“Where did Waylon get a million dollars?” Tom asked. “Did he steal it from Ben?”

“No, he said it was his share of the money. But Ben wouldn’t have given it to him. He said he’d gotten it through Ben’s financial manager. Ben called him his ‘banker.’ ”

“Do you remember this man’s name?” Tom asked, and Liza held her breath. This was what they’d come for.

“Of course. They were prison friends at Terminal Island. I knew him, too. His name was Daniel Park. He was in for securities fraud. Insider trading or something like that.”

“Waylon had access to Mr. Park?” Tom asked.

“Yes. When we first started Eden, Waylon was the only one to leave—to get supplies. Ben would give him a code to use with Daniel, along with instructions on stock trades. That was how Ben and Daniel communicated. The code changed every time. Ben loved puzzles and he had a . . . what do you call it? The rule that tells how the code will change each time.”

“A cipher?” Tom prompted.

“Yes, a cipher. Waylon figured out the pattern. Ben never did give him enough credit. Treated Waylon like he was dumb. I think Waylon would skim money from Ben’s accounts and tell Daniel to invest it for him, pretending he was acting on Ben’s instruction. Ben was very good with money. Waylon took his stock tips and was able to grow the money he skimmed. He told me that was where the million had come from.”

Skimmed. Margo still was making excuses for the criminals in her life.

Margo looked away, then resolutely back at Tom. “Am I under arrest?”

“Not at this time,” Tom replied.

She huffed out a breath. “I still have to tell Hugh. I hate this.”

Not once, Liza realized, had this woman expressed sorrow for those who hadn’t gotten out. She was only worried about herself.

Tom gave Margo one of his cards, then stood, holding a hand out for Liza. “We’ll leave you to the rest of your day, ma’am,” he said, and they walked out together to Tom’s SUV.

“Well,” Liza said once they were locked in and buckled up. “That was interesting.”

“It was. I need to let Croft and Raeburn know about Daniel Park and then we can grab some lunch. Oh. Good timing,” he said when his phone buzzed with an incoming call. “Hey, Croft. What’s—” He stiffened. “Injuries?”

He pulled back to the curb, listening. He finally nodded. “I’m on my way. I’ll use the flashers and get there faster.” He paused again, looking over his shoulder at the Kitson home. “Yeah, we found her. I got a name to run. Daniel Park. He was in Terminal Island with Pastor and Waylon. He was a financial manager. Handled all of Pastor’s accounts, so aiding and abetting at the very least. I’m hoping Pastor is still using him, but if not, we might be able to use him to find out who Pastor’s financial advisor is now, and that person’s communications might lead us to Eden.” He listened a moment more. “See you soon.” With that, he ended the call and pulled the car back onto the road, on the way to the freeway.