Page 22 of Silk Shadow

"If you're sure?"

"I am."

He picked up his phone and dialed, moving away from the table. She noticed he liked to pace when he was on the phone.

After a few rings, he said, "Good Evening, my name is Viper Morgan and I'm calling on behalf of Isabella Beaumont."

She smiled at his use of her full name. Hardly anyone called her that anymore.

"I'd like to talk to you about some security concerns involving Mr. Beaumont's death."

A pause.

"Did you visit the site of the accident, Mr. Hernández?"

"Speaker," Izzy mouthed.

Viper put it on speakerphone.

"... gave the police my statement. It appears Mr. Beaumont drove off the road into the ravine."

"Yes, we read the police report," Viper said. "It was a little vague on the details. Could you fill us in? Did a traffic investigator analyze the scene, and if so, where is that report?"

Another pause.

"We don't have anything like that down here. The police services are basic, at best."

"I understand. That's why I'm calling you, Mr. Hernández. As a security expert, I'm sure you had an opinion. I'd like to hear it."

Izzy was impressed. He was confident and had already gotten the man on his side by appealing to his ego.

"Well, I don't want to speak out of turn," he said.

"Please, we value your input. That's why Miss Beaumont asked me to call you."

"All right, look. There were a few things that don't add up," Hernández said. "First, the skid marks. They started abruptly and were at an angle, suggesting Mr. Beaumont swerved suddenly. This doesn't fit with someone who knew the road well.”

“I knew it,” hissed Izzy.

Viper held up a hand. “Anything else?”

Hernández was warming up now. “There were two sets of tire marks. One matches Mr. Beaumont's car, but the other shows a vehicle accelerating away from the scene, not braking as you'd expect if someone witnessed an accident.”

“Opposing marks?” Viper asked.

"Yeah, and we also found some debris scattered along the road leading up to where he went over. Broken glass and plastic, that didn’t match his vehicle.”

"Have you checked his vehicle?”

A scoff. "No, and we’re not likely to either. The vehicle is not accessible with the resources we have here."

Izzy sighed. Darn.

"Why didn’t you mention this to the police?" If he had, it would have been in the report.

Another laugh. "I tried, but they seemed uninterested in pursuing it further. They were quick to rule it an accident."

Less work, Izzy guessed.