Page 102 of Dead Man's List

“It’s only been four days,” she protested. “We’re not water walkers here.”

Navarro’s lips tipped up. “They think you are. You’ve solved some big cases recently. You have their full attention.”

“No pressure,” Kit muttered.

Navarro shrugged. “You can handle it. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to tell Connor first and we’ll come up with a plan.”

“Good answer. And then?”

Kit knew what he was asking. “I need to tell Rita. If she hears about this on the news, she’ll freak. She’s already terrified that Drummond will come after her to keep her from testifying.”

Navarro frowned. “Has she received any threats?”

“Just a vaguely ominous letter. The writer said that he hoped she enjoyed being inAlice in Wonderland—that’s the play her school is doing this year. Rita’s part of the ensemble. He said he’d be in the front row.”

“What a fucker,” Navarro growled. “He’s been watching her. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Pop told Joel before Christmas, but I just found out Friday night. Rita knows about it, though, so she’s been what-iffing a lot. She’s a teenager who’s too intelligent for her own good and who was dealt a real shitty hand in life. She was eleven years old when she found her mother’s dead body, sir. She’s only fourteen now. She knows firsthand how rotten Christopher Drummond is and what he’s capable of.”

“What are your parents doing to keep her safe?”

“Pop’s upped security at the farm. He’s got a new home security system plus cameras and motion detectors.”He’s also got a shotgun,she thought, but no way would she offer that piece of information. “They’re also getting a dog, which means I’ll get Snickerdoodle back. I think Pop’s picking up the new pup from the animal shelter today. And I’ve been staying there most nights.”

Some of it was for Rita.Some of it for me.

“Until Drummond makes a move, that’s all you can do,” Navarro said, his voice heavy with regret. “Tell your father aboutDrummond’s request for a deal. Let him decide when the time is right for Rita to know. Can they keep her home from school?”

Kit wanted to say yes. She wanted to drive home and barricade them all in the warm house with its homey smells. She wanted to wrap her family in bubble wrap and never let them leave her sight.

But she couldn’t do any of those things. “Keeping her home from school would have to be a last resort. She’s finally found her footing. She’s making friends and catching up from all the time she missed after her mother’s murder. I don’t want to undo her progress.”

Navarro sighed. “This sucks, Kit. I’m not gonna lie.”

“How long before we’re pressured to make a deal with that piece of shit?”

Navarro shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll push the decision out as far as I can. That’s all I can promise.”

“I appreciate it, sir. He might have nothing new on Munro.”

“Then again, he might hold the key.”

Kit sighed. “You’re right. This sucks. They both served on the city council. How sad is it that two members are rotten to the core?”

“Pretty damn sad.”

“Although Munro operated his blackmail scheme for eight years, according to Veronica. And even though it looks like Grossman murdered Jacob Crocker, we might not ever know if Munro was involved. A jury might see Munro as being worse than Drummond. Munro committed crimes for years, while Drummond killed his maid in a fit of rage after learning she was pregnant and unwilling to get rid of the baby. That he raped the woman isn’t easily provable. He can say the sex with Rita’s mother was consensual, and she’s conveniently dead, so she can’t refute him.”

Navarro sat quietly, waiting. He knew Kit well enough by now to know that her mind was turning over all the possibilities.

“We didn’t question any of the other council members yet,” she went on, “because we didn’t know what exactly Munro had done. Now we know there was blackmail and possibly murder. I hate to think any of the other members of the council are dirty. I guess we have to find out.” She bit at her lip. “Unless there’s another place Munro and Drummond intersect.”

“Like?”

“I don’t know. We’re going to find out. Did you have anything else, sir?”

“No. Go forth, Kit. Figure this out.”

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