Sue, eyeing the chart, said, “You’ve got another column on the right.”
“Yes, we’ve discussed this. It would have been difficult for one person to pull off this murder. With some careful planning and execution…unintended pun….”
“But the perfect word,” agreed Sue.
“What I’m getting at is another way of looking at suspects. Who is the killer, and who assisted them? It might be easier to identify the person who turned off the power, and then go after the killer.”
“Agreed, but everyone on your list could have flipped the switch. That’s the painless part of this crime.”
“I was thinking that the switch puller might be easier to break down than the killer. My theory is that we’re dealing with two personalities.”
“What did you learn from the fire-safety guy?”
“Dale Van Beers.”
“Exactly.”
“I learned that neither Grubbs nor anyone else could have tampered with the egress lights. Mice and acorns, not humans. Grubbs called him late last week when one of the units was smoldering. Van Beers diagnosed the problem then removed the circuit breaker as a safety precaution. He’s got replacement units going in today.”
“Good for the mice. Damn convenient of them to lend a helping paw.”
“This crime had to be weeks in the planning. But with the egress lights being deactivated, the perp must have thought everything was falling their way. Back to the chart, look at Grubbs. If we were doing this just based on ticks on the chart, he’d be the big winner, or loser. Multiple motives perhaps involving his late wife, his estranged daughter, and years of taking abuse from Wudbine. So how does he set up the murder? He invites us to the performance, slips away at the break, and has an accomplice who pulls the switch. Then he calls us to the site of the crime.”
“That would be quite brilliant,” agreed Sue. “And he is clearly not lacking in intelligence. I’m sure he could envision this crime on all sorts of levels, like one of the multi-tiered chessboards. He knows the place, the people, and all the complex histories. And he’d know where to dump the murder weapon. He could have even done that in stages, maybe get it out of the building on his way to fetching us, and then move it a second time while we were attending to other things.”
“And who would handle the power?” asked Ray. “Verity?”
“Possible. They have a long history here. Or how about his daughter?”
“That would be clever. The kid he’s been estranged from for years helping him pull off a murder. What would be her motive?”
“Maybe she’s tired of her father-in-law treating her husband poorly. With Malcolm out of the way they could sell off the business, move to Provence, buy a small farm and some goats, and start producing artisanal chévre. That would have to be much more rewarding then peddling stock and bonds or looking after the legal affairs of a cantankerous old fart.”
“I think the chévre in your sandwich has gone to your head. Or are you telling me about a new pastoral fantasy? Are you and Harry getting ready for a year in Provence?”
“I don’t think so. I was going to be the consummate tour director this week. Remember, I was going to take the week off. Instead, Harry is spending days looking after Simone and evenings with a slightly grumpy me.”
“You’re never grumpy.”
“Yes, but something weird is going on. Maybe I don’t like my space being invaded. He’s been working hard to make really nice meals. I appreciate that. But he leaves the kitchen a mess. In Chicago, someone cleans his apartment every morning. I don’t know if he’s inherently messy, or it’s something he’s learned he can get away with. I mean, he tries to clean up, but it’s just not good enough. I’d be happy with Healthy Choice and no cleanup. And I’m not sure that…. enough of this. Let’s go back to your chart.”
“Hold that for a minute. Let’s think about the perp. To pull this off they have to be able to isolate Malcolm. That’s not easy to do. Having him alone and in a vulnerable position is most unusual. Whoever did the crime was very familiar with Malcolm’s movements.”
“Members of the cast would be aware of that.”
“Yes, and they would know the history of the electrical problems, how to turn the power off, and the possible impediments to achieving success.”
“Like David Johnson, the lighting guy.”
“You got it,” said Ray.
“David seems to have motive, and he was less than honest with us,” said Sue.
“No one likes being a chump, especially smart people who think they know about money and then lose a pile in a bad investment. You can understand his anger. Much of his retirement went away, and Malcolm seemed unscathed.”
“But that was just a normal market fluctuation,” countered Sue. “We’ve talked about this before. There’s never been a suggestion that Malcolm was running any kind of scam. The SEC isn’t after him. There are no criminal cases pending. Johnson is a smart man. In spite of his rage, he knows Malcolm wasn’t really responsible.”
“Shortly before you were hired, we had a case where a man shot his doctor because he was chronically ill and not getting better. The shooter wasn’t dotty, mad, drunk, or on drugs. He seemed to be absolutely all there when I questioned him. He needed someone to blame. He needed a focus for his rage. His anger was really at his body because it was failing him, but he externalized it and went after his physician.”
Ray paused, “But Johnson is of interest for another reason. He was the one person who had a clear view of most of the backstage area, the exception being the far side of the set. To pull this crime off, the perp had to get him out of his loft. They also had to know that when the lights went out, Johnson would be the one who would go into action. And they timed it, just like we did.”
“But Johnson could be the perfect accomplice,” said Sue.
“But he would have to know that we would be looking at him closely. I think he’s too smart for that. As you know, I never claim infallibility, but I don’t think he’s involved.”
“And then we have Tom Lea’s claim that it was a woman who pulled the switch.”
“Did he give you anything more?”
“No, that’s when we were interrupted by the phone call from Garr. How would you like to see Lea on the stand as a witness for the prosecution?”
“Well, he could never do that, but what if his observation was correct? Not that we can go with it 100%, but the possibility is important. I wonder if you could talk to him again and see if you could get anything more?”
“Based on my track record from my last interview?”
“Phone his mother, explain the situation. Ask for her guidance. Let’s see what happens. Essentially, you have one or two questions. Five minutes.”
“The changes in the chart?” Sue was looking at the whiteboard. “Friends and family, or more correctly, employees and family.”
“When we’re not moving at warp speed, in a case like this we’d start with the family and close associates. In the beginning we focused on the scene, searching for the weapon, and looking for other physical evidence. It also seemed that someone—cast, crew, ushers, Grubbs—would have seen something that might have led us to the perp. Nada. So let’s really look at the family.”
“But we haven’t interviewed everyone who was backstage yet.”
“I know, but we talked to them en masse, gave out cards, and asked for their assistance. And I talked to Grubbs about the folks we haven’t interviewed this morning on my way back. We went one by one through the list. They are mostly in their 20s and 30s, with a few teens thrown in. Grubbs doesn’t believe that any of them have a history with Malcolm. So I think we should put them aside for the moment.”
“Makes sense.” Sue was silent for a long moment, looking at Ray. “You look tired.”