Page 56 of Dead Man's List

“We can search his calendar,” Connor said. “Check the people he did meet with before he disappeared, find out if any of them paid to play.”

“What a dirtbag,” Sam muttered.

Kit met his eyes, one side of her mouth lifted in an almost-smile. “Yeah, well, we knew that already.”

Everything was now back to normal. The reticence was gone,along with the shame. Sam was relieved, but he still wanted to talk to her about what had happened in Veronica’s office.

But not with Connor around. This was private. He’d wait until they were alone.

She was tapping on her phone again, her brows furrowed. “San Diego has limits to how much city council members can accept from any one individual. It’s not much. Munro would have needed over three hundred donors giving the max to buy that Ferrari.”

“And, again,” Sam said, “there would be a money trail. Candidates aren’t allowed to use campaign funds for personal expenses like that.”

Kit pursed her lips. “Or there were other ‘donations’ that were never recorded. Simple shakedowns. I wonder what Fitzgerald was doing on all those trips to the Caymans?”

“Offshore banking,” Sam said with a sigh. “Why is it always a secret bank account?”

“So they can buy Ferraris,” Kit said lightly. “Everyone would have just thought it was a gift from his rich wife. Only Wilhelmina would know differently.”

“Wasthe car a gift from Wilhelmina?” Sam asked as Connor pulled up to the guard shack at the prison.

Connor showed his ID and they passed through. There would be a more rigorous identification process inside the prison walls. Sam really hated going to the prison. He’d been here several times over the years, meeting with clients, but every time it gave him the creeps. He knew that he was helping people and that the work was worthwhile, but the sound of those slamming doors never failed to shake him up.

Connor shook his head. “Her caretaker—Rafferty—told us that Munro had bought the car himself.”

“Maybe Rafferty didn’t know,” Kit said thoughtfully. “Maybe Wilhelmina didn’t tell him. He would not have approved.”

“Good point,” Connor said. “We need to pay another visit to Mrs.Munro and ask her questions with Rafferty outside the room.” He found a parking place and turned off the engine. “Let’s get this visit over with. I hate this place.”

“So do I,” Sam muttered, then turned to Connor. “Can you give us a minute? We can meet you in the lobby.”

Connor’s brows lifted but, to his credit, he asked no questions. “Sure thing.” He handed Sam the car keys. “Lock up. Not a great neighborhood.”

With a chuckle at his own joke, Connor was out of the car and headed for the prison’s front entrance.

Sam drew a breath and met Kit’s eyes. “Why did you think I’d be upset about your interview with Veronica Fitzgerald?”

Kit sighed. “I…I guess I didn’t want you to think I was…” She shrugged. “Mean. I guess there are good reasons not to date coworkers.”

Sam felt a frisson of fear dance down his spine. “We’re not coworkers. We’re…colleagues.”

Kit huffed. “Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.”

“No.” Sam shook his head because the thought of not working with her was overshadowed by the thought of having to walk away from dating her. “I’m a consultant. And I know what you do. I know how you have to do it. And today I think you held back because of me. All that I’m saying is you don’t have to hold back. Do your job. I won’t think less of you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Kit. Youarrestedme. Your old partner threatened toshootmydog.”

“Baz wouldn’t have done that.”

“Ididn’t know that at the time.” Sam shook off the memory, not one of his better ones. As meet-cutes went, his and Kit’s had been severely lacking any cuteness whatsoever. “What I’m saying is, when the dust settled, I understood. I didn’t like it because it was happening to me, but I still understood. I know you. You might think that you’re mysterious, but I at least know enough to be certain that you’d have shown compassion for her grief this morning if Fitzgerald weren’t hip-deep in Munro’s crap.”

“The security guard said she was eyeball-deep.”

She was deflecting and he needed her to listen. “Kit.You did your job. And if I had a problem—which I did not—I would have told you. But nicely and not in front of the witness. Or suspect, whichever she is. You have to trust me, Kit.”

She drew a deep breath and slowly let it out. “That’s hard for me.”

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