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“James’s wife discovered the affair. Threatened to cut off his access to her family’s money if he didn’t end it immediately.” Mrs. Holloway’s laugh held no humor. “James came from nothing, you see. Married into wealth and built his entire lifestyle around his wife’s fortune. When forced to choose between love and money…”
“He chose money.”
“He chose his reputation. His position in the community. His comfortable life.” Mrs. Holloway touched one of the photographs gently. “When James committed suicide, Robert was devastated. He died of a heart attack two months later. I think it was a broken heart.” Mrs. Holloway stood and moved to the window overlooking her garden. “But before he died, Robert told me things about James that troubled him. Said the man he’d loved had a dark side that he’d tried to ignore.”
Matt felt his pulse quicken. “What kind of dark side?”
“He never gave me specifics. Just said that James had done things… hurt people… in ways that Robert couldn’t reconcile with the man he thought he knew.”
“Did he ever mention the young women at the home?”
Mrs. Holloway was quiet for a long moment. “He mentioned that James sometimes behaved strangely and was upset after dealing with ‘difficult residents.’ Said some of the girls were causing problems, threatening to expose things that could damage the home’s reputation.”
Collins exchanged a look with Matt. “Mrs. Holloway, do you believe your brother-in-law was involved in harming any of those young women?”
“No.” Mrs. Holloway’s response was immediate and firm. “Robert was a gentle soul. Whatever James was doing, I don’t believe Robert participated willingly. But I think he knew more than he ever told me.”
Matt surveyed the room again, noting the careful preservation of every detail. “Mrs. Holloway, we need to search Robert’s papers, documents, anything that might help us understand what happened at the home.”
“Of course.” Mrs. Holloway moved toward a large desk near the window. “His papers are all here. I never had the heart to go through them properly.”
She opened the desk’s top drawer, revealing stacks of correspondence, financial documents, and personal mementos. Matt pulled on latex gloves and began carefully examining the contents.
It was a treasure trove of information. Among the papers, he found bank statements showing large deposits that didn’t correspond to Robert’s legitimate income. Travel documents for trips to Barbados, mortgage statements for a condo in Barbados. And tucked beneath a stack of love letters from Dr. Whitaker, a single piece of paper that made Matt’s blood run cold.
A list of names, written in Robert Holloway’s careful handwriting. Margaret Straub was the first entry, followed by eight other names Matt didn’t recognize. Beside each name was a date and a dollar amount. Substantial sums in the triple digits.
“Mrs. Holloway,” Matt said carefully, “what can you tell me about this list?”
Mrs. Holloway examined the paper, her face growing pale. “I’ve never seen this before.”
Collins leaned over Matt’s shoulder. “Looks like payment records.”
“For what?” Matt asked, though he suspected he knew the answer.
Mrs. Holloway sank back into her chair, suddenly looking every one of her eighty-two years. “I don’t know. But Sheriff, I think Robert, would keep records of things. Things he felt he may have needed to document in case…”
“In case what?”
“In case he ever found the courage to make it right.”
Matt carefully bagged the list as evidence. “Mrs. Holloway, we’ll want to take these records back to the station for full review.” Robert Holloway might not have been the primary perpetrator, but he’d clearly been involved.
Mrs. Holloway nodded slowly. “Robert was a good man who found himself in love with someone who wasn’t. Perhaps it’s time for the truth to come out, whatever the cost to his memory.”
Matt and Collins gathered the documents into boxes over the few hours. As they prepared to leave, Mrs. Holloway walked them to the door. “Sheriff, I’ve been thinking about taking a long overdue vacation. Maybe it’s time for me to retire.”
Matt studied her weathered face. “That might not be a bad idea, Mrs. Holloway. This place has held onto its secrets long enough.”
In the cruiser, Collins whistled low. “So, Dr. Whitaker was using his lover to help cover up murders in exchange for money and a promise of running away together.”
“Looks that way.” Matt started the engine, his mind already moving to the next phase of the investigation. “And when Whitaker’s wife found out about the affair and threatened to cut off the money, the whole scheme fell apart.”
“Think Robert Holloway would have talked if he’d lived longer?”
Matt thought about the carefully preserved bedroom, the hidden list of names, the guilt that Mrs. Holloway said her brother-in-law had carried. “Maybe he was planning to.”
His phone buzzed with another text from Martinez: Breakthrough in Portland. Whitaker’s widow ready to put this whole mess to bed for good.
