they’ll pony up the money again.”
“So, you’ve got Herschel’s backing even if he’s trying to murder the woman you want to marry?” Jericho concluded.
“My mother accused Herschel of wrongdoing. You didn’t hear that from me. And you won’t,” Theo added. “Because I don’t believe Herschel would do anything like this.”
Interesting. Dorothy’s reaction was interesting, as well. She turned those frosty eyes on her son.
“If Herschel’s not behind this, then who is?” Jericho asked Theo.
“You and your family maybe,” Theo answered. “From everything I’ve heard, none of your siblings or your mother wants you involved with Laurel.”
They didn’t. But Jericho had no intention of admitting that to this beefed-up jerk. He tapped his badge again. “I’m a lawman. My brothers are all lawmen, too. That means we’re not into attempted murder or other assorted felonies. Now, talk. If not Herschel, then who? And this time, I want your answer to make sense.”
Theo’s mouth tightened. “You’d have to ask Laurel. I suspect she was involved with someone else, or she wouldn’t have ended our engagement. Someone who’s angry enough to want her dead.”
Laurel cursed, something he’d rarely heard her do over the years. “There was no one else.”
“Right.” Theo shot Jericho a glare.
“It appears you’ve got something to say to me?” Jericho challenged.
Oh, Theo wanted to say plenty, all right, but Jericho saw the moment the man reined in his manicured claws.
Dorothy, however, appeared to be sharpening hers. “When you look at other suspects, look at a businessman named Quinn Rossman.”
The very man involved in the money laundering scheme that Herschel was trying to use to have Laurel arrested. Theo clearly knew the name, too. Clearly didn’t like his mother mentioning it, because he glared at her.
A glare that the woman ignored. “Rossman’s the one who’ll take the biggest financial loss because of these failed deals,” Dorothy added.
So, the claws weren’t for Jericho but for this Quinn Rossman.
Laurel nodded. “Quinn Rossman will lose several of those millions, but like everyone else involved in this, I haven’t found anything to link him to what’s going on with the attacks.”
“Then, keep looking,” Dorothy insisted. “You don’t have to worry about his moron of a partner, Diego Cawley. He doesn’t have the stones or the brains to do something like this.”
“Mom,” Theo whispered. And it was indeed a warning. “You’ve said enough.”
Jericho didn’t agree. He wanted to hear a whole lot more. “You seem to know plenty about these two, Rossman and Cawley. How much do you know about their money laundering deal?” He stared at Dorothy, waiting for an answer.
“She knows nothing about that,” Theo snapped, and he took his mother’s arm. “If you want to question us further, then contact our attorney.” He rattled off his lawyer’s name and left, practically dragging his mother with him.
“Want me to stop them?” Mack asked.
Jericho gave it some thought, and while it would give him some instant gratification to grill Theo like a common criminal, he wasn’t likely to get any other answers from the pair. Not tonight, anyway.
“No, let them go,” he told Mack before turning to Laurel. “You need to be back in the break room. Away from these windows.” They were bullet resistant and the blinds were pulled all the way down, but there was no
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