“Oh, that was Teddy…Claire’s half brother,” Lydia said. “He gotwind of it. He was very sweet. He made a few calls and sorted her out with the interview. And of course, they took to her. Everyone loved Claire.”
—
Sonia didn’t answer her phone or respond to Nikki’s texts.
Irritated but undeterred, Nikki grabbed her coat and gloves, and told Iacopo where she was heading. As she stepped out into the cold, she called and texted Ethan. No answer.
—
It was 18:42 when Sonia answered Nikki’s knock.
“I called Lydia Sexton,” Nikki began.
Sonia put up a hand. “Not here.”
From within the flat, Nikki heard the murmur of Sonia’s parents’ voices. A rich fragrance of sautéed onions and chili peppers drifted into the hallway.
Sonia stepped out, shutting the door behind her with a firm click.
“I told you to stop,” she said. Her voice was low, and vibrating with anger. “Wasn’t that clear enough? If you were working for me, I’d write you up.”
Nikki had never seen her so irate.
“You have every right to be angry,” she said. “But hear me out first—”
“You’ve fucked with my investigation!” Sonia continued. “I told you to leave it alone. I don’t know how to fix things when you don’t listen to me. I just got a call from the office—Theodore Sexton knows who you are. Claire’s mother identified you from the memorial, and now his lawyer is asking for information about you.”
Nikki’s phone buzzed. She glanced down. Ethan.
“I think you need to hear this,” Nikki said. “Can I answer?”
Sonia exhaled sharply. “Fine.”
“Hello, gorgeous,” Ethan said when she picked up. “Sorry I missed your calls…busy sucking my boss’s dick. Not literally, you understand. He’s an ugly old Rasputin and even I have standards. What can I do for you?”
“I need to ask a question about what we discussed yesterday. May Iput you on speaker? I’m here with Sonia Dieng of the Naples Municipal Police.”
“I live to serve.”
Nikki held up the phone.
“Yesterday, we talked about Teddy Sexton’s business, Innovare MindCapsule,” she said.
“We did indeed.”
“Teddy wasn’t doing this on his own, was he? As I recall, there was a business partner. Can you tell me who he was working with?”
“Didn’t I say? An old friend from Eton. I assume they bonded over the tragedy of being middle-class. It’s on the company formation documents. I thought I sent them to you. Just a moment…”
A clack of keys, then a pause.
“Here we are. I’ll send it over. Teddy Sexton’s business partner worked as a broker for Stonehaven Wealth Management before they launched MindCapsule. Lad named Kevin Walker.”
Nikki’s pulse spiked.
“You’re amazing, Ethan.”
“I know, darling.”
