She knew they were tight on time and this whole conspiracy theory was hanging by a very thin thread. “Why would someone you don’t know pressure you into confessing to a murder you didn’t commit?”

“I don’t know.”

And the thread snapped. “You’re lying.”

It had just been a flicker in his eyes as he glanced down, barely discernible, but Max was very good at reading lies and Stanley Grant was bad at telling them.

He hedged. “My sister—”

Max stood. “If you don’t tell me the truth, I can’t help you. And just so we’re clear, I’m not under any obligation to protect your family. I sent my colleague to sit with Marie this morning because I knew you were concerned and I wanted to talk to you. We learned that she already received a threat. A photo of her mother-in-law’s house was left in her mail slot late last night. So someone knows where her kids are.”

Stanley paled even more. “I—I—”

“Good-bye.” She walked to the door. She’d left in the middle of interviews before when someone was bullshitting her; she had no qualms about walking out now.

“Wait!”

She turned but didn’t sit back down.

“I don’t want Victoria’s name dragged through the mud.”

“She’s dead. She doesn’t care.”

“Her parents do. Her brothers. The company we built from the ground up—”

“The company you admitted to embezzling from? The company that is struggling now that Victoria is dead and you are in prison and the two million dollars recovered is in a government trust while the DA tries to figure out exactly what happened? Do you want to go to prison for the rest of your life, possibly be executed, to protect Victoria’s name?”

“No. No! Listen, I confessed because they threatened my family. I was heartbroken over Victoria’s murder. I loved her like my sister. But I can’t do this. Her brother came to visit me … and I couldn’t do it anymore. I just couldn’t. I would never embezzle from my company, my friends!”

“Victoria,” Max snapped, pushing him back on topic.

He looked pained, and Max wasn’t positive it was all an act. Some of it was. He was hedging, and Max didn’t know if she could believe anything he said.