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Claire shrugged. “Apparently Dennis did change his will and has left the bulk of his estate to his friends.”
Greer’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
Claire nodded. “Yeah. It’s been a bit of a shock.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“You and me both.” Claire moved past Greer and headed up the staircase.
Greer arrived at the bottom of the steps and stopped. What they’d just told her didn’t add up. From what she knew of Moore, he was like her dad, and as much of an asshole as he could be, it would never occur to him to give his hard-earned money to someone other than his family. Even if he didn’t believe Brian could handle it, wouldn’t he just put it in a trust or something?
She ventured out to the courtyard. Lyle, Goodman, and Bainbridge were in a huddle. They all stopped talking as she walked by. She nodded to them and kept going. Were those the friends the money was left to? If it were me, I’d be hiring a lawyer. Brian and Claire weren’t going to take this lying down. It was bound to get ugly.
She went into the dining room and caught the waiter’s attention. He agreed to get her a burger and fries. She also asked for a small beer. She wasn’t going to be picky. She just needed food. She sat down and called Detective Haas. “Detective, how are you?”
“I’m tired, Ms. Styger. Was there something you needed?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could get a copy of the police report, the autopsy, and the tox screen for my report.”
There was a long pause. “I suppose it is possible. Are you leaving?”
“Well, yes. I think I’ve done as much as I can here. My understanding after we spoke is that you have the cause of death, which seems very unlikely to have been administered by anyone at Hughes Racing, therefore there were mitigating circumstances. but they were out of Hughes Racing’s control.”
“I see,” Detective Haas said. “You do not need the police investigation to be completed to turn in your report?”
The barman was pouring her beer slowly. “The insurance investigation is as complete as possible at this point. Unless, of course, you think there’s something else, some other factor.”
The bartender lopped off some of the foam and added more beer.
“I still am unsure how the drugs got into Mr. Moore’s system. According to his doctor, Mr. Moore did not take Adderall. I am aware that both his son and his brother-in-law are on the drug, but there is nothing to suggest they gave it to him. Neither one of them inherits the bulk of the estate, nor does Mrs. Moore. Mr. Moore took the questionable act of leaving his money to his friends, Mr. Bainbridge, Mr. Lyle, and Mr. Goodman.”
A weird tingle started at the base of Greer’s neck. “Did Mr. Moore have any medical issues at all?”
“No, according to his doctor, he was very healthy. He’d just had his last physical, and he was perfectly fine.”
“Huh.” That wasn’t what Goodman said.
“What is it, Ms. Styger?”
“Well, if I remember correctly, Mr. Goodman told us that Moore’s blood pressure was up and so was his cholesterol. Those seem like things that a doctor would mention.”
There was a silence, then, “Yes, they do.”
The bartender held her beer up to the light. It was slightly cloudy. He frowned and then poured the beer down the drain. He disappeared under the bar, presumably to adjust something, and then started pouring again.
The niggle at the back of her brain increased, like someone had just goosed the gas pedal. The waiter came and put her food in front of her and then left again. Then it clicked. “Detective Haas, who did Moore have breakfast with that morning?”
“Mr. Lyle, Mr. Bainbridge, Mr. Goodman, and Brian. Mrs. Moore and her brother came down slightly late.”
“If you were going to crush up Adderall and add them to a drink, which one would you choose?” she asked.
Detective Haas made a grunting sound. “That is a very good question. I suppose I would choose something that would hide the bitterness.”
“Yes, something that would already be slightly bitter,” she agreed. “Something that may have some grit to it normally.”
Detective Haas sucked in a breath. “You’re thinking someone put it in his coffee.”
“Yes.”
