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“Did you know that Gerald Rivers is sixty-eight years old?” Reese asked suddenly.
Hayes looked up from his cell and worked his shoulders tiredly. “No. But I never saw him, remember?”
“He looks older than that, now that I think about it. But it just occurred to me…he’s past retirement age already.” She waved a hand to stem the reply he might have made. “I know people often work beyond that, but the majority of them do so out of need. There are always those who are financially stable and just want to stay busy, but I can’t help but wonder how much longer he’ll be acting as the trustee for Ben.”
He cocked his head as if considering the idea. “Someone else at the firm would take over, I suspect.”
“Sure. But under his oversight in recent years, the trust fund has taken a major hit.”
“Greenley would be more directly responsible for that,” Hayes pointed out. He got up and took his empty bottle of water to the trash in the kitchenette to discard it.
“Yes, he also may have benefited from it. But Rivers would have had to approve the change the investment strategy.” Andultimately, Julia, too. It might have been the decreasing funds that had garnered her aunt’s closer scrutiny. “That liquor could have been sent from any number of disgruntled clients. But none would have reason to name me on the card unless the killer is also somehow involved with the trust.”
“That someone would also have to know you’d been talking to Greenley.” Hayes returned to the table but stood behind his chair as if loath to sit down again. “Could have been one of the other diners.”
“Coincidence again,” she noted.
“Otherwise, Greenley told someone after he spoke with you. Detective Usher would have a data dump on his cell by now. Or, if he had other phones in the office, all of them.”
“If he does, it hasn’t tempered his suspicion of me.”
“Rereading the Thorne interviews refreshed my memory. He mentioned no support system, no friends of note. His activities while in the facility were TV and working out. Because of the stolen identities he used, I probed his knowledge of computers and the web. He didn’t seem interested in either. A check of his library and computer privileges showed he didn’t utilize them inside.”
“Just another indicator that he needed help to acquire the fake IDs. But one can buy those, if they know where to look.” She mulled that over for a moment. “He just had to know the right people to ask.”
“What I was thinking. So I reviewed his former workplaces. Entry-level positions, for the most part. He never stayed long in any of them. Makes you wonder how he supported himself.”
“Was he a seller as well as a drug user?” Reese’s energy and interest were flagging. But she was dreading sleep.
“If so, he was never caught at it. If there’s anything I missed, I’m not seeing it. So I switched my efforts to delving into Sedgewick.”
He had her attention now. “And?”
“A lot of public accolades. I checked a local legal resource center. Dr. Sedgewick also provides court-ordered mental health evaluations.”
“Before his killing spree, Stephen Thorne had at least two court-ordered psych evals.” When Hayes sent her a look, she gave a small smile. “I know how to search court records, too.”
His gaze lingered long enough to summon an answering warmth. “I don’t doubt it. I found this image particularly interesting, however.” He sat and brought up an online photo on his laptop to show her. “It’s from a client appreciation party from four years ago at Ingersoll Partners Wealth Management.”
When Reese leaned over to see it better, Hayes zoomed in on two people in the photo. Stunned, she could only stare. Greenley and Sedgewick were shown in an animated conversation. “What I wouldn’t give for his client list. And the dates each one originated.”
“I’m guessing Usher has that, too. But he wouldn’t know of the doctor’s indirect connection to you, or the trust.”
“I didn’t see that when I looked at their webpage.”
“I used an internet archive site to go to previous years. You’re familiar with them?” She nodded. Reese used them frequently when researching for an article. “I think I’ve hit a wall, though.” He set the cell down and worked his shoulders tiredly. “It’s after midnight. We should probably turn in.”
“You take the bedroom.” She turned back to the site she’d been scrolling through on her laptop.
“Not going to happen.”
“Sofa sleepers are notoriously uncomfortable. Not to mention, it’s probably not going to be long enough for your frame. I can just curl up on the couch.” Reese already knew that sleep would take a long time to arrive. She could continue working for a while and at least be somewhat productive.
“It won’t be my first time on a sofa bed. That was often the only option when I was a kid.”
She slid him a glance. “Guessing you weren’t six-one then.”
“Six-two.”