Fatal Secrets - Desiree Holt Page 0,31

was pulled back into a neat ponytail that left the graceful line of her face exposed. She was one of the few women who actually looked good without makeup, her long chocolate-brown lashes casting a soft shadow on her cheeks as she looked down at the screen of her tablet. He knew they shielded eyes the color of melted chocolate that flared with heat during orgasm.

The soft sweater she wore draped lightly over breasts that had filled his hands and then some. Breasts he’d squeezed while he licked and sucked her delicious nipples. Shoulders that he’d rained kisses on and—

Stop that, damn it!

If he didn’t, his cock would bust out of his fly, breaking the zipper and causing him huge embarrassment. He needed to send his brain on a detour.

“Tell me more about your friend,” he told her. “You gave me all the details about that night and the crime itself, at least as much as you’ve been able to find out. Tell me about Justine herself.”

Zoe blew out a breath. “She was tough as well as very nice. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but she never gave an inch when she knew she was right about something. Warren Craig, her boss, said that was what made her a good paralegal.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but exactly what does a paralegal do?”

“No problem. He or she drafts documents for an attorney. Often facilitates filing them. Does legal research. They had so many cases in the county prosecutor’s office where she worked that she was busy 100 percent of the time.”

“Just so I’m clear. She had information and did research on cases they filed against criminals.”

Zoe nodded. “She came across a lot of information that way, stuff that was very private and protected. Some of it they had to share with defense attorneys, but only whatever the law stated.”

“Okay. We’ll come back to that later. Go on.”

“Well.” Zoe blew out a breath. “When they had high-profile cases going on, sometimes she didn’t even get weekends off.”

“And did the prosecutor work those same hours?

“He did. But,” she added real fast, “if you’re thinking there was something going on between the two of them, there wasn’t. Warren was, and still is, a happily married man There’s never been a breath about extramarital activities. If there was, and Justine knew about it, she would have told me. We confided things to each other we couldn’t tell anyone else.”

“Unless it involved her,” he added.

“I’m telling you, no.” She almost shouted the word. “I know you can’t really know anyone as well as you think, but I’ve got great instincts. That’s what makes me so good at my job. So get off that track.”

“Okay. Whatever you say.”

But he didn’t think he was as trusting as Zoe. He’d make sure to ask Hank to check into it, although he wasn’t sure what could be found ten years after the fact.

“Yes,” she insisted. “Whatever I say.”

“So, who else did she come into contact with?”

“Okay.” He slid a glance at her. Saw her scrolling through her tablet. “Here are the people I checked into at the time and have been keeping an eye on since then. Some of them have kept the story going. Drake Temple is a reporter for the Helena paper, although he’s mostly on the digital side. We call him Mr. Instant News.”

Sean nodded. “Yeah that’s an area that’s really grown since it started. Not that I read the news much these days, but when I do, it’s easier just to punch it up on my phone.”

“Even in places like Helena, Montana,” she teased.

“You said he’s still following it, even after all this time?”

“Yes, he’s like me. A dog with a bone who never lets go.”

“We should make arrangements to talk to him.”

“I agree.” She tapped the tablet screen to bring up another document. “Cal Woodrow was in the local public defender’s office then. Now he runs it. He and Justine had a lot of clashes, mostly on the minor cases. But he respected her a lot and always felt we were missing something”

“That it?”

“No.” She shook her head. “John Garcia, a young attorney who was just starting on Warren Craig’s staff at the time. Justine did a lot of research for him and also drafting of documents. He thought the cops should dig into some of those cases. Both his and Warren’s. There were some pretty high-profile people under investigation then.”

“I’m guessing nothing came of that.” He was beginning to get a weird