so the majority of information I gathered about him was business-related. He curated his businesses deftly and treated his employees well. With a successful flotation on the stock market more than a decade ago, he went from one strength to the next. Little was documented about his personal life; I saw some nice photos with his parents and sister. He donated to child and animal welfare organizations. He didn't own a jet or a yacht or any of the fancy accoutrements of stratospheric success. Apparently, he once lived in a large penthouse but that article was old and I saw nothing about his new house. His marriage attracted a brief amount of attention that disappeared quickly. I found one photo of the couple together at a gala; Austen wearing a tuxedo, Sophie dressed in a halter gown in navy silk. Leaning her head against his shoulder, her face was turned away, and both of them appeared to be laughing.
Austen didn't have any social media presence although his various businesses did. I scrolled a year backwards for any public messages, but nothing was mentioned about him beyond some links to pithy press releases for endeavors he sponsored.
Sophie Takahashi was even harder to find any mention of. She had no social media profiles in either her married or maiden names, and I couldn't find any indicator of a nickname she preferred to using her real name. Their wedding wasn't featured in any society pages although I found a small announcement after the fact in the New York Times. No mention of her on the museum website either. No high school photos. No college accomplishments boasted about or reported.
The only other thing of interest I found was the listing for their house. It had only two owners prior to the Takahashis' purchase. Originally stuck in a time warp of bright colors, loud wallpaper and dark furniture, the only things that suggested it had potential were its location and the attractive brick exterior. I figured the Takahashis had the same idea, given their extensive renovation project.
I had to start interviewing people close to Sophie. Austen told me she didn't work outside their home but she had ex-colleagues I could speak to. He also mentioned the theater was her big love so perhaps she had a theater group she visited from time to time? Of course the person that probably knew her best had to be her brother. I decided I should start with him.
I checked my watch. There was plenty of time to conduct some interviews before I met Maddox. Unfortunately, I had no idea where to find Zach Gallo and he hadn’t returned my previous call. Since I hadn’t left a message, that wasn’t a surprise. Much as I hated to disturb Austen, I had to call him.
"How's Sophie?" I asked when he answered the phone.
"No change. I'm sitting with her now. The doctor is coming by later to take her vital signs."
"Stay positive," I told him. "I'd like to speak to her brother. Do you know where I can find him?"
"I'll text you his details. Zach has an apartment in town and he works at an outdoor sports place outside of town, Sky Outdoors. If you think the name doesn't make sense, that’s because it doesn't."
"What kind of outdoor sports do they cater to?" I asked, curious.
"Climbing, rappelling, treetop walks, that sort of thing. They claim to create adventures for families, thrill seekers, and corporate events. When we first started dating, Sophie asked me to put them on the corporate list."
"But you didn't?" I guessed.
Austen hesitated. "I don't organize such things. I mentioned it to HR and let them make their own assessment of its suitability for the corporation."
That sounded like they didn't make a positive assessment of its suitability, only Austen was too polite to say. I hoped he would get a lot less polite and more direct the longer we spoke. "Have you ever embarked on one of their adventures?"
"Once. Sophie and I did the treetop rope walk. It was kind of fun but Sophie didn't like it too much. She isn’t comfortable with heights. And I think it embarrassed her to keep bringing up the corporate account because Zach insisted she mention it. Perhaps he got a commission or wanted to impress his boss. I don't know."
"Anything else I should know about Zach?"
"He's been by here to visit a couple of times since Sophie was admitted and I've heard him chewing out the doctors regarding her care. He's got