“Are you implying that him digging into their background had something to do with the threats?” Dorchester asked.
Silver shrugged and said, “The timing works.”
“As does your appearance in his life,” I told Nate’s brother. “It’s pretty easy to deflect guilt on the dealings of a deceased couple.” I turned to Spizer, who had reportedly been the family attorney for decades. “Could there be any truth to what Silver said?”
“Not that I’m aware of, Detective. I wasn’t Charles and Marie’s attorney at the time of Nate’s adoption. I found out about Jonathon from Nate,” Spizer replied. “I can attest that Nate was angry and bitter that he’d gone his entire life without knowing about Jonathon.”
“How’d you find out about Nate?” I asked Jonathon.
“Nate was given up for adoption, but I was not. Our birth mom raised me, and she told me about Nate before she died.” He swallowed hard, and I could tell it was still an emotional thing for him to discuss. It appeared to be the first honest reaction I’d gotten out of him. “The details about the adoption are irrelevant to Nate’s death, and I prefer not to speak about them.”
“I take it that you are the beneficiary of your brother’s estate,” I commented.
“Yes,” Silver answered between gritted teeth, clearly not liking where my line of questioning was going.
“Can you tell us where you were between the years of your birth and 2014 when you magically appeared in Louisiana?” I asked.
“Don’t answer that,” Spizer informed his client. “Detective, that’s completely irrelevant and none of your business.”
“I don’t agree, counselor.” I leaned forward and pinned Silver with a damning glare. “Your client surfaces out of nowhere with no past to speak of, and his wealthy brother gets killed within months. Now he owns his brother’s business, drives an identical car, and has access to his fortune. Do you live in his house too? Sleep in his bed?” I asked Silver.
“That’s enough, Detective!” Spizer said firmly.
Silver didn’t move, not even to blink when I threw accusations at him. I knew damn well that I was looking at a man who’d been trained to hide his reactions. CIA? Elite Special Forces? Did he kill his brother to get access to his wealth or had his past actions possibly gotten Nate killed?
“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” Silver finally said after a long silence. “I was ecstatic to find my brother, and I had no reason to hurt him.”
“Nate’s homicide was very personal,” I told him. “Someone stalked him, threatened him, ran his car off the road, and put a bullet in his head. We’re talking about a trained killer who leaves behind no evidence. Someone knows something, and they better start talking before whoever killed Nate decides to start eliminating risks.”
“Is this an example of how you deal with bereaved family members after a loss, Detective?” Spizer asked. “If so, I’m not at all impressed.” The attorney put his hand on his client’s shoulder then said, “We’re done here, Jonathon.”
“Just one more thing,” I demanded. Both men halted from rising from the chairs and looked at me. “Where were you the night of January twenty-second?” I asked Silver.
“You don’t have to answer that,” Spizer told his client.
“It’s okay, Rick,” Silver said, patting Rick’s arm before he reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a piece of paper. “These men can attest to my whereabouts that night and morning.” The wink he gave me said they hadn’t been playing poker all night long.
I looked at the list and was surprised to see the names of four men and their phone numbers. Yeah, my mind went there, and I wondered if he entertained them individually or all at the same time. The dark chuckle that rumbled from his chest told me it was the latter.
“What can I say? I have a very healthy appetite.”
Both men rose to their feet and started to exit the room. “I’ll let you know if I have any more questions,” I said to their retreating backs. Neither man responded in any way.
“What do you think?” Dorchester asked me once I shut the recording equipment off.
“I don’t know what to think,” I replied honestly. “We need to find out more about Nate’s adoptive parents and the details of the adoption. Maybe what he suggested has merit. We can’t afford to ignore any avenue if we want justice.” Silver’s tone had turned chilly when he mentioned Nate’s adoptive parents. It said to me that he knew—or at least suspected—more than he let on. His unwillingness to talk about his childhood or the reason his mom gave up one child and not the other was bizarre.
Dorchester looked at his watch and said, “At least we’re down to our final interview for the day.” I could tell he was as ready to head back home as I was.
Marlon Bandowe appeared right on time. He dressed like a man who was as conservative as he was reported to be and looked extremely nervous. I introduced myself and Dorchester and saw how badly his hand shook when I extended my hand to him in greeting. He greatly resembled a timid mouse.
“Have a seat, Mr. Bandowe,” I said. “Thank you for coming in today. This meeting should be brief.”
“Thank you, Detective Wyatt. This whole thing has been completely unsettling.” I found it odd that he referred to the slaying of his former partner as unsettling. We were talking about death, not an ill-prepared meal.
“Forgive me for saying so, but you and Nate Turner seem like improbable business partners,” I told the man, which earned a small smile.
“I imagine so,” he said. “Our families were great friends, and we grew up together. I knew the man my entire life, so I didn’t hesitate when he asked me to be a silent partner in his club.”
