Page 30 of Dead Man's List

“I’d say so. That wound alone would have been enough to kill him, but the slit throat was the mechanism of death. None of the other wounds had sand at the deepest point, so I don’t believe they were done at the same time. The sand was nearer to the skin surface, probably blown in after his body was left behind.”

“Can you tell over what time period the stab wounds were made?” Connor asked.

Alicia shrugged. “At least a day. Maybe two. His fingers were first, I think. That’s all I got. The rest is your job.”

“Yay,” Kit said sarcastically. “So his killer arranges for a wrap to be made for a large trailer, kills the body shop assistant who was likely there when he picked up the trailer—”

“And her mother,” Connor interrupted.

“And her mother,” Kit confirmed. “He then drives to Munro’s neighborhood the next day posing as a landscaper, grabs Munro and his Ferrari, does some damage to Munro there in his garage, then…what? He takes him somewhere else where a mob goes allMurder on the Orient Expresson him?”

“Don’t forget the money,” Connor said.

Kit nodded. “Munro took fifty Gs from the account he shared with his wife the same day that he was nabbed.”

“I have no idea how much it costs to wrap a trailer big enough to fit a car,” Alicia said, “but maybe Munro’s killers used the money he took out of his account to pay the body shop.”

“Nah,” Kit said. “They stiffed poor Jennifer.”

Alicia frowned. “Rude.”

Kit laughed. Outsiders might be offended, but this was howthey dealt with the darker aspects of their job. “My point is, this was an elaborate setup. It took planning. If it was a mob, someone’s going to talk, sooner or later. They won’t be able to help themselves. Either they’ll want to confess or they’ll want to brag.”

Connor made a face. “Hope they break sooner versus later. We’re late for the deadline Navarro set for today’s update. He’s probably getting all kinds of questions from the higher-ups.”

Kit sighed. “I know. I’ve been putting it off, but it’s time to bite the bullet. Let’s go talk to the boss. Let us know if you find anything important when you autopsy the newest victims.”

“Will do.” Alicia waved. “Thanks for the sandwich.”

San Diego PD, San Diego, California

Sunday, January 8, 1:45 p.m.

“Where did he get the trailer to begin with?” Navarro asked.

Kit had a headache and was craving a quiet moment. “Good question. We need to check the reports of stolen vehicles. We also need subpoenas for Munro’s bank records. He transferred fifty grand from his and Wilhelmina’s joint account to one of his personal accounts on Wednesday. That was the last day he was seen alive. We need to know where that money went.”

Navarro frowned. “What do you think about Dr.Batra’s theory of more than one killer?”

Kit shrugged. “It’s certainly possible. We’ve already got a suspect list a mile long. A lot of people seemed to have loved him, according to the printed-out emails we found in his home office. Lots of fawning and gratitude for things he’d done for them. But a whole lot of people hated him, too. There were nearly as many threats as thank-yous. We’re assuming that if Munro was stabbed by multiple people, at least one person was incharge. Someone needed to plan for the trailer and for the stab fest, if there was one.”

“You sound skeptical,” Navarro noted.

Kit shrugged again. “No, just…I’m afraid to pick a path this early. We don’t have enough information.” She glanced at Connor, who appeared deep in thought. “What?”

“Why Anza-Borrego? Why not leave him in the trailer and park it somewhere? He wasn’t worried about someone finding Shelley and her mother. Why try to hide Munro’s body? He couldn’t have believed we wouldn’t trace the trailer.”

“You’re right,” Kit said. “I don’t know.”

“Well, find out,” Navarro snapped. “And quickly.”

Kit had to bite back a retort. Navarro was their boss, after all. “We could use some help running down leads and shortening our suspect list. You said that you’d give us some help.”

“Marshall and Ashton just finished a case. They’re yours for now. Have them do the paperwork. Background checks of your lead suspects, subpoenas of Munro’s accounts, that kind of thing. I want you two interviewing witnesses. Figure out if it was one guy or a group. But quickly.”

“We got that part,” Kit muttered. “Can we get a subpoena of Wilhelmina’s finances, too? She had motive and means. She has more than enough money to hire this done.”

Navarro grimaced. “You’ll need to get more evidence, I think. She was the one who called it in.”