Page 23 of Ground Truth

Margo shook her head. “Sorry. I didn’t talk to him, and I don’t remember. If we didn’t include his name in the original report, I’d start with the PIO. Public Information Officer.”

“You said the Reeds’ house was sold. I presume that means there was a probate proceeding,” Gaspar said. “Did Greta leave a will?”

“I’m not sure. Probably.” She shrugged. “I mean, both her mother and her first husband died and she inherited. So she’d know how important it is to have a will. Is that what this is about? Someone wants Greta’s money?”

“Did Greta have any other friends around here we can talk to?” Drake asked.

A few moments passed. Margo stood up. “You could try the homeowners association at Turtle Creek. She lived there awhile, and I think she might have been on the board. One of the other board members might know more. Anyway, I need to get back to work.”

“Can we follow up with you if we need to?” Gaspar asked, handing her a business card.

She gave him a quizzical look, but she took the card and shoved it into the back pocket of her jeans. “Sure. I guess. But I don’t know any more than what I’ve already told you.”

“One more thing. If Hanna was your friend, what would you want us to tell her about Greta?” Drake asked.

Margo seemed to think about the question for a bit before she said, “I’d tell her to move on with her life. Greta’s never coming back.”

Gaspar replied, “But what if she’s not dead? Anybody in Greta’s life who might be unhappy about that?”

“Not dead? They don’t declare people lost at sea if there’s any chance they might still be alive.” Margo stared at him and cocked her head. “You sound like a bad movie. Are you asking if she had any enemies who might want her dead? That’s more than a little crazy.”

“So the answer would be no, then?” Gaspar pushed. “No one who might benefit from Greta’s death? Nobody waiting in the wings to collect her estate?”

Margo gave him a hard glare. “Other than some woman I’ve never heard of claiming to be Greta’s long-lost sister, you mean?”

-

Chapter 14

Gaspar and Drake watched Margo as she strode toward the entrance, went inside, and disappeared. Then they headed back along the sidewalk to the parking lot and the SUV.

“That’s a valid point,” Gaspar said when Drake didn’t bring it up.

“About Hanna, you mean?”

“Yeah.” Gaspar climbed into the front seat.

“Except I know more of the story than Margo does,” Drake replied. “Hanna’s not that kind of girl. She wouldn’t pounce on Greta’s estate for money.”

“Why not? If she’s the only heir, she’d be entitled to it. If someone doesn’t claim the estate, the money goes to the State of Florida,” Gaspar explained. “What would be the point of that?”

Drake shrugged. “I guess.”

“Beyond that, if there’s an estate, Hanna could pay Scarlett to investigate Greta’s death. Maybe she’d want to do that. Put some resources into the search. Find out for sure what happened to her sister,” Gaspar suggested.

Drake nodded, thinking about the idea. “Maybe.”

Gaspar glanced at the clock. “Let’s detour to Turtle Creek Reserve. The gated community where Greta lived. We’ve got time to take a look at the place before we head back.”

“You think if it’s a nice place, there’s likely to be some money somewhere.” Drake nodded. “Makes sense.”

“Transplant surgeons make a nice living. Even if the house was foreclosed for nonpayment of the mortgage, Florida real estate prices have been booming for several years. The bank could have sold the house for a profit above the mortgage debt. In which case, there could be some money left,” Gaspar explained. “There was probably a probate proceeding, too. The court file would contain a list of assets. It’s worth looking into, at the very least.”

“Okay,” Drake replied. “Find Turtle Creek Reserve in the nav system and let’s see where it is. No harm in checking it out. Since we’re here. Maybe we can learn something to help Hanna.”

Gaspar found the address and hit the go button. “Fifteen miles from here. Keep north on the state road and then we’ll wind around a bit. Looks like it’s a golf course community with a special conservation classification of some sort. Probably means they get special tax advantages.”

“What do you know about that Florida commission Margo mentioned? The one that investigated the boating accident. They should know more about what happened,” Drake said.

---