“Boulder police came out Sunday. The body of a woman named Barbara Meeks turned up. She disappeared not quite a month ago, was strangled and buried in a shallow grave. Lots of similarities between her death and Heather Logan’s. I’m trying to find a connection between the two women. So far without much success.”

“Eight years is a long time. You want me to take a look?”

“I do, but not yet. I need a little more information first. How’s it going with you and Chad?”

Zoe sighed. “We decided to take a break from each other. We’ll stay friends—with benefits, of course. I’ll still see him once in a while.”

Ellie smiled. “When you get the itch, right?”

Zoe didn’t laugh. “I guess so.”

“But cooling things down was your idea?”

“Sort of. Let me know if you need me.”

“Will do.” Ellie ended the call, a little worried about her usually carefree friend.

She went back to perusing information on the net. Barbara Meeks came from old money. She’d been married to Bryan Meeks, CEO of Red Tag Advanced Software, which specialized in designing programs for big international companies. In the early interviews, Bryan appeared to be devastated by his wife’s disappearance. After her body was found, he seemed more angry than grief-stricken.

It reminded her of Kade and the rage that still simmered inside him. Was there a chance that Barbara, like Heather, could have been having an affair? She wondered again if it were possible both women were involved with the same man. If that man could have killed them both.

It was a big leap without more information. But the police were certainly considering the possibility, and it fit the theory she was working.

She dug around a little more, searching for a link in the women’s lives, people they both might have known, business acquaintances, hobbies they both might have enjoyed. Neither had children, so there were no connections along those lines. She searched for something that would link Barbara to Coffee Springs but also turned up nothing.

And the eight-year gap made it even harder to establish a connection.

An article mentioned a women’s charity golf event at the exclusive Cherry Creek Country Club, in the neighborhood where Barbara and her husband lived. Barbara also played tennis, but Ellie didn’t think Heather had been involved in either of those sports, and there was nothing in the articles about riding or anything to do with horses.

Ellie sighed, the task seemingly hopeless. She needed to make a trip to Denver to talk to Bryan Meeks. Maybe Barbara’s husband could help.

Ellie left the bedroom in search of Kade and found him behind the dark oak desk in his study. She knocked on the open door, and Kade rose.