Harlequin Intrigue, Box Set 2 of 2 by Julie Miller

death.”
    â€œAre we sure it was an accident?” Trent asked.
    Katie drew a line from Francisco Dona to Lloyd Endicott. “Well, even though one rode a motorcycle and the other drove a luxury car, the sabotage to the engines was similar.”
    â€œAs if both crimes had been committed by the same person?” Max sat up straight, his gruff voice incredulous. “Wow, kiddo. You’re thorough.”
    â€œIt’s a thing I do. I like to poke around. Solve puzzles. It’s just a matter of getting access to the right database.”
    Lieutenant Rafferty-Taylor threw a note of caution into the mix. “And having the legal clearance to access that database?”
    â€œYes, ma’am.” Katie’s lips softened with a sheepish smile. “Either I’ve got departmental clearance or it’s public access. I haven’t needed a warrant to put together any of this information, although there are places I could dig deeper if I did have one. I’ve sent out feelers to businesses, doctors, private citizens and so on to update our records. Some are eager to answer questions and help. Others don’t even respond. Of course, I could find out more if...” She twiddled her fingers in the air, indicating her hacking skills. Trent had no doubt that Katie could access almost any information they needed—but the way she’d obtain it wouldn’t stand up in court and no conviction would stick.
    The lieutenant smiled. “We’ll work within legal means for now. Continue with your report. This is already good stuff we can follow up on.”
    Trent read through the slim report on the dead socialite. “Says here the detectives assigned to the case suspected foul play in Isabel Asher’s death. They thought it might be a hit by a rival organization to send a message to Asher. So you think Francisco Dona made a deal with someone to kill her?”
    Katie nodded. “There was no conclusive evidence in her KCPD case file, although that’s an angle the detectives in the organized crime division investigated before it was closed out as an accidental death.”
    Olivia thumbed through the information in her folder. “You
have
been busy. These deaths all happened within a general time frame, six to ten years ago. It makes our
Strangers on a Train
theory plausible.”
    Jim dropped his folder on the table, shaking his head. “But there are six murder victims here. And we’ve only solved two of them. And we haven’t linked either of those conclusively to Leland Asher ordering those murders. You said this guy is getting out this week. If we can’t pin something solid on him, we’ll never get him back in prison.” The blond detective looked from the lieutenant back to Katie. “Is there any place else where all of their killers could have met with Asher? Even randomly?”
    â€œYou mean like sitting together at a ball game? I haven’t found anything like that yet, but...” Katie sat back in her chair and drew lines from one picture to another on her computer screen, giving them all a visual of her extensive research. “Leland Asher was diagnosed with lung cancer two months ago. The doctors suspect he’s been suffering longer than that.”
    Their team leader nodded. “That probably helped prompt his early release as well—so the state doesn’t have to pay for his medical treatments. What else?”
    â€œEither Matt Asher or Leland’s girlfriend, Dr. Beverly Eisenbach, have been to see him every week while he’s getting radiation treatments and chemo shots.” Katie drew another line. “Matt and Stephen March both saw Dr. Eisenbach as teens for counseling. Hillary Wells ran Endicott Global after Dr. Lloyd Endicott’s death, and Dr. Endicott belonged to the same country club as Leland.” The grumbles and astonished gasps around the table grew louder as the links of this twisted chain of