"Yeah, but it's weird... what if she is a whole different person?"
"Like an assumed identity? We've dealt with a case like that before."
I nodded. We did and it was tragic. "It just doesn't feel right though. Zach was married and he and his sister only moved here after his wife died. It's like his sister assumed the personality of his wife. Completely turned herself around. Stopped the wild lifestyle and became a nice person."
"That takes a lot of effort. A huge presence of mind," contemplated Solomon. He rested his butt on my desk and folded his arms. "It's not unheard of though. Conmen and women do it all the time."
"To that extent?"
"Depends on the goal. But I'd say it's easier for white collar criminals to steal someone’s identity by keeping similar traits, than it is for someone as wild as your notes suggest to become a pillar of society like Sophie Takahashi appears to be."
"But it could be done?"
"Sure, with intense discipline and enormous willpower. Is the goal worth it?"
"If it means having access to Austen's money, yes! And he certainly wouldn't be attracted to a woman as wild as Sophie was reported to be." I shifted in my chair and pondered that. "I only have one person's word for how Sophie used to behave."
"Can you get more witnesses?"
"I don't think so. She only worked in dive bars and lived a wild life. Even if someone remembered her, I doubt they'd discuss her with me." I shook my head. I couldn't shake the hunch I had. "It still feels weird."
"What did Austen say?"
"I haven't told him anything yet. I don't want to until I know more. He's expecting something but I can't tell him anything while it feels so off." I paused and thought about the exquisite sketch. "I went to his office today to speak to his secretary. She showed me this beautiful line drawing Sophie drew for their anniversary. Everyone I've spoken to attests to how much she loves art. She could have gone much further at the museum with the informative talks she gave."
"And?"
"I keep coming back to what if Sophie modeled herself on the dead Sophie? She loves art."
"If the deceased Sophie is the kind of woman that would attract a target like Austen, it could be possible. She would have had a live object to study and emulate, or at least, she did have once."
"Yeah." I managed a small smile. "I'm starting to think Sophie and Zach really did target Austen for his money. Where are you with the bank case?"
"Tracked down a bunch of information about Mackleton. Found out the sister is called Nessa Reyes but still no sign of her. She joined the Army as a teenager and had a clean record for a few years but might have changed surnames because the trail goes cold right after she was discharged. As for her brother, he changed jobs often and none of his previous employers or colleagues remembered anything about him. It's a sad life really. Charlie remains virtually unhelpful."
"I didn't investigate him," I realized with a gulp. I’d dismissed Solomon’s request as a distraction, but what if it wasn’t? "I'm sorry. It slipped my mind to take a closer look at him."
"I shouldn't have asked. You've had a strange day."
"I still shouldn't have forgotten him."
"I'll leave you to your case but it would be great if you could join us in the boardroom later. I need fresh eyes as we go over the investigation so far. I don't trust Charlie. Never did. "
"I'll be there," I agreed.
Behind me, the door banged open and Delgado thumped in. I suspected he purposefully made a lot of noise on entry although it was no longer necessary. "Lexi, didn't see you here," he said. "Did you just arrive?"
"Oh, please," I said with a roll of my eyes for his feeble attempts at surprise. Holding back a laugh, I turned back to my notes, scanning them again. Annie implied Sophie was an alcoholic and addict. Was she clean now? Surely Austen would have mentioned any erratic behavior, and if not, was Sophie simply excellent at hiding her addiction?
There was an easy way for me to find out. I called Alice.
"I'm just finishing my shift," she told me. "Do you want to meet up? I could do with a post-work drink."
"Not tonight but soon," I replied. "I wonder if you could check on something."