Page 22 of Fatal Conspiracy

“Right,” he said, hand in his hair as he tried to put his thoughts in order so it would make sense to someone who didn’t live in his world. Roman and Cal grabbed chairs from the table and sat. “Hugo owned the business but had a four-person board he worked with.”

“Does the board hold any shares?” she asked as she typed, but he shook his head.

“No. Hugo maintained full control of the business. At least, he did the last I heard.”

“Which means Hugo called the shots and the board was along for the ride? Not sure I understand the need for a board then,” Cal said.

Derek made a so-so gesture as he walked toward Alayah. “Hugo had control of the business in terms of money, but he created a board to help keep him in check.”

“I don’t understand if it was his business,” she said, turning to him, and he was once again struck by her beauty. Her bright smile made her blue eyes sparkle, and her petite nose sat above the perfect pair of kissable lips. He’d likely never have the chance to kiss them, but that didn’t change the fact that he wanted to.

“Okay, so Hugo was known for his—” he motioned his hand around in the air, looking for the right word “—impulsiveness. He liked shiny new things, but they quickly became dull once he started working on the project and realized it would take longer than overnight to complete.”

Roman spoke up. “You’re talking about apps or something else?”

“Yes, apps and programs that interested him or that he heard about at a conference or in a magazine. Hugo was brilliant but extremely ADHD, and I mean that was a medical diagnosis he carried.”

“Is that why he set up a board to keep himself in check?” Cal asked and Derek nodded.

“He was self-aware enough to know that jumping from one thing to another without finishing anything wouldn’t make for a lasting business plan.”

“That’s kind of the nature of the beast with ADHD, though,” Alayah said. “Not finishing things is the struggle.”

“Fair, but Hugo could focus when he wasn’t given a choice. Hence, the board. They had monthly meetings to discuss Hugo’s latest inspiration, programs and apps that were in progress within the company, as well as ones that were nearing completion and going to marketing. Then they’d discuss what project they’d start next. Sometimes, it was a unanimous decision, while other times, it required negotiation until an agreement was reached. At least, that was how it was during my first year as his assistant. I alwayssat in on the monthly meetings to take notes because Hugo was often lost in thought. He would forget the finer points of things they’d talked about.”

“And after the first year?” Cal asked as Alayah typed.

“The company was already a multimillion-dollar company when I joined it, but around the second year I was his assistant, he sold several apps for billions of dollars each. Suddenly, the company hit theForbeslist, and that changed the landscape. Hugo was less involved in the day-to-day coding and app development, and he had the financial freedom to work on his own little pet projects while his app developers worked hard to keep the business solvent.”

“What are the board members’ names?” Alayah asked with her fingers on the keyboard.

“Curtis Clemons, Joel Hill, Salma Barker and Charlie Grant.”

“And Hugo made five,” Roman said. “Was that so there was always a tiebreaker, or was it so Hugo’s vote could always be nullified?”

“I can’t answer that, though I suspect a bit of both,” Derek said. “Hugo had big dreams, as is obvious by the way Black Marlin Technologies has become one of the largest companies in the tech industry outside of Silicon Valley.” Alayah rolled her eyes, which made him curious. He’d have to ask her about that later.

“Black Marlin Technologies. That’s an interesting name for a company in Minnesota,” Cal said. Derek wasn’t surprised that he’d pick up on something so subtle.

“Hugo was fascinated by black marlins. They’re the most sought-after fish but the most difficult to catch. They’re also giants of their ocean. That’s what he wanted to be. Sought after, difficult to catch, and a giant in the business. And he was, until yesterday.”

For a moment, that overwhelming grief for the man who had become like a father to him, despite all his flaws, overtook him. In hindsight, a fresh understanding dawned on him about how important Hugo was to his life. He cleared his throat to force away the emotion, so he could focus on helping Secure Inc. find Hugo’s killer.

“If I understand this correctly, we have four other suspects in Hugo’s murder,” Alayah said, giving him a moment to collect himself, for which he was grateful.

“I guess?” Derek asked. “But Curtis flew to California two days ago, so he’s certainly not in Duluth. I don’t know about the rest of the board, but I would assume they’re at the office working.”

“It’s only a hair over two hours from Minneapolis to Duluth,” Roman said. “An easy trip to make without raising anyone’s suspicions or anyone even noticing their absence. We need to track their whereabouts over the last two days. Curtis included.”

“He’s in California,” Derek said adamantly. “I drove him to the airport, so he doesn’t even have a car.”

“Did you see him board?” Cal asked, and Derek shook his head. “Then you don’t know that he’s in California. Where can you rent a car?”

“The airport,” Derek answered with a groan. “It’s not Curtis. He doesn’t stand to gain anything by killing Hugo.”

“That you know of,” Roman said, holding up a finger. “Until we know who gains control of the company after Hugo’s death, we must look at everyone in the company. Including yourself.”

“I have no secrets,” Derek assured them. “Do you want my social security number? You got it. Do you want my phone records? I’ll call and get them for you. Do you want my banking records? I can show you those right now.”