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“Would that be Roger Adams?”
“Yes, he’s my older brother.”
Lucas already suspected Roger could be behind Eric’s death, so he had to pick his questions carefully. “Has your brother ever looked through the files you have?”
She shook her head. “He’s wanted to, but we’re not friendly and haven’t been for a good twenty years.”
“Does your estrangement have anything to do with the files?”
“It’s more to do with Roger being such a jerk. When Mom died, he thought he was in charge and could determine who got what. Mom assigned him as executor and he took whatever he wanted, even the things that used to belong to Grandma. I wanted some mementos, but he objected to almost everything. It was so traumatic that we haven’t spoken since.”
Lucas finished the lemonade and rose with the glass in his hand. “Thank you for your time.”
She hopped off the sofa and took the glass from him. “Glad to be of help. You’ve made me wonder if Roger broke in to get those files. I don’t know how to find out.”
“I’m sure the detective in charge of the break-in took fingerprints. Maybe their investigation will bring back some answers.”
She followed them down the steps. “I doubt I’ll be that lucky. I should give Roger a call.”
Lucas stopped and turned back to face her. “It would be best if you didn’t. There are some very bad men looking for anything to do with that adoption. I’d hate for you to draw their attention.”
She frowned. “You hadn’t mentioned that. Do you think they could have broken in here?”
“It’s very likely. Could I get Roger’s address and phone number? Your daughter’s too. She might have noticed something in the old orphanage files.”
“Of course.” She went inside and came back with a business card she handed to him. “Here is Roger’s. He lives on the island, and my daughter lives with me. She’ll be home in about an hour.” Clouds drifted across the sun, and she hugged herself and shivered. “And here I thought it was a simple burglary. Should I hire security or move to a hotel for a while?”
He glanced at the card. Roger was an auctioneer. “I think the burglar found what he was looking for, but it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.”
She looked relieved. “Thank you for coming.”
Lucas waited until they were in the front yard to say what he was thinking. “Vince, I don’t like this. She’s lucky she wasn’t here.”
Seventeen
Roger’s auction business was located in a pole barn that sat near the street in a quiet part of Tybee Island. Behind the building, Lucas pointed out a small ranch house. Cars were in the lot, so he assumed Roger was working, and he parked his truck close to the door.
As he and Vince approached the entry, a man rushed through the front door and brushed past them.
The older man’s face was red and his lips were pursed in anger. He glanced at them as he went toward his car, an older model blue Taurus. “I advise you not to do business with that shyster.”
Lucas exchanged a glance with Vince, whose brows were raised. Not a good first impression. They headed for the entrance and stepped into a large, open space that smelled of a mixture of oil, dust, and old wood. The room held everything from old car parts to furniture and kitchen items. Lucas wasn’t sure where to look first, then he spotted a man with thick white hair and a white beard.
The detectives walked to intercept him. “Roger Adams?” Vince asked.
“Who wants to know?”
The men flipped out their IDs. “Police detectives.”
Roger barely glanced at them as he continued to write on a paper attached to a clipboard. “What’s this all about?”
“Eric Harris.” Lucas wanted to catch Roger off guard, and Eric’s murder was mostly old news for people.
“Yeah, he called me once, but I never met the guy.”
“Can you tell us the details of your conversation with Mr.Harris?”
Roger moved to the next pile of items: boxes of car parts. “He asked about my grandmother’s work with an orphanage a long time ago. I didn’t know much about it, though.”
