Chapter 20

Monday Morning…

The next morning Doreen woke up bright and early to the sound of her phone ringing. She groaned and rolled over, reaching for it. "Hello," she asked in a raspy tone.

"Doreen? Doreen, that you?" asked a man, with a deep accent.

"Hey, Mr. Woo," she said, sitting upright in bed. "I'm so glad to hear that you're okay."

"Not okay, much pain."

"Yeah, I'm so sorry about that," she replied. "I feel terrible it took me so long to find your message and to come find you."

"It fine. You came. Thank you. Thank you."

She realized he was calling to thank her. She smiled at that. "I'm just sorry we didn't get there faster. I'm so glad to know you survived this. I was terribly worried."

"It okay."

"Did you tell the police who it was?"

"No."

"You didn't remember?"

"No, no, I didn't tell them."

Something was going on here. "Okay, so do you want to tell me why?"

"They say they kill me."

"They?"

"Yes, yes," he said.

"Did you see anything? Why would they say that to you? Why would they threaten you?"

"I not know," he cried out. "They tell me not to say anything, but I not see anything."

"You told them that, and they didn't believe you?"

"Right."

"I'm assuming that they think you saw whoever killed Mathew outside of your place."

"But I not even see him. I see no one."

"They didn't believe you. What I don't understand is why they left you alive."

"One got a phone call, and he ran."

"What about the other one?"

"He cursing, say something. Then… he took off."

"Okay, so the one guy took off first, and then the second one left?"

"Yes."

She thought about it and asked, "Did you see their vehicle?"

"No."

"Would you recognize them?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'll come to the hospital. I have a couple pictures here," she explained. "So, I'll ask you if it's any of these men."

"Okay. I wait for you. You come now?"

"Yeah," she replied, looking around the room for her clothes. "I'm just getting up though, so give me a minute to get dressed and to get down there."

"No bring animals. No animals in hospital."

"Right, I know," she said. "I'll leave the animals at home."

"Good, good." And, with that, Mr. Woo was gone.

She frowned but phoned Mack. "Normally I wouldn't be calling you, but Mr. Woo contacted me, and he didn't tell you everything."

"What? I just spoke to him yesterday."

"He's scared. They said they'll kill him."

"That doesn't make sense though. He didn't see anything."

"I know. I told him how I had some pictures to show him to see if we can identify the two men from Mathew's staff."

"Two men?"

"Yeah."

"What the heck? He told me that he didn't see anybody," Mack said in exasperation. "Why does everybody keep telling you everything?"

"Probably because he either thinks I'm involved, or he's afraid I'll get hurt too."

Mack sighed at that. "I'll meet you at the hospital."

She hesitated. "I don't know that he'll talk if you're there."

"He darn well better," Mack snapped, "because I've had enough of this. We need to know who attacked him."

"He doesn't know who," she reminded him, "and he didn't see anything when Mathew was killed, but the two bad guys seem to think he did."

"They probably didn't realize he was there until afterward, then got worried."

"Exactly. Yet he's scared. Keep that in mind."

"Scared people do all kinds of stuff. Including throwing you to the wolves."

She snorted. "You can meet me there, but I can't guarantee that he'll talk."

"Great," he muttered in a heavy tone. "I just don't understand how police work has gone by the wayside, as everybody wants to talk to you instead."

"I don't know. I guess he trusts me."

"Or he's setting you up."

"Well, in that case, it's good that you'll be there," she snapped. "Certainly something is going on, and we need to find out what."

With that, she quickly got dressed, and, leaving the animals behind after feeding them breakfast, she raced to the hospital. She met Mack there and asked him, "Do you have a picture of the dead man?"

"Why? You didn't take a picture?" he asked, his tone wry, almost sarcastic.

She glared at him. "No, I did not, but to show Mr. Woo would be a good idea."

He nodded, then searched his phone. "This is the one I have." And he held it up for her.

"He definitely looks dead in that photo," she muttered, avoiding his gaze.

"Yeah, well, that's because he was, remember?" And, with that, Mack led the way to Mr. Woo's room.

When she got there, she poked her head around to see him sitting up in his bed, staring out the window. "Mr. Woo," she said gently.

He turned to her and whispered, "You came."

"Yes, of course I came." She walked inside, but then he saw Mack, and fear crossed his face. She quickly walked over to the bed and reached for Mr. Woo's hand, patting it gently. "I had to bring him. No need to be afraid. It's just Mack, and he has a couple pictures that you need to see."

Mr. Woo looked from her to Mack and back. "But he police."

"He is police," she confirmed. "Which is why he needs to know what happened."

Mr. Woo shook his head. "They come back and find me."

At that, Mack stepped forward and held out a picture of the dead man's face. "This man, is he the one you're afraid of?"

He looked at it and nodded. "Yes. That one."

"He's not coming back," Mack declared. "He's dead."

At that, Mr. Woo fell back against the pillow and stared at him in shock.

"So that's one you don't have to worry about," she murmured.

He nodded at her, then looked at Mack. "The other one?" he asked, his tone rising in fear.

"We're looking for him, but we didn't know anything about a second guy because nobody told us," Mack declared, frowning at him.

Mr. Woo had the grace to look ashamed. "They say they kill me."

Mack frowned and added, "I'm surprised they left you alive to begin with."

He nodded. "I tell Doreen. One man got phone call and left. Second man said they be back."

"But," Doreen said, "we found you just in time, so they didn't get the chance to come back."

He nodded.

"I don't know when this guy was killed," she said, looking down at Mack's phone, but the picture was no longer on the screen. "That guy was a PI hired by Mathew. So, to find the second guy, you need to tell Mack everything this time. Every detail you can remember."

Mr. Woo nodded slowly. "You no charge me for lying?" he asked fearfully.

Mack shook his head. "No. I'm not here to put good people in jail, but we need the truth, all of it, and right now, please, before somebody else gets hurt."

Mr. Woo hesitated, then Doreen patted his hand again. "We're trying to stop the second man, so he can't come back for you. That's important, so we have to ensure that nobody can come after you. Now tell Mack everything you know."

Mr. Woo nodded. "Nobody come back. That good. Nobody come back."

She smiled. "That's right, so help us figure out what's going on."

He sighed. "They say something about Mathew, but I not know what."

"They said his name? They actually said the name Mathew?" Mack asked.

Mr. Woo nodded. "Something about Mathew not have it."

At that, Mack looked at her. "Did Mathew give you anything?"

"No, of course not. Remember how I didn't see him earlier that day?" she told Mack. Turning to Mr. Woo, she asked, "Did the two bad guys mention my name at all?"

He shook his head. "No, they no say Doreen, but they say something about find it before that woman."

She nodded. "That's probably me then anyway," she muttered.

At that, Mack glared at her. "So, once again, you're right smack in the middle."

"But this has way too many echoes of Robin's case," she declared, staring at Mack. "So what is it that they were after?… Did you find a briefcase or anything like that with Mathew's body?"

Mack shook his head. "No, nothing."

"And, if the two bad guys had it at that point in time, there was no need to beat up Mr. Woo."

"Exactly."

Mr. Woo said, "No reason anyway, but they came."

"Once they realized your store was open, they were afraid that you'd seen or heard something when Mathew was killed nearby."

"I hear nothing," he cried out. "I hear nothing."

She smiled at him. "And that's a good thing. If you had heard something, they would be even more aggressive."

He shook his head. "I see nothing," he muttered. "That's the rule. See nothing, say nothing."

She sighed. "And yet, this time, that's not the way to go."

He looked at her, frowning.

"Did they say anything else when talking to each other? Did they mention anybody or anything else? Even if you didn't understand. Anything could be helpful," she prodded. "We need to find this other man, before he comes back."

Mr. Woo started to tremble. "They talk. They talk a lot. Something about business development. They need something, supposed to get from Mathew, but they not get it. Then they killed him and now have no way to get it."

She nodded.

"Does that make sense to you?" Mack asked, studying her carefully.

"I suppose so, but I don't know exactly what they could have been after. If I were looking for business docs, I would probably go back to the source, and that… Oh no. That means Reggie." She frowned at that and pulled out her phone. "I need to ensure he's okay."

"Wait," Mack said. "Let us talk to him."

She glared at him. "Reggie's a good guy."

"He may be a good guy, and he may not be. It doesn't matter, but let's ensure we don't have any more bad guys out there, coming back after Mr. Woo."

She nodded. "No, I don't want that happening either."

Mack relaxed a little bit, then asked Mr. Woo, "Did they say what they were after, when they were beating you up?"

He shook his head. "No, just say over and over how I not say anything, and I told them how I see nothing and know nothing."

"Yet they didn't believe you."

"No, and they were waiting," he added. "They were waiting for something."

"That phone call probably," Doreen suggested.

Mr. Woo nodded. "Yes, I think so, and then they left."

"And what was the phone call about, I wonder?" she asked, turning to look at Mack.

"Someone saying they found something maybe? Someone asking if they had found the business documents? But who made that phone call?" Mack asked.

"Maybe somebody else was looking for the business docs," Doreen offered.

"I don't know," Mr. Woo muttered. "I have bad head now." He groaned and shuffled under the bedcovers. "You leave. You go now. You find bad men, so I go home."

"Yeah, that would be a good idea," she agreed, then smiled at him. "You stay here, where it's safe."

"I have business to run."

"It's a good business. Believe me that everybody wants you back where you belong."

He smiled. "Good, good. I make Chinese food, lots for everyone when I'm back."

She chuckled. "Everybody will be happy to have that happen."

As soon as they were outside again, she was relieved to see a policeman on guard. She looked back at Mack. "You have any ideas about what's going on?"

"No, but it seems they were planning to meet Mathew, and he was supposed to give them something, or they thought he had something they wanted." He shrugged. "And either Mathew double-crossed them or planned to cheat them anyway, and maybe they thought they could get whatever it was somewhere else."

"Sure," she agreed, "but an awful lot of something and maybe are in there."

He glared at her. "I know. What does Mathew deal in?"

"Art, jewelry, business developments, property developments, all kinds of stuff," she replied. "It could be that he owned a property and would give it to them in order to get out of his trouble or something… maybe?" She shrugged, knowing her speculation had just as many holes as Mack's had. "Maybe a title transfer? Who knows?" she muttered. "Especially with these guys."

"Exactly," Mack stated, "especially with these guys, something is always messed up."

She nodded. "But not my fault."

"Correct." He chuckled. "This time it's not your fault."

She rolled her eyes at that. "This time? Come on. Most of the time it's not my fault."

"I won't argue the point, but it would sure be nice if we could get a little more information about this."

"If there was a double-cross," she began, "I don't have a problem assuming that Mathew was involved. That's the kind of deal he would do. If he owed somebody and would give him property, maybe in lieu of cash, I can see him signing it over—or saying he would sign it over—but actually sign it over to somebody else instead,… such as a competitor. In fact, I wouldn't put it past Mathew to sell one property to two different and unrelated people, and then wiggle his way out of it."

Mack frowned at her. "Wow. If he's been operating like that for years, no wonder he's dead. So who would know about that?"

"His lawyer, Roger. You should talk to him."

"We did talk to him, but that lawyer only dealt with his personal affairs, like your divorce, and had nothing to do with Mathew's business dealings. Mathew apparently has a separate lawyer for business, but that one's not talking."

"Of course not," she confirmed.

"He won't be talking to us, not until we get some information that we can use to pry open that door a little wider. Knowing Mathew's involved in any dirty business dealings, though, now throws out the confidentiality clause in their contract."

"That's to be expected, I suppose," Doreen muttered. "Honor among thieves and all that."

"But there isn't any honor among thieves, remember?"

"No, especially if Mathew really was in dire financial trouble. Still, I don't understand why he wanted to talk to me. If he was already selling something or transferring a property or something, it does make sense to have all the paperwork ready and waiting. But why see me? It's not as if I have property he can take from me. In fact, with the divorce, as Nick tells me, Mathew should be moving property over to me, not from me. Yet, during the marriage, I was always signing stuff Mathew put before me, but I wouldn't now. So, if I wouldn't sign something that day he was here, if I wasn't amiable, then maybe he would have fobbed it off and sold it to somebody else."

"Maybe," Mack conceded, "but we're assuming Mathew had to do some kind of a deal, whatever the currency, whether it be drugs, or even just money."

"You're right, but he had no laptop, not at the crime scene. Yet according to Tony, the kid at the car park, Mathew had a briefcase when Tony saw him too."

"When did he actually see him?"

"Tony drove the Jaguar to the airport, handed it over there."

"What?" Mack turned to her.

"Yeah, you didn't know that?" she asked.

"No, I didn't know that," he replied. "I assumed they went to the lot."

"No, Tony took the Jag to the airport and handed over the keys there."

"How did he get back?" Mack asked.

She pondered that. "I don't know. He must have a system. It makes sense that he wouldn't have customers coming and going picking up cars at the car park itself," she noted. "Maybe he called a cab or a friend of his. I don't know." She then frowned at Mack. "What are the chances that Tony's more involved than he's letting on?"

"I don't know, but the stakes are much higher than Tony may realize. So, if he is involved, he probably has no idea how ugly things will get before this is over," Mack muttered. "There's a good chance that kid's life is in danger."

"We need to find out how he got back from the airport," she murmured.

"Yeah, we do." Mack had his phone out and was talking to somebody already. Then he turned to her. "The office said the kid's been let go, and they presume he's gone home." He looked down at his phone, rifled through a couple texts, and said, "I've got an address. I'll go check it out." He looked at her and frowned. "Nope, you don't get to come."

"Fine," she said in disgust, frowning back at him. "You don't have to be so very happy about it."

He gave her a big smile. "Hey, I'm just keeping you safe."

"I'm not in danger."

"Really? Do you actually think that, out of all this, you're not the one who everybody wants to get their hands on to get answers?"

"But I don't have any answers," Doreen declared.

"I don't think they really care whether you do or don't. The bad guys are looking for something, and, if they realize that Mathew saw you or tried to see you, they'll look to you next."

She stared at him for a long moment and then nodded. "That makes sense, and we still don't know who the second man is who was beating up Mr. Woo."

"Thank you," he replied, rolling his eyes in frustration.

She gave him a wave of her hand. "It does need to make sense for me eventually. I think the Vancouver PI was the one banging on my front door. Yet I didn't get a good look at him there. Just his profile and his general build. Comparing that guy to the guy in the trunk of the Jag, I can't match his general build unless he's standing up. Plus it was hard to see his face in the trunk—and I didn't touch him of course. So I'm guessing it was Mathew's PI. You can probably match my video with his profile at the morgue." She looked over at Mack to confirm.

Mack nodded. "Yeah, we ran facial recognition, and it was a good-enough match to confirm Mathew's PI was the angry man at your door."

Doreen sighed and continued. "Thank you for that. I get it. You are this person who sees the larger picture and understands an awful lot more than I do, but I'm the one who needs to have things fit into their little boxes in my head."

He sighed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, as they walked across the parking lot of the hospital. He pulled her up close, then dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm really worried because things are at the point where they could potentially blow up. So it's really important that you stay safe."

"I plan on it," she said, but he just stared at her. She shrugged. "Okay, so my plans don't always work out, but I am trying."

"No, they certainly don't, and we don't want whatever is going on to get any worse. We have two dead and one attacked, so we need answers."

"Yeah, I got it," she said. "The answers are the key. As much as I hate to say it, or to even bring it up, have you guys tried using my phone to set them up or to set me up?"

"It's being discussed, but nobody in the office wants to do that," he admitted.

She smiled. "Well, that's nice to know. Yet it's probably not smart."

He shrugged. "Your phone's in my truck, but I'm not ready to release it just yet." She stared at him, then back at his truck. "Which also means that somebody could be tailing you."

"Maybe. Why?"

"That bug in my phone just puts you into a dangerous position, if they figure out you have my phone, instead of me."

He stared at her, his face grim. "In that case I don't want you to be around me to get caught up in that."

"And yet that's when you could look after me," she noted, with a chuckle. Although hard to find much room for humor, it was part of the relationship they shared, and she was desperate to keep the status quo, at least for the moment.

He shook his head. "We need to keep you safe. That's paramount."

"Hmm, I'm not so sure about that," she countered. "Paramount to me is finding out who's killing people."

"Not at the risk of your getting hurt," he declared, bumping her gently on the nose.

She smiled, but just then came a shout from across the parking lot. She turned to see the kid from the car park.