Page 90 of The Alibi Club

“So, following the breadcrumbs, the Brotherhood will come after Duncan.” Shannon took up the thread. “If Duncan only had the necklace on loan, and was using it to impress Chanel Emam, with every intention of returning it before it went back to Egypt, then who would steal it out from underneath him? Who, beyond Grimsby, would even know he had it?”

“Someone who wanted a priceless ancient artifact?” Rick posed.

“No,” Jamie said. “Someone who wanted to hurt Duncan Reeves, I’d say,” She’d seen enough crime in her day to understand motives.

“How do we know Grimsby didn’t take it?” Kyle asked.

Holly shook her head. “He had an alibi the cops already tracked down. Cameras showed Grimsby went to Morongo Casino in the desert on the night in question and gambled away his ill-gotten gains. Besides, Grimsby wanted that necklace to return to Egypt. He thought it was cursed.”

Silence befell the group for a moment.

Shannon brought out her phone. “What about Duncan Reeves’s ex-wife? Usually, exes have an ax to grind, right?”

“I thought she was dead?” Holly cocked her head.

Shannon tapped quickly on her phone. “Let me go to the socials to see what I can find. They are a treasure trove of information and gossip.”

While she did, Kyle pondered aloud. “Someone could have hacked Duncan’s phone. It’s not that hard if you know how. All you need is a non-obvious way in.”

“Like what?” Rick asked.

“Like a Nest thermostat or a Find My app. If you have the passcodes to get in those apps, it doesn’t take a super genius to make the leap to text messages. Most people use the same passwords over and over again.”

“Guys,” Shannon said as she looked up. “His ex-wife’s name is Elizabeth Reeves.”

“Yeah,” said Rick. “So?”

“She’s suspiciously not online, anywhere. But I managed to find a driver’s license picture from twenty-five years ago. Take a look.” Shannon turned her phone around. Her hand shook slightly.

Rick, Holly, Kyle, and Jamie crowded around Shannon’s phone. A driver’s license picture showed a slightly chubby woman with glasses and short, spiked hair, with a guileless smile and a pierced eyebrow.

“Who am I looking at?” Rick asked with genuine confusion.

At first, Jamie didn’t see it, either, but then Shannon zoomed in. It was her smile, which had a small dark mole just above her right lip.

“Wait a minute…” Jamie squinted at the picture.

Holly was putting it together. “Duncan Reeves was married to Elizabeth Reeves.”

“What was her maiden name?” Kyle asked.

Shannon delivered the answer. “Born in Cayucos, California, to a plumber and a teacher, yadda yadda … here we go. Elizabeth L. Reeves, née Gray.” Shannon’s fingers busily tapped at her phone. And said, “The middle initial L stands for—”

“Lorna,” Jamie said. They all stared at Jamie and then at each other.

Lorna Gray.

CHAPTER FIFTY

Long Legs of Justice

CLIFF

Cliff fiddled with the cuff of his shirt and let his mind wander to Jamie while he waited to be moved. It was early evening, and Cliff could see the last rays of sun through the upper windows against the wall in his small holding cell in Manhattan Beach. The jail was empty except for a drunk who was sleeping it off, snoring loudly next to him. Any minute now, the guards would collect him and escort him into a van, where he would be taken to County to await his arraignment in front of a judge who would condemn him to his fate.

His one last strand of hope was his recent conversation with Detective Roverson in the Manhattan Beach interrogation room. Cliff had shared his theory about what had really gone down at Duncan Reeves’s mansion and who might be behind it. But both he and the detective were at a loss as to what had actually been stolen, and more importantly, why. Roverson seemed genuinely intrigued by his theory, though.

However, because Cliff could not prove where he was when the heist took place, he remained the chief suspect. His head hung heavy with frustration and hopelessness. To have come this far, and to be going back? He felt sick. The slow, blunt hammer of the justice system offered up the same lesson over and over again, which was that justice was rarely served.