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Matt raised an eyebrow. “I hear abut.”
“Donna is old-school, like me. IP draws a lot of younger activists who don’t have our common sensibilities. They protest and chant and get in people’s faces. They’re not going to send a threatening letter, but they might get in Ted Colfax’s face—he and his brother and sister own the company, since their dad died a few years back. Anyway, I talked to Donna Saturday, right after the explosion Friday night. I might have been a bit rough with her—she clammed up, thought I was accusing her. I wasn’t, but her people are not her, if you get my drift.”
“I do.”
“Even though I pissed her off, I should be there if you decide to talk to her. She’s not going to be forthcoming with the FBI.” He put his hands up in a shrug. “No offense.”
“Any assistance is welcomed,” Matt said. “I want to talk to her today. Is there anyone involved with IP who might be capable of this? What about the two who were arrested last year for vandalism?” He tapped another file and opened it, glancing through it as John spoke.
“Craig Martin and Valerie Sokola. Craig has lived here with his mother and brother for years; Valerie is his girlfriend. They are both on probation, and to be honest, this is out of their realm, in my opinion.”
“I’ll still want to talk to them.”
“I’ll track them down.”
“First, West End Charter, then Donna Bell, then the vandals.”
“Donna is like Mother Goose,” said John. “She draws all these young idealists into her life, but she’s a true believer. A lot of these kids have different backgrounds—spoiled entitled brats, if you ask my opinion.”
Matt walked over to the whiteboard. Catherine was already in the middle of reorganizing the information.
He tapped two names. “McKinnon and Jeffries. Both were supposed to be on the boat but weren’t.”
“Correct. My deputy, Marcy Anderson, said she and one of your agents would be following up with them. I know McKinnon. He’s lived here for the last six years, was in the Coast Guard before that. Has a fiancée and a baby. Madelyn Jeffries is the wife of one of the victims.”
Catherine cleared her throat. “Pierce Jeffries? Money could be a motivating factor. The Jeffries estate is extensive.”
Matt turned to Ryder Kim, who was quietly working in the corner. He’d already hooked them up to the FBI system, and set up individual workstations for each team member. He had filled the refrigerator with fruit, and several boxes of organic granola bars—and the less-healthy energy bars that Kara seemed to live on—were stacked next to water bottles. Ryder was worth his weight in gold and Matt didn’t know what he’d do without his organization skills. But sometimes he was so quiet and studious that Matt forgot he was in the room.
“Ryder, contact Zack in DC and have him go over finances, insurance policies, business dealings starting with Jeffries then going to...” he looked at the other victims on the board “...Marshall, Nava Software, and the others, in that order. Kara will follow up with the next of kin.”
Zack Heller was the newest member of Matt’s team, but he was still working on the complex white-collar crime aspect of their last case and Matt needed him in DC to finish the paperwork. He could assist them easily enough from the East Coast.
Catherine asked, “Is Mrs. Jeffries still on the island?”
John nodded. “I asked her to stay for a few days. I would say she’s in shock.”
“What are you thinking, Catherine?” Matt asked her.
“She is the much younger wife of a very wealthy man, married five years. I find it suspicious that she left the boat immediately before it set off.”
“You look into her background; Kara will talk to her, then exchange notes. There would certainly be far easier ways to kill your spouse and avoid suspicion.”
Still, prisons were full because of stupid criminals, and greed was one of the most common motives.
Ryder walked over and handed Matt a printout. “This was in the news this morning. A blog.”
Matt skimmed the document. A blogger reported that the four owners of Nava Software had recently turned down an offer from a major competitor to buy their company. “Why is this important?”
“According to the rumors, the competitor thought he had a sale and then they pulled out last minute, creating a ripple effect for the competition. Stocks were affected. It might be something Zack understands—the financial fallout and if it’s big enough to suggest a motive.”
“Send it to him as well, and Catherine will look into each victim as she puts together the profile.”
“Profile?” John asked.
“Catherine is a forensic psychiatrist, one of the best from the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. She’s going to put together profiles of the victims as well as the bomber, so we can narrow our focus. Right now we don’t know the target, have no known motive, and multiple victims who could have been involved or at risk.”
Catherine said, “Though theWater Lilybombing was clearly a domestic attack, the question remains as to whether it was a solo bombing—which might suggest thatoneof the victims was the target—or was it the first, and there’s more to come?”
