“I don’t know. I am one of the top ten independent financial planners in the region, rated byBarron’s.The other top guys are in Philly and Pittsburgh.”
“So why not just come to your office, like any other client? Why make up some story and meet you at the game?” Detective Zwerling shook his head, his dissatisfaction evident.
“Maybe he didn’t want to wait until Monday.”
“But how does he even know you’ll be at the game?”
“My son’s a well-known high-school basketball player, in the newspapers all the time. It’s a logical assumption I’d be there.” Jake didn’t elaborate. He wanted to keep Ryan’s name out of it altogether.
“Do you go to his games?”
“Not all of them, but this was the playoffs. I go then.” Jake saw a way out. “So maybe Voloshin made it a point to run into me. Maybe he thought he’d feel me out at the game, then he listened to my pitch and decided to come in, but saw that we don’t do the kind of thing he was interested in.”
“Why didn’t he ask you about it then?”
“An offshore account? Would you, if you saw this place?” Jake gestured at the conference room. “We’re obviously not the kind of place that deals in shady offshore accounts. We don’t even breathe that word around here.”
“Hmph.” Detective Zwerling paused. “Anyway, so he expected to come into money. But I don’t know where he expected to get it from. Do you have any idea?”
“No.”
“In your practice, or whatever you call it, how do clients generally come into money?”
“Inheritance, gift, stock windfall. He could’ve even won the lottery. I have two lottery winners among my clients.”
Detective Woo’s face came alive. “Thelottery? Whoa! That’s incredible! What’s it like to win the lottery?”
Detective Zwerling snorted. “It ruins your life, right?”
Detective Woo laughed. “Come on, Bill! Onlyyoucould find something wrong with free money! It’s the best thingever!”
Detective Zwerling snorted again. “Be careful what you wish, grasshopper.”
“Winning the lottery can be a wonderful thing,” Jake jumped in, relieved to change the subject. “I’ve seen it change lives for the better.”
“Tell me!” Detective Woo leaned forward. “What do they do when they win? Give a party? Buy a Lamborghini? If I won, I’d take all of my buddies to Cabo!”
“Not on my watch.” Jake managed a smile. “We’d discuss it, but I’d invest you consistent with your goals, and I’d refer you to an accountant, a private bank, and an estates lawyer.”
Detective Zwerling scowled. “And a shrink, because you’ll need one.”
Jake let it go, and the clock ticked to 11:02. Suddenly his phone signaled that a text had come in. He rose and reached for his pocket, looking for an excuse to end the meeting. It had to be Harold or Marie, calling with the best or worst news of his life. “Detectives, excuse me, I was waiting for that text and I need to make a call. We’re finished here, aren’t we?”
“Well, yes, I suppose we’re done.” Detective Zwerling flipped his pad closed. “For now.”
For now.Jake fled for the door, glancing at his phone screen. The text wasn’t from Harold or Marie, but from Pam, and it read:
Don’t worry. I took care of Voloshin.
Chapter Thirty-five
Jake pressed in Pam’s cell-phone number, hurrying back through the reception area to his office. He’d been expecting to hear from Harold, not his wife. What did she have to do with Voloshin? And last night? It struck him suddenly that Pam could be the brunette that the detectives were talking about, who had been spotted at Voloshin’s apartment complex.
Oh my God.
Jake hustled down the hall and caught Amy’s eye. Pam wouldn’t havekilledVoloshin, would she? It was almost unthinkable, but she was the best mother on the planet. Would she have killed Voloshin to protect Ryan?
Jake waited for the call to connect while he motioned to Amy that he was finished with the detectives and she should see them out. He slipped into his office and closed the door behind him. “Babe?” he said, as soon as Pam picked up. “What did you—”
