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"Today, when you have time, I'd like to go over your client roster, see if I can find any suspects."
"Oh, I already have a few." She reached for a drawer.
As Angela gave me the rundown on the primary suspects, I received a text from Jack, who was checking out Angela's house.
Got SF. Will get LS later.
Yes, Jack texted like he talked, which was great for privacy. Not so helpful for clarity.
SF and LS? Initials? That was the first thing that came to mind. Then my gaze flicked to the stack of files on Angela's desk . . . and my own notes.
Steve Forrest.
Louis Stanton.
So Jack was one step ahead of me.
I turned my attention back to Angela, sorting through the files and taking pages she could show me without breaching confidentiality. The suspects were all former spouses of her clients, and those clients had to be protected.
"These are the three who worked with Mindy, Judge Kim and Charles," she said.
"Did you take over all of Mr. Atom--Charles's--cases?"
"All his family court ones, but these are the three who've been questioned, so I feel comfortable giving you their information. Not the others."
"Understood."
"You'll also want to talk to Mindy's ex, Howard Lang."
"He's a suspect?"
She looked up in surprise, and it took a moment for her to answer. When she did, she gave a soft laugh. "No, not Howard. Sorry--I see how that sounded. I meant you'll want to speak to him about the case. He's a retired police officer. He took early retirement and started a security business. He's been investigating her murder."
I lifted my brows.
"Yes," she said. "The police usually frown on that, but Howard knows what he's doing, and he doesn't interfere. He still loved Mindy. It was an amicable split. No children, assets divided fifty-fifty. He was still part of her life, and her death hit him hard. So he's been investigating and sharing his information with the police. You'll want to talk to them, of course, but you should also speak to Howard."
A rap on the door. It opened, and Richard poked his head in. "Victor Walling is here for his appointment."
When he withdrew, I said, "Is that . . . ?"
She nodded. "Sheila Walling's ex-husband. It's a mediation meeting." She lifted the pages she'd taken from the files. "I'll have Richard copy these and call Detective Lee. She's lead on the case. Richard will introduce you."
As soon as we stepped into the hall, a woman barreled through the main office door. Late thirties. Well dressed. Purposeful stride. Her gaze flicked my way. Caught me. Dismissed me. Kept moving . . . and landed on the man standing beside Richard's desk. He was about her age. Thin. Balding. As soon as her gaze lit on him, he shrank back.
"Victor," she said.
"Sheila." His gaze only made it to her neck level, and he seemed to be using all his willpower not to turn and flee.
"Let's get this over with," Sheila said. "Where is--?" She turned just as another man walked through. "Good, both lawyers present and accounted for. On with the show."
She headed into a side room, leaving everyone else trailing after her. Richard rolled his eyes and mouthed something. Angela shook her head before following.
"I'll just read those pages out here if that's okay," I said to Richard once Angela was gone. I nodded to the chairs . . . right outside the meeting room door.
"Actually, I think you'll find the acoustics better in there." He pointed to an office beside the meeting room.
"Thanks," I said with a smile.
