Page 33 of Dead Man's List

Chapter Four

Mission Valley, San Diego, California

Sunday, January 8, 2:50 p.m.

Sam parked in front of Jennifer Porter’s apartment and took a moment to clear his mind.

Because Kit had called and asked for his help again. He wasn’t sure if his sheer delight was pathetic or normal. But that didn’t change the fact that he’d tingled all over as he’d driven away from New Horizons.

Sam was a helper. He’d known that about himself for most of his life. It seemed seared into his DNA. Helping serve lunch to the teens this afternoon? No big deal. Showing the photos of Davy and Danny Norton to the teens at the shelter? He considered that part of his job.

But helping Kit was different. And helping Kit because she’daskedhim to? It gave him hope that things might eventually work out between them.

That was what he needed to clear from his mind, at least fornow. The hope. Because he was here to do an important but difficult job—talk to a grieving family member about the person they’d just lost.

He’d checked Shelley Porter’s social media posts before he left New Horizons and had noticed a change in her posts over the past six months. They’d become dark and brooding, the photos taken in shadow. Her surroundings had become less tidy, candy wrappers and other trash littering the floor of what appeared to be her bedroom. There had been a thirty-day gap while she’d been in rehab, but in the most recent photo, he thought he’d seen the base of a syringe on the nightstand beside her.

Kit and Connor wondered if whoever had arranged for the trailer wrap had made a deal with Shelley. Offered her something to entice her to break her aunt’s policy of always getting the money upfront.

That might or might not have been the case, but Sam would bet that Shelley had started using again. It hurt his heart. A young life wasted.

And her mother had suffered the consequences as well.

Sam climbed the four flights of stairs and knocked quietly on Jennifer’s door. The door opened, revealing Bran, Jennifer’s boyfriend.

“She’s asleep,” Bran said quietly.

That might be for the best.“I have some follow-up questions that could help the police solve her murder. Can I come in?”

Bran stepped aside. “Of course. Thank you, by the way. You were so good with her earlier. She’s…well, she likes to seem tough, but she’s a marshmallow inside.”

Sam smiled sadly. “I know the type.” That was Kit, through and through. “They don’t make it easy for you to take care of them.”

“That’s God’s honest truth. Have a seat.”

Sam sat on the corner of the sofa. When Bran sat at the other end, Sam said, “I need to ask you more about Shelley. Was she using again?”

“Yes. Jen didn’t want to hear it, but I saw the signs.” He shook his head. “I tried to tell her that Shelley was using again, but Jen shut me down. We actually fought about it, and we never fight. Jen didn’t mention this, but Shelley took two hundred dollars out of the register two weeks ago. She was right out of rehab. I told Shelley that I knew she’d done it, and she got nasty with me. Said if I didn’t back off that she’d tell Jen that I’d made a pass at her. Which I never would have done. Jen’s it for me. I don’t cheat.”

“Did you tell Jennifer this?”

“I tried. She said that I must have misunderstood. I didnotmisunderstand.”

“It’s hard to accept the failings of people you love.”

“I know. So I let it drop. Jen saw Shelley as the little girl she’d helped raise. She lived with her sister Carol and Shelley up until she and I got this place two years ago.”

“Did Carol and Jen speak often?” Sam asked.

“Not every day. I guess you’re wondering why we didn’t go over there before today. To check on them.”

“I did wonder that, yes,” Sam admitted.

“Jen was furious when Shelley texted Tuesday night. She left Jen high and dry, which meant Jen had to do her job and Shelley’s, too. Jen was working late every night this past week and when she came home, she was tired and so mad that she didn’t want to see Shelley’s face. She said it was a good thing that Shelley wasn’t answering her phone, because she’d say stuff she couldn’t take back. She was letting herself cool down.” Bran sighed. “And now there’s the whole trailer thing. That trailer jobwas worth a lot of money for Jen. For Shelley to allow someone to take the trailer without paying, and then she’s killed?” He shrugged, not finishing his thought.

“What are you wondering?” Sam asked gently.

“I’m wondering if the guy offered to pay Shelley in cash on the side, some percentage of the total. Shelley would have kept the cash, then would have thrown a tantrum about how mean Jen was and would have denied everything when Jen discovered the money was never paid. Any amount of cash would have gone straight into Shelley’s arm.”