trying to get hold of Graciela Johannesbourgh. I was told that you could connect me to her.”
“What is this in regards to?”
“Hobart Penny.”
“Is he all right?”
“It’s a personal matter.”
“I see.” A pause. “If you give me your name and number, I can pass the information forward to the baroness.”
Marge reiterated her name and gave Hollie the cell phone number. “If she could call me back, I’d appreciate it.”
“You know, Sergeant, I am aware of Mr. Penny’s age. And I also know that a call from the police isn’t typical unless there’s something wrong.”
Marge said, “Please have Ms. Johannesbourgh call me back.”
“I’ll give the baroness your message.”
“Thank you very—” But Marge was talking to a dead line. Next was Darius Penny. With any luck, he’d still be in the office. The line connected, she was transferred, and transferred, and transferred until she actually reached Darius Penny.
“It’s about my father?”
“Yes, sir.”
“He passed?”
“Yes, sir, he did.”
“When?”
Marge hesitated. “Probably two days ago.”
“Probably …” Silence. “It took a while to discover the body.”
“Something like that.”
“No surprise there. My father was a hermit. Where’s the body now?”
“With the county coroner.”
“Do you have a contact number? I’ll call right away and have someone transfer the body to a funeral home.”
“Sir, the body is being autopsied.”
“Autopsied? My father was eighty-nine. What on earth merits an autopsy?”
The man sounded annoyed. Since there was no easy way to break the news, Marge decided to be forthright. “I’m sorry to say this, Mr. Penny, but your father was found murdered.”
“Murdered? Oh my God! What … what happened?”
At last some genuine emotion. She said, “I can’t say for certain. That’s why the coroner is doing an autopsy.”
“Was it bad? Oh my God, it must have been bad. Was it a robbery? Not that my father kept anything of value in that cruddy apartment. But sometimes he had cash. This is just crazy. Was it a robbery?”
“We’re still investigating.”
“Are you part of the investigation or is it your job to call people up and drop bombshells?”
“I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Penny. And yes, it is a bombshell.”
“Do you have a suspect?”
“The investigation just started, Mr. Penny. All this just happened last night.”
The lawyer paused. “Do you want to know where I was last night?”
She was taken aback. “Sure.”
“I worked until around midnight, then came home, grabbed six hours of sleep, and was back at my desk by seven. That has been my routine—day in and day out—for the last twenty years except for vacations. The last time I took time off was six months ago. My wife and I went to our island in Greece. Any other questions I can answer for you?”
“I do have a few. Are you coming to L.A. to deal with the burial?”
“I suppose I have to. I’ve barely had time to process what you’ve told … murdered?”
“We think so. Would you have any ideas about what happened?”
“Not really. I know my father made many enemies, but he’s been out of commission for years. Why would anyone harm him now, especially with death looming at his door?”
“Do you have names of some of those enemies?”
“No one specific comes to mind. My father was very abrasive. He had half of the Dale Carnegie method right. He influenced people. The friend part … not so much.”
“Okay. Does your father have a lawyer that we could talk to?”
“Dad has a slew of lawyers. He generally used McCray, Aaronson and Greig as his firm. Why?”
“I assume your dad had a will. Sometimes a will points us in the right direction.”
“I’ve been in charge of Dad’s estate planning for the last twenty-five years. He definitely has a will and he’s changed it a number of times, depending on who has curried his favor. Dad was mercurial.”
“What kind of changes did your father make?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss the particulars. Let’s just say his changes had to do with who was flattering him. When you are worth over half a billion dollars, you deal with a lot of sycophants.”
“Did you invest his money personally?”
“No, no, no. I am the president of his foundation. But Dad used our firm for his estate planning, so I am well aware of what he’s worth. But as far as control over his fortune, I had nothing to do with how the money was invested or spent. But I do know that Dad has his assets spread out among a dozen different brokerage houses. Sometimes, I’d write checks at his behest.”
“What kind of checks?”
“Charity. As I told you, I’m president of his foundation.”
“So you were in regular contact with your father?”
“My father was a recluse. I haven’t seen him since he married Sabrina. And even after the divorce, we rarely spoke. Whenever he wanted something specific, he’d notify me via phone call but mostly written word. Then I’d execute the order.”
“So you two must have had some kind of relationship if he gave you that power.”
“I think I was the least of many evils. We don’t really have a relationship, but my father recognized that I was honest.”
Don’t have a relationship. Still using present tense. “What kind of charities did your father support?”
“They’d vary, depending on his mood. And let me tell you, the man was very, very temperamental. He was my father and he supported his family, but he’s not likable. He was a womanizer and a louse when he drank. Is this interview
