Joe told Vanessa he’d call her when he arrived there and again when he was on his way home. Certain Joe would come home with more than enough evidence to clear Kara and prove Justin had really stolen the money, Vanessa wished the day would fly by. With a distracted sigh, she returned her attention to the project she was working on and waited for Joe’s call.

*****

Joe pulled into the parking garage and got out of his car. Locking the car, he pocketed the keys and took the stairs to the street level. With a glance at Central Park, he joined the throng of pedestrians and walked one block to the coffee shop where he was to meet Justin Hahn. Casually looking in the window, Joe surveyed the patrons. Recalling Justin Hahn’s description of himself on the phone that morning, Joe easily picked him out at a table in the corner by the window. Entering the shop, Joe ordered a coffee and made his way to the table.

"Justin Hahn?" he asked.

"Yes," the young man stood up and extended his hand. "Joe Hardy?"

"Yes," Joe replied, instinctively taking in every detail about Justin as they sat down.

Square jawed, with dark brown eyes, Justin’s matching brown hair had reddish highlights sprinkled throughout. From his designer suit and leather shoes to his diamond-studded Rolex watch, everything about him screamed ‘superficial’.

"I thought the investigation had been completed," Justin commented curiously.

"I’m just tying up a few loose ends," Joe smiled.

"Well, I’d be glad to help in any way I can."

"Thanks, I appreciate that. It certainly seems as if all the evidence points to Kara Lidster," Joe said and then sat back, waiting for Justin’s reply.

Justin shook his head sadly. "I still can’t believe she did it. Nice girl. Loser husband though. Too bad," he said, all the while sipping his coffee and gazing out the window at the people scurrying by.

‘Liar,’ Joe thought, noting the way Justin avoided making eye contact with him. "Yeah, it is. I understand you were the one who copied all the transfers in question off her computer onto a disc for the authorities."

"Right," Justin looked back at Joe again. "Brad, my father-in-law, didn’t want it to leak out that the theft had been discovered. Since we’re family, he knew he could trust me to keep everything quiet," he finished with an arrogant smile.

‘Bingo!’ Joe smiled inwardly as Justin handed him the opening he needed. "You know it’s funny you should mention that." Joe leaned forward just enough to infringe on Justin’s personal space.

"Mention what?" Justin’s eyes narrowed as he instinctively leaned back away from Joe.

"That the theft had been discovered, but the discovery was kept secret. This was four months ago, right?" Joe pressed

"Yes," Justin replied guardedly, suddenly feeling like he was being stalked.

"But according to Kara, she didn’t know anything about the investigation until the day she was arrested, which was just last week," Joe pointed out. "You yourself just said everyone involved in the investigation kept it quiet; nothing leaked out. Right?"

"Yes," Justin agreed warily. "So what’s your point?"

"My point is if Kara had no idea she had been caught, why would she suddenly stop stealing money four months ago? Which coincidentally, was the start of a supposedly secret investigation that she knew nothing about? It just doesn’t make sense." Joe threw out the bait and sat back, waiting for Justin’s reaction.

Shock and guilt briefly flitted in Hahn’s dark brown eyes but quickly disappeared. He shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Hey, she’s a woman. I stopped trying to figure them out a long time ago, know what I mean?"

‘Jerk!’ Joe thought disgustedly. "Yeah, right." He took a sip of his coffee, deciding to try a different approach. "By the way, how do you like that limited edition Harley? I’ve been thinking of buying one myself."

Joe allowed himself a tiny smile as Hahn visibly flinched.

"And that speed boat? It’s top of the line isn’t it? Do you keep it docked at your new beach house?" Joe leaned forward again, staring intently at Justin.

What had been just a hint of tension between the two young men earlier, now threatened to suffocate them.

"I lease dock space and I would highly recommend the Harley," Justin replied evenly, having recovered from the initial shock. "Did you have any more questions regarding the investigation?"

"No, no more questions," Joe responded. "But I do have an observation…" he stopped, waiting to see if Justin would comment but got only a silent glare in return. "IF Kara really was stealing the money, it makes no sense for her to suddenly discontinue those transfers four months ago. Which raises the question: did she steal the money – or was she framed?" Joe saw the flash of shocked surprise in Justin’s eyes once more and pressed forward.

"If she was framed, who is the real thief? My guess is it had to be someone who knew about the investigation right from the start. That would explain why the transfers suddenly stopped – the real thief was tipped off and was afraid he’d be caught."

Justin’s eyes widened for a split second before he regained control. "Interesting theory," he responded, noncommittally.

"I thought so, too," Joe agreed. "So I wondered, who could the real thief be? I doubt that Brad Galloway is stealing from his own company; I think we can safely rule out the authorities; that left two people…Peter Jessup and you…and Peter Jessup hasn’t been spending money like he hit the lottery for the past two years," Joe finished. Settling back in the chair, he stared at Justin and waited.

"Like I said, that’s an interesting theory…but that’s all it is. The evidence proves Kara stole the money," Justin said evenly. "Any other questions?"

"Not that I can think of," Joe replied as Justin stood up. "Thanks for your time."

Justin gave him a curt nod and left without saying another word.

Joe sat and debated his next move while finishing his coffee. Justin was spooked, that much was clear, and he was definitely hiding something. Joe was certain of that. However, it would take a little more digging to find out if Justin really had stolen the money and framed Kara or if it was something else entirely.

Draining the last of his coffee, Joe stood and walked toward the exit, tossing his cup in the trash on the way out. Once outside, Joe slipped on his sunglasses and pulled out his cell phone, intending to call Vanessa and let her know he was on his way home. As he began to dial, a hand appeared out of nowhere, snatching the phone from his grasp. At the same time, Joe felt a gun pressed into the small of his back and heard Justin Hahn’s voice in his ear.

"Just keep walking…"