Page 68 of Murder By Misdirection

Pro stopped and looked at her mother, stunned. “Yeah, that could be. Momma, I gotta get back to work.”

“I’m going to walk around on this lovely spring day. I’m way ahead on my current project, and I haven’t had a day off in ages.”

This made Pro smile. “Enjoy, Momma.”

“I have faith in you, sweetie. If anyone can figure this out, it’s you.”

As her mother walked away, Pro went over to the basement door, where both Bailey and Barker were standing. They snapped to attention.

“You two all right, need a restroom or anything?”

They both relaxed. Bailey spoke, “We’re fine, detective.”

“Bailey if you’re here alone, you have my cell number if you need to be relieved?”

“Yes, detective.”

“Good, Barker, could you come with me please?”

“Yes, detective.”

They stepped out to the sidewalk, where Pro could talk in low tones. “Barker, Julie, I need you to do something for me.”

“What do you need, detective?”

“Go to the precinct and talk to Tom. Ask him to give you copies of the Medical Examiner reports on the victims.”

“You want the autopsies?”

“Whatever Tom has that you can print up and bring me, okay?”

“You got it, detective.”

Pro smiled. “Thanks, Julie, and you can call me Pro, okay? After all, you are dating my partner.”

Barker gave a smile and headed down the block toward the precinct. Pro walked up the steps, back into the building, and inside the offices of Malcolm Shaut.

888

Sitting in the small waiting room, Pro pulled out her first set of pages and went on with the translation. It wasn’t enough to know what the messages said; she wanted to know the person who wrote them, to see if she could get some insights. The email sender “[email protected]” might just be the killer, but she could hardly glean much about him from the short messages.

Each one was only a brief sentence or two, and they consisted of arrangements to exchange money or pass the final plans once the sale was complete. She decided most of the arranged rendezvous took place at a nearby coffee house, where there would be little chance of either person being spotted by interested parties as they planned their sale.

So what went wrong? The messages between Floss and [email protected] seemed remarkably businesslike and simple. Make the sale, get the money, each take their cut. What happened so that Floss ended up dead?

Who had motive to kill Floss or Tanner? Well, it could be one of the buyers. Michael Mystique was one and he ended up dead. But Adrian Novack, aka Adrianna Gray, and Sam Lovell had both been interested, yet they were alive, as was Malcom Shaut. Yet, she didn’t see any of the trio as killers.

And who hacked the email list and downloaded the video from Max’s escape? And for what purpose?

Was there someone not yet seen who was manipulating events and murdering people who got in his way?

She focused on the next email, just as Barker phoned her.

“Pro.”

“I’m at the door, detective,” Julie Barker said.

Pro got up and headed to the door. “Any luck?”