Murder Over Broken Bonds

Rebecca SaltzerMURDER OVER BROKEN BONDSA Wall Street Mystery First published by Level Best Books 2023Copyright © 2023 by Rebecca SaltzerAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.Rebecca Saltzer asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.First editionISBN: 978-1-68512-292-8 Cover art by Level Best Designs This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com To my mother, Marlys Anne Hughes Saltzer Contents Praise for Murder Over Broken Bonds Prologue 1. The Money Trail 2. The Shark 3. Ascending the Throne 4. Minimizing Losses 5. The Meeting 6. Flagrante Delicto 7. On or Off the Record 8. Half-eaten Scone 9. The Note 10. The Party 11. The Clink 12. Midday Call 13. The Chinese Wall 14. The Weekend Beckons 15. Let’s Make a Deal 16. The Check 17. The Three Musketeers 18. The Club 19. The Widow 20. One Hundred Pennies 21. The Opera 22. An Untimely Death 23. The Evidence 24. Betty 25. Alex 26. A Failure to Pin 27. Epilogue Glossary of Terms Acknowledgements About the Author Praise for Murder Over Broken Bonds“A bond analyst at the firm of Spencer Brothers, sharp-witted and innocent Anne Scott is about to step into the back alleys of Wall Street, where corruption, murder, philandering, and fraud lurk in the corners. With a plot that builds to a tense climax and a helpful glossary for readers not familiar with Wall Street jargon, author Saltzer leads us into the heart of investment brokers, bonds, traders, and the men and women who inhabit the world of money. Murder Over Broken Bonds will shock you, scare you, disgust you by the chicanery, and delight you by the young protagonist’s determined insistence on justice. Just be sure to check your investments before you read this book.”—Libi Siporin, author of the Leah Contarini Mystery Series “Murder Over Broken Bonds is an engrossing page-turner that sets money, greed, lust, and murder against a backdrop of financial wrongdoing within a 1980’s NYC trading firm. In her debut novel, Rebecca Saltzer weaves the lives of bond analysts, lawyers, and other questionable characters together as they try to discover the truth without becoming the next victim. Murder Over Broken Bonds is a clever, fast-paced novel that will leave the reader wondering right up until the final pages.”—Desmond P. Ryan, Toronto Police Detective (Ret’d), author of The Mike O’Shea Crime Fiction Series and The Mary-Margaret Cozy Series “Put on your pinstripes and slog the day away in a cubicle on Saltzer’s Wall Street to make your six figures plus annual bonus. Join the in-house lawyers, bond analysts, and traders teetering on that high wire between regulation and temptation as they scheme their way to the corner office. Now throw in the mysterious death of a sleazy investment banker. Will you be cunning enough to penetrate PrologueJanuary 17, 1989The city was just beginning to wake when the pills were stirred carefully into his favorite coffee blend, its nutty aroma rising to greet him as he walked through the door. Still shivering from his walk in the crisp pre-dawn air, he set his briefcase down and gladly accepted the warm cup.An hour later, he swaggered into the conference room, greeting his three other business partners like long-lost friends. Had anything worked out with that lovely waitress? Wink. Wink. And what about that promised game of Squash? To a casual observer, there would be no hint they had met beforehand and developed a plan. As they continued their lively banter, he began to feel warm and clammy and a rumbling of irritation. It looked like they would be getting a late start because the woman who had insisted on the meeting had not yet bothered to arrive.She appeared as if by magic moments later, looking vibrant and sensuous, her cheeks flushed from the cold. Ignoring the sudden urge to pull her toward him, he closed the door and pointed to the one remaining chair.And then the meeting he had been dreading finally began.Everyone was civil at first, unsure of what would happen. It soon became clear that the woman’s comrade-in-arms, a dry, dull lawyer, planned to walk through every excruciating detail of the financial enterprise. As his allies shifted in their seats, rolling eyes at one another and sighing deeply, he began to feel vaguely nauseous. “Is this really necessary?” he asked at one point, aware that if the stuffed shirt insisted on continuing in this manner, the meeting would never end.There was a short, still silence while Mr. Boring considered his reply.Of course, the lawyer insisted on continuing in the same