Oliver considered some theories. “Maybe it was the other way around. Maybe Holt was blackmailing the Baldwins using Tarpin as a go-between. Maybe that’s why the Baldwins kept a racist like Tarpin on for so long.”

Marge said, “Scott, if you’re squeezing money out of someone, you don’t want them dead.”

“So maybe the Baldwins got tired of being blackmailed,” Oliver answered. “Maybe they were going to expose Holt. So Holt killed the Baldwins to shut them up.”

Decker asked Wanda, “Any set amounts of money going out of the Baldwins’ bank accounts on a regular basis?”

“Yeah, like every dime.”

“The payoff for blackmail?” Oliver asked.

“Or they just spent a lot of money,” Wanda said.

Decker answered, “What could Holt have on the Baldwins that would make them susceptible to blackmail?”

Oliver said, “Maybe the Baldwins were racists in their younger days. If they had been, like, ex-PEI members, that wouldn’t look good with their current clientele.”

“They’ve been in practice over twenty-five years,” Decker pointed out. “Long before the inception of PEI.”

“So maybe Holt found some other skeleton in the Baldwins’ closet via Tarpin.”

“What kind of a skeleton?” Decker asked.

Oliver shrugged. “Well, what were the Baldwins noted for? Taking bad, rich boys and putting them into their high-priced camp instead of real punishment from the schools. In Ernesto’s case, camp instead of jail. Maybe the Baldwins gave a kickback to every kid sent their way by a judge, or by a school. Or maybe Holt found out that the Baldwins were using insider’s information with the standardized tests. Maybe Tarpin knew about the schemes and passed the information on to Holt.”

“Why would Tarpin do that?” Marge asked.

“Because Tarpin believed all that PEI crap,” Oliver said with animation. “The two of them used the money to further PEI’s crazy philosophy.”

Wanda broke in. “Scott, PEI was a rinky-dink operation. If Holt was getting blackmail money, he wasn’t using it for PEI in a big way.”

“Well, then, maybe PEI was a front to launder blackmail money into their personal accounts.” Oliver smiled. “That sound good?”

“In theory,” Decker said. “But I came back from the murder scene about forty minutes ago. Tarpin was living in a basic one-room cabin. Holt rents a one-bedroom unit just north of Roscoe Boulevard. They don’t appear to be living a profligate lifestyle.”

“Holt’s apartment has been cleaned out,” Wanda added.

“You mean Holt cleaned out his apartment,” Oliver said.

“Whatever,” Wanda answered. “The place is empty. We’re in the process of checking out Holt’s parents…his father. He’s a local. According to the senior Holt’s secretary, Darrell’s mother is long gone—maybe not dead, but out of the picture.”

“Where is the father now?” Decker asked.

“Eight miles high in transit.”

Oliver said, “What about the girl? The jailbait?”