The Next Victim by Jonnie Jacobs

think John might be a suspect?" Kali asked Erling, cutting her sister off midsentence.
    "His name surfaced almost immediately. He and Sloane Winslow were locked into a power struggle at work," Erling explained. "They were seen arguing the night of the murder. And a witness reported seeing a Porsche at the Winslow home the night of the crime. The description matches your brother's car."
    "Did this witness see the driver? Get a license plate?"
    Erling shook his head. "But the car he saw had a broken right taillight, as did your brother's."
    Kali squared her shoulders. "That's it?"
    "Your brother claimed he was home alone at ten o'clock Tuesday night last week, but we've got a gas station receipt that says he was out. There were shoe prints along the side of the Winslow house. Size and sole pattern matches a pair your brother had. John owned a twelve-gauge shotgun, same as the murder weapon. He had a box of Winchester number-four shot. And there was gunpowder residue on a shirt of his."
    Sabrina shook her head in disbelief. "There must be some mistake. John wouldn't do something like that."
    "I understand this might not sound like the brother you knew," Michelle said sympathetically, "but we have to look at facts."
    Both sisters appeared dazed. But whereas Sabrina's emotions played out on the surface--a deep flush spread across her cheeks and tears welled in her eyes--Kali's appeared to be under tight control. Despite the set mouth and closed expression, Erling sensed that she was rattled.
    "When will you be releasing John's body?" Kali asked.
    "Later this afternoon." Erling wrote the number of the medical examiner's office on the back of his card and handed it to Kali. "You can call directly or have the mortuary call."
    She nodded and put the card in her purse, then rose.
    Sabrina's arms were wrapped across her chest; her shoulders trembled. She followed Kali in getting to her feet, but her movements were jerky and uncertain.
    "I'm sorry," Michelle said again as they were leaving the room. "I know this has got to have been a shock." She followed the women to show them out.
    When they'd gone, Erling closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. Part of him would have liked to see John O'Brien fry for murder. But another part of him--a bigger part--was relieved that the investigation could be wrapped up quickly without Erling's own involvement coming to light.
    He wondered, not for the first time, if Sloane had told anyone about their affair.
     
CHAPTER 7
     
    Kali stomped up the stairs of the parking garage. Her stomach was churning and her pulse pounding in her ears. She felt as though she'd been tossed in the waves of a heavy storm and was still having trouble finding solid ground.
    Could John truly have killed two women?
    "Slow down, will you?" Sabrina, several paces behind, was gasping for breath. "Kali, please. We need to talk about this."
    "What's to talk about? You heard the detectives."
    "That John was a suspect in those murders, you mean?"
    "Not just
a
suspect. Their
prime
suspect." The detective's words had been like a punch in Kali's gut. She was still feeling the pain.
    "You don't honestly believe he did it, do you?"
    "They didn't pick his name out of a hat, Sabrina. There are reasons they focused on him." Kali slowed to allow her sister to catch up.
    "They can't prove it was him. There could be other explanations."
    "But if you look at it all together--"
    "John couldn't have done it," Sabrina protested. "He's not that kind of person."
    That kind of person
. As if all killers came from the same mold. Kali had enough experience on both the defense and prosecution sides to know that wasn't so.
    "He could have," Kali said. "You know as well as I do what a hothead he could be. Not to mention how damn self-centered."
    Sabrina looked as though she'd been struck. "How can you say such things about your own brother? Especially now, when he's dead." She could barely choke out the words. Tears were streaming down her face.
    "Because