“Okay, slow down. Take a breath,” he said, scared at the way Mary’s chest was heaving as she spoke so quickly.
Mary swallowed audibly and nodded through a long, slow inhalation. Once she let the breath leave her lungs again, she continued. “Then Diane showed me a picture taken at Colin’s graduation with some friends.” Mary pulled out her phone and opened the image she’d captured. “Look at these two men. The one in the middle is who Diane identified as Colin, and the one to his left was his best friend and roommate even after college. She never met him and can’t remember his name.”
Bert studied the photo, seeing what Mary had seen. The two young men looked remarkably similar—same height, same build, same dark hair and sharp features. “Okay… they look alike. What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know… maybe Diane’s brother-in-law had an affair and had another child? Colin might not be the only heir if Catherine’s husband had another child? Am I crazy for even thinking this? Maybe it’s just a coincidence, and I’m losing my mind!”
Bert shook his head, trying to sort through the various scenarios Mary was presenting. “What else did Diane talk about?”
“Diane said they were roommates in university. And Bert, she also said that years went by during which she didn’t see Colin. College, then his job, and life getting in the way. They reconnected when her husband died. The reunion was at a funeral, when everyone was emotional and grieving.”
The pieces started clicking together in Bert’s mind, forming a picture that was both far-fetched and terrifyingly plausible. “You think the man who looks like Colin might be a relative who would have claim to Diane’s inheritance?” The two remained quiet as his mind filtered through the possibilities. Blinking, he reached down to grab her hand. “And you think the man we know as Colin isn’t actually Colin.”
Mary pressed her lips together and shrugged. “I think it’s possible.” Mary’s hands twisted in her lap. “Or what if the two men aren’t related? What if something happened to the real Colin, and the roommate who looked similar enough to pass for him took his place? Showed up at the funeral claiming to be Colin, and no one questioned it because they hadn’t seen him in years, and everyone was too upset to look closely?”
Bert’s mind was already running through the implications. “If he’s an impostor, that means the real Colin is probably dead. And if our Colin murdered his roommate to steal his identity?—”
“Then Diane is in danger from someone much more violent than we thought.” Mary’s voice was steady, but Bert could see the fear in her eyes. “That’s why I took the glass. Colin brought it to Diane, so his fingerprints should be on it. The staff all wear gloves, so any prints should be his or Diane’s. If we can get them analyzed, compare them to any records that exist for the real Colin Morrison?—”
“We might be able to prove our Colin is an impostor,” Bert finished.
“Or we can get some DNA from him and prove that he is Colin… or a half brother… or not related at all. Maybe…” She shook her head and then sat straighter in her chair. “I’m not being rational and thinking logically. Bert, we need to take this one step at a time.”
His initial anger had transformed into respect for Mary’s quick thinking, mixed with fear for the risk she’d taken. “But Mary, you took a huge chance. If Colin had seen you take that glass… if he’d realized what you were doing?—”
“I know.” Mary met his gaze steadily. “It was impulsive, crazy, and completely not like me. But we need to know, Bert. And maybe this is a wild goose chase. Maybe he’s Colin. Maybe he’s exactly who he says. We still know that he may be giving her medication that wasn’t prescribed for her. And if by some tiny piece of luck, I’ve stumbled onto a sinister plot that’s even more sinister than we thought, then Diane doesn’t just need protection from financial exploitation. She needs protection from someone who’s playing a long-range game to get access to her money and probably won’t hesitate to kill.”
Bert wanted to argue, wanted to lecture her about taking unnecessary risks, wanted to explain all the ways that could have gone wrong. But looking at Mary’s face and seeing the determination there, the fear for Diane, and the willingness to put herself at risk to protect someone who needed help, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
This was who Mary was. This was what made her a good Keeper. She saw someone in danger, and she acted, even when it meant taking risks, even when it scared her.
“Okay,” Bert said, taking a breath to steady himself. “You’re right. We need to know. And I have a digital fingerprint kit in my tactical bag.”
He retrieved the compact kit from his gear. While Mary watched with sharp attention, Bert carefully extracted the glass from the tissue, handled it only by the base, and began the process of lifting the prints.
The glass yielded several clear prints, exactly as Mary had predicted. Colin’s fingers wrapped around the glass, his thumb on one side, three fingers on the other. Perfect impressions that Bert photographed with the kit’s specialized lens, ensuring every ridge and whorl was captured.
“Got ’em,” Bert said, satisfaction mixing with grim determination. “Clear prints, multiple points of comparison. If Sadie can access any records for the real Colin Morrison, such as fingerprints from background checks for employment, she should be able to get them analyzed.”
“We need to call Logan,” Mary said. “Get everyone on speaker, tell them what we’re working on.” She winced. “And if Logan needs to chew me out for the risk, I’ll take it.”
Bert snorted as he set up his laptop and initiated the secure video call, connecting to the operations center at LSI Montana. It was early morning in Montana, but the team was already assembled. Logan, Sadie, Timothy, and several other Keepers were all focused and alert.
“Bert, Mary,” Logan greeted them, his expression serious. “What’ve you got?”
Bert looked at her and nodded encouragingly. “Go ahead.”
“Okay… something came up today, and I’m working on a theory,” Mary said. “And possibly evidence to support it, though it sounds crazy when I say it out loud.”
“Go for it,” Logan said.
She walked them through everything that Diane had said, including the photograph showing two remarkably similar men, Diane’s comments about not seeing Colin for years before reconnecting at his parents’ funeral, and the possibility that the man they’d been watching was actually an impostor. “I know it’s fantastical… he might be the real Colin, he might be a half brother of Colin’s, but even if there is the remotest chance that he’s not…”
The operations center was silent for a moment after Mary finished, then low whistles, “what the hell” and a few “fucks” were heard from the other Keepers.
Sadie leaned forward, her expression intense. “Send me the photograph,” she said.
“Sure, um… but there’s more.” Mary explained how, once the idea took hold and Colin came in carrying a water glass, she’d snagged it when no one was looking.