Kathy Reichs - Virals

“That one.” I pointed to a PDF file. “Article of Amendment, dated January 5, 1970. That’s one day after Candela purchased Cole Island.”

Hi clicked to open the record. “Wow. This adds Hollis Claybourne as an officer and puts him on the Candela board of directors. They made him a vice president.”

“So Hollis sold Cole Island to Candela, and the next day they gave him a management job,” Hi said. “Sweet deal.”

“And no one ever reported the eagles,” said Ben.

“The eagles which are now gone,” I said.

“Replaced by a stupid factory.” Shelton’s lip curled in disgust. “What a bunch of jerks.”

Ben crossed his arms. “The Claybournes are involved in Heaton’s murder somehow.”

“Chance wasn’t even born yet.” For some reason I felt compelled to defend him. “And we can’t prove that the land sale connects to Katherine’s murder.”

“I sure hope Chance doesn’t know anything,” Hi said. “Because he analyzed our fingerprint. He could be playing us.”

Frick. Good point.

I put my hands to my temples. “Let me think this through.”

The boys rolled their eyes, but clammed up. They’d seen my concentration trick before. Eyes closed, I shut out the world. Focused on the variables. Ran the data.

Slowly, my brain gave me output.

I didn’t like it, but the logic was inescapable.

“Ben may be right.”

He raised the roof. I ignored him.

“So ... Hollis kills Katherine to stop her from reporting the eagles,” I mused. “Then he sells Cole Island to Candela for a ton of cash and a cushy new job. Heaton is buried where no one will find her. No one ever learns about the birds.”

I poked at the theory. Prodded. Turned it this way and that in my head.

Then I nodded. “It’s logical. But this all happened a long time ago. Chance wouldn’t know anything.”

“Don’t forget about the checks to Karsten,” Hi added. “Hollis is a bigwig at Candela. He might know about the secret parvo experiment.”

“So you guys think Hollis Claybourne is the one trying to kill us?” Shelton asked. “That those were his men at the bunker?”

“It all adds up,” I said. “Everything we know points to him.”

“But he’s a millionaire. A state senator.” Shelton removed his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. “Why would he need to kill anybody, then or now?”

“No idea,” I said. “But this all started when we found Katherine’s bones. Only her murderer would be after us. And Hollis does have the resources to hire goons for his dirty work.”

I didn’t want to believe it. Chance’s father as our prime suspect? Madness. But the facts only pointed in one direction.

“Why would Hollis kill Dr. K?” Shelton asked. “If he was funding the parvo experiment, he’d want to keep the doctor alive.”

“To cover his tracks?” Ben suggested. “Karsten’s experiment was illegal. Maybe Karsten threatened to expose him.”

“Or maybe Karsten was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Hi said. “Collateral damage.”

“Enough.” I was tired of being jerked around. “We finally have a suspect. Now we need proof, not more speculation.”

“I doubt Hollis is going to confess,” Ben said. “He’s skated four decades so far.”

“Then we’ll find the evidence ourselves,” I said. “Today.”

CHAPTER 61

The boys agreed to wait at the Charleston marina. They didn’t like it, but there was no other way. My cover only worked if I went in alone.

“This is way too risky,” Shelton said. “What if you run into Chance? Or worse, Hollis?”

“I’ll say I dropped by to chat. Chance thinks I like him, so he won’t be suspicious.”

Hi grinned ear to ear, but made no comment.

“Anyway,” I added quickly. “Chance will be in Greenville all weekend for the lacrosse finals. And with the legislature in session, Hollis should be in Columbia. Today’s our best shot.”

“We don’t know if Bolton won last night,” Hi said. “If the team lost, Chance might already be back.”

“They’re still there.” I pulled up iFollow on my phone. “The GPS puts Jason’s lacrosse group in Greenville. All of them. The team must still be alive in the tournament.”

“Go Griffins!” Hi quipped.

“Chance isn’t part of your iFollow group,” Ben pointed out. “We don’t know where he is, and can’t track him.”

True. With his Stone Age cell phone, Chance couldn’t run the app if he’d wanted to. Which I’m sure he didn’t.

“But Hannah is still in Greenville, too.” I tapped my screen. “She wouldn’t be there without Chance.”

Ben frowned, but nodded.

“ Someone is going to be inside that house,” Hi said. “Claybourne Manor has forty freaking rooms! The place will be knee-deep in ninja butlers.”

I’d thought of that. “Hollis is rumored to be cheap. Jason once said there’s very little staff present on the weekends. The place should be almost empty.”

“Almost doesn’t mean completely,” Ben said.

“I know, but I have to chance it. We’re out of options.”

I shouldered my backpack. Inside were Katherine’s notebook and Karsten’s deposit slip. If I got arrested, I wanted the evidence with me. I had no illusions about winning a credibility battle with Hollis Claybourne. I’d need all the proof I could muster.

“Be careful,” Shelton warned. “If someone stops you, pretend you thought it was a museum.”

“If Chance catches you, act love-struck.” Hi winked. “That’ll work.”

“Love-struck?” Ben’s brow furrowed. “What’s he talking about?”

“Nothing. Wish me luck.” Stupid Hi.

I took Broad Street and turned right on Meeting, toward the Battery. South of Broad. Enormous mansions lined both sides of the street. The air stank of old money and blue blood. Privilege. I felt like a trespasser.

I reviewed my game plan as I walked. Sneak inside, poke around, get the hell out. Easy, right? This time, if I found something incriminating I’d go straight to the police. No more games. The stakes were too high.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Katherine’s journal entries. Imagine, finding bald eagles right there on the South Carolina coast. Remarkable.

But Katherine never had a chance to share her discovery. Someone silenced her. Permanently. Soon afterward, Cole Island was sold and the trees were destroyed. Bye-bye eagles.

Someone must’ve known about those birds. But there were no news reports. No articles. No photo spreads. Katherine’s journal was the only record of their existence.

If Hollis Claybourne knew about the eagles before he sold the island, he was a prime suspect in Katherine’s death. I needed something to prove he had that knowledge.

The thought of what I was about to do made me cold all over. Whoever murdered Heaton probably killed Karsten, and was trying to kill me. It could be Hollis.

And I was about to break into his home.

Something else worried me. The million-dollar question. Did Chance know about any of this?

I drew level with chez Claybourne.

Showtime.

Claybourne Manor is a registered historic landmark, even has its own website. Before departing Morris, I’d combed through online slideshows, trying to get a feel for the layout.

Built just after the Civil War, the house is styled after a nineteenth century Italian manor. Every inch is handcrafted. Crystal chandeliers. Carved wooden mantles. Elaborate moldings. A home fit for royalty. And a Claybourne has always sat on its throne.

I reviewed the stats I’d found on line. Three stories high, the house contains forty rooms, two dozen fireplaces, sixty baths, and a fifty-foot-long entrance hall.