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“I think so. There’re always gaps in these hypotheses so I can’t be sure. But the more eyes that look at my findings, the more likely it is someone will see what I cannot.”
Lane handed both Alex and Annette a packet, each several pages thick and held by a paper clip.
“I took the work and research from your board, plus everything you provided to Annette, and extrapolated from there. Very good work, by the way. You have an eye for detail.”
Alex nodded. “Thanks.”
“Here’s what I know. Your family was killed on January fifteenth of twenty-thirteen. Your diligent research proved that there were no connections to similar killings that involved other families, specifically not in the vicinity of the East Coast of the United States. But in order to shed light on your family’s killer, we have to figure out if that unknown killer has killed before or after. Of course, it’s my confirmation bias to assume we’re dealing with a serial killer.
“Now, if your family’s case was a random act of violence, or the work of a one-and-done killer, then the likelihood that I’ll be able to help you is not good. My expertise is in identifying similarities between random homicides and determining if there is a link that ties them together. When I sat down with your information, my goal was to determine if your family’s murder was part of a series of murders committed by the same person.”
“And did you?” Alex asked.
“Maybe.” Lane pointed at the packet. “It’s all in there, so let’s go through it. Chasing a few of the leads you were able to come across, specifically that your parents were associated with a man named Roland Glazer, was the key.”
“I followed that lead for a long time,” Alex said, “but gave up on the Glazer angle. I could never make sense of it.”
“That’s because alone it makes very little sense,” Lane said. “Together with many other factors, it brings a complicated puzzle together. Or at least leads us to more pieces.”
Lane held up his copy of the packet, turned a page, and began to read.
“Roland Glazer hanged himself in jail the night before his trial. But he was, as your diligent work showed, tied to your parents’ accounting firm. This is where my algorithm took an interesting turn. And remember, the AI attached to my computer program is not perfect. It picks up links that we might otherwise miss. Oftentimes, those links don’t necessarily lead anywhere. But in this case, what the algorithm picked up was a connection to your law firm.”
Alex looked up from the packet. “My . . . law firm?”
“Yes. Your parents had a connection to Lancaster and Jordan. After charges of sexual assault and sex trafficking were levied against Roland Glazer, shocking the celebrities, businessmen, and royalty who associated with him, many of his associates looked for legal representation. Your parents, as accountants who handled some of Glazer’s finances, did the same.”
“My parents . . . ,” Alex said, “were clients of Lancaster and Jordan?”
“Yes. My research showed that in twenty-twelve, Dennis and Helen Quinlan entered into a contract for legal representation with Lancaster and Jordan and paid a retainer fee of fifteen thousand dollars. From what I could tell, the relationship amounted to simple legal advice as no charges were ever filed against your parents, and no formal legal representation was required. A common occurrence, as I’m sure you’re aware. What’s interesting, though, is that Mr. Glazer, too, had entered into a legal agreement with your firm. My algorithm picked it up as a hit, which means only that the AI software found a way to connect your parents and Glazer—other than that Glazer was a client of your parents’ accounting firm—the commonality being that they both were associated with Lancaster and Jordan, if just briefly.”
Alex returned her gaze to the page, reading and rereading the connection Dr. Phillips had uncovered between her parents and Glazer, struggling to understand what it meant.
“Again, this connection to Lancaster and Jordan may mean nothing,” Lane said. “My algorithm simply identifies links between homicides. My analysts take over from there to see if those links lead anywhere further. Because Annette just asked me recently to look into this case, my analysts haven’t had the time to complete their research. But here’s what we’ve found so far.”
Lane turned a page in the packet.
“Since twenty-thirteen, I was able to identify four clients of Lancaster and Jordan who were victims of homicide, all on the East Coast.”
Alex felt the room spin as a wave of light-headedness came over her. She looked up briefly but neither Lane nor Annette noticed her struggle. Lane was reading from his packet and Annette was following along, hooked on every word. Alex took a deep breath and tuned back in to Lane’s findings.
“In twenty-sixteen, a man named Karl Clément died by gunshot wound after a home invasion. Police never had any leads and the case is still unsolved today. In January of that year, Clément was a college counselor at a local high school and was charged with sexually assaulting one of his students. He sought legal counsel from Lancaster and Jordan. In twenty-seventeen, a man named Robert Klein was arrested for aggravated assault and molestation of his neighbor’s twelve-year-old daughter. He, too, sought legal representation from Lancaster and Jordan. He was killed in his home six months later.”
Lane looked up from his packet.
“Any guesses how Klein was killed?”
“Gunshot wound,” Annette said. “During a suspected home invasion.”
“Bingo. Police chalked it up to a burglary gone bad.”
Lane turned the page.
“Okay, stick with me. Two more. In twenty-nineteen, a guy named Nathan Coleman was arrested for soliciting sex from a minor. He sought representation by Lancaster and Jordan, but charges were dropped due to a technicality. Two months later he was found dead in his living room. Official line? Shot and killed during a home invasion.”
Lane turned the page of his packet.
“Finally, we have a guy named Byron Zell.”
