“I’m sure Tyler is thrilled.”
“We’ve learned some more about the man who was found dead at Cummins’s house,” said Decker.
“Oh, yes, what?”
“He had been involved in some blackmail schemes. And he had been accused of stealing jewelry from a woman he was guarding.”
“Oh my God, really?”
“Yes. Just to be clear, did you find anything missing?”
“What? No. I mean, I haven’t inventoried my jewelry lately. We keep it in a large safe. He couldn’t have gotten in there.”
“And no blackmail demands?”
She sat back, looking offended. “He would have nothing to blackmail us about, Agent Decker.”
“I’m not suggesting otherwise. But it doesn’t have to be anything illegal. Just, well, something you wouldn’t want anyone to know about. Hell, I wouldn’t want anyone to be able to see my online search history.”
She now looked uncertain. “Yes, I see what you mean. Well, we certainly didn’t get any blackmail demands from this person. If we had, weneverwould have recommended the firm to Julia.”
“Of course.” Decker looked over her shoulder at the wall of photos he had seen on his first visit to their home. “I take it you like to sail?”
Perlman glanced at the picture of herself and her husband on the sailboat. “We used to, quite regularly. Trevor kept a sailboat and cabin cruiser, but it got to be so much upkeep we ended up selling them. Now if want to go out we just charter something.”
“Did you keep it here?”
“No, in Key West. We used to take it over to Cuba.”
“I thought there were restrictions,” said White.
“This was when relations had thawed. It’s harder now, and you need a permit once you’re past the twelve-mile limit. It’s a beautiful country. Have you ever been?”
White shook her head.
While Perlman had been talking Decker ran his gaze over the other photos on the wall, until he came to the very end. He glanced at Perlman, who was looking at him curiously.
“We know you were a lawyer, but what did your husband do for a living?” he asked.
“He was already retired when I married him. He was a consultant. His work took him all over the world. He speaks several languages.”
“A consultant in what?”
“Raising capital for companies engaged in emerging markets. He was very successful.”
“Was he married before?”
She smiled. “No, he said he was waiting for the right woman to come along. I had already made my mistake with my first marriage. Trevor was a godsend.”
“He’s a good-looking guy,” said Decker, pointing to one of the photos on the wall. White turned to look at the image of a young Perlman in a suit and tie. Decker had actually seen it earlier, but back then it meant nothing to him. Now it meant pretty much everything.
Perlman said, “He was barely thirty then. It’s the only picture I have of him from that time. He doesn’t like to look back, only forward.”
“I don’t blame him. When do you expect him back?”
“Sometime this evening. Do you need to speak with him?”
“Probably. If you could let him know, I’d appreciate it. Just routine stuff. Well, thanks for your time.”