"If she was, she didn't tell me. But like I said, we rarely talked about such things.”
“She worked for Rory Sinclair.”
"Yes.”
"What can you tell me about her job?”
"I think she really loved it. She made a lot of money. She was on call 24/7, but she got to meet a lot of important people. Everybody who’s anybody in the tech world.” Then she added, “I think Rory is kind of an asshole, and maybe that's why they got along.”
I chuckled. "How so?”
"Well, he's pompous, arrogant, self-absorbed. Should I go on? I mean, I guess if I built a billion-dollar company, I'd have a chip on my shoulder too. But he's one of those people who thinks everybody's dumber than he is. And who knows, maybe he's right.”
"It seems like you've done well for yourself.”
She smiled with pride. "Yes, I have. I may not be a billionaire, but I've got an online shop, I work from home, and I'm my own boss.”
"What more can you ask for?"
I didn't think she had any involvement, but I had to do my due diligence. "Where were you the day of the murders?"
"I was here. Ironically, we were supposed to have dinner that evening." She frowned.
"Any particular reason?"
"I don't know. There was something she wanted to talk about. She didn't say in advance. She was always kinda cagey that way. Kept her cards close to her chest. She always tried to create intrigue. Evelyn liked drama. I think she was so afraid people would get bored with her. She never wanted to dole out information too soon. Everything had a cloak-and-dagger type feel to it.”
"Shedidwork in cybersecurity. Did she ever mention to you anything about her company’s products or contracts with the government?”
Natalie shook her head. "No. All that stuff is classified, from what I understand.”
"Did she have any enemies?”
Natalie took a deep breath and thought for a moment. "Not that I can think of. Evelyn wasn’t a terribly sociable person. I can’t understand why. She was gorgeous. Men drooled all over her, but she had an off-putting quality." Natalie frowned. "She cameacross as a bitch most of the time." Natalie cringed. "I don't mean to talk badly about my sister. I'm just being honest." Then she added, "Now, Rory, on the other hand. I'm sure that guy made a lot of enemies. Maybe this was some kind of retaliation against him.”
"I think she was meeting somebody at the mall to exchange something," I said. "But we're not sure what.”
Natalie shrugged. "I don't know. She didn't mention anything about it to me.” Her eyes narrowed, and the light bulb went off. "You don't think she was selling secrets or technology, do you?"
"The thought had crossed my mind.”
Natalie dismissed the notion. "My sister was a lot of things, but she was loyal to a fault. She never turned on anybody. Even if she didn't like them. She never once ratted me out as a kid, even though we didn't really get along. Even when it would have been to her advantage. I have to give her that."
"What about friends? Somebody she might've talked to? Confided in?"
Without hesitation, Natalie said, "Cassandra. They were thick as thieves. Two peas in a pod.”
"Do you have contact information for her?”
Natalie smiled. "I sure do."
20
My phone buzzed with a call from Catalina as we walked back to the lobby. I swiped the screen and held the phone to my ear with a smile. "I hope your day is off to a good start.”
"It's a little brighter now," she said.
"Thanks again for the adventure yesterday.”
