The office had once been the smallest bedroom in the house. Jenny sat behind her desk. Morgan took a chair facing her.
“Any luck on tracing the origin of that GIF of McFarland’s attack on Morgan?” he asked, leaning over his mother’s shoulder.
“Not yet. Once something goes viral, it becomes hard to trace its source.” His mom nodded toward the screen. “And that video clip is everywhere. I still can’t believe he punched you like that.”
“It was a surprise,” Morgan agreed.
“Aren’t you afraid to go back to the courthouse?” Jenny only left the house for her weekly group therapy and for an occasional trip to the psychiatrist, and she needed medication for those brief outings.
“No,” Morgan answered in a firm voice. “What McFarland did wasn’t just unusual, it was stupid. He was already facing jail time. Now he’s going to be incarcerated much longer. The prosecutor isn’t going to offer him any sort of deal. He committed assault in the courthouse, in front of dozens of witnesses, in full view of the surveillance feeds, with a dozen deputies just steps away. Most criminals aren’t that dumb.”
He appreciated Morgan’s effort to downplay the risks of her profession, but it didn’t matter what she said. The unpredictable and random nature of the courthouse incident made it the exact sort of thing that fed his mother’s anxiety. People who didn’t suffer from anxiety could rationalize that the assault had been an aberration. But his mother’s mental illness translated the event into: if one wasn’t safe at the county courthouse, then one wasn’t safe anywhere.
Lance brought the conversation back to the case. Working was the one thing that seemed to distract his mother from her crippling fears. “So what did you find out?”
“I traced the first email threat to Haley and the one to Morgan to an email address registered to Adam Carter.” His mother flexed her arthritic fingers over the keyboard. Her getting-back-to-work gesture made Lance feel like a dunce for not realizing she needed to be needed.
“The police are already looking for Adam,” Morgan said. “Please send me the evidence, and I’ll forward it to the sheriff and prosecutor.”
“OK. And if the police can get a search warrant for Adam’s computer, their forensic tech will be able to tell if he also originated the GIF.”
“Great.” Morgan entered a detailed reminder into her phone. “I’ll mention that in my email. This is a huge help, Jenny.”
Jenny beamed. “I also uncovered something interesting about Justin O’Brien.”
Morgan balanced her notebook on her lap. “What do you have?”
“Justin was arrested for date rape during his junior year of college,” Jenny began. “He brought a girl home from a party and slept with her. In the morning, she accused him of taking advantage of her while she was too drunk to walk straight, let alone give consent. In an interesting defensive move, his attorney claimed that Justin was also drunk and didn’t remember most of the night. He threatened to countersue the girl for sexual assault.”
“Sounds like a nightmare of a case.” Morgan lifted her pen.
Jenny looked up from her computer screen. “In the end, the charges against Justin were dropped for lack of evidence.”
“I’d call it a classic he said, she said, but if neither of them remembered what happened, then I don’t see how either of them could be held responsible.” Lance paced the tiny office. “What else did you find?”
His mother continued. “Isaac has nothing but a misdemeanor drug possession on his record from when he was eighteen. He was found with a small amount of pot. I didn’t find any criminal charges against Chase.”
“What about the Powells? Did you learn anything about Haley or her mother or Eliza’s company, Wild?” Morgan asked.
Jenny consulted her list. “Wild has a few lawsuits from people claiming the cosmetics damaged their skin.”
“With the success and size of the company, I’d expect a certain number of lawsuits,” Morgan said. “There are always people looking for easy money. Do any of the cases look valid?”
“Not really.” Jenny tucked a gray hair behind her ear. “The company’s research and testing seem adequate. No doubt some will settle for low dollar amounts simply because it would be cheaper than going to court. None of the claims are for serious injury. No one went blind or died from using Wild products.”
Morgan looked up from her notepad. “Did you find anything unusual about the victim and/or his family?”
His mom ran a finger down her own paper notes. “Nothing on Noah Carter, but Adam has a record for assault. In his senior year of high school, he and another student turned in identical test papers. The teacher gave them both Fs. Adam claims the other boy cheated off his paper. He went to the boy’s house and waited for him to come home, then attacked him.”
“How badly did he hurt the other kid?” Lance asked.
“The other boy suffered a broken nose and fractured cheekbone. Witnesses stated that Adam ‘lost his mind’ and ‘went berserk.’” Jenny added, “He didn’t go to jail. His parents paid a fine, he got probation, and attended mandatory counseling. He was charged as an adult, so the record wasn’t sealed.”
Morgan looked up from her notes. “Adam has a history of violent reactions and no impulse control.”
“I wonder where he was Friday night,” Lance said.
And how Adam felt about fire . . .
Morgan twirled her pen. “He said he was angry with us for representing the person who killed Noah. Would he really kill his own brother?”
“We both know it’s possible. People can rationalize anything. He wouldn’t be the first man to kill his brother. We’ve both seen family members tear each other apart. Guilt would amplify his grief. What if he blamed Haley for an argument he’d had with Noah?”
“You’re right,” Morgan said. “But we don’t know where he is, and he’s already wanted by the police. Even if he’s found, we won’t have access to him for a long time.”
“I’m still digging. I might have more for you tomorrow.” His mom set her list down on her blotter and frowned at Morgan, then at Lance. “You should both get some rest. You look exhausted.”
“I’m fine,” Morgan assured her. “Thank you for all this information. We really appreciate the help.”
Jenny sat back. “I’m glad you came to me. I thought maybe you lost confidence in me after what happened last fall.”
“No.” Lance jumped in, hating that she’d been thinking that all winter. “Not at all. That was not your fault. We didn’t want to give you any additional stress while you were recovering. You’re teaching, and you have your own business to run.”
His mom smiled. “Honestly, I wish you would have asked me anyway. I would have welcomed the work. I don’t like to be idle. Gives me too much time to think.”
And overthink.
“OK, then,” Lance said. “Consider yourself back to work.”
She smiled. “Wonderful.”
“How’s Kevin?” Morgan asked.
Jenny only saw her boyfriend once a week at their group therapy session. But Jenny and Kevin talked via video call every evening.
“Very well. His son is getting married,” Jenny said, glancing back and forth between Morgan and Lance.
Was that a hint? Whatever it was, Lance was glad his mother’s relationship had survived the winter. She needed someone her own age in her life.
“That’s wonderful.” Morgan stood.
“We have to go. Bye, Mom.” He kissed his mother on the cheek, then straightened and moved out of the way as Morgan rounded the desk to give his mom a quick hug.
They left the house. Lance locked the front door, and they climbed into the Town Car.
Morgan tucked her giant bag next to her feet. “We have two strong possibilities for the arson: Adam, and Kieran, if he discovered that you stole his photographs.”
“Good thing I locked those in the office safe.”
“We don’t have a motive for Adam as a suspect for his brother’s murder, but as you pointed out, families are complex, and we have little information about the brothers’ relationship. We need to learn more.”