Threads of Suspicion(86)

“We don’t tell Lori about the photos,” David clarified.

“No. Just ask about how she knew about the body. And take it from there, depending on the answer we get.”

Twenty minutes later, David pulled up to the building, and Lori appeared, opened the back door and slipped into the seat. “I’d say someone here knows Ann well. You’ve got questions?”

David and Evie had both turned toward Lori, and Evie began, “Thanks for coming down. You’re helping out Ann in Nathan’s office?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Making any progress?”

“I think so, and Ann’s right. Someone has been making trouble for Nathan from inside the firm going back at least eight years. That it escalated to killing his wife? I have some theories but not enough facts yet to put a name out there.”

“I’m glad you’re digging into it,” Evie said.

“Who told you where to find the body?” David asked.

Lori blinked, considered him, then smiled faintly. “A guy named Philip Granger, who was a client of Estate Services, Ltd. I learned after he died that he was in WITSEC. His landlord called me since I was listed as his emergency contact. I was at his apartment before the US Marshals got there. Granger had left a letter alongside his will with a few details. He didn’t say who the dead man was, just that he’d walled up a body in Englewood, Illinois. There wasn’t an address for where, only a description of the scene.

“I gave the US Marshals the letter, waited for something to happen, even subscribed to a Chicago newspaper and watched for anything about a body discovered in Englewood. For whatever reason, either the US Marshals didn’t pass on that letter or it was deemed too unspecific to act on by local authorities.

“Anyway, when Ann asked me to do a favor for her regarding Nathan, and I realized I could possibly solve my curiosity about this mystery at the same time, I said yes. I figured I could narrow it down to five or six buildings in Englewood, then get cops to do a radar scan of the walls or something. When I saw this property and the permits, the building changes, I realized Philip had to be referring to a building in its prior condition. He was describing RB Electric, because the fence, the last building modification, hadn’t been made yet. It fit, so I took a hammer to a wall and wow, a body, just like the letter said. I’d thought I was on a wild goose chase up until then.”

“Why didn’t you tell us this when we first met?”

“With Nathan hovering? He doesn’t know why I’m here. The man I knew as Philip Granger is dead—I doubt that was his real name—and all I had to give you was a body. You’ve literally got everything I know. I figured silence worked in my favor.”

“It had to be a surprise, finding out Philip was in WITSEC,” David said.

“Caught me off guard,” Lori said immediately. “It was a rather vanilla will, stated he had no living relatives, left his estate to the preservation of wildlife. The US Marshals went through the remainder of his things, then handed the apartment and its contents to me to process according to the will. They seemed a bit irked a letter had been included with his will with such information in it, but otherwise it wasn’t such a big deal.”

“How did he die?”

“The ME said natural causes—he was a steady drinker, and his body finally said enough.”

“We’d like you to identify a photo of him for us, so we know the Philip Granger you were talking with, hopefully to get a real name,” David requested.

“You can call the Houston medical examiner and ask for the file. His photo has to be part of it. Or check DMV records in Texas since he had a valid driver’s license in that name when his will was notarized four years ago. If those draw a blank, I can look at photos or try to work with a sketch artist, but just to warn you—I’m not too good at descriptions.”

“You’re a lawyer, Lori?” Evie asked casually.

“No.”

Evie studied her. “Why the lie to that question? The rest has been reasonably truthful, the facts, although the sequence . . . maybe not so much.”

Lori faintly smiled. “I used to be a better liar. I’m not a lawyer anymore.” She didn’t offer anything else.

Evie blinked as it clicked who she must be talking with. “Oh . . . I thought you were mostly a legend.”

Lori’s smile broadened. “I’m very much real, but thanks for the compliment. I’ve really got nothing else useful to offer on this case. The body was it. I wish you luck with solving it from here.”

“Thanks, Lori,” Evie replied. “Let me know if you need any help with digging out what happened to Nathan’s wife.”