The blood drained from Samantha’s face. She jumped up from the chair and glared down at her sister. “What? And you didn’t tell me?”
Decker interjected, “I just told her. His autopsy revealed it.
” He paused. “Did your dad phone you recently?”
“No. About three weeks ago he sent me an email. Nothing special. Just checking in.”
She shot Jules a glance. “First Dad shoots someone. And now a brain tumor. What is going on? Wait, do you think the tumor affected his mind? Is that why he did it?”
Decker said, “Anything’s possible. But if there’s another reason, we need to find it. Have either of you ever heard your father mention the name Anne Berkshire?”
They both shook their heads.
Samantha said, “Is that the woman he shot?”
Decker nodded.
Samantha looked at her sister. “Jules? You kept in touch with Dad more than me. You sure it doesn’t ring a bell?”
“No. I never heard of the woman.”
Jamison said, “It might have been random. There might be no connection. Maybe he was affected by his illness. Maybe Berkshire was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Decker said, “I found some medicine bottles in the cupboard. One was for increasing bone density, the other was Zoloft. Who were they for? Part of the labels were removed.”
Samantha looked at her sister and then back at Decker. “For Mom. She’s had a problem with brittle bones. The Zoloft was for her depression.”
“How long has she suffered from that?” asked Decker.
“At least since we were kids,” said Samantha.
“She also has kidney issues,” added Jules.
“But she looks so healthy,” said Jamison. “Tall and athletic and robust.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” said Jules curtly. “Anyway, Dad took good care of her. Now, I don’t know. I might have her come and live with me.”
Bogart returned a moment later. He said, “The warrant is coming in now. Let’s head to the bank.”
Samantha said, “What bank?”
“Daddy sent me the key to his safe deposit box,” said Jules.
“Why, what’s in it?”
Bogart held up the key. “That’s what we’re going to find out.”
CHAPTER
13
EMPTY.
They were staring at an empty safe deposit box.
Decker gave a disappointed grunt. Bogart glanced up at him. Jamison mimicked this move.
Decker said, “He cleaned it out.”
“We’re just assuming he had anything in it,” said Bogart.
“He sent his daughter a key to access it. Why do that if there was nothing in it?”
“True,” conceded Bogart.
Jamison said, “They must have a record of him coming in.”
Soon they were sitting across from the bank manager, who tapped some keys on her computer. She nodded. “Five days ago Mr. Dabney came in and accessed his box.”
“And took things from it?” asked Bogart.
“We wouldn’t know about that,” said the manager. “What’s in our clients’ boxes is private.”
Decker said, “Then we’ll need to look at your video footage.”
Ten minutes later they were staring at a computer screen in a small room off the bank lobby.
“There he is,” said Jamison, pointing at Dabney walking into the bank on the day he’d emptied his safe deposit box.
Samantha said, “That is so out of line.”
“No,” said Ellie Dabney. “Your sister’s right. Your father did pull the trigger. He made that choice. No one else.”
Jules and Samantha stared at their mother as though they didn’t recognize her.
Ellie looked over at Decker. “I don’t know that woman. And I don’t know what Walt had in that safe deposit box.”
To Decker the woman’s demeanor had changed dramatically from