Page 22 of Dead Man's List

“Good point.” Taking the chair beside him, Kit tapped her phone and began to read. “Sam. Look.”

Sam jerked his attention away from her profile. He’d been staring at her like a lovestruck teenager, but it was hard not to. She had a girl-next-door kind of face, her strawberry-blond hair pulled back into a sensible ponytail. That such a sharp brain lurked behind such a sweet face turned him on like nothing else. But he was here to work.

He saw Munro’s name on the screen and sucked in a breath.

“Brooks Munro was a client,” Kit told Connor, showing him the testimonial. “He gave them a nice recommendation.”

Connor took the chair beside her, turning it around so that he straddled it. “ ‘Gifted and professional,’ ” he read. “ ‘They’ve been caring for my lawn for three years. Their work is exceptional.’ Well, I guess that question is answered. Either someone from the landscaping company is bold, careless, or they’re missing equipment. When did you clock it?”

“It left at five forty-five on Wednesday evening.”

Kit nodded. “Is that consistent with your theory about the windstorm in Anza-Borrego?”

“Not Wednesday night, no. But Thursday, the wind started to get bad and there were wind warnings through Friday night.”

“Okay, then,” Kit said. “If he drove out there Thursday or even Friday night, he could have dumped the body in the dark, hoping it would be covered by sand.”

“And that park’s famous for stargazing, right?” Connor asked. “So it would have been really dark. Nobody would have seen him. Or her.”

“Or her,” Kit murmured. “Did you see when the trailer entered the neighborhood, Sam?”

“At six a.m. It was there all day. I checked the feeds from the neighbors and the only place the trailer could have gone was Munro’s house. His is the only one on a dead-end street and that’s the way the trailer turned.”

Kit frowned. “That’s super early to be entering the community. Why so early? And why did they stay all day?”

They were all quiet for a minute before Connor shrugged. “Those are good questions. For now, let’s focus on the trailer itself. Maybe one of the neighbors will remember seeing it parked in front of Munro’s house or—more importantly—remember seeing the driver. He was there for nearly twelve hours. Plus, the trailer’s twice the normal length.”

Otherwise, Munro’s killer wouldn’t have been able to fit a Ferrari inside.

Kit checked her phone for the time. “It’s too late to talk to the neighbors tonight. Tomorrow, we can talk to the woman who lives closest to him.”

“But that’s still a fair distance,” Connor said. “She might not have seen anything. They’re both on five-acre lots, but her house is even bigger than Munro’s. Maybe not as ostentatious, though.”

That was a better opening than Sam had hoped for. “Munro’shouseisostentatious,” he said, bracing himself for their question. Because he hadn’t mentioned this detail earlier, and he should have.

Her blond brows shot up. “You went to his house for your meeting?”

“I did.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” she asked.

Sam winced. “I guess I didn’t want Navarro considering me a suspect again.”

Kit coughed to hide a laugh. “Yeah, I can understand that. Weren’t you suspicious that Munro asked you to his house?”

“Not really. Not at the time, anyway. When I called to ask for an appointment, his admin said he wasn’t coming into the city that day and if I wanted to meet with him, I’d have to go to his place. Afterward, I was annoyed at myself for not being suspicious. I should have brought a tape recorder. When I told Joel, he just sighed and told me to stop trusting people so much.”

Kit’s expression softened. “I think that makes you you. Don’t change.”

Sam felt his cheeks heating yet again. Every time she paid him a compliment, he wanted to shout from the rooftops.Tone it down before you make an even bigger fool of yourself.

Because heshouldhave suspected Munro. “I didn’t think I had anything he’d want. Now I know differently. That was the first time I’d been approached to tamper with my evaluation of a defendant. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Kit squeezed his shoulder briefly, and he missed her touch when she pulled her hand away. But they were working right now. He didn’t like it, but he understood.

“Where did he take you? In his house, I mean?” she asked.

“His study. I have no doubt that it was set up for recording.If I’d agreed, he could have used that against me. I realized that as soon as he asked me about Ronald Tasker. So I clearly said no and immediately left. I took a selfie of myself at the guard shack so that I could prove the time of my escape.”

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