She nodded, not asking for details yet—she clearly already knew. “Yes, when it comes to motive, they all have a strong one.” She paused, her eyes drifting beyond him, staring at the blank cream wall of the hotel suite. “And you need to know that we’re looking into you closely. The insurance money makes you a pretty obvious suspect.”
“If he wanted to sell it, he would’ve sold it already,” Nicole said.
“I’ve certainly had offers,” Ray said. “For more than ten million bucks. Someone offered me fourteen a couple weeks ago.”
“That’s good to know,” Alicia said. “I’ll want a list. In the meantime I’ll start with you,” she said to Ray.
It was now after 9:00 p.m. Despite the lateness of the hour, Alicia asked Nicole to go into the bedroom, close the door. Then she spent the next two hours grilling Ray about every movement he’d made the day of the theft. The FBI guys and the police detectives had been polite and thorough, but this woman took it to a whole new level, drilling into every step of the evening and night.
“When you went to the bathroom, you took the violin with you?”
“Yes.”
“Number one or number two?”
“The night before it was stolen, only number one.”
“Where was the violin?”
“Slung over my right shoulder, in its case.”
“You never took it off?”
“Never, especially not in the bathroom. Humidity. It stays on my shoulder.”
“How about if you have to go number two?”
“I always find a stall that has a hook on the inside of the door so I can hang it. Always within arm’s reach.”
“Always?”
“Always,” he said firmly. “Okay, let’s get this out of the way. I’m just some Black dude who got lucky. I know what you’re thinking, but I’d never do anything to put my violin at risk.”
“I can see that.” She nodded. “But the case wasn’t locked when you were having dinner, right? Or drinks? Or in the cab?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t lock it when I have it on me. And I always have it on me.”
“So you never lock it, you’re saying.”
“I’ve locked it,” Ray said defensively.
“Mm-hmm.” Alicia looked down at her notes. “But it wasn’t locked when you were in the shower, right? When the housekeeper was in the room?”
He just looked at her. She was right.
“I don’t think you get it,” Ray said. “I don’t take any risks with it. Ever. I never leave it alone. I don’t walk around with the case unlocked and leave it lying on a park bench. That violin is my life. It changed everything for me.”
“From what I’ve heard, you’re a very talented musician in your own right.”
He shrugged, still feeling a little defensive. “It took my playing to a whole different level. It was an enormous shortcut to having people pay serious attention to me.”
“Nothing good is ever easy,” she said.
“I guess not. But I don’t come from a family that really nurtures music.”
“Not even now, with all the attention you’ve gotten? You certainly are a media darling these days.”
“No, not even now. I haven’t talked to my mom in months.”
“Really,” Alicia said. “Why is that?”
“She did everything she could to stop me from playing. She just wanted another paycheck coming in.”
“Was she hurting for money?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t think so, but she was a single mom, and I have a younger brother and sister, and they always need something. It’s worse because they’re twins, and she has to buy for both of them. She’s always wanting more money.” He thought about it. “But, honestly, I have no idea. You think my mom would steal my violin?”
“Do you?”
“I don’t know. My family has the best motive, but I really don’t think they’d be able to get away with it, not with all the conditions we put around the deal. My lawyer made sure of that. They’re definitely greedy but they wouldn’t have the slightest idea of how to pull something like this off. Getting fifty dollars’ worth of groceries for fifteen? Yeah, sure. But this? Not even.”
“There’s a lot of money at stake,” Alicia said. “You’d be surprised what a motivating force money can be.”