“That works.”

Nate let the man talk, taking extensive notes as the sordid story unfolded. Infidelity, blackmail, fraud, murder—it was the stuff of dime novels. Of crime fiction.

Yet this man had lived it. Was living it now.

And while Mullins was guilty of multiple legal and moral offenses, Nate couldn’t help but feel a twinge of compassion for him. The man had made a bad mistake in the midst of devastating grief and despair. While he’d regretted it almost at once, it had continued to plague him, and he’d found himself sinking deeper and deeper into the black morass of immorality as he tried to keep his life from shattering.

It was tragic.

But it didn’t condone his involvement in the scheme to scam innocent people. Worse yet, if his conclusions about this BK person were correct, he’d unwittingly aided and abetted murder.

Since Mullins’s suspicions aligned with Grace’s and his own, the veracity of the man’s claims wasn’t in question.

As Mullins wound down, Nate tapped the tip of his pen against the table. “I’ll want the names of all your clients who bought the bogus investment.”

“I brought them with me, along with their addresses and other vital information.” He withdrew a multi-folded sheet of paper from his shirt pocket and set it on the table.

“How did you convince all these people to buy into your offering?”

“BK chose people who were barely getting by on fixed incomes and who were desperate to increase the return on their nest eggs. I offered a yield they couldn’t get anywhere else, told them this was an exclusive deal available only by invitation, and asked them to keep the transaction confidential.”

“Did BK know these people?”

“I don’t think so. I asked once, and the response I got was, ‘I have my sources.’ Besides, if BK had talked to them about the investment, they could have mentioned the conversation to me. That would have been too risky, after all the effort BK has taken to stay anonymous.”

That was true.

“You said that even before my visit to your office, you were on the verge of contacting me. Why?” Nate began unfolding the sheet of paper containing the names.

“Because I think someone else is about to die.”

Nate looked up. “Who and why?”

“The woman I sold the last investment to. She elected to exercise the opt-out clause, and BK didn’t want to return her money. When I tried to return it myself, I discovered the password and login on the offshore account had been changed.”

“Is her name on this list?” Nate continued to unfold the sheet of paper.

“Yes. Lorraine Meyers.”

Nate sucked in a breath.

“What’s wrong?” The tension emanating from Mullins skyrocketed.

“You’re too late. She died this morning.”

Every vestige of color drained from the man’s complexion, and beads of sweat popped out above his upper lip. “I can’t believe BK moved that fast. The opt-out deadline wasn’t for another two weeks.”

Any doubt about the validity of Grace’s suspicions vanished.