After asking Katrina for more details about the gifted ticket, she managed to produce a printed invitation from a file in her office. The letter, printed on what looked like The Playhouse's letterhead, confirmed that Austen was invited to attend the gala as a way to thank him for his patronage over the years. The ticket was stapled to it.
"Was Austen a patron for very long?" I asked.
"Well, yes. He did donate several times privately over the years, and more recently, to the new roof fund. I don't see why that's important?"
"Let me make a call," I said, pulling out my phone although I was sure I knew the answer even before I dialed.
"The Playhouse," said the same bored, deep voice as before.
"I'm calling on behalf of Austen Takahashi's office," I trilled, hoping he'd already forgotten my voice from earlier. "Perhaps you can help me with a small query."
"Of course. How may I assist you?" he asked, his tone perkier after I threw in Austen's full name.
"We're looking at our budgets for the last couple of years and I noticed Mr. Takahashi received a ticket for the annual gala almost two years ago but we have no record of it. Could you look up the purchase please?"
"I'm afraid I don't have access to that information."
"Please put me through to your supervisor or someone who can help me then," I said, sounding as dismissive as possible.
"I don't know that I can..."
"We're looking at our donations for the year too. I would hate for The Playhouse to lose out," I said, dangling the prospect of money like a carrot in front of his nose. "I'd be happy to mention you by name and let your superiors know how helpful you were when the donation is made."
"Let me put you through to Jan in Hospitality," he said. "Hold, please!"
"You're pretty good at this," said Katrina.
"This is Jan. To whom am I speaking?" asked a very proper sounding English voice.
"I'm calling from Austen Takahashi's office. I'm the new assistant to his assistant, Katrina Halliday."
"Of course. My colleague mentioned you needed help locating a previous ticket purchase."
"That's correct. For the gala."
"I can get you that information. One moment..." She went quiet as I waited, and Katrina raised her eyebrows. "Hmm. I don't see it. Are you sure it was two years ago?"
"Positive. I still have the seat number," I said, reading it from the invitation.
"Here it is," she said, returning to the line. "A pair of tickets were purchased that included that seat. Ah, I can see why it hasn't shown up in your accounts. It didn't come via the corporate account."
"Oh? I must have made a mistake. What account paid for it?"
"A personal one, from a Miss Sophie Gallo. Shall I forward the information? I have an email address for Katrina Halliday on record. Is that correct?"
"Yes, please do. Thank you so much for your help." I hung up before she could ask me about the donation.
"What did they say?" asked Katrina.
"The ticket wasn't a gift from the theater," I told her. "It was a gift from Sophie!"
Katrina's forehead wrinkled. "It's written on The Playhouse letterhead."
"She must have faked it somehow. I don't think it would be too hard to do. The letterhead might be real even if the message isn't from them."
"Why would she do that? Sophie didn't even know Austen then."
"That’s a very good question."
"Maybe there was another reason?"
"If there was, I'll find out," I told her. "I think I need to speak to Austen again. Until then, can you keep this strictly between us?"
Katrina contemplated that and just when I thought she would refuse, she nodded. "I'm not comfortable about keeping secrets from Austen but I'll wait until you have more information."
Katrina walked me out of the building to the chauffeur, who was waiting with the car. Even though it seemed extravagant, I appreciated it and asked him to return me to the office. The whole drive there, I wondered why Sophie would have orchestrated the meeting with Austen under the guise of pretending the theater had sent him a gift. I knew when I spoke to him that he wouldn't be happy about the subterfuge. I had to have more answers for him than that. I had to know why.
As the car rolled towards the agency, I checked my social media accounts, sucking in a breath when I saw a notification in my private messages. Annie Woodley replied, saying she was happy to talk, and wondered what I wanted to know? She included her cellphone number and told me to call her as soon as I was available. I could hardly wait until I got out of the car and hotfooted it past Jim the Doorman, jogging up the stairs.
Solomon had already left so the office was quiet. I dropped into my chair and pulled out my file, a notepad and pen before dialing the number.
"Hello?" A soft-spoken woman answered.
"Hi, Annie? This is Lexi Graves. I got your message. Thank you for taking the time to get back to me."
"No problem at all. I have to admit I was surprised. I think about Sophie a lot but no one's ever bothered to ask me about her. A few of us get together every year to celebrate her life."
"That's a lovely thing to do."
"We all miss her terribly, even though she kind of dropped out of touch when she married Zach."
"She did?"
"Yeah," sighed Annie. "Anyway, what can I help you with? I'm not sure why a private investigator would be looking into Sophie. She died... It still seems like yesterday, you know, and then I realize a couple of years have gone by and the shock starts all over again. How did you know to contact me?"
"I found your name in a newspaper report after the accident," I told her. "Sophie and Zach's name came up in relation to an investigation and I wondered what you could tell me about them?"
"Sophie? Plenty. We were close friends for years, all the way through college. We shared a lot of classes together and were roommates until our final year when we got tired of bunking with so many other girls and took an apartment together. She was the sweetest person. A little on the quiet side but passionate about so many things. She was a terrific listener and she volunteered at an old people's home once a week. I'm sorry, is that information any use to you?"
"It's great, thanks," I assured her. "What about Zach? When did she meet him?"
"I'm not sure when exactly — I think we were twenty-eight — but she told me they met at a bar one night and he asked her for a date. They had coffee somewhere and he sent her flowers the next day. I thought he was so chivalrous. He was always doing sweet stuff like that. Making dates, giving her presents."
"Sounds romantic."
"We all thought so but..." She trailed off.
"But?"
"She stayed at his house one weekend and when she came back, she had marks on her arm. Like he grabbed her really hard. She said it was nothing and I guess I figured she was right so I didn't think anything of it until... Well, she had a bruise on her cheek one day."
"Do you think Zach did it?"
"I'm sure he did now, but back then... I didn't know. He was always so romantic with her. So charming and he had all these big ideas. He was an Army vet, you know. Looked like one of those guys on the cover of a romance novel. And he was always coming up with new business ideas that he wanted our friends to invest in. They never took off and I guess that pissed him off. I don't think it helped that Sophie was so successful. After a while, I think he resented her for that."
"Do you think their relationship was unhappy?"
"It went up and down. Sometimes he was great, sometimes not. When our landlord sold our apartment that year, Sophie moved in with him and started coming around less often. Canceling plans at the last minute. Too busy to hangout. We thought Zach was totally interfering but what could we say? He was never overtly an asshole but you knew not to cross him. He had this icy cold look in his eyes whenever he got mad. At least, he wasn't as wild as his sister."
"You knew her too? She was also called Sophie?"
"Yeah. But she was crazy! She drank too much, smoked too much, and partied too much. Apparently, they had a-hole parents so I guess their upbringing wasn't too strict. Sophie told me Zach escaped when he left for the Army but his sister had to put up with their parents until she could afford to leave. She was always getting in trouble for something or other. Barely graduated high school. Hardly ever managed to hold down a job. Always asking people for money. A real grifter. Sophie told me one day she thought the other Sophie was stealing money from her purse."
"They didn't get along?"
"Not one bit! And to be honest, we didn't like Sophie constantly coming around either. I was really surprised when Sophie and Zach got married but Sophie said things turned really good between them. Zach started freelancing for some Army buddy of his and was making good money when he proposed."
"Did you go to the wedding?"
"Yeah. It was just a courthouse wedding since neither of them had any family and afterward, we all had a dinner at a restaurant. I have photos of it if you want them? I don't know what use they might be?"
"That would be great," I decided. It certainly couldn't hurt to see the two Sophies and Zach altogether. "I actually wanted some more information about Zach's sister. Was she at the wedding too?"
"Yep. She complained that she wasn't a bridesmaid. Or the matron of honor. I’m sure she turned up in a cream dress just to be a jerk. She also said Sophie looked stupid in her dress and proceeded to drink a whole bottle of wine before the appetizers even arrived. She was a hot mess. Zach sent her home in a cab."
"Was she an alcoholic?"
"Yeah. She did drugs too. Sophie said she saw track marks on her arms. She was kinda scary. I think that's why she started stealing. She worked in a bar off the highway somewhere but I guess didn't earn much money. It was one of those bars that people mostly avoid, kind of on the rough side, and you wouldn't go inside it even if your car ran out of gas and you needed to use the phone or the bathroom. His sister even stole Sophie's car once when she needed to go to work!"
"Wow." So much information to absorb. The Sophie in the hospital bed looked so innocent and people spoke so nicely about her. It was hard to imagine her as a drug addict.
"Yeah. Can't pick your relatives, right? Anyway, I don't really know what happened after that because Sophie started dropping out of touch, more and more often, and when she lost her job, we hardly saw her again at all. Then she died. I'm sorry, that was a tangent. You were asking about Zach's sister. I hardly knew her and what little I did know, I didn't want to know, if you get my drift?"
"I do. Do you remember the name of the bar where she worked?"
"Might have been Ace's. I don't really recall quite honestly. I heard it closed after a fire last year and never reopened. Good riddance if you ask me."
I crossed off Ace's as soon as I jotted it on my notepad. I knew the sort of bar. It was highly unlikely I'd find anyone who worked there or was willing to talk about the employees.
"Actually, if you're looking for Sophie and Zach, I'm pretty sure they both left town. But you know that, right? Since they came up in your investigation?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure exactly when they left."
"Oh, that's easy. It was a week after the funeral. Zach came to the funeral for a whole ten minutes and stormed out. I went by their house a week later with cookies and muffins. I didn't like him but I felt obligated to do something for him and the whole house was closed up. The neighbor told me they packed up and left in the middle of the night. Two of them, she said. A man and a woman so they must have left together."
"When was that?"
"I don't remember the exact date but I know it can't be more than two or three weeks after Sophie died. I know that because there was a big bank robbery a few days before that was all anyone could talk about."
"A bank robbery?"
"Yeah. We had a whole string of them throughout the state but this was a big one. Maybe you could look it up online? It made headlines in all the newspapers. Anyway, pretty exciting stuff, and what with the funeral, those few weeks got etched in my memory. I wish I could tell you more about Sister Sophie as we used to call her sarcastically, since she was so ungodly, but I really don't know much else about her. Only that she was as obnoxious as they get."
I thanked Annie for her help and she promised she would forward the wedding photos to me as soon as she found them.
For a moment, I couldn't do anything. Trying to pull a single thought out of the whirling tumble of new information in my head was difficult. An abusive marriage. A death and widowhood. A fast exit from town under the cloak of darkness for a wild, angry pair. A string of bank robberies.
The bank robberies stuck me for a moment, then I shook my head. Way too big of a coincidence. No way could Sophie and Zach have gotten involved in the robbery of First Eastern! Sophie was already in a coma by the time it was committed. I heaved a huge, relieved sigh and struck a line through that note.
When a pair of arms slipped around me, I jumped. "Did I surprise you?" asked Solomon, his breath warm against my neck as he nuzzled me.
"Yes, but now I like it. Do it again."
He laughed softly. "I'll save it for another time."
"Make sure I'm not armed." I turned my chair, pulling in Solomon for a kiss as he towered over me. Hearing about what a rotten husband Zach was only made me appreciate my own husband that much more. Not because he never hit me, or tried to isolate me from my friends, or tapped my friends up for money for crazy endeavors; it was a standard rule that those things should never enter a relationship. It was because of everything Solomon represented: kindness, honesty, trustworthiness. He worked hard, and loved even harder.
"This is nice," whispered Solomon between kisses, "but we should stop."
"Because we're in the office?" I breathed headily.
"Because Delgado is right behind me."
"Crap!" I let him go and jumped back, knocking my chair into the desk. Solomon restrained a smile as he straightened and glanced over his shoulder. Behind him I could see the door closing. "Guess he went to get something from the car?" He smiled.
"Yeah. You tell yourself that," I said. "You can call him and say it's safe now."
Solomon tapped out a message, then stuck his phone in his pocket and leaned over my shoulder. I turned my chair to tuck my legs back under the desk. "Lots of notes," he remarked, "how's the case going?"
"I'm gathering more information. I'm sure Sophie was up to something but I don't know what yet. I just spoke to an acquaintance of hers from her hometown, a friend of Zach's late wife, and I don't know what to make of it. She said Sophie was wild. She stole, drank excessive amounts of alcohol, was a total bitch... yet that isn't the Sophie I heard about here. Everyone I interviewed in Montgomery likes her. They say she's quiet, kind and knowledgeable. It's like her friend was telling me about a whole different person. Oh!"
"You thought of something."
"Yeah, but it's weird... what if she is a whole different person?"
"Like an assumed identity? We've dealt with a case like that before."
I nodded. We did and it was tragic. "It just doesn't feel right though. Zach was married and he and his sister only moved here after his wife died. It's like his sister assumed the personality of his wife. Completely turned herself around. Stopped the wild lifestyle and became a nice person."
"That takes a lot of effort. A huge presence of mind," contemplated Solomon. He rested his butt on my desk and folded his arms. "It's not unheard of though. Conmen and women do it all the time."
"To that extent?"
"Depends on the goal. But I'd say it's easier for white collar criminals to steal someone’s identity by keeping similar traits, than it is for someone as wild as your notes suggest to become a pillar of society like Sophie Takahashi appears to be."
"But it could be done?"
"Sure, with intense discipline and enormous willpower. Is the goal worth it?"
"If it means having access to Austen's money, yes! And he certainly wouldn't be attracted to a woman as wild as Sophie was reported to be." I shifted in my chair and pondered that. "I only have one person's word for how Sophie used to behave."
"Can you get more witnesses?"
"I don't think so. She only worked in dive bars and lived a wild life. Even if someone remembered her, I doubt they'd discuss her with me." I shook my head. I couldn't shake the hunch I had. "It still feels weird."
"What did Austen say?"
"I haven't told him anything yet. I don't want to until I know more. He's expecting something but I can't tell him anything while it feels so off." I paused and thought about the exquisite sketch. "I went to his office today to speak to his secretary. She showed me this beautiful line drawing Sophie drew for their anniversary. Everyone I've spoken to attests to how much she loves art. She could have gone much further at the museum with the informative talks she gave."
"And?"
"I keep coming back to what if Sophie modeled herself on the dead Sophie? She loves art."
"If the deceased Sophie is the kind of woman that would attract a target like Austen, it could be possible. She would have had a live object to study and emulate, or at least, she did have once."
"Yeah." I managed a small smile. "I'm starting to think Sophie and Zach really did target Austen for his money. Where are you with the bank case?"
"Tracked down a bunch of information about Mackleton. Found out the sister is called Nessa Reyes but still no sign of her. She joined the Army as a teenager and had a clean record for a few years but might have changed surnames because the trail goes cold right after she was discharged. As for her brother, he changed jobs often and none of his previous employers or colleagues remembered anything about him. It's a sad life really. Charlie remains virtually unhelpful."
"I didn't investigate him," I realized with a gulp. I’d dismissed Solomon’s request as a distraction, but what if it wasn’t? "I'm sorry. It slipped my mind to take a closer look at him."
"I shouldn't have asked. You've had a strange day."
"I still shouldn't have forgotten him."
"I'll leave you to your case but it would be great if you could join us in the boardroom later. I need fresh eyes as we go over the investigation so far. I don't trust Charlie. Never did. "
"I'll be there," I agreed.
Behind me, the door banged open and Delgado thumped in. I suspected he purposefully made a lot of noise on entry although it was no longer necessary. "Lexi, didn't see you here," he said. "Did you just arrive?"
"Oh, please," I said with a roll of my eyes for his feeble attempts at surprise. Holding back a laugh, I turned back to my notes, scanning them again. Annie implied Sophie was an alcoholic and addict. Was she clean now? Surely Austen would have mentioned any erratic behavior, and if not, was Sophie simply excellent at hiding her addiction?
There was an easy way for me to find out. I called Alice.
"I'm just finishing my shift," she told me. "Do you want to meet up? I could do with a post-work drink."
"Not tonight but soon," I replied. "I wonder if you could check on something."
"About Sophie?"
"Yes. A couple of things actually. I don't think it'll take too long."
"Whatever you need. I can make another check on her vitals before I change out of my scrubs."
"First, was everything okay when Zach visited her earlier?"
"Yes. I don't think he stayed very long. Ten minutes maybe, max. He came by the nurse's station before he left and my colleague told him about the upturn in Sophie's condition."
"What did he say?"
"He asked if we were definitely sure she would wake soon and my colleague said they didn't like to guarantee anything but we were optimistic. He said it was good news and he wanted to be there when she woke up."
"Okay. One other thing. Can you check Sophie's arms for marks?"
"What kind of marks? Bruises? She had a few from the accident but they're almost healed."
"No, I mean track marks. The kind an addict would have."
"I can tell you that right now. She doesn't have any."
"Are you sure? They could have already healed."
"If it were once or twice, maybe. There's no sign of heavy usage. I'm sure of that."
"What about somewhere less obvious than on her arms? I've heard of addicts injecting drugs in other sites like between their toes."
"Well, sure, if their veins collapse, but I haven't noticed anything like that."
"Can you check her again? Please?"
"Sure," agreed Alice. "Let me call you back. What should I tell Austen?"
"Nothing," I decided. "Nothing at all."