“I can try to hunt down the accident report,” Ian said. “But it’ll likely be a paper record, and we’ll need to get an agency to go into their archives to dig it out. Could take time.”
“Too bad we don’t have their vehicle to look at. But it’s been twenty-seven years. I’m guessing the car was scrapped.”
“Maybe not.” Reed leaned forward. “It was a vintage ’64 Mustang convertible, just like yours. Someone might’ve bought it.”
“Parts for vintage cars are always in demand,” Blake said. “We can easily research the VIN number and see if it’s still on the road. Though you should know, VIN numbers weren’t standardized until the eighties. Means we might encounter an issue.”
“Even if itisin service,” Grady said, “whatever caused the crash would’ve been fixed.”
He had a good point, but… “If we find the guy who bought it, he might be able to tell us what he found wrong with it when he took possession of it.”
“What we need is the VIN or plate number,” Blake said.
Malone perked up. “The executor for our parents’ estate was a friend of our dad’s. He was very thorough, and he kept records and belongings that he thought we might want. I recently moved it all from storage to my garage, and I know there are photo albums in the boxes. Our dad loved to take pictures of his car. I’m sure we could find the plate number there.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the paperwork doesn’t have the VIN number in it too,” Reed added.
Ian looked at Malone. “We can search the boxes when we leave here.”
“I’d love the help.” She smiled, but it was forced.
Why? Was it the topic of their parents’ death? The thought of spending more time with him? The thought of going through those records?
Reed cleared his throat. “If I didn’t have an investigation that was threatening to break wide open, I’d be there to help. As it is, I need you to keep me updated on every detail.”
Malone smiled at her brother, a smile filled with love. “I’ll keep you in the loop.”
Blake peered at Ian. “Once you have that VIN number, I know you can search NCIC for the information and don’t need our help. I’d still like the information once you locate it.”
The National Crime Information Center was a database only for law enforcement use, and Blake wouldn’t have access to it. He did have access to consumer sites, but they didn’t provide as much information as Ian could obtain.
“Give me your email address, and I’ll send it to you,” Ian said.
Blake flicked a business card down the table and changed his focus to Reed. “Let’s suppose that Junior was right and your parents’ death wasn’t an accident. Any idea who might’ve wanted to kill them?”
Reed shoved his chair back and came to his feet. “We were just kids. We had no idea our parents might be targeted.” He ran a hand over his head. “Our dad was a corporate attorney. Our mom was a kindergarten teacher. Just your basic, happy family. Until the accident. So, no, I have no idea.”
Blake swung his gaze to Malone.
She twisted her hands on the table. “I have no idea either.”
“It looks like we need to do a deep dive into their lives to see what we can find.” Nick Thorn, the team’s cyber expert, looked eager to get started. “I’ll get moving on that right away.”
Malone nodded.
“I can work with him,” Erik Byrd, the only Byrd brother who didn’t have dark hair, peered at Malone. “I handle computer work for our agency.”
She gave him a tight smile. “Thank you. Both of you. I’m a little uncomfortable digging into our parents’ past, but I know they were good people. We won’t find anything bad.”
Ian wanted to have the same belief that she had, but she was just a child when her parents died and could be way off-key here.
“We could also review Junior’s computer to see if he left any details on the accident.” Nick faced Ian. “You’ll have to release it to us, though.”
Ian knew they’d do a great job, but he couldn’t accommodate them. “That will have to stay in-house with the regional computer lab.”
Erik nodded. “They’re top-notch. They’ll do a good job.” Erik was a former PPB officer, so he would know about the lab that most agencies used in the area and their skills. “If there’s something incriminating on the hard drive, they’ll find it.”
Grady leaned forward. “I don’t suppose I could get a look at the murder weapon.”
