Middlemen by Scott Thornley

Author:Scott Thornley [Thornley, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: House of Anansi Press Inc
Published: 2023-05-31T14:14:32+00:00

[47]

MacNeice sat down at his desk and asked Aziz, “Tell me about your meeting with Dr. Garrick . . .?”

She opened her notepad. “Our interview was just under an hour . . . Elaine was distraught and didn’t understand anything from her husband’s phone call. She said, ‘Arnie was incoherent and terrified; he kept saying he was sorry and flipped out when I said I was almost home.’ But the best way to hear that interview is unfiltered.”

Aziz opened the file on her cellphone. As they listened, it was clear that Elaine Garrick couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to harm her husband. “He can be irascible at work, but that just shows how serious he is about risk. Our personal finances are separate, but the university’s commercialization office has just awarded Arnie a commission to purchase and develop more advanced technology for his lab.”

“Has that been purchased?” Aziz asked.

“I don’t know if it has . . .”

On the recording, Aziz went straight to the point. “Cindy Morrow, one of your husband’s master’s students, was told he had a gambling problem; were you aware of that?”

“People always tear Arnie down. When he didn’t predict the 2008 collapse, they conveniently forget that he correctly predicted the recovery.”

“I’ll take that as a no. And yet, if your finances are separate, how can you be certain he wasn’t in financial difficulty?” Aziz asked.

“Why are you asking that? I’m here to help find my husband — I don’t know why —” Elaine was getting increasingly exasperated.

Aziz remained steadfast in her response. “Two reasons. Money issues are often the root cause of kidnappings, and because Arnie told you he was sorry for making a mistake — that he fucked up.”

Garrick’s voice faltered. “I trust my husband. I trust him. Do you understand that, Detective?”

It wasn’t a question that sought an answer, so Aziz continued. “Outside your husband’s home office, we found two passports — yours and his — and cash totalling twenty-two one-hundred-dollar bills. The safe was open. Did you have the combination for that safe, Elaine?”

“No . . . I believe Arnie keeps his patents in there.”

“Did you know about the cash?”

“No . . .” She paused. “It’s likely his idea of rainy-day money, but I wasn’t aware of it.”

“Do you believe your husband is faithful, Elaine?”

After a long sigh, Elaine said, “Sure, there were flirtations with grad students, but that was a long time ago . . . so the answer is, yes. I believe Arnie is a faithful, loving, supportive husband.”

Aziz turned the recording off. “She said Arnie never used drugs, and given her work, she’d know if he had. Nor could she recall any mention of threats or enemies — beyond those typical of academia. I called the university’s commercialization office earlier. A decision on whether they’ll provide confidential information about Garrick’s commission is being made before noon. I told them that if it’s declined, I’ll come with a court order.”

“Very good,” MacNeice said. “Garrick wouldn’t be the first husband to have a secret life, and if it’s not women or drugs, it could be gambling.

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