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“Yes, but Ian died of cardiac arrest,” she points out.
“Yeah, well…” I drum my fingers along her desk. “This may sound far-fetched, but what if that was the plan all along?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what if they planned to kill Ian slowly using the Minoxidil?”
Nora gasps. “You think?” She starts pacing again. “But it’s not as if they could guarantee that he would die.”
“Maybe it was worth a try. Cleo said earlier that Sven used to be a doctor. That means he could’ve known about the effects Minoxidil can have on the heart. Plus, why get a job as security guard in the Wharfman’s neighborhood if not to keep an eye on Ian?”
Nora nods. “True. But what about the photos? I get that they left them on your windshield as a way to intimidate you, but why would they leave those photos on Cleo’s car?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “It doesn’t seem like they’d want her to know they knew she was having an affair. Unless they were blackmailing her, but Connie has plenty of money. What about Ian? Do you think he got any envelopes?”
“Wait a minute…” she trails off, realization lighting her features. “Hmm, could it be?” she says thoughtfully, then without explanation she hurries out of her office and down the hall.
“Nora!” I call after her, dashing after her. I catch up to her outside an office door at the end of the hall. The brass nameplate identifies it as Ian’s office. “What are you doing?” I ask.
“This is Ian’s office,” she supplies unnecessarily.
“So I figured,” I reply, pointing to the sign identifying it as such. “But what are we doing outside of it?”
“The last time I was in here with Ian there was a manila envelope on his desk. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I mean, it’s not that uncommon to see things like that in an office.” She jiggles the handle and the door pops right open.
“I can’t just search Ian’s office. I don’t have a warrant,” I tell her.
“Then stand guard,” she says dismissively, stepping inside.
“Wait!” I cry, worried there might be someone lurking inside, but I’m too late, she’s already in the office and flicking the lights on.
“All clear,” she calls calmly behind her. I may just end up next to Ian in that coroner’s room, because this woman is going to give me a heart attack.
I swivel around and scan the empty space we left behind. As an officer of the law, I may not be allowed to search Ian’s office without a warrant, but I will happily stand guard. Keeping Nora safe is without question my number one goal in this investigation.
Actually it’s my number one goal on a daily basis.
My senses are all heightened; I can’t seem to shake a gut feeling that something’s off about us being here. Anxiously I take my phone out to see if there’s anything new from Anderson. Nothing. I already texted him that we came to the office to check on Stella, but I send him a quick update that we’re still here and there’s no sign of Stella.
“Find anything yet?” I call to her, hearing the rifling of papers and opening and closing of drawers.
“No—” she starts, then cuts off abruptly. “I found the envelope!” she cries and I hear rustling as she slides whatever’s inside out of it. “Oh my,” she breathes. I’m about to turn around, but then I hear her footsteps approaching me. “Take a look at this,” she says from behind me, passing me a piece of paper over my shoulder.
Just like the pictures in my envelope, this one has a post-it on top too. It reads: I know it was you…we're over...watch your back…
Unlike the pictures in the envelopes Cleo and I received, beneath the post-it is a document. A simple printout of an email, dated a few months back. As I read it my distaste for Ian Wharfman only grows.
It’s from a woman named Goldie Lito, who apparently used to be a nurse that worked with Sven. The email starts off with an apology for having been a part, albeit unknowingly, of the fraud committed at her place of employment, then goes on to thank Ian for bringing the fact that Sven Karlsson had been practicing without an American medical license to light. The email ends with her giving Ian her phone number should he want to discuss things further over dinner.
In conclusion, it appears that Ian was responsible for getting Sven’s license revoked. Or rather for outing him for never having the proper licensure in the first place.
Wow. First he ruins the guy’s career, then he sleeps with his wife.
What a cretin. Sure, it’s illegal for doctors to practice medicine without the proper licensure, but I’m guessing Ian’s motives for outing Sven were anything but pure.
The “we’re over” part of the post-it is what’s confusing to me. Did Connie leave this threat for her husband? Surely it can’t have been Cleo. She was receiving threats, not passing them out. Maybe Ian was sleeping with someone else too. But who else would end their relationship with him over him getting Sven fired?
Unless Connie and Sven were trying to frame Cleo…Yes, that has to be it!
