“I know you’re busy, so let me get to the point,” Max said. “I’m in San Antonio at the request of Grover Mills, Victoria Mills’s father. He asked me two months ago, after her murder, to help him understand the investigation and mediate with the local press after Stanley Grant pled guilty. I became familiar with the case. When Mr. Grant changed his plea, I asked to meet with him, and he agreed.”

She paused just a second to let Monroe offer information, even just that he knew Grant, but he didn’t say anything.

Smart man.

“I met with him yesterday before he was released on bail, which ultimately was a good thing considering he was later killed outside the courthouse.”

Monroe nodded. “It’s been all over the news.”

“Mr. Grant claimed that he’d been threatened into confessing to Victoria’s murder. An unknown man threatened his sister and her family. After they were in a car accident, he went to the police and said he’d killed Victoria during an argument after she caught him embezzling money from their company.”

“Why is this important to me?”

“You knew Grant, as well as Victoria.”

“Yes. We went to college together. Victoria and I saw each other for several years.”

Definitely a smart man. Not denying anything. Either he was truly innocent and had no involvement in the conspiracy or he was smart enough to know what could be learned with a good research team.

“According to Grant, Victoria acted differently in the weeks leading up to her murder. She was short-tempered and secretive. He said that she was working on a land deal for you but didn’t discuss it with either him or Mitch.”

If that news came as a surprise to Monroe, he didn’t show it. “Victoria was one of my brokers. I purchased some properties as investments this year, sold several others, all before she was killed. I had one in escrow at that time, and Mitch Corta closed it for me. If Victoria was secretive, it wasn’t because of our business relationship.”

“Why would he call you a ‘straw buyer’?”

“I couldn’t say.”

He didn’t volunteer any information or theories.

“Do you think that Stanley Grant killed Victoria?”

“He confessed.”

“Then recanted.”

“I’m not a lawyer, but it seems to me his change of plea may have been a legal maneuver.”

“It may have been. But I’m not one hundred percent convinced.”

He smiled, almost as if he was humored by her comment. “And you came all the way from New York to be convinced of his guilt?”

“Yes, I did.”

He nodded. “I don’t see how I can help you,” Monroe continued.

Max wasn’t going to rattle him with the easy questions, so she jumped in.

“Did you know Denise Albright? Formerly Denise Graham.”