“Her brother warned her about what he was doing—maybe suggested she go on vacation. She listened but doesn’t have the skill to elude a tail. Or she went to a location that could be easily discovered, such as a relative or close friend.”

“Why does Stanley Grant think his sister is in danger?” Max wondered out loud.

“Grant could be guilty. Of murder, embezzlement, any number of things. But what if he has a partner, or he knows about a major crime, other than Victoria’s murder. I know I’m speculating but from our research we know that Grant cares about his sister and her family. My guess is that yes, he’d try to make sure they’re safe before he makes a deal with the prosecution. If he knows something juicy, he might get wit sec. I have no idea what he’s thinking. Something strange is going on, and Stanley Grant is at the center of it.”

“I don’t see where you’re going with this. He confessed to killing Victoria. Guilty or innocent, he knew enough about the murder that the police were confident they had the right person.”

“It’s the embezzlement after the murder that is the red flag. If he’s guilty, why would he lie to the police about his motive? Maybe he asked her for the money and she refused and he killed her … why not just say so? But he lied about his motive, because the money wasn’t taken from their accounts until four days after she was killed. What this means for his sister I have no idea. But the only reason he would be scared about his sister’s safety is if he knows of a bigger threat.”

It was plausible, but Max needed more facts. Theories were fine to play around with, but they needed concrete details to fill in the blanks. “I’ll ask him. I can help Grant—and he knows it. It’s why he’s willing to talk to me. He’ll tell the truth or I’ll walk. I have better things to do with my life than be jerked around by a possible killer.”

Sean smiled. “I expect nothing less from you.” He drained his orange juice and glanced at his watch. “After you talk to Grant, could you do me a favor? I ordered up records from the county archive. They’re under my name, at the archive building across the street from the courthouse. If I’m sitting on Marie Richards this morning, I can’t pick them up.”

“That I can do. What records?”