Bert’s jaw clenched. This was exactly what Mary had suspected, only now they had evidence to support it. “What about Colin’s background? Any criminal history, any complaints, anything that would suggest he’s done this before?”
“Nothing in the criminal databases.” Sadie kept typing, pulling up more screens.
“Mary said Diane seemed confused about recent financial decisions,” Bert said, his mind working through the implications. “What if he’s drugging her? Keeping her just compliant enough to sign documents but not alert enough to remember doing it?”
“That would explain the confusion,” Sisco said. He was their medic, the one who’d served as a medic for Logan’s SEAL team and trained as a paramedic before joining LSIMT. “If he’s using benzodiazepines or something similar, he could create short-term memory issues without causing obvious impairment. She’d seem lucid in the moment, capable of signing documents, but wouldn’t remember it later.”
“And if anyone questions it, he can point to her confusion as evidence of cognitive decline,” Cole added. “It’s a perfect setup. He’s her trusted nephew, he’s living with her, and he’s managing her affairs. Who’s going to question his motives?”
“Mary did,” Bert said, pride mixing with concern in his chest. “She saw something that didn’t seem right and wasn’t willing to just let it go without checking.”
“Because she’s trained to see patterns and assess situations,” Logan said.
“I don’t get it,” Timothy said. “If Colin is her legal heir, all he has to do is sit back, and when she dies naturally, he gets everything.”
“Yeah, but she’s only in her sixties,” Bert growled. “She could easily live another twenty years or more. If he wants the money now, he can’t wait for her to die of natural causes.”
Cory added, “We need to know his finances and his habits… does he gamble, spend a fortune on cars, women, trips?”
“This is interesting,” Sadie said, gaining everyone’s attention. “According to financial records I probably shouldn’t have access to but do, there have been significant changes to Diane’s accounts over the past eighteen months.”
“What kind of changes?” Logan asked.
“Transfers of funds from her investment accounts to cash accounts. Liquidation of some long-term holdings. Changes to beneficiary designations on life insurance policies and retirement accounts. All of it legal, all of it properly documented with her signatures.” Sadie looked up from her screens. “But the pattern suggests someone is positioning themselves to be able to get their hands on cash quickly, even before they inherit everything once she dies.”
“He’s got it made. He’s living off her money now,” Cory said from his position at the table.
Sadie added, “There’s also evidence of increased credit card activity on cards in Diane’s name. Nothing huge, but consistent charges that suggest someone is using her cards regularly for personal expenses.”
“He travels with her and gets to live high with luxury accommodations. If he wants to keep up this level of living and not wait until she dies, he might be making it happen easier,” Cory said, leaning back in his chair.
“Or when he can get her declared incompetent,” Todd added grimly. “If he can establish that she has dementia or some other cognitive decline, he can get power of attorney and legal control of everything.”
Logan nodded. “We need everything on him.”
Bert’s heart began to pound. “Mary is also now a potential problem for Colin if he realizes she’s suspicious.” All he could think of is what would happen if a strong man decided to attack Mary… she’d be at a huge disadvantage.
“Call her,” Logan ordered, but Bert’s hands were already on his phone.
21
The team dispersed to their assigned tasks, moving with the coordinated efficiency that made them so effective. Bert held his breath as he pressed his fast-dial number for Mary.
She answered immediately. “That was fast. Did you find something?”
“We found a lot of things.” Bert looked over as the other Keepers were delving into more information. “Hang on. I’ll give you the full briefing in a moment, but I’ll put you on speaker so you can hear what’s going on now.”
“Sure,” she agreed easily.
Logan’s expression was grim. “We need to contact Canadian authorities. If Colin is committing elder abuse and financial exploitation, they need to be involved.”
“That could take time,” Bert pointed out. “Red tape, jurisdiction issues, proving the case. Meanwhile, Mary and Diane are stuck on a ship with this guy.”
“Which is why we’re going to move fast.” Logan turned to Bert, then looked down at the phone on the table. “Mary? We need you to document everything you observe. Photos, if you can get them without being obvious, detailed notes about conversations, and anything that might be useful as evidence later. But remember that you need to stay safe above all else.”
“I can do that.” Mary was quiet for a moment. “How long will it take to get authorities involved?”
“Landon’s working on that now. But these things don’t happen immediately, especially with international jurisdiction issues. You need to stay safe in the meantime.”