揑s it possible they missed anything??I ask.
揚ossible, but not probable,?he says quickly.
Damn. I stare at him blankly.
揋iven her location and the state of the body in the autopsy report, I think we have a pretty clear suicide, even without a smoking gun. I抦 sorry. Weather and maritime reported a windy night. Those waters would抳e been choppy梪npredictable梐nd if she had a couple drinks like the autopsy said, it wouldn抰 have taken much at all for her to wind up in a bad situation. The ocean simply claimed her, and she allowed it.?
Bile rises up my throat.
I抦 surprised I still feel this sick when I had a feeling this was coming.
揅ase closed? That抯 it? No alternate theories??I know I抦 reaching, but dammit, I have to if this is the last time.
He leans back in his chair, taking a long sip from his coffee cup.
揧ou sent me there personally. I did everything short of exhuming the body for another look. But we weren抰 looking for poison, of course.?He shrugs. 揟here抯 no good reason to suspect murder. Based on the evidence, it抯 unlikely Aster Lancaster accidentally stumbled into the ocean without meaning to be there. She was still wearing her evening attire and her heels were found a little ways away on the beach after she was found, neatly placed together. No fancy theories needed to explain that.?
The word fancy stirs a memory.
That damnable golden turtle hanging from its delicate chain.
揧eah. Right. There抯 one thing I didn抰 tell you about…？
He pulls out his notepad. 揥hat抯 that??
揥hile we were in Kona at the house, my daughter found an intricate turtle necklace in my wife抯 old room. An old friend and employee told Destiny I bought it for Aster.?I look down, straining for any hint of recognition. 揌ell, he told me the same thing. The trouble is, I don抰 remember buying that necklace at all棓
揑t was a long time ago. You抎 just lost your wife and you had a lot on your mind. It抯 common to forget small details when you抮e overstressed,?he says calmly.
I press my lips together. 揌ear me out. It gets stranger.?
揙kay??The detective抯 eyes are shining with interest now.
揗y daughter was attacked recently, here in Seattle. Robbed. Two men off the street shoved her to the ground and made off with that necklace.?
揂h, I抦 truly sorry to hear that. Did she file a police report??
揧es.?
揇id you ask them what they thought??he says carefully.
揜andom robbery. Go figure. They don抰 think it has anything to do with her being a billionaire抯 daughter or else they might抳e done worse.?
He nods. 揑f the cops were at the crime scene and know the area抯 crime record, I抦 inclined to believe them棓
揝omething bothers me, though,?I cut in.
He waits.
揥ho the hell randomly robs a teenager and leaves her iPhone and purse but takes a necklace? She dropped the phone. That was easy loot. They had to get closer to grab the necklace, and a secondhand dealer would抳e paid a pretty penny for that phone. It was almost brand new.?
揚hones are traceable unless they抮e totally wiped. Necklaces aren抰。 Maybe at first blush they thought it was the highest ticket item,?he says.
揑 don抰 know, man. It just feels like the damn turtle was the reason for the theft.?
He takes a slow drink of his coffee, studying me like I抦 a paranoid nut. He may be right.
揗r. Lancaster, these old cases are always difficult. When you抮e looking back on them years later, it抯 easy to find patterns and synchronicities where none actually exist. Sometimes, the simplest answers are the ones you抮e looking for梚f you can accept them.?
揝hit. Maybe you抮e right.?I fall back in my seat. 揑 thought a second opinion would feel better than this…？
揑 know. I抦 sorry.?
揟his just doesn抰 feel like closure, you know??I rake a hand through my hair.
揅an I give you some advice? One former sailor to another??My shirt is unbuttoned near the collar and his eyes scan the small tattoo there.
揝ure.?Why not? I抳e been on a roll with shitting up my life lately. There isn抰 much anyone could advise that could make it worse.
揕et it go,?he says coldly.
揥hat??
揑t was a decade ago. It won抰 be easy, but you抮e better off just letting it go.?He pauses, clasping his hands. 揕ook, if I just told you that your wife was murdered, would you feel any better??
揘o, but棓
揧ou抎 need to track down the killer, right? You抎 feel compelled to make sure you got justice. I know your type. You抮e the kind of guy who thrives on clear-cut answers.?
I nod.
揧ou抎 have a new mission, only, it wouldn抰 end well for you. Not for your daughter, either. So here抯 a better one梬alk away. Move on with your life and help your daughter move on with hers. You抣l never have a blow-by-blow account of what happened to your wife that day, but if you accept the basic conclusion…do more details matter??