“He seemed tired and preoccupied with work,” Martha recalled.

“Did he mention anything regarding his father?”

“No, not a word.”

“Did he mention Samuel Vance?”

“He told me he had recently discovered things about his construction firm that made him deeply ashamed,” Martha revealed.

The detective glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

“Did he elaborate on what he found?”

“He told me, ‘Some buildings look strong on the outside only because nobody has ripped the walls open yet.’ I assumed he was talking about an actual construction job.”