wouldn’t that mean she’d have less money? Maybe the guy she’s going to marry is wealthy.”
“Maybe. Jon told me he and Kylie just smiled and accepted everything she said, but they didn’t feel it was sincere. Melissa Scarborough was almost smug, as if she were playing a part. And even if they knew it, there was nothing they could do about it. She suddenly has money, and I’m willing to bet it somehow came from her husband. She had a reason to want him dead. And now, we have Tate letting us see the notes Jordan had in his file. I think someone—no matter how loved Jennifer Lowry might have been—wanted her out of the way. Let’s check out Dr. Wong’s office.”
He turned and she followed him as they entered the building and headed up in the elevator. Axel opened the door and Raina stepped in before him. The reception area was filled with waiting patients and Marci was at the desk. She looked at them with surprise and then frowned, rising and coming around from her desk to greet them.
“Has anything else happened? Do you need something...that can wait? As you can see, we’re really busy!” she said anxiously.
“We went to the club and talked to some people there,” Axel said, smiling. “Sometimes, when a bit of time passes, you think of something more, so we wanted to check in.”
“Of course you’re busy,” Raina said. “How are you managing? You must be short-staffed.”
“Well, thankfully, Roger has been able to step up and fill in on a lot of work Jen always did, and he has a cousin who has been a dental assistant and she’s come in to help. It’s been a godsend, really. Dr. Wong was saying the other day not only were we mourning the loss of an amazing friend, we were down an amazing woman who was like his right hand.”
“Now is a tough time. We understand. We’ll make arrangements to talk later,” Axel said.
He gave Marci a sad smile, completely understanding the situation.
“Thank you!” she whispered.
He had Raina’s hand.
They left the office. Axel seemed grim but reenergized.
“We’re on track,” he said. “I know it.”
“Axel, do you think Roger Martinez arranged for Jennifer to be killed to take her place, to bring his cousin in? There’s just not much money in it. Murder for hire must cost! I don’t think the rewards would equal the cost.”
“It’s not always money. It’s what a person really wants. You’ve seen it before, I’m sure. We all have. Someone who claims to love someone the world seems to idolize—when resentment is brewing beneath.”
“That’s possible. But enough to want someone dead?”
“It’s impossible to tell what people might do or what they might think something is worth. Is it possible to want someone dead? Sick, cruel, yes. But possible. At the moment, we’re looking at two people who might have somehow benefited from the deaths of two others. It’s more than anything else we’ve got, and definitely worthy of pursuit. Come on. Let’s pick up Titan and head out. I want to get to Andrew’s and talk to him and make some phone calls. Get more facts and figures. Look into the lives of the others, find out just who might have benefited from the deaths of Alina Fairchild, Fran Castle and Hermione Shore.”
“Do we think Roger Martinez had something to do with Jennifer Lowry disappearing because he’s gotten a better job and brought his cousin in? If so, why are we just politely walking out of the office?”
“I’m on a theory right now. We need a lot more legwork and brilliant computer tech people who can find money trails and so on before I can make an arrest. You know that—your brother is an attorney.”
She nodded. Robert always wanted hard evidence he could give a jury. She knew, through her brother, that what you knew didn’t matter unless you could prove it.
“We still don’t know about Brandon Wells,” Axel said. “And tomorrow, kids are coming back out to the Everglades for an overnight camping trip. I want to get Andrew with us, out to the camping area. And Nigel if he can do it. I don’t want a bunch of kids finding the remains of Brandon Wells.”
“Okay. But can we get Titan now?” she asked.
He smiled. “Oh, yes, definitely. We can get Titan.”
* * *
The school camping program was popular. It had been since its inception.
There were dozens of programs in the Miami-Dade and Broward counties on the eastern side of