CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Got a name,” Marcus said.“Two names, actually.Gregory Bennett and Anne Bennett née Collins.Looks like they were married two years ago in a ceremony at the Gesu Church.”
Kate crossed the breakroom, leaving the coffees she’d just poured on the other side and looking over Marcus’s shoulder at his laptop.She left them there, but Rivera circled around to them and joined her a moment later, setting two coffees in front of Kate and Marcus and sipping from the third.
“That’s where we found Diane Walker’s body, right?”Kate asked.
“Yeah,” Marcus said.“I guess they do a lot of weddings for Diane.Anyway, Greg was one of Dr.Hammond’s patients.According to her files, she saw him about three months before the wedding, when he asked if he should leave his wife for the woman he was cheating on her with.”
“Let me guess.She said yes?”
“Sure did.The woman in question was Anne.They met at one of the Carlton parties two months before Greg asked Hammond if he should ditch the old ball and chain for a new one.And get this.Anne and Greg died on their honeymoon.”
Kate raised an eyebrow.“Oh, really?”
“Yep.Boating accident in Biscayne Bay.”
“How much do you want to bet it wasn’t an accident?”Rivera said.
“I am convinced it was not,” Marcus agreed.
“This sounds promising,” Kate said.“Do we have a name for his ex-wife?”
“No, not here.I’ll look up marriage license records for Gregory Bennett and see if I can get a name.”
While Marcus followed up, Kate sipped her coffee, wincing at the heat.She looked out of the window.The sun was still high in the sky, but it was lower than it was the last time she looked.Part of her wanted to be angry with herself for how simple this all turned out to be.Another part of her reminded her that it was only simple now that she had all of the information.The largest and loudest part of her reminded her that she didn’t know for certain yet that these two were the straws that broke the camel’s back.
“Got a name,” Marcus said.“Caroline Bennett.”A pause.“Dollars to donuts, she’s our girl.See if you can find her for us.In the meantime, we’re going to look through Dr.Hammond’s notes again and see what advice she had for Greg.”He gave Kate a thumbs up, and she returned one of her own, confirming the plan.“Okay, Carlos,” he said.“Fingers crossed this can end tonight.”
He hung up and grinned at Kate.Kate felt the same excitement.She’d felt like a pinball bouncing around from bumper to bumper.For the first time, she felt like they had a destination.
Now they had to reach it before Caroline did.
***
They reached Dr.Hammond’s office and found movers packing her belongings.After a brief but intense argument with the senior mover, who didn’t relish the thought of unpacking boxes he’d already placed in the moving van, the agents were able to locate Gregory Bennett’s file among the collection.
After sternly telling off the movers, who were glowering over their shoulders, impatiently waiting for the return of the property they were hired to retrieve, they read through the file.
“Looks pretty standard for Hammond,” Marcus said.“Greg came to see her conflicted about his relationship with a woman he’d met at a party.Said things had gone a lot farther than he intended.He loved her, but he didn’t want to hurt Caroline.”His eyes widened.“Well, would you look at that.Hammond didn’t just tell him to screw Anne.She said that it was clear he no longer loved Caroline and advised him to divorce her and find happiness with his true love.”
Kate whistled.“I wonder if Caroline found out about that.”
“Probably,” Marcus said.“You and I both know how crazy it can drive someone to hear something like that.”
Heat climbed Kate’s cheeks.She looked away for a moment but swallowed her pride when Marcus continued.
“No record of an altercation with Caroline.Do you think she found out about this after the fact and decided not to act on it until now?”
“I think that what most likely happened is Caroline found out about the affair when Gregory told her he was leaving her for Anne.She probably convinced herself he wouldn’t really go through with it until, presto, he goes through with it.Then she loses her shit and sinks their boat.”
“Blows it up,” Marcus said.
Kate looked at him.“Oh, you meant that seriously.”
“Oh yeah.Rivera found the story.The official ruling was that the fuel tank exploded, but Rivera talked to the detective that worked the case, and he told Rivera that it’s next to impossible for a ship’s fuel tank to spontaneously explode.Fuel doesn’t spontaneously combust, even from heating.It combusts either from compression or a spark.”
“So Caroline Bennett would have had to sabotage the tank in order for it to explode.”
