Ghosted

Chapter Twenty-Two

When Archie walked into Leo Baker’s living room, the first person he saw was Professor Jacoby Azizi.

“There’s a BOLO out for you,” Archie informed him, which perhaps explained why Archie wasn’t invited to a lot of D.C. cocktail parties.

Azizi was not someone who could hide in a crowd. He was tall and thin with black eyes and long, artificially jet-black hair. He always dressed in black. When he’d been twenty, it had probably been pretty effective. He was seventy now, so it was still effective, but maybe not in the way he intended. The professor appeared to be drinking a Stinger. He lowered his glass, raised his winged eyebrows, and said forbiddingly, “Do I know you, young man?”

Leo, who had moved to greet Archie, said, “Jac, you remember John’s godson, Archie. He’s an FBI agent now.” Leo squeezed Archie’s arm affectionately, and said, “I’m glad you decided to join us tonight. John will be too.”

Archie had no answer for that. Luckily, no answer was required.

“Jac didn’t know the police were looking for him till we filled him in a little while ago. We told him he needs to turn himself in.” Priscilla kissed Archie’s cheek. “We’re so happy you’re here, kiddo.”

“Turn myself in for what ?” protested Azizi. “I haven’t done anything! The very idea that I would harm John is absurd. He was one of my dearest friends. I’m devastated that we’ve lost him.”

“Not lost ,” Leo corrected. “John merely stands behind the veil. A veil that we’ll perhaps manage to lift for a short while tonight. What will you have to drink, Archie?”

Jesus. The utter wack these people talked.

“Why have you not responded to police requests to speak with you?” Archie remained focused on Azizi. “Where have you been since Saturday night?”

Azizi flushed, opened his mouth, but Priscilla spoke first. “He was at Incense Cedar Preserve.”

“ Not that it’s anyone’s business.” Azizi glared at her.

“I’m sure it’s the truth,” Priscilla said. “He looks terrific.”

Beau and Archie had done a fair bit of camping, but Archie did not recall any campground called Incense Cedar Reserve.

Perhaps seeing his bafflement, Priscilla said helpfully, “It’s a resort and spa. Very swanky.”

“It’s impossible to get in there this time of year,” Azizi said. “I’ve been on the wait list for months. So, when they had a cancellation, of course I grabbed it. I had no idea about John until I returned home last night.”

“You lied to your department head. You claimed you were flying to Nebraska because of a family emergency.”

Azizi bridled. “Well, they would hardly have taken kindly to hearing I was cancelling class in order to head to a spa retreat!”

“You threatened to sue John.”

“He deserved to be sued! The nerve of expelling me! Not that I carried through with it, if you’ll notice.”

“You didn’t have to. John is gone and you’re back in the TPS.”

Azizi gasped. Leo gulped. Priscilla said quickly, “Archie, kiddo, this wasn’t the first time John threw Jac out of the TPS and it wasn’t the first time Jac threatened to sue John. They fell out with each other now and then. But they always worked it out.”

This new information silenced Archie.

“For your information, John invited me to the Ghost Walk,” Azizi said. “I didn’t go because, well, to be honest, I was still a bit put out with him. I deeply regret that decision, and I always will.”

“You can tell John tonight,” Leo assured him. “John will understand. No one was more understanding than John.”

“True,” Priscilla agreed.

Leo smiled hopefully at Archie. “Now, that that’s settled. Let’s all toast to John. Archie, what will you have?”

“Excuse me,” Archie said curtly. “I’m going to let Chief Langham know he can cancel the BOLO.”

“That’s a very good idea,” Priscilla said. It was the tone of an adult encouraging a child to go play.

They were all calling supportive, calming words to him as Archie turned and stalked out of the living room.

He and Beau had it right all those years ago. The TPS really were a bunch of nuts.

Which didn’t change the fact that, while Azizi didn’t seem to have an alibi, he also no longer seemed to have any motive. His story, exasperatingly silly though it was, sounded legit.

It was too silly not to be legit.

Archie strode into the hall, nodded politely to the hovering maid who had opened the front door to him.

He’d been to Leo’s home a few times over the years, but it had been a while and the house had been through several renovations. Like McCabe House, Leo’s home was an older Victorian. But Leo’s tastes trended modern, so, beyond the bare bones, not much was left of the original structure. In its place was a contemporary showstopper with tons of windows, an open floorplan, and sophisticated but comfortable furnishings.

He walked a few feet down the terrazzo tiled hall where he would not be overheard. He pulled out his cell and phoned Beau.

Beau answered on the second ring. “You can’t be out of there already. It’s not even dark out.”

“Azizi is here. He claims he’s been at a health spa since Saturday night and only returned home yesterday evening.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Nope. He insists he was unaware of the BOLO until the Phantom Investigators filled him in a little while ago.”

“Then why the hell didn’t he inform my office?”

“No rush, it seems, since he insists he’s innocent of all wrong-doing.”

Beau spluttered on the other end of the call.

Archie gave him time to work out his ire, before saying, “I hate to admit it, but I think he’s telling the truth.”

“That may be, but he’s going to get his butt in here and explain himself to me. Self-important ass.”

“Yes.” Yes, they were all self-important in their way. Or maybe just oblivious? Money was a great insulator from reality.

“Besides Azizi popping up, how’s it going?”

Archie sighed. “It already feels like a long night.”

Beau made a sound of amusement. “Not too long, I hope.”

Archie smiled faintly. “No. Not too long.”

“I’ll see you later.” Prosaic words but Beau’s tone made them sound like a promise of something very nice to come.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

He was still smiling as he put his phone away. He glanced up, and spotted a slim blonde woman in a short navy-blue dress walking down the hall toward him.

Desi.

His surprise must have shown because she made a little face and said, “I know. I’m here for the same reason you are. This stuff was important to Uncle John.”

Archie glanced past her, expecting to see Arlo, at the very least. “Is Judith here?”

“ Mother ?” Desi gave a short laugh. “You couldn’t pay her to attend one of these. Or Arlo. They both think this is, at best, in extremely poor taste.”

Archie shrugged, started to move toward the living room, but stopped, surprised, when Desi put her hand on his arm.

“Archie.” She scrunched her nose as if in pain. “I wanted to apologize for the things Mother said during the reading of John’s will.”

It was the last thing Archie expected to hear. He said automatically, “It doesn’t matter.”

“I think it does, actually. It was…nobody thinks that’s true. Including Mother. It was completely uncalled for. Uncle John would’ve— Oh my God. He’d have been so angry and disgusted with her. Because she knew he was leaving pretty much everything to you. He told us when you took the job in Alaska.”

Archie absorbed that in silence.

“Mother always insisted he was going to change his mind. He never gave her any reason to think so, but that’s my mother. She believes what she wants to believe, and reality be damned. Which I told Arlo.” She added, “By the way, he’s not going to help her try to challenge the will now or anything like that.”

“Thank you.” A challenge to John’s will was one of the last things on Archie’s mind, but he recognized this as the olive branch Desi intended, and he was surprised and sort of softened by it.

Desi drew in a breath as though bracing for a dive into icy waters. “The other thing I wanted to say is I’m sorry for being such a little bitch to you when you came to live with Uncle John.” To Archie’s surprised alarm, her eyes filled with tears. “It didn’t really occur to me until I was older; honestly, not until Arlo and I started talking about wanting to have our own family, what it must have been like for you. How weird and terrible it had to be. Losing both your parents and coming to live with a bunch of strangers.”

“Oh.” Archie didn’t know what to say to that. But yes. It had been weird and terrible. Even recognizing how lucky he was to have landed safely in John’s kind and generous care did nothing to change the weirdness and terribleness.

“I wouldn’t want that to happen to my son.”

Well, no. Who would? But Archie merely nodded.

“You didn’t show it—anything, really—and I guess… I don’t know. I guess I was too resentful and jealous to try to see it from your side. From the minute you arrived, everything changed. It almost felt like Uncle John had been waiting for you to show up.” Her smile was self-mocking. “But also, it didn’t help that you were so obviously not impressed by us. You had this way of looking at me, so straight and serious, and I could just feel you thinking how stupid and shallow I was.”

He had never imagined he would ever hear anything even close to an apology from John’s family. Let alone something that sounded sincere. Having told himself for years that he didn’t care, that what they thought or said didn’t matter, it was disconcerting to realize that he had cared. It did help to know Desi had regrets.

“No.” Archie shook his head. He said truthfully, “None of it felt real for a long time. I wasn’t thinking about anyone or anything except wanting to go home.”

Beau had been real.

Beau was when Archie had started to wake from the trance of grief and shock. In fact, the first time he could remember laughing, after arriving in Oregon, was at one of those now-forgotten quips of Beau’s.

“Anyway,” Desi said briskly, “I needed to say it.” She gave an odd laugh. “Especially, if we’re going to be talking to Uncle John tonight.”

Archie’s lips parted, and Desi said, “ Exactly . Let’s get a drink.”

Desi had several drinks. They all did.

Archie, conscious of the fact that he was still on a variety of meds, was more conservative, but even he had two drinks before dinner. Maybe because there was such an odd energy in the room. An undercurrent of tension that didn’t seem to have anything to do with Professor Azizi’s return to the fold.

Did the TPS really believe John was going to make an appearance? Was there unease over what his ghostly presence might say?

Right before they went into dinner, Leo drew Archie aside for a private chat. His hazel eyes were very bright and his face was flushed from the alcohol. Archie recalled that Leo’s blood pressure had always been of concern to John.

“Ms. Madison phoned this afternoon and suggested you might appreciate an estate transition meeting.” Something about Leo’s smile suggested to Archie that Ms. Madison had revealed how flabbergasted he’d been to discover the extent of his inheritance. Why did they all think it was funny?

“Sure,” Archie said reluctantly. Was there a valid reason to put off reviewing his new financial reality? Besides a general squeamishness at the idea of so much money—and the obligations and responsibilities that came with it?

Leo picked up on his hesitation. “It’s merely an opportunity for you to review the disposition of the estate and ask any questions you might have as far as how best to manage your new assets.”

“Right. I’m sure that’ll be helpful.”

“We can do an asset overview, discuss tax implications, and conduct an investment review. I can also help you assess your income needs and determine a sustainable way to draw from the estate’s assets. Assuming you’re planning to rely on your inheritance for ongoing expenses.”

“No,” Archie said. “I mean, I plan to continue working. I don’t plan to live on an inheritance.”

Leo’s brows rose. “That’s admirable, of course. I think we both know it’s not what John hoped—especially after what, I gather, was a very close call.”

“I’m not ready to retire. I love my job.” Even as he said it, Archie felt a stab of doubt. He had not loved Operation Iron Shield. Privately, he wasn’t sure he had it in him to commit to such an intense and sustained effort again. The stakes had been too high. The cost had been too great. He did not want to quit the Bureau—he did still love his job—but perhaps it was time to look at transferring to a division or unit where there was less pressure, less stress. Civil rights violations. Art crimes. Corporate fraud. Something that didn’t affect the safety of the civilized world.

“I know it’s not my place to debate your decisions. In any case, we can look at long-term financial planning and discuss any legal and fiduciary obligations John might have tied to your inheritance. Such as the stipulation that you don’t sell McCabe House for two years.”

“Yes. All right. I appreciate the offer.”

Leo smiled faintly. “It’s my pleasure. Of course, I’m not being entirely altruistic. Naturally, I’m hoping you’ll decide to retain me as your financial manager as well.”

Archie smiled apologetically. “I’ll be honest, Leo, I haven’t given any thought to any of this.”

“No, of course not. You’re still grieving. We all are. Whether you decide to retain me or not, as John’s friend, I’ll always be happy to advise you in any way I can.”

“Thank you for that.”

Leo studied Archie’s face, and said slowly, “I should probably warn you that the numbers Ms. Madison quoted might not accurately reflect the current state of John’s investments. We’ll go over that in detail later.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

Leo hastened to clarify. “There’s still more than enough money to ensure a very comfortable retirement for you—and an early retirement at that—but for the last year or so, John drew heavily against his investments.” Leo looked uncomfortable. “I did question him about needing so much cash, but he declined to discuss it.” He hesitated. “To be honest, I wondered if perhaps you’d gotten yourself into some kind of financial predicament. That would make sense from John’s perspective since he intended everything to go to you anyway.”

That was almost funny. Did Leo imagine Archie had gambling debts? An HSN or QVC addiction?

“Absolutely not. I had no idea. But as far as I’m concerned, John was free to spend his money however he chose. I didn’t realize he planned on leaving me anything. He was way too generous.”

“Ye-es.” Leo looked troubled.

“No?”

Leo seemed to have trouble meeting his gaze.

“I’m sure you know by now, if you didn’t before, that Mila’s son Jonathan developed an alarming fixation on John.”

“I’m aware, yeah.” Where was this going? Archie couldn’t quite read Leo’s expression or tone.

“I don’t believe that Jonathan claims were true.” Leo sounded doubtful.

Archie scanned Leo’s face. “Wait. You think there’s a possibility that they were ?”

“A possibility, yes. Mila and John had a very long and complicated relationship. And something had to have happened in the last couple of years to give Jonathan that idea. He never held it before. But the, well, kicker is I asked John about it directly, more than once, and he was always uncharacteristically vague.”

“ John was? But the paternity test indicated John was not Monig’s father.”

Leo looked relieved. “So, you do fully understand the situation?”

“I didn’t know before John’s death. I do now.”

“I see. Well, John would never confirm nor deny, but I can’t help thinking that if John… Let’s say, if John felt some particular responsibility or obligation to Jonathan, it might explain where all that money went.”