“The closed files are giving me a lot of possibilities, people with a motive for payback who might like to see him dead. I’ve got twenty-two names so far, and the list is growing. People who went to jail for a few years or who had to pay a hefty amount in a divorce settlement because of an affair my PI proved was going on.
“He has some suspended files—the client decided to stop the work due to costs, or the PI and client were waiting for a new lead to show up before they started on it again. Saul could have been working a few of them on his own time, but those seem less likely as the source of this disappearance.
“The other active cases are all interesting in different ways.” David consulted notes on his phone. “He was following a husband, a recovering gambling addict the wife thought might have relapsed. Saul’s notebook—‘My take—the wife would be more relieved to hear he is having an affair than get the news he’s gone back to gambling.’”
“She sounds stressed.”
“If her husband turned up dead, I’d be looking at the wife,” David agreed. “Saul was doing background checks for a vice-president job opening at a biomedical firm. Saul’s notebook—‘One has a wife with a cocaine problem, one is keeping a mistress and a wife, one is sleeping with the CFO of a rival company, and one is getting ahead by routinely claiming his research assistant’s work product is his own. Good luck with this hiring choice.’”
Evie chuckled, liking this PI’s take on things, and David smiled in agreement.
“He was working for Nathan Lewis, the case I just mentioned. Saul’s notebook—‘Stabbed once and walk away? This was never intended to be a murder. That’s how it looks to me. Not sure how that helps the husband, given how he’s grieving. Look for area robbery attempts; do it quietly, maybe find an answer there.’”
“A reasonable guess, given stabbed once does seem like an unusual murder MO,” Evie noted.
“I agree. Which at the margins lowers the odds Saul found, and was killed, by a guy who didn’t intend to commit murder in the first place.”
“True. Case number four?”
“Saul was looking to find a Neil Wallinski, age sixty-eight, the estranged brother of a Carl Wallinski. The brothers had a falling-out over the settlement of their father’s estate. Saul’s notebook—‘Neil has lived in VA, KS, CO, WY, FL, NY . . . no wonder every PI who agreed to look gave up. Maybe staying ahead of ex-wives wanting to garnish wages? I think he’s back in IL and just ignoring his brother.’”
“That one sounds promising just because it’s such unusual behavior. He had a diverse set of active cases.”
“Saul got around.” David finished his eggs and opened the orange juice. “I want to talk with Saul’s sister today, also with Nathan Lewis, start working down the list of people with motive to want him dead, see if I can jar something loose.”
“I’m going to meet up with Ann,” Evie told him, “canvass the college and surrounding area, interview Jenna’s best friend and her boyfriend. I’m going to avoid doing a formal interview with her family until I know which direction to take my questions.”
“Think something might be there?”
Evie shrugged. “No reason to think so, but I like having an unexpected theory tucked in my back pocket. Family interviews are inevitably so emotional, it helps occasionally to view them as possible suspects, otherwise I end up just wanting to cry along with them.”
David considered that, and her, for a long moment. “I’m intrigued to know you, Evie. No wonder Sharon mentioned you were able to hold the unexpected in mind when working a case. I kind of like that approach, as goodness knows family can be capable of any crime under the sun, even when they appear to have a perfect exterior.” He gathered up his breakfast debris. “Thanks for the break. I needed this.”
“It’s a nice way to begin a workday—we should make this part of the schedule.”
“I’m all for that. I’ll pick it up tomorrow.” David headed back to the conference room, mug in hand. Evie turned toward the nearest computer to check her email, see what of interest might have happened overnight. Her state job would intrude soon, but maybe she’d get another full day on her cold case before something pulled her away. The college had emailed her several of the requested reports. Evie sent the material to the printer. Nothing else required urgent attention.
She started making calls to set up interviews. She was able to schedule one with Jenna’s best friend in person, secured one by video with the boyfriend when he got off work this evening, and was feeling confident enough about matters that she took a deep breath and dialed Jenna’s parents.