Page 92 of Dead Man's List

Veronica leaned in to whisper in her attorney’s ear.

Laura shrugged. “I don’t think that can hurt you. Go ahead.”

“He was in Vegas on a job.”

“A job for whom?” Connor asked.

“For himself. He didn’t just work for Brooks. He was a freelance PI.”

“He isn’t licensed,” Kit said.

“Didn’t need to be. His clients preferred that he wasn’t, actually.”

“Did he own a gun?” Connor asked.

Veronica nodded. “He carried everywhere he went.”

Kit studied the older woman. “Didn’t Munro get angry that you and Grossman were doing the horizontal tango?”

Veronica shrugged. “Maybe. But he was married toher. I had needs. I knew he wasn’t marrying for love, but he did marry her. Up until this past month, he was living with her. I told him when he first married her that I wouldn’t be celibate while he was married.”

“He slept in your condo the night before he died.”

Sadness flickered in Veronica’s eyes. “She was gone. Even when she lived with him, I only got the scraps. He could have divorced her. Could have been with me full time. He liked her money, though.”

“How did he pick Wilhelmina?” Connor asked. “I assume he chose her for her money.”

Veronica glanced at Laura, who shrugged. “Go ahead.”

“He had Walter check out all the available rich women in town. Then Brooks signed up for her yoga class. He could be very persuasive when he wanted to be. He’d done his research, knew all the right things to say. She fell hard and fast.”

“Made him sign a prenup, though,” Kit said.

Veronica lifted one shoulder. “He expected that. He figured he’d take her for all he could get until she divorced him.”

“Then move on to the next rich woman?” Kit asked.

“Maybe. Depended on how much he was able to get from her. He got the house as a wedding present, so that was helpful. He’d had his eye on that property for a long time before he’d even met her. He lived in the general area when he was first elected to the city council, but it was a small house. He wanted more.” Her mouth curved bitterly. “Shewas his ticket to ride.”

“But why?” Kit asked. “Why did he need to marry Wilhelmina? You said he started blackmailing people eight years ago. Why did he need her money?”

Veronica’s lip curled in disgust. “He had money, but he wanted the respectability her name would give him. He wanted to be invited to all the parties. He wanted to be dignified. Plus, she gave him access to rich people that wouldn’t have given him the time of day on his own. And rich people pay more blackmail.”

“And the house?” Kit pressed. “If he wanted it so much, why didn’t he just buy it himself?”

“He didn’t want a record that he’d bought the house with cash, and on paper he wasn’t worth that much before he married her. Her buying the house for him solved the paperwork issue.”

“What about Tamsin Kavanaugh?” Connor asked. “The reporter. His wife said they were having an affair.”

Veronica shrugged. “That was just a fling. We didn’t have the kind of relationship you’re thinking. I didn’t mind his flings.”

“You were married,” Kit said dryly, noting Veronica’s surprise before the woman evened out her expression. “Robbed the cradle there, didn’t you?”

“Detective,” Laura snapped. “Are you finished?”

“No,” Kit said easily. “How did the whole scam start? Were you drinking with Munro and Walter Grossman one night and you all thought it sounded like a good idea?”

Veronica shot her an icy look. “No.” She leaned over to whisper in Laura’s ear again.