Page 48 of Wayward

“We all were.”

“And one of the kids was Ms. Farley’s daughter?”

“Yes. Libby Farley was the youngest one taken.”

“I could have lived my whole life not hearing that story,” I told him.

“I know, but what I find interesting is that Hugh was a big man, strong, but somehow he winds up dead, in the street.”

“Did the police look for his killer?”

“Oh yes, but eventually the case went cold. And the feeling in the community was that he got what he deserved.”

“Without question,” I agreed.

“But the interesting part I was speaking of was that Oscar Farley, Ada’s brother, came to live with her earlier that same year that Hugh Evans was murdered.”

Wait. “You think what, that Oscar Farley somehow figured out what Evans had done and killed him?”

“I do. And as the years passed, a lot of people thought so too.”

“Was he ever charged?”

He shook his head. “No. And everyone adored Oscar. He was one of those charming, bright, effervescent people who lit up a room. There were always people coming from Portland to the parties he and Ada threw, and they had houseguests who stayed through the winter with them. Every room in the house was filled. It was wild all the way up until Oscar passed in 2012.”

“What happened?”

“A continuous cocktail of alcohol and drugs finally did in his heart and liver. And that horrible pipe of his. Never saw him without it.”

“You said Evans was a big guy. Was Oscar?”

“No, that’s the thing. He was tall but thin, almost delicate, like Ada. I think that’s what always made people think it couldn’t have been him.”

“But Oscar had lots of friends, you said.”

“He did. And as you know, in a rage, people are capable of terrifying things.”

That was true as well. I’d seen it for myself first-hand. “When Oscar was alive, was there a caretaker?”

“Yes, and a housekeeper and several maids.”

“And they all left after he died?”

“That I don’t know. I do know that she’s been alone for years. She hasn’t visited the bank in at least seven years.”

This was crazy. All of it.

“I have concerns about being the only one in charge of this amount of money,” I told him. “I mean, is there an accountant or anyone who oversees where it goes?”

“All you have to do is look at all the withdrawals to know there’s not.”

“I need some names of reputable people from you. Please.”

“Certainly. I’ll email them.”

“Thank you. I’m worried about how many people have been robbing her blind.”

“Many, I would guess. There has been almost ten million taken out in the last year.”