Cat's Claw (A Pecan Springs Mystery)

company, which has its headquarters up in Dallas. I did some digging and found out that, at the time Larry’s policy was written, the company was putting pressure on all its affiliates to insure their employees.It was part of some deal they made with one of the large insurers. The more policies they wrote, the bigger the commissions.” Her mouth twisted. “I’m willing to bet that somebody got a huge kickback. The company executives, probably.”
    Sheila shook her head. Companies betting on their employees’ lives, using their premiums to leverage a hefty tax break in the meantime, then reaping the death benefit. It was incredibly sordid and sleazy.
    Tina was watching her over the rim of her coffee mug, her eyes narrowed. When she spoke, her voice was taut. “You’re asking these questions because you think Jackie Harmon might have killed him, aren’t you?”
    Sheila hadn’t walked into the room with that in mind, but it now seemed to her like a definite possibility. “We’re keeping all options in mind,” she said, and paused strategically. “What do you think? Could Ms. Harmon have done it?”
    The silence stretched out like a rubber band. “Well, I know she was seeing him,” Tina said finally.
    “Seeing him?”
Saw JH
. The five yellow sticky notes on the calendar in Larry Kirk’s kitchen, the first one dated October 21, the last the day before he died. JH. Jackie Harmon.
    “As in sleeping with him.” Tina put down her mug so hard that coffee sloshed out. “At least once. Maybe more. But then one day she stormed into the office and said she never wanted to hear his name again. I guess he told her to go fly a kite.”
    “When was that?”
    Tina thought. “A couple of weeks ago. I can’t give you the date just off the top of my head, but I might could do it if I looked at my desk calendar.” She leaned forward, more intent. “Jackie had a thing for him, you know. From what Dana told me, Jackie and Larry had a relationshipgoing before he and Dana got married. In fact, Dana said that, at one point, Jackie threatened her.”
    “Threatened her?”
    Tina smiled a tight little smile. “Said she’d claw her eyes out, something silly like that. But that’s Jackie. She’s a manipulator. She’s possessive and controlling. Once she gets her hooks into somebody, she just won’t let go. I’ve seen her act like that with other guys.” Her face darkened. “Please don’t think I’m saying this because I’m… well, jealous or anything. I’m not. But yes, I guess she could have done it.”
    Sheila thought of the email Harmon had written to Larry, the email she’d printed out and had in her briefcase.
Still friends, I hope. I was sorry to hear about Dana (rocks in her head, if you ask me). I’d really
love
to get together, for old times’ sake. Could we?
    She thought quickly back through the chronology of events, as she understood them. Tina’s “dead peasant” note to Larry, with the attached premium notices, was dated October 15. He could have read the note and the notices, and then the article, and then—perhaps on October 16 or 17—contacted Jackie Harmon asking for information about the policy. Harmon had emailed him back on October 17, inviting him to “get together, for old times’ sake.” The first sticky note—
Saw JH—
was dated October 21. There were four other
JH
notes, the last one dated the day before he died.
    And there was the “stalker” Kirk had mentioned to China. Had he seen Harmon a couple of times by mutual consent, then broke off their relationship, only to discover that she was following him or hanging around his house?
    She thought of something else. “I wonder whether you would recognize this.” She reached into her briefcase and took out the lipstick, in its labeled evidence bag. She put it on the table.
    Tina leaned over it, moving the tube with her finger until she could read the label on the bottom. “‘Firehouse Red,’” she said. “Yves St. Laurent. That’s Jackie’s color. It’s her trademark. She wears it with everything—too much of it, in my opinion. It makes her look hard. Where’d you get it?” She looked up, eyes widening, comprehension dawning. “You found this at Larry’s house?”
    Sheila didn’t answer. She returned the evidence bags to her briefcase and flipped through her notebook again. “I think that’s all for now,” she said. “You’ve already been very helpful and I very much appreciate it. But I must caution