Alyssa’s eyes shifted to the crime scene images still projected onto the wall of the conference room, trying to envision the scenario in her mind. Without asking, Hal zoomed in on Gabriel’s corpse. ‘So, Gabriel turns to flee after witnessing his wife’s murder and is shot in the back for his efforts?’

Cord intuitively picked up where Alyssa was heading. ‘Furious, our killer grabs the first thing he can get his hands on – in this case, the marble rolling pin – and bashes Gabriel’s skull with enough force that it nearly caves in part of his face.’

Sandra winced but impressed Alyssa when she, too, grasped the thread of the narrative. ‘He collapses but is surprisingly still alive and somewhat alert. The killer becomes so enraged at this point that a bullet will no longer suffice, so he grabs a knife from the butcher block on the counter and begins stabbing Mr. Kensington until he’s killed him or until the anger fizzles out, whichever comes first.’

‘Sounds reasonable. But if you’re going with that scenario, I’d say Gabriel’s heart stopped long before the stabbings ceased,’ Lynn agreed. ‘There are still a couple more things I wanted to share with you before I go. After examining the contents of the Kensingtons’ stomachs, I can state with a fair amount of certainty that their deaths occurred within an hour or two of what became their last meal. And not to be crass about it, but at least it appeared to be an appetizing one. Steak, broccoli, and some form of berry I’m guessing was either strawberry or raspberry were apparent in both Gabriel’s and Lydia’s abdomens.’

Alyssa recalled her initial reaction upon entering the Kensington residence Thursday night. The only lingering odor in the air had been that of death. If the Kensingtons had eaten at home, the meal hadn’t been prepared there, she was sure of it. Which meant if they could track down a receipt from a restaurant, they could not only narrow down the time of death, they could also potentially review the restaurant’s security cameras in case the murders and Addis and Emerson’s kidnapping had nothing to do with Kensington Investigations at all. She knew it was a long shot, but crimes had been solved on far less in the past.

‘I don’t suppose you found a receipt tucked into Gabriel’s pocket or wallet, did you?’ Alyssa asked Lynn now.

A light chuckle tickled her ear. ‘If only it were that simple, right?’

‘If only,’ Alyssa agreed.