Gupta wasn't much of a threat. He was more worried and nervous than defensive and secretive. Ashton asked, and he told. He shared a lot of useful information. 'No,' Perette hadn't been in any failing relationships, and 'no,' he had not been on anyone's bad sides. Well, aside from the people at the copy place and the tech guys who'd fixed the printer he'd had a fit about, that was. He'd had the usual amount of people who disliked him. Perette had not been a saint, a ladies man, or the kind of guy who loved committed relationships. He had not needed mental help, either... though Gupta hadn't liked him. When all was said and done, though the guy had put on a nice face for the outside world, he hadn't had much positive to say about the victim.

Ashton had started small. Basic appetizer questions. Enemies, bad blood, anyone who gave off the vibe of an MO. By the time Noel had disturbed them, he'd nearly finished.

Ashton cracked the door and looked at her, hint of annoyance in his eye. "Just in time. We were just getting to the meat and potatoes of the questioning. Come on in."

He stepped back and allowed her the space to bother Gupta all she wanted. When she was good and happy with her chair, he continued, leaning his back against the closed door, arms crossed across his chest. "About the job he was working on. You know who he was working with? There anything unusual about anything?" He fished.

Gupta took the bait.

Not knowing if she was the good cop or the bad one, Noel just plain old took her chair and tried not too look too terribly one way or the other. Drake had a laid a good foundation, apparently because after one question he was spilling his guts. Noel passed the copy of the email to the cop for him to glance over while they listened.

"It's a private client. You know the kind. Only wants to talk to one employee of any company, real hands on. We get some of those sometimes, usually billionaires or the kind of people would don't want to meet in an alley at night. Our boy Perette had to sign all kinds of NDAs and NDAs for his NDAs."

With a good prosecutor, a friendly judge and a few good warrants maybe they could penetrate the levels of secrecy someday. Now that Perette was dead, surely none of his Non-Disclosure Agreements were still in effect.

"So I figure whoever you're looking for is paranoid. Paranoid and can afford the exclusivity of a personal financier."

"He's a regular Nancy Drew." Noel had taken some notes from what Gupta had said, but what more could they hope for with that many layers of encryption and privacy law? She didn't want every Tom, Dick and Harry to think that they could do her job and she certainly didn't want his snooping around in something that could get dangerous just because he felt like his velcro sneakers could pass for gumshoes.

"Did anyone else have any clients near this paranoid?"

He shrugged, named off a few companies that came to mind as shady or the type, but Noel didn't bother getting her hopes up when she jotted the names down. If he knew the company's name, didn't that prove that they weren't as paranoid as this one?

"Do any of you with your exclusive clientele ever make deliveries...." She could see the no forming in his eyes so she tried to rephrase, "You know, dropping off a statement or picking up receipts?"

"Against company policy, ma'am."

Noel shot a quick look at Drake to see if he was interested in that line of thought. The email she had passed on to him could be from anyone— a lover, a friend, wife? —but the circumstances in which she found it... that he had never had any other contact with that person except to meet in person for some reason... it just didn't sit well with her gut.

Plus, she didn't feel old enough to be called a ma'am.

"Got anything else, Drake?" The agent folded her hands behind her head and leaned back in her chair. Though they didn't get the Taj Mahal of flagrant clues, she felt confident that they at least had a direction to go. A date, a time and a place. Maybe the street cameras caught something and they'd be lucky. They also had a vague MO, a possible deviance from company policy and, of course, Perette's computer. Not that she would put her faith in the techs, but surely they could get them a name or something.

The e-mail, Ashton glanced at. Gupta, he watched. The man had his focus. He'd asked him a question, and lo and behold, Perette had given him his answer. It wasn't one he liked.

Private Client who liked privacy in multiple layers, like a wedding cake. Non-disclosure agreements. Cutting away those layers would take time... and the right knife. He didn't like waiting. It made him antsy. Antsy like a paranoid client.

Gage asked a question, after some snarky commentary. Gupta was helpful, but unfortunately, not the kind that ended their long path of questions. There would be more. Elsewhere.

She looked at him with a question on her lips. What else was there? A good question. "Thank you, Mister Gupta." Ashton said briskly, pulling away from the door. "We'll be in touch. Gage," he had his hand on the knob. It was just itching to turn it so they could go.