He handed Kate the file and stepped away.While he dealt with whatever that was, Kate called Marcus.He answered on the first ring.“Hey.”
“Hey, I got something.”
“Yeah?”he replied excitedly.“What is it?”
“Do you have a James Thornton in the Carlton files?”
“Give me a second.”
While Kate waited, she glanced at Rivera, but the other agent was turned away from her and speaking softly, so she couldn’t hear what he was saying.
Marcus came back a moment later.“Yeah, I have a James Thornton attending a party seven months ago.He apparently hooked up with a Liza Montgomery there.Both of them were married to other people, but Mr.Montgomery was enthusiastically involved in the swinging lifestyle and didn’t mind—presumably still doesn’t—that his wife occasionally screws other men.”
“Well, a certain Janice Thornton had a problem with her husband screwing other women.More specifically, she had a problem with the fact that he was far more successful than she was at the open relationship Dr.Hammond suggested.”
Marcus grinned.“You don’t say.And how did she approach Dr.Hammond about her displeasure?”
“You can,” Kate replied.“And Dr.Hammond banned James from her practice two months ago when he nearly assaulted her for his role in the divorce.”
Marcus’s grin was replaced by wide-eyed shock.“Wait,Jamesdid?The guy who had a bunch of different girlfriends?Not his wife?”
“That’s what his file says.”
“Wow.I’d have called it the other way.Okay, well, that’s our next lead.You want to go talk to him together?”
Warmth flooded Kate to hear him offer to go together.Maybe things weren’t so bad between them after all.Maybe they could figure this out.And maybe they could figure out the other too.They both wanted each other.There was no reason they couldn’t work out in the long run.
For right now, Kate would content herself with a hot new lead and a partner who wanted to pursue it together.“I’ll pick you up.”
“Cool.See you soon.”
He hung up, and Rivera waved for Kate’s attention.“That was Justice O’Grady.We got the subpoena for Kyle Maxwell’s place and a search warrant for his premises.”
“A search warrant too?Wow.”
“Justice O’Grady has a problem with P.I.s.Thinks they’re slime.”
“I’m certainly not complaining,” Kate said.“Why don’t you take that lead?Marcus and I are going to follow up on James Thornton.”
Rivera flashed a smile.“Look at that.It’s true love after all.Glad I was wrong about you two.”
Kate flashed a smile of her own and showed Rivera her favorite finger.He laughed and clapped her on the shoulder.“Good luck, Juliet.”
“You too, Rosencrantz,” she fired back.
“Hey now.I’mobviouslyGuildenstern.”
The two agents left Patricia Hammond's office with the bounce in their step that only came when they found a break in a case.Kate hoped that the good feeling would remain, and this wouldn't end up being another false flag for them to chase while the real killer sharpened their knives and set their sights on another victim.
