Page 129 of Dead Man's List

“She did. Juanita’s lawyer heard about Daly’s deal and wants the same. Juanita says her ‘alleged’ crime would probably be a misdemeanor and the statute of limitations has run out.”

“But she continued to pay Munro,” Sam said. “Why?”

Marshall made a face. “Juanita said it was because Munro threatened to tell her boss and make sure that she never got hired again. Her job requires she be bonded and she could lose her license if she’s caught. She has no idea how Munro found out she’d ever been accused by a client of wrongdoing, unless he’d asked her ex-husband, who would have been glad to spread rumors. She’s not copping to the crime or any knowledge of the hit man plot, only to paying the blackmail to protect her job. Her day was the twelfth of every month and she paid five Gs. She said most of her ex-husband’s alimony and child support paymentswent to Munro. She didn’t admit to knowing about the dead-man’s-switch list, but she knew. Ashton and I both saw her flinch. She knew about the hit man too, even though she vociferously denied it.”

Kit tucked that away in her mind for later. “We can tell Shoemaker that she told us all about the hit man. We can even say that we know the hit man’s name. The only one who knows for sure how far Hugh Smith took his inquiry was Hugh Smith. And he’s not around to call me a liar.”

Connor entered the observation room, a cup of coffee in one hand. “You ready to roll?”

“Yep. You lead this time.” Kit arched her back. Her muscles were too damn tight. Next time Akiko was free, Kit was asking her for a massage. Her sister had trained to be a massage therapist, using that income to save for her boat. Now she was a full-time charter boat captain, but she could still bring Kit’s recalcitrant muscles to heel. “I’m ready as I’ll ever be. I hope I don’t have to be cheerful. I don’t think I’ve got that much energy left.”

Connor finished his coffee and followed her into the interview room.

“Mr.Shoemaker, I’m Detective McKittrick and this is my partner, Detective Robinson,” Kit said as she and Connor sat across from him. “We have some questions for you.”

“I gathered that,” Shoemaker said. His body language was nervous. He was sweating profusely, despite only wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt. His knee bounced and his fingers drummed on the tabletop. Kit wanted to tell him to stop because it was annoying, but a nervous suspect often blurted out things he’d later wish he hadn’t.

“We’re hoping you can help us with an ongoing investigation,” Connor said, taking the lead as they’d agreed.

“How?” Shoemaker sounded wary.

“Ask me your questions,” his attorney said. “Not him.”

Connor just smiled at the attorney and returned his attention to Shoemaker. “You were being blackmailed by Brooks Munro.”

Shoemaker’s mouth fell open, the color draining from his face. “What?” he whispered.

“Say nothing, Pete,” his lawyer said firmly. “My client admits to no such thing. Why are we here?”

“Because you, Peter,” Connor said, still ignoring the attorney, “were listed as being part of a plot to hire a hit man to murder Brooks Munro since you, and others, were being blackmailed. We’re obtaining warrants for your home, business, phones, and financial records as we speak. Murder for hire is a very serious charge. Now, the way this works is that whoever gives us information first gets the best deal. You’re already third in line behind your murder-for-hire compatriots. Tick tock.”

“This is ridiculous,” the lawyer snapped. “Is my client being arrested?”

“Not at the moment,” Connor said. “But we suggest you stay and listen to what we have to say,” he added when the lawyer stood up and gripped Shoemaker’s shoulder. “It could save your life, Peter.”

“What does that mean?” the lawyer asked angrily.

“It means,” Kit said, “that whoever killed Brooks Munro also killed at least one of the people involved in the murder-for-hire plot. Hugh Smith is this killer’s fifth victim. That we know of.”

The lawyer sat back down.

Shoemaker licked his lips nervously. “Hugh’s dead?”

“Throat slit,” Kit said. “Ear to ear. Lost a finger, too. His killer wanted the combination to Smith’s safe, and I don’t think Smith was initially cooperative.”

Shoemaker covered his mouth. “Oh God.”

Please don’t throw up.“Trash can’s behind you,” Kit said in a bored voice.

Connor leaned forward, elbows on the table. “So…your compatriot told us about the murder-for-hire plot in exchange for protection. Not sure if that deal’s still available, but we can ask the prosecutor nicely.”

Shoemaker closed his eyes. “Oh no,” he whispered.

“Pete?” his lawyer warned. “We discussed this. They can’t prove anything. If they could, they’d have arrested you already.”

“That’s what your compatriot said, Pete,” Connor said. “Until we told him that Hugh Smith was dead. Then he changed his tune. Look, unless what you did to get blackmailed was a homicide, we aren’t interested in the details. We want whoever killed Brooks Munro and four other people. We don’t want you to be number six.”

Shoemaker swallowed hard, then whispered something in his lawyer’s ear.

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