Page 50 of Wild Fever
I shared another glance with JD. It sounded like we were getting close to something.
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“My brother, Alex, hated Evelyn,” Vanessa said. “We were young when my mother passed. Alex felt like Dad betrayed her when he remarried. Alex just couldn't wrap his head around it. God bless Evelyn. She had her hands full with him. He wasn't always the easiest kid to deal with. Alex really spiraled, getting in more and more trouble. He refused to listen to Evelyn or my father. He kept acting out. Experimenting with drugs. He got busted for hacking into a government system at 13 and was banned from computer use without supervision until he was 18. The kid was a little genius. Still is, but for whatever reason, he refuses to apply himself.”
"And you think Alex could have done this?”
Vanessa cringed. "He grew to hate them both, and this sure takes care of his money problem.”
"What money problem is that?”
"I don't know if you're aware, but my father was extremely wealthy. Alex and I both grew up in an abundant household. We didn't want for a thing. Yet, it was never enough for Alex. Andwhat my father did give him, Alex burned through, blowing it on drugs, cars, women, you name it. I don't think he said more than two words to my father in the last several years. Dad cut him off financially, but he didn't cut him out of the will.”
"So, he stands to inherit a substantial sum," I surmised.
Vanessa nodded.
"So do you."
"Father left me in charge of his share of the company. I've been running it, alongside Elias, for the last several months.”
"Who's Elias?
"Elias Thorne. My father's business partner. As you can imagine, my father's decision to go into cryo-suspension put a substantial strain on their relationship, not like it was great before.”
"Can you elaborate?"
"They had markedly different ideas about the direction they should take the fund. My father took a more conservative approach in later years, while Elias leaned toward a high-risk investment strategy. He was seeking outsized gains. That's all fine and dandy when things are going your way. When they're not, you can lose a considerable amount of money. Client money. My father felt he had an obligation to his clients to treat their money as if it were his own. It has been a successful strategy to this point, and I see no reason to deviate." She sighed. "But this changes everything.”
"How so?”
"My father's share of the company was put into a revocable trust. I was named the trustee. That gave me control of his shareswhile he was in stasis or incapacitated. But his death triggers a clause in the original partnership agreement where Elias can buy my father's share out for a predetermined sum, which is much less than the current market value."
I shared another look with Jack.
"That could certainly be a motive for murder," I said.
Vanessa's face tightened as she considered it. "Elias has the resources to hire somebody to hack into the system. There's no doubt about it.”
"We’ll look into him,” I said. “Can you think of anyone else who may have wanted to harm your father?"
She pursed her lips as she thought. "Those are the two people that come to mind. I hate to throw my brother under the bus, but I wouldn't put it past him. He can be emotional, and he has anger management issues. Plus, when he’s whacked out on that stuff, he loses all sense of reason. My father tried his best to keep Alex out of trouble through the years. He could never sit back and just let Alex destroy himself. But you can't save people from themselves. Now, my father is not going to be around to bail his ass out when he gets in trouble.” She washed her hands of it. “It sure ain't going to be me."
She was done. It was in her eyes. Alex would be on his own.
"I take it you’ve got a background in finance?"
Vanessa nodded. "That’s my degree. My father always wanted me to take over his share of the business. Alex never expressed an interest, nor could he live up to the responsibilities.” She paused. "So if you're looking for a solid motive, I'm the lastperson in the world who wanted to see my father pass on. Elias is going to snatch the company out from underneath me.”
“How long had your father been in stasis?” I asked.
“Since yesterday. He played his last round of golf, we had a nice early dinner together, then I went with him to Horizon Cay.” Her eyes filled again. “We said our goodbyes, then they took him to the prep area. I stayed until the process was complete. They assured me he was doing fine. I’d been through the process before with Evelyn, so I was reasonably comfortable with it. As comfortable as one can be with an experimental procedure.” The tears spilled over again. “He didn’t make it a day in stasis.”
“Have they ever successfully brought anyone out of stasis?”
That hung there for a moment.
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