I knew exactly what she was talking about because it had kept me alive on many occasions.
“Mila, you should know that with any murder investigation, the victim’s life, as well as that of the people close to her, is picked apart, scrutinized to the point of violation. Until law enforcement finds the answers they’re seeking, they keep probing. Oftentimes, families feel as though the victim becomes the suspect.”
“I understand.”
“Do you? Because if there is anything about your sister’s life that led to someone wanting to murder her, it will be uncovered.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“They’ll look into who she associated with, her finances, her employment history, even her sex life will be dissected.”
Mila nodded slowly, analyzing everything I’d just said.
“Your life may be dissected as well.”
“Mine? Why mine?”
“Family are usually among the first suspects. Although I guess the politically correct wording now is ‘persons of interest.’” I heard my phone buzzing in the other room, not the one I left near where I’d been standing in the kitchen. This was the one in the office.
“Excuse me a minute.” I stood and walked over to the door, touched the handle with the tip of my index finger, and it unlocked.
When I picked the phone up from the desk, I saw a familiar name on the screen.
“Hello, my friend,” Rile said when I accepted the call after closing the office door.
“Rile.”
“I just left Z’s office. He got an alert that you scanned someone new into the ranch’s security system.”
“That’s right,” I said, but what I really wanted to ask was why that was any of Rile’s business.
“Is there anything we can do to assist?”
“With what?”
“Your investigation.”
“I’m confused, Rile. Less than twenty-four hours ago, I found a woman on the side of the road, who died a few minutes later. Today, her sister flew in to identify the body. There is no investigation.”
“Yet.”
“How do you know so much about it when the cause of death still hasn’t been released?”
Rile chuckled. “You will find that’s almost always the case.”
“Are you going to clue me in?”
“When the time is right.”
I didn’t like the game Rile was playing one fucking bit, and I said so.
“You remain need-to-know, my friend. Sign the contract, and perhaps that will change. In the meantime, see what you can get Miss Knight to tell you about the gentleman who accompanied her to Texas.”
I knew plenty already without having to ask Mila about Adler Livingston. He was an arrogant, narcissistic bastard who didn’t give two shits about her.
“Decker?”
“What am I looking for?”