The Perfect Alibi (Robin Lockwood #2)(65)

“I love you, Robin. If anything happened to you…”

“Neither of us can live in a bubble. If I could go back in time, I’d keep you from going into that meth lab, but I can’t, and you can’t go back in time and walk me to my car.”

Jeff started to say something, but Robin silenced him with a kiss.

“Who rescued you?” Jeff asked when they came up for air.

“I’m not saying, because I don’t want to get him in trouble.”

“I won’t tell anyone.”

“You won’t be able to if I don’t tell you the identity of my knight in shining armor.”

Jeff decided it would be futile to pursue this line of questioning.

“Did you hear about Rex Kellerman?” Robin asked to divert Jeff.

“Yeah. Do you think Hastings killed him?”

“I don’t know. And right now, I don’t want to think about Kellerman, Blaine Hastings, or anyone but the sandman.”



* * *



Robin had a splitting headache when she woke up the next morning. Jeff was concerned, but she told him that he shouldn’t worry. Then she took two Advil and fixed a bagel and tea for breakfast. Jeff read the newspaper while they ate. Every once in a while, he would comment on an article, but Robin seemed miles away.

They were almost finished with breakfast when Carrie Anders called to see how Robin was feeling and to ask her to come in to give a formal statement. Robin called her secretary to tell her she’d be in late.

“Do you want me to drive you downtown?” Jeff asked.

“I’ll be able to drive myself.”

“Are you really okay? You seem a little spacey.”

“More than usual?” Robin said, flashing a smile that made it look like she felt a lot better than she actually felt.

Jeff didn’t return the smile.

“I’m okay, Jeff. Please don’t worry.”

“Will you promise me you’ll see a doctor? You could have a concussion.”

“I’ll go right after I give my statement to Carrie.”

Robin went back to her breakfast, and Jeff turned to the sports page. He was about to comment on an upcoming football game when he saw Robin staring into space.

“What is it?” Jeff asked.

Robin frowned.

“Out with it,” Jeff said. “I know when a weird idea is whirling around in your little brain.”

“It’s something Carrie told me. Les Kreuger gave Rex copies of the files in Doug Armstrong’s case. Rex left Les a message on his voice mail. He said he’d found something odd in the files, but he didn’t say what it was. The person who killed Rex burned the files. Could Rex have been killed because he found something in them that put someone in danger?”

“There’s another possibility,” Jeff said. “Paper burns. Maybe the killer just used the files to start his fire.”

Robin sighed. “That’s the most likely possibility. But Frank Nylander went to New York to settle a case against a pharmaceutical company represented by a lawyer named Tyler Harrison. The files in that case were among the files that Les gave to Rex. Leonard Voss was the plaintiff in the case. Both Harrison and Nylander were murdered. Then Leonard Voss and his wife were murdered, and their house was set on fire, just like Rex.”

“And you don’t think that’s a coincidence?”

“I’m starting to think that there are too many coincidences connected to the New York case.”

“Did Rex have anything to do with the New York case?”

“Not that I know, but he might have stumbled onto something when he read the files. Norcross Pharmaceutical is a relatively new company, and the drug that Voss claimed caused his stroke is their first big product. If Voss’s suit had been successful, it could have been devastating for Norcross.”

“You think the company hired someone to kill Voss?”

“I don’t know, but Voss and the lawyers who were representing Voss and Norcross were all murdered within a short time.”

“Assuming Rex found a smoking gun in the files last night, how would Norcross even know about it?”

Robin grimaced. “You’ve got a point.”

“This isn’t our case anymore, Robin. Doug was our client, and you cleared his name. Why waste your time?”

“It just bothers me.”

“If you’re right, poking around in Rex’s case could be dangerous.”

Robin smiled. “You’re sweet, but you don’t have to worry. If I do find something, I’ll tell Carrie and Roger.”



* * *



Robin drove to police headquarters and gave a statement about Blaine Hastings’s assault to Carrie Anders. She pretended not to know the identity of her rescuer, and Anders didn’t push.

“Can I ask you a question?” Robin asked just before she left.

“Shoot,” Carrie answered.

“Something has been bugging me. Does the way Rex died and the way Leonard and Rita Voss died strike you as being similar?”

“I did think about Voss when I drove up to Rex’s house, but I haven’t found anything that ties the two together.”

“Have you had a breakthrough in the Voss murders?”