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Ellery nearly dropped his teacup. “Say what?”

“He’s got a prison record.”

“When and how?”

“This was very early on. Before he got into the music business. Right out of college, he worked in the accounting department of a telecommunications company. Over the course of three years, he managed to divert assets through credit card fraud and check alteration to the tune of two hundred thousand dollars.”

“Whoa.”

“He was sentenced to twenty-three months, got off after fourteen for good behavior, and started his own company managing musical talent. Once he met Lara, he dumped his other clients and focused solely on her and her career.”

“Did any of his other clients complain of financial irregularity?”

“Nope. But—I figured you’d find this interesting—when Lara got out of prison, she hired a financial forensics firm to run an audit for her.”

“Wow. But they didn’t find anything?”

“No. Everything was in order.”

Ellery considered this new information. “She really doesn’t trust him.”

“Not with her wallet.”

“Maybe not with anything. According to Arti Rathbone, Lara’s big hit, ‘Fool Me, Fool You,’ was written about Neilson.”

“I don’t know the song.”

“Basically, it’s about a woman who out cons her conman boyfriend.”

“I see.”

“And maybe Lara’s right not to trust him. Her sister, Jo, said Neilson used to fool around on Lara. Her version is, Lara didn’t care about that. But she did say when Lara went to prison, she got paranoid and changed her will. Lara didn’t feel that Neilson had fought hard enough to keep her from going to jail.”

“Hm.”

“Jo said Lara changed her will back after she got out. But I spoke to Lara on Friday morning, and Lara indicated shehadn’tchanged her will back. Her sister’s the sole beneficiary.”

“Interesting.”

“Lara also mentioned her estate wasn’t worth what it was before she went to prison.”

Jack thought it over. “What about life insurance?”

“That goes to the kid sister too.”

“What’s the relationship between the husband and the kid sister?”

“Cozy,” Ellery said promptly. “I’m not saying there’s anything going on between them—Jo seems loyal to her sister—but she’s definitely fond of Neilson.”

“That’s two viable suspects right there—and both are on-scene.”

Ellery studied Jack. “Thanks for digging that information up, Jack. You didn’t have to.”

“No, I didn’t have to. But I knew you were worried.”

Even if Ellery had still been angry, still been blind to his responsibility, his role in escalating the trouble between them to downright turmoil, Jack’s words would have melted his heart.

Ellery stretched his arm across the table, and Jack immediately linked fingers with him.