His next step was to log into the Salem Police Department’s criminal database. He typed Simon Jones name and place of birth and pressed enter. “Holy shit!” The man’s juvenile record was as long as Jude’s arm.
“What is it?” Greeley asked, running into Jude’s office.
“Simon Jones was in trouble with the law from the time he was twelve years old and stole his mother’s car, crashing it into a cornfield. There are charges of grand theft auto, breaking and entering, assault and battery. The list goes on and on, but that’s not the strange thing.”
“What is?” Greeley asked.
“The fact that his record is completely clean from his eighteenth birthday forward. Of course his juvie record is sealed, so there’s no way anyone outside law enforcement knows he spent three years in a juvenile detention center. Christ, think about the advertisers who support Hooke’s podcast and his daytime show. Not to mention all of the people who had private readings with him over the years. None of them had any way of knowing he’s a criminal.” Jude shook his head. “What did you find out about Simon Jones post juvenile detention? Does he have a criminal record?”
“Not really,” Greeley said, taking a seat across from Jude’s desk. “There are a couple of battery charges that were dismissed when it was learned that bar patrons had attacked him and he was only defending himself.”
“That makes sense, I guess.” Jude nibbled his bottom lip. “What happened to Simon Jones after his eighteenth birthday that turned him away from a life of crime?”
“That’s easy,” Greeley said with a wide grin. “That’s when Aunt Endora died.”
“What?” Jude asked, feeling stunned.
“According to Simon’s record, he was released into the custody of Endora Bartley, who lived in Derry, New Hampshire.”
Jude sighed. “How long after Simon was released from juvie did Endora die?”
“One year almost to the day.” Greeley shook his head in apparent disgust. “I also checked probate records and Simon inherited his aunt’s estate, which consisted of the house, cars, bank accounts, and a hefty life insurance policy. Wanna guess how much it was for?”
“Half a million dollars?” Jude guessed.
“Close, but it was a quarter of a million. Adding the value of the insurance policy to the rest of the estate, Simon inherited almost a million dollars. He sold everything and relocated to Las Vegas. It was also around this time that he changed his name and started doing psychic readings.”
“That wraps everything up in a nice little bow, doesn’t it?” Jude asked.
“Not even close!” Greeley’s green eyes glittered with excitement.
“You said earlier that Simon’s police record is mostly clear, so what else happened after he changed his name?”
“Alistair Hooke’s been married seven times, just like Elizabeth Taylor!” Greeley crowed.
“What?” Jude couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“From the records I was able to unearth, Alistair moved to California after leaving Las Vegas. He married a widow named Tinsley Anthony, 79, from Culver City. The marriage unexpectedly ended two years later when Tinsley died from a fall in her home.”
“Holy shit!” Jude’s mind was racing. “Was Alistair ever questioned or arrested in his wife’s death?”
Greeley shook his head no. “Just like with Aunt Endora, he was the sole beneficiary of Tinsley’s estate, which he liquidated to the tune of two million dollars, and then blew town.”
“Let me guess, the other six wives were elderly widows too?”
“Yup! Marilyn in Philadelphia was 81 when she died, in an accidental drowning, two and a half years after she married Alistair. Jeannie in Bozeman, Montana, tied the knot at 65 and was dead nine months later, from a massive heart attack. Kelly-Anne in Memphis was 74 when she married Alistair and died three years later from liver disease. She appears to be the only wife who died from natural causes.” Greeley rolled his eyes.
“Alistair is a textbook black widower. What about the other four women? How did they die?” Jude asked, not quite sure he wanted the answer.
“Molly from Boulder died when she slipped during a hike and plunged two hundred feet to her death. Cynthia from Little Rock died from acute ethylene glycol poisoning.”
“He poisoned her with antifreeze?” Jude couldn’t believe his ears.
“No, she drank it right out of a highball glass and left a suicide note. Alistair came home and found her dead in bed.” Greeley grimaced.
“That sounds a little too easy.” Jude could see a disturbing pattern forming.
“It sure does,” Greeley agreed. “Then there was Michelle from Orlando who died-”
