Page 74 of Wasted

“Ah, the parties of the wealthy and influential.” Treese grinned.

Robert cast her a smile but continued. “He didn’t seem like the burglar type, but people will do extreme things with the proper motivation. Any idea why he would be searching the office or want Thomas Briscoe dead?”

Victoria met Robert’s gaze. “Nothing concrete. Thomas told me that I was the only one in his life he could trust. He said that, even though I asked him about Mr. Glenn, because I had thought they were friends. Then Mr. Glenn arrived to see Thomas the last day I was at the house, and Thomas sounded cold with him, almost angry.”

Robert nodded. “So there was something going on between them. Let me do a little digging and maybe drop in on Clinton at the museum.”

“There are probably other people who wanted him dead, right?”

Victoria landed a surprised gaze on Hank, who rested his arm across one propped-up knee.

He gave her a cute smile. “Sorry, but in murder mysteries, there are always a bunch of suspects.”

Torin chuckled. “If only real-life police work was as easy as on TV.”

“Okay.” Hank held up a hand and grinned. “But this guy was rich and told you,” he aimed his blue eyes at Victoria, “that he couldn’t trust anybody. That has to mean more people could’ve wanted him dead.”

Victoria moistened her lips. “You’re right. His niece and nephew visited him frequently, but even I could tell their interest in him was inauthentic and selfish. He always said they were waiting for him to die so they could inherit his fortune.”

“What are their names?” Spring accepted the glass of water Torin handed her from the end table beside him.

“The nephew is Ryan Briscoe. Brenda married and is Brenda Fellsworth now. They’re siblings, the children of Thomas’s deceased older sister.”

“Are either of them into fitness?” Treese pushed her straight long hair behind her shoulder.

“Oh, yes. Ryan is very proud of his workout regimen.” Victoria would never forget the first time they’d met, and Ryan had flirted with her, trying to impress her with his flexing muscles. Only later had he apparently decided she was a threat to his inheritance, an idea she’d thought unbelievable at the time. Evidently, he and Brenda had been smarter than Victoria had thought. And their suspicions about her and Thomas could have led to his death.

“Perfect. Know what gym he goes to?”

“I think he may have mentioned it, but I don’t recall.”

“No worries. Does he live in Gealanden, too?”

“Yes.”

“Great. I’ll find him. I know all the gym managers there.”

Robert laughed. “And you’ve probably dated every single one.”

Treese lifted one slim shoulder with a sly smile. “How else would I know them?”

“Okay, commercial break from the Treese reality show.” Spring rolled her eyes before angling her head toward Victoria. “Do you know any background on Brenda?”

Victoria took a moment to think. “Well, she’s very involved in raising money for charities with fundraisers. I believe she sits on a few charity boards, as well. She was often trying to impress Thomas with the money she raised or the charities she was helping.”

“Oh, I know.” Spring glanced at Torin with widened eyes before sharing the same lightbulb idea look with the others. “I could approach her about the Chicago Wheels benefit.”

Victoria smiled at Spring’s enthusiasm. Only four months ago, Spring didn’t want to get out of bed to sit in a wheelchair, and now she was volunteering with the local nonprofit to help disabled people in need.

“Okay, but what would be the purpose? The goal?” Torin took the glass Spring handed back to him. “It would take a long-term friendship and trust to get her to confess anything incriminating.”

“True.” She glanced at Robert across the room. “Robby could probably get them to talk more quickly with his get-people-to-tell-you-everything superpower.”

Robert grinned. “About time someone recognized my superpower status.” He earned chuckles from several of his siblings. “But seriously, I think all we need to do for now is establish if they have alibis for the time of the murder. Am I right about that?” He landed his attention on the only one with law enforcement experience in their midst.

Torin set the glass on the end table. “That would definitely help, and it’s something the current detective on the case is apparently not looking into.”

“Great. We can do that easily enough through natural conversation.”