Chapter 54
Iwasn't in the business of breaking up marriages, but I needed to break this case. Turning Mark's wife against him might just be the key that unlocks the door.
Mark was definitely living high on the hog. His Stingray Bay mansion didn't come cheap. Perhaps he was funneling money from the nonprofit. Maybe the nonprofit owned the property, and he was just living in it.
Jack parked at the curb, and we walked up to the courtyard gate, past the circular drive that was home to a white convertible Jaguar F-type. I rang the video doorbell.
A few moments later, a woman's voice crackled through the speaker. "Can I help you?"
I flashed my badge and made introductions. "I'm hoping you can help us. It's rather urgent we speak.”
"Mark isn't here right now. I'm not sure what I can help you with.”
"It won't take long.”
She hesitated for a moment. "Alright. I'll be there in just a second."
The line crackled as she disconnected.
I shared a look with Jack. I hated to break the bad news like this. I felt terrible for her. But maybe she already knew.
The gate buzzed, and we stepped inside and walked to the front porch. A small fountain trickled water, and the hedges inside the court were expertly manicured.
Claire pulled open the door a moment later. She was an attractive woman in her mid-30s with curly blonde hair, fair skin, and narrow tawny eyes that darted between the two of us with concern. "Is something wrong? Is Mark okay?”
"He's fine. There's nothing to worry about.”
She exhaled with relief. "I tried calling him, but he wouldn't pick up. He said he was going into the office to catch up on a few things.”
"You're aware of the recent shark attacks, aren’t you?"
"I can’t imagine anyone not being aware. It's been all over the news lately. It seems that's all they talk about. It's my understanding this is exceedingly rare."
"Yes, ma'am,” I said.
Confusion tensed her brow. "I'm not sure how I can help you with that.”
I was trying to pick my angle, not sure how to break the news. "Did your husband ever talk to you about his work at the research center?"
"I know he's very passionate about his work. We don’t go into the specifics of it a lot, but he tells me what he’s working on—the reef restoration efforts, the marine life tracking.
That kind of thing. But by and large, Mark doesn't like to bring work home.
And I don't mind. That's his domain. This is mine.”
“But you’re a member of the board,” I said, having done my homework.
She hesitated, and her lips tightened. “Yes, but that’s just a formality. It’s a 501(c)(3). His sister is also on the board, but she lives in Los Angeles. Mark runs the company.”
I shared a subtle look with Jack.
"Has he talked to you about any work involving gene splicing?”
"Gene splicing?” she repeated with a wrinkled brow.
"This may come as a shock, but we have reason to believe the Marine Research Center is involved in illegal genetic experiments.”
Her face tightened, and she looked stunned. Uncertain how to respond, she fumbled for words. "I'm sorry, did you say genetic engineering?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I… I don't know anything about that.”
"We think you might be in a unique position to get information," I said in a delicate voice.
She looked confused as she processed the information. "You want me to help you spy on my husband?”
"We need hard evidence that he is, in fact, involved in illegal activity.“
Claire laughed. "Why on earth would I help you arrest my husband?
He's a good man, and I can assure you these allegations are totally, 100% false.
I don't know where you're getting your information from, but it's wrong.
I'm not going to help you destroy everything that Mark worked for over the last decade.”
“If you fail to help us, you could be charged as an accessory.”
Claire didn’t like the sound of that. She stepped back and was about to slam the door in our faces.
"I have something you may want to see before you make your decision.”