Page 147 of Dead Man's List

“Thank you. I’m going to save this one because I haven’t had food today and the sugar’s gonna make me sick if I have any more.”

Navarro rolled his eyes and pulled a wrapped sandwich from his other pocket. “I figured you wouldn’t have time to eat. Marshall and Ashton brought a bunch of Cuban sandwiches from the corner deli.”

“You are a prince among men,” Kit said and dug in. “Connor’s taking a break. He needed to go home to CeCe for a little while. Probably a better way to decompress than me eating a party pack of Snickers bars.”

“Probably,” Navarro said mildly. “When is he coming back?”

“Soon. He said he just needed a hug.”

Navarro’s lips twitched. “I heard you got a hug this morning after nailing Drummond to the wall.”

She remembered the way Sam had held her as her adrenaline had crashed. “I did. Got something to say about it?”

“Nope. If I say it’s a good thing, you’ll leave Sam just to be contrary. And if you leave Sam, your parents will have my hide. And I like your mom’s cooking.”

Kit chuckled. “Everyone does.” She sighed and sobered. “Mr.Tindall—theDuncan Tindall—was distraught. He had to tell his wife and grandchildren. The oldest daughter is flying home as we speak. Tindall sent his personal assistant on the company jet to pick her up and bring her home. I mean, private planes aren’t great for the environment, but at least she doesn’t have to endure a plane ride while her world is falling apart.”

“She’s not much older than you were when Wren died,” Navarro noted.

“She’s seventeen. First time away from home. The twins are only eight. I gave Mr.Tindall Dr.Carlisle’s number. She’s done so much for Rita.”

Navarro squeezed her shoulder, just a brief touch. “You’ve got a good heart, Kit. Don’t get too hard-nosed.”

“Trying.” She rubbed her hands over her face. “So are Wilhelmina and the others okay?”

“We’re still checking. Of the seven remaining suspects, we’ve confirmed that five of their families are alive and well. The Dalys are in protective custody and I spoke with Hugh Smith’s wife personally. I’m expecting news on the remaining two families in the next hour.”

“Okay. Why kill Peter Shoemaker’s wife? Why her? Why now?”

“Maybe he intended to kill more people but hasn’t gotten around to it yet.”

“Maybe. I keep thinking that Peter Shoemaker’s sin is much worse than simple adultery. Why else would Munro even bother blackmailing him? Two grand a month? I mean, that’s a lot of money for me. That’s a lot of money for most normal people. But for someone with Shoemaker’s money?”

“You’re assuming he had access to her trust fund.”

“True. She kept her name and he said she kept a tight hand on the funds. But Aylene’s father said that they were happytogether. Shoemaker really seemed to hate his wife, but his father-in-law said he treated her like a queen.”

“And now his alibi can’t be corroborated.”

“Right.” And that made her wonder about what else Shoemaker had done. He was the right size to be Neckbeard and his was the only family member of the ten co-conspirators who’d been targeted. “Were the rest of the alibis corroborated?”

“As much as they can be. There’s still some work to do on a few of them, but everyone seems to have been where they said they were.”

They both turned when the Homicide double doors opened and a young woman walked in. Kit sucked in a breath, recognizing the woman’s face from the photograph on Duncan Tindall’s phone.

“That’s Kennedy Shoemaker,” Kit murmured. “She must have come straight from the airport.”

Kennedy was pulling a suitcase behind her. Her face was red and blotchy, her eyes swollen. She was still crying, wiping her face with a tissue that had seen better days.

Kit stood. “Miss Shoemaker. I’m Detective McKittrick. Would you like to sit down?” Kennedy nodded and took the chair next to Kit’s desk. “This is my boss, Lieutenant Navarro. How can we help you?”

“I’m not Miss Shoemaker. I’m Kennedy Tindall. Or I will be by the end of the month.”

Kit sat down, studying the young woman. She had the sweetest face, but her words had been sharp and venomous. “Why?”

“I don’t want anything to do with my father.”

Okay.Kit leaned forward, her instincts setting off every alarm in her head. “Why, honey?”

---