Lopez nodded. “What happened, Ed?”

“Carbon monoxide. They found her in the garage in the front seat of her car.”

Cohen rested a thumb and index finger on his chin “No doubts?”

Franklin frowned. “It looks straightforward. Doors locked inside the car and garage. And she left a note.”

Kilburn’s chest fluttered. “What did it say?”

Franklin stonewalled. “Haven’t seen it.”

Cohen pushed. “Ed, can we see it?”

Franklin flopped forward in his chair. His palms landed on the desktop with a slap. “Seth, we’re on shaky ground here. Technically, it’s still an active investigation.”

“It could be relevant to our investigation,” Cohen said flatly.

Franklin rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “Wait here.” He sprang out of the chair with surprising agility and bounded out the door.

Lopez looked over to Kilburn. “You okay, Graham?” she asked softly.

He mustered a smile for her and nodded. All I had to do was to tell her I was coming.

Franklin returned five minutes later holding a single sheet in his hand. He sat back down in his chair and then wordlessly slid the page, a fax marking in its top corner, across the desk.

Cohen held it up, and Kilburn and Lopez read over his shoulders. Cohen cocked his head at Kilburn. “Who’s Neil?”

“No idea. Ellen never mentioned him.” Kilburn paused. “Come to think of it, when I spoke to her last week she was adamant that she was single.”

“Maybe that was part of the problem,” Lopez said. “Sounds like she regretted letting Neil go.”

“I guess,” Kilburn mumbled, troubled. It didn’t sound anything like the Ellen he remembered.

53 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

53

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

They separated outside the elevator on the fourteenth floor of the Hilton Hotel. Lopez headed for her room while Kilburn and Cohen turned in the opposite direction for the room they were sharing. Inside the double-queen-bed room, Cohen struggled to maintain a light conversation with the dejected Canadian physician. His heart went out to him. He had seen similar reactions in friends and family of other suicide victims; most faced a double blow, coping with the loss and the inevitable guilt of not having done more sooner.

Cohen was anxious to move the investigation forward. If Forbes was still in Philadelphia, he wasn’t likely to stay. As soon as Kilburn headed for the shower, Cohen picked up the phone and dialed Roman Leetch’s number.

“Homicide. Leetch.” his partner barked predictably.

“Rome, it’s Seth,” he said. “I’m calling from Philadelphia.”

“Imagine that! KC is in the City of Brotherly Love. Too bad you don’t have a brother or a love.” Leetch laughed. “But speaking of love, are you still with that lady doctor?”

Cohen ignored the question. “Do you have anything new on Forbes’s whereabouts?”

“Nah,” Leetch grumbled. “The son of a bitch isn’t using his credit card. No charges since the Airport Intercon.”