“That might not have been the case, Mr. Greene,” Jules said. “Are you sure this isn’t circumstantial evidence?”
“I had no reason to think otherwise. No one knew about my father’s affair with Mrs. Granger, but to get his son out of jail, Richard Granger was determined to make it public information. When I heard that Marshall had been killed in a questionable accident...especially when it was well-known that he didn’t drink...I knew someone was behind it. Someone didn’t want Marshall’s information to be made public. I’m sure Marshall discovered some incriminating information on Sheppard Granger, and Richard Granger arranged his accidental death.”
Jules just stared at Ivan, and it was easy to tell by his expression that he truly believed what he said. “Mr. Greene, have you ever considered that perhaps the information Marshall Imerson discovered proved just the opposite? That Sheppard Granger did not kill his wife? And just to go back to Caden Granger for a moment, you still haven’t explained why you and your family were so hostile to him.”
Ivan hesitated a minute and then said, “When Richard died, I assumed my parents’ secret was safe again. Then Richard’s grandsons came to town, and rumors quickly began flying around that they, like Richard, intended to prove that Sheppard Granger was innocent. All I could see was them reopening the case and using my parents again as a scapegoat for what their father had done. We have no reason to be friends with people who want to ruin our family name.”
Especially when the scandal could hurt your chances of becoming mayor, Jules thought. “Well, I happen to think that Sheppard Granger is innocent, and I have the information to prove it.”
*
The intercom on Dalton’s desk buzzed. “Yes, Ms. Pecorino?”
“Mr. Granger, Bruce Townsend is here to see you.”
Dalton threw aside the papers he was reading. “Please send him in.” He stood when Bruce walked in. “Bruce, what’s going on? You here to search my office for one of those headphones?” he joked.
Bruce chuckled. “No, but last night I watched that security video of Brandy Booker searching your office, and there’s one particular picture that she seemed interested in.”
“Yes, that one over there,” Dalton said, pointing to a framed painting on the wall. “She brought a camera and took several shots of that particular picture. Don’t know why. There’s nothing to it but a painting showing fireworks for a Fourth of July celebration.”
Dalton leaned back against his desk and continued, “Marcel and his people checked it out. In fact, I just got it back a few weeks ago. They said it cleared their inspection, so they have no idea why she was interested in that one more than the others.”
Bruce nodded. “Mind if I borrow it again?”
“Not at all.” He watched Bruce take the painting off the wall.
“Thanks.”
Before he opened the door to leave, Bruce turned around. “By the way, did anyone ever find out who had this office before you moved in?”
Dalton nodded. “Yes. My mother. It was locked for years before I decided to move in here. The Feds found a key in Brandy’s belongings, and it turned out to be my mother’s key to this office.”
“How did Brandy get it?”
“That’s what Marcel is trying to figure out.”
*
Manning walked into Jules’s office. “Vance Clayburn was telling the truth. Hotel records verify that he and Sandra Timmons were together at a hotel those two days in DC.”
Jules nodded. “Okay, then we can move them from here to here,” she said, using the touch screen to shift their profiles to another area of her chart. “That means we need to concentrate on Ivan Greene for now until we determine where he was during those hours of recess that coincided with the time Sylvia was murdered. And I’ve got a new angle to investigate,” she said, smiling.
Manning asked, “Y2K?”