“It sounds like she was very dedicated to her work,” Trent said.
“She was. New Belle was her heart and soul. She started this company when she was still in college.”
Amanda fought the desire to glance at Trent. Harold wasn’t describing a woman who would sell her business. “Then if we heard that Alicia may have been planning to sell New Belle, that would come as a surprise to you?”
“A surprise? More like an absolute shock. Why would she just walk away? And now of all times. The business is growing monumentally.”
There could be a reason that Harold hadn’t been pulled into the loop on Alicia’s plans. They’d have to ask Tony. “You talk like you knew Alicia well.”
“I might be responsible for distribution, but I acted more as Alicia’s right hand. I’ve been here right from the beginning.”
She’d sensed pride in Harold’s words, as if he took some credit for Alicia’s success. “And when was that?”
“She was about to graduate college and was looking for investors. She’d come up with this most revolutionary cream, a night serum, to be more precise. Reborn. You might have heard of it, though it is for ladies older than you are.” He nodded his head toward Amanda.
“Impressive,” Trent said.
“Alicia was, in every sense of the word. A role model for young women who aspired to achieve great things. No doubt you’re aware of how much the media loves her?”
“Did you invest in her idea?” Call it a gut feeling, based on his earlier phrasing.
“I did. One of many who saw the future. Everyone else has since moved on, though.”
“Do you own shares in the company?” Amanda asked.
“Oh, no, Alicia could be fiercely independent. She insisted on buying me out years ago.”
“And she never took on other shareholders or opened the corporation to public trading?” Trent asked.
“No, she didn’t.”
“But her husband had shares?” Trent kicked back.
“Not that I know of. Besides, they were quite new as a couple. She might have given him some shares eventually, but as I said, ‘fiercely independent.’ Having full control of her company was important to her.”
Yet she had practically run down the aisle and wasted no time getting Tony to start a new career. Amanda didn’t like the direction of her thoughts and how they possibly gave Tony motive. He’d given up his job—for Alicia—and then she decides to close up shop? “What do you think of Tony?” Just asking felt like a betrayal of her old friend, but this was a potential murder investigation.
“Mr. Bishop.” Harold drew in a deep breath, set down his glass, and tugged on his suit jacket. “He’s a nice guy.”
“But…?” Harold’s posture had tensed. She tried to relate, set him at ease. “It would make sense to me if you had a hard time accepting him. You were there from the start; he just shows up, marches in here.” She bit back saying and replaced you as her right-hand man. She went on. “You could have thought he was taking advantage of her, or maybe you had a personality conflict with him?”
Harold shook his head adamantly. “None of that. I admit I was a little suspicious at first. Their romance was a bit of a hurricane, and they got married so fast. Most people these days take their time and don’t rush in. Some don’t get married at all.”
She didn’t miss Harold’s imagery of the union between Alicia and Tony. Hurricane winds usually destroyed everything in their path.
Harold clasped his hands on the table and continued. “Let’s just say it had me wondering about the guy’s angle. You must realize that Alicia was worth a lot of money. But he seemed to make her happy, and he did whatever he could for her. Bending over backwards, changing his career, all because that’s what Alicia wanted.”
All this talk about Tony getting married quickly had it coming back to her. Tony used to be fast at giving his heart. But Tony changing careers wasn’t something Amanda saw him taking lightly. And what did Tony plan to do if New Belle was sold? Maybe just become a kept man, but Amanda doubted Tony would be happy to retire at age forty-one, still so young. He’d always liked to work and had been so driven. “How did others in the company feel about him?”
“We welcomed him because of Alicia.”
Not really an answer, but she’d move on. “Do you know if Alicia had any enemies or received any threats?”
“As I said, she was a role model. The media loved her, and she’d been awarded Entrepreneur of the Year a few times, among other adulations. Of course, she attracted haters like any public persona does.”
“Did these haters ever send her anything in writing, say in emails or by postal mail?”
“There were a few.”
It may be a stretch to think one of them had acted upon their words, but they’d have to first see the letters to determine the threat level. “Before we leave, we’ll need to get those from you.”
A subtle nod. “She put them in a special spot on the server. She named it File Thirteen, as in garbage. She had a great sense of humor. She’s really going to be missed.”
“So you can print those out?” she asked, placing more emphasis on the request she’d already made.
“Absolutely.” Harold made no move to leave but leaned back in his chair and swept his gaze from her to Trent and back to her. “You have an awful lot of questions for not knowing what happened to her. Should I be concerned that someone killed her?”
“The investigation is ongoing,” she said. “In some cases, manner of death is not immediately apparent.”
“Manner…?”
“Natural, accidental, suicide, murder,” she explained.
Harold shuddered. “I can’t imagine suicide, but if someone killed her… She deserves justice.”
“We agree,” Amanda said. “Would you mind telling us where you were last night between nine and midnight?”
“Not at all. I was home with Mags, my wife. Well, Maggie. Margaret is her given name.”
Trent jotted the information in his notepad.
Amanda noticed Harold’s sudden urge to ramble, which made her assume the conversation made him uncomfortable for some reason. “Do you know if Alicia planned to have any visitors at the cabin while she was there?”
“Ah… do you mean, was she cheating on Tony?”
She hadn’t meant that, but… “Sure.”
“No, I can’t see that.”