In Reply

Ah, your inquistive nature serves you well, as does your skepticism. You were absolutely right to suspect that Epps and Epstein are corruptions of the same name - we are investigtors by nature and profession, after all. However, you were also right to conclude that they are in fact different people - a coincidence which would be far too canny, something from the realm of fiction, even. I can assure you that I have met Dr. Epstein in person on several occasions over recent years, him being an acquaintence of my wife from her Ph.D. days. He is a brilliant yet quiet man, a professor of theoretical physics who lectures at a noted British university - I forget its name - not one of the big three, but certainly a well respected red-brick. To my knowledge, he has no understanding of, nor interest in, photography, and has certainly never displayed any attention toward my Nikons when they have been lying around the home. In the interests of the profession, I am happy to casually raise the subject at our next acquaintence should you wish me to.