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Chapters (71)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Chapter 1
  5. Chapter 2
  6. Chapter 3
  7. Chapter 4
  8. Chapter 5
  9. Chapter 6
  10. Chapter 7
  11. Chapter 8
  12. Chapter 9
  13. Chapter 10
  14. Chapter 11
  15. Chapter 12
  16. Chapter 13
  17. Chapter 14
  18. Chapter 15
  19. Chapter 16
  20. Chapter 17
  21. Chapter 18
  22. Chapter 19
  23. Chapter 20
  24. Chapter 21
  25. Chapter 22
  26. Chapter 23
  27. Chapter 24
  28. Chapter 25
  29. Chapter 26
  30. Chapter 27
  31. Chapter 28
  32. Chapter 29
  33. Chapter 30
  34. Chapter 31
  35. Chapter 32
  36. Chapter 33
  37. Chapter 34
  38. Chapter 35
  39. Chapter 36
  40. Chapter 37
  41. Chapter 38
  42. Chapter 39
  43. Chapter 40
  44. Chapter 41
  45. Chapter 42
  46. Chapter 43
  47. Chapter 44
  48. Chapter 45
  49. Chapter 46
  50. Chapter 47
  51. Chapter 48
  52. Chapter 49
  53. Chapter 50
  54. Chapter 51
  55. Chapter 52
  56. Chapter 53
  57. Chapter 54
  58. Chapter 55
  59. Chapter 56
  60. Chapter 57
  61. Chapter 58
  62. Chapter 59
  63. Chapter 60
  64. Chapter 61
  65. Chapter 62
  66. Chapter 63
  67. Chapter 64
  68. Acknowledgments
  69. Discover More
  70. About the Author
  71. Also by Allen Eskens

Lila watched as recognition slowly took hold, although Lila didn’t know whether this was a good thing or bad. Niki Vang and her then-partner, Max Rupert, had been the investigators on the Pruitt case, and Lila had been at counsel table with Boady Sanden as he picked their case apart.

To Lila’s great relief, Niki’s face lit up. “Lila Nash. Of course. I thought the name sounded familiar.” They took seats, leaving an empty chair for Andi. “I haven’t seen you around here before,” Niki said. “You just start?”

“They had me in White Collar since March. I just started with Andi this week.”

Niki looked at Gavin Spencer’s file in front of Lila. “What do you think of this one?”

Lila almost answered honestly but thought better of it and said, “The lineup is strong?”

“I think so,” Niki said. “The victim had a visceral reaction once she recognized him.”

Lila thought about asking Niki to clarify what she meant by “once she recognized him,” but Andi entered before she could, nodding to Niki and Matty as she joined them at the table.

“What have you got for me?” Andi said.

The detectives shared a glance before Niki spoke. “I wish we could say we have a lot more than what we had yesterday, but…” Niki slid a piece of paper to Andi. “We had them rush the tox report and they confirmed the presence of GHB—enough to incapacitate a person.”

“Any GHB in the house?” Andi asked.

Matty said, “Crime scene techs covered every inch. Didn’t find a thing.”

Andi laced her fingers into a church and steeple and touched them to her chin, her gaze fixed on the middle of the table as she concentrated. “Maybe the house isn’t the crime scene.”

“We’re pretty sure it is,” Niki said. “Gavin went to the salon at six o’clock on Monday. Add up how long it might take to slip the victim the drug and get her home and we’re looking at about an hour. We have a neighbor saying that she thought she saw the black Bronco drive by around seven. It fits.”

“Did he take his phone to the salon? Can we trace his whereabouts?”

Niki shook her head. “As far as we can tell, the phone never left the house.”

Andi leaned in, keeping her focus on that same spot. “What about computer forensics?”

“Odd thing there,” Matty said. “Preliminary forensics show that the guy used his home computer that day—looking up email and stuff, nothing that helps us—but we couldn’t find a router. He used the internet but had no connection. We think he threw the router away as part of the cleanup. If nothing else, it suggests he had something to hide—that he knew we were coming.”