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“I still don’t believe it. He could barely drive my car when he took it two weeks ago. I can’t picture him trying to drive the Ghost. And, definitely, not murder anyone.”
It was clear Oliver believed his uncle was innocent. But history was filled with stories of relatives being surprised how many proverbial skeletons were actually stuffed in the closets of their loved ones. And most police weren’t likely to arrest without strong evidence. “What proof do they have?” Sam asked Allegra.
It was several seconds before she answered. “Video of Uncle Albert driving the Gray Ghost from the warehouse right before the fire. There was a camera mounted on the building across from it. I’ve asked to see the video, but they won’t let me. They’ll only show it to his lawyer and he doesn’t have one, yet.”
“Then we need to get him one right away,” Oliver said.
“I’m working on it,” Allegra said. “But in order to hire him, we need money, which is why I need you. You have guardianship over Uncle Albert. With no money to speak of, the solicitor is asking for Payton Manor as collateral.” She pulled some papers and a pen from her purse.
“Where do I sign?”
“Oliver,” Sam said. “Before you sign anything, let us at least get an attorney—if nothing else, to look over those papers.”
“I couldn’t ask—”
“We insist,” Remi said. “This is stressful enough without worrying about losing your home.”
He nodded. “Thank you. You’re probably right.”
“Let’s go in and see what the police have to say,” Sam suggested.
They learned little more than what Allegra told them. Since Oliver had power of attorney for his uncle, he at least was allowed a short visit, while the others waited in the lobby. When he walked out several minutes later, he looked as bewildered as he had when he’d first learned the news.
Allegra, who’d been pacing the entire time, stopped, looked at her brother. “Well?” she asked.
“Just as you said. The detective told me there’s video of Uncle Albert climbing in the window of the warehouse just before the fire started in the office. A few minutes later, he’s opening the garage doors and driving off in the Gray Ghost.”
“See? Can we just sign the papers now and get him a solicitor?”
“The thing is,” Oliver said, almost as if he didn’t hear her, “how could he remember the location of a warehouse he hasn’t been to in years when he couldn’t even find his way home that afternoon he wrecked my car?”
“He wrecked your car?” Allegra asked. “Why am I only just learning about this?”
“The point is, he couldn’t find his way home from downtown Manchester to Payton Manor, so how would he find his way to that warehouse from London? That’s over four hours. Longer, even, when you consider the speed limitations of the Gray Ghost.”
“Clearly he didn’t drive it. It had to have been in a truck.”
“But who drove the truck?” Oliver asked. “The dead security guard? Uncle Albert only remembers waking up in the car. As expected, he can’t recall where it is.”
Sam and Remi exchanged glances, Sam thinking that video evidence was pretty strong. Remi’s expression was one of surprise mixed with disappointment, undoubtedly hoping for proof of the man’s innocence, not his guilt. Remi tended to root for the underdog, and up until this moment, that had clearly been the case.
Apparently, she wasn’t ready to give up, asking Oliver, “After talking to him, what do you think?”
“Only that he would never murder anyone.”
Allegra crossed her arms, her expression stern. “Maybe not on purpose. But you have to admit, the insurance fraud . . . He still has moments when he’s all there.”
“Fewer and farther between. There is nothing you can say that’ll let me believe he’s guilty of any of this.”
“The video,” she said.
Oliver’s face fell, and he sank into a chair. “Uncle Albert isn’t a thief or a murderer. That’s not how he taught me to live. And in those moments of lucidity, would a man intent on selling off the last of the family possessions to save his tenants resort to something like this?”
Remi nodded. “He has a point.”
“The problem is,” Sam said, “the police believe otherwise or they wouldn’t have arrested him. The investigators are looking for something more concrete than your belief that he’s a man of character and worth, which gets you nowhere in court when faced with this sort of evidence.”
“The most obvious?” Oliver said. “He couldn’t possibly climb in that window on his own. And no way could he drive that car at night without his glasses. Probably not even with them. You heard what happened when he took my car.”
