Page 110 of Dead Man's List

It might have already happened. Multiple hands might have stabbed Munro. It all fit.

Trisha Finnegan didn’t strike Kit as a person who was angry enough at Munro to stab him, but the manhadraped her. Trisha might just be a very good actress.

“That’s not a bad plan,” Kit said, keeping her voice even when she wanted to immediately leave and begin looking for more blackmail victims. “Did you know that Munro had a kind of a dead man’s switch? A list of his victims and their secrets that he’d make public if he died unexpectedly or violently?”

She frowned. “No, I didn’t know that. He never threatened me with that. I always paid him.”

Until she hadn’t, Kit thought. “How did you tell him that your secret was no longer blackmail material?”

“I scheduled an in-person appointment with him, which meant dealing with his admin, who was a real bitch. Sorry.” She grimaced. “This is bringing back a lot of bad memories.”

“What did he say when you told him you were done paying him?” Connor asked.

She stilled, seeming to be thinking. “He didn’t say much ofanything. Just…‘Okay.’ But the look he gave me was terrifying. He was so angry. For a minute I thought he had a trapdoor in his office floor and I’d be fed to the sharks. But then he kind of cleared his expression and just said ‘Okay,’ and I left.”

“He didn’t warn you not to tell anyone?”

Trisha shook her head. “I’d already volunteered that I wouldn’t when I was giving my spiel. I’d practiced and practiced it. I was so scared walking into that appointment. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t think he was violent, but I also hadn’t thought he’d blackmail me. I just wanted to get on with my life. Looking back, I must have appeared pretty pathetic. I’d lost a lot of weight and my hair was falling out from the stress. I’d considered…you know. Ending things. Maybe he hoped I’d do myself in and he wouldn’t have to worry about me.”

“Did he ever retaliate in any way?” Kit pressed.

She started to shake her head, then sucked in a breath. “I had a car accident the following week. Hit-and-run driver. My car was totaled and I was badly hurt. I was even in a coma for a few days afterward. I didn’t even think that it could have been Munro’s doing. I was in a bad headspace back then and, honestly, my thinking was not ordered at all. Could that have been Munro’s doing?”

“Possibly. Do you remember what the vehicle that hit you looked like?”

“No, I’m sorry but I don’t. So…this tell-all list Munro supposedly had. Is it real?”

“We think he was killed for it,” Kit said.

“Okay, then. Wow.” Trisha hesitated, then shrugged. “I guess it won’t be the end of the world for me if it’s published. I pretty much cut myself off from the country club crowd, and the kids I tutor would probably think I’m ‘fire’ if they knew I’d once beenblackmailed by a guy who was ‘unalived.’ ” She used air quotes as she attempted to mimic her students. “What else do you want to know?”

“How much did you pay him?” Kit asked.

“Fifteen thousand dollars after my ‘voluntary contribution.’ ” More air quotes. “Five thousand a month for those three months. Paid in fifties. Nonsequential bills.”

“Not a small sum,” Connor said.

“No, but like I said, my husband and I had no prenup. I got fifty percent of our property. It would have been a problem if I’d gone on paying. I can show you the record of my cash withdrawals from those months where I paid Munro. I thought if I ever did fall prey to his trapdoor with the sharks, I wanted to at least leave a paper trail in case someone cared enough to look for me.”

Like Munro had, Kit thought. He’d chosen the joint account for his withdrawal of fifty thousand dollars. He had to have known that Wilhelmina would be informed.

She’d almost forgotten about that.

She wondered why he hadn’t sent some kind of similar message to Veronica. Maybe they had no joint assets.

Something to check.

She glanced at Connor. “Anything else?”

“No, I’m finished.”

Kit rose, Connor alongside her. “Thank you for seeing us, Mrs.Finnegan. Contact us if you remember anything else, even if it seems small.”

Chapter Thirteen

San Diego PD, San Diego, California

Wednesday, January 11, 1:00 p.m.

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