He met my gaze. "Maybe to get inside information on the layout, the security system." He turned to Ian. "Did you have access to the security system?"

"I had my own code to get in. My brother didn't care if I used his house when he wasn't there, mostly because I never did. I didn't love going there. I wasn’t impressed by his wealth or by him. We were very different people. He only cared about money. He valued himself by how many dollar signs he had after his name." Ian paused. "After I took Kim to the house, I realized that her passion wasn't really for music. She barely looked at the violin my brother had purchased from Solomon Hasher."

"Really?" I asked. "That seems strange. Solomon is a renowned violinist."

"I thought it was odd, too," he admitted.

"Kim used you to get into your brother's house," Kade said harshly.

"I don't know that that's true," Ian said slowly.

Despite his words, I could see that he was starting to realize that was exactly what had happened. I felt immense disappointment in my mother's behavior, too. I had never thought she was that mercenary.

"Why didn't you tell the police you took Kim to the house a week before the robbery?" Kade asked. "That wasn't in the police report."

"I didn't believe it was relevant. She wasn't at the party. The police only asked me about that night. It never occurred to me that our trip had had anything to do with the robbery. Kim a twenty-one-year-old girl who played the violin. She wasn't dangerous."

"But you were at the party," Kade said. "And you were the last one to leave, the last one to speak to my father. Isn't that correct?"

"Yes. I went to that party because it was a fundraiser for the college. When it was over, I said goodbye to the security guard, and I left. I don't know what happened after that."

"Did you see my mother after the party?" I asked.

"No. She called off our next date. She was sick. I wanted to take care of her, but she lived with roommates, and we couldn't let anyone know about us. I kept waiting for her to get better and call me, but she never did. The next thing I knew, she dropped out of school, and her number was disconnected." He paused at the sound of voices.

I turned my head to see several college kids entering the auditorium.

"There's another class starting soon," Ian said. "We need to leave."

"Wait," I said. "Can you give me your number? I might have more questions."

He hesitated. "I really don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm sorry Kim is hurt, but we ended a long time ago. Good luck."

He walked away as the next teacher came down to the stage. As they exchanged a few words, Kade and I headed up the steps and out of the auditorium.