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comes to identifying the killers?” she asked in her sweetest tones.
    “Nope. I’m good at that, too.”
    He broke off when Paula returned to the table with his coffee and the check for Gwen to sign. Paula hovered while Gwen scrawled her name and a tip on the little slip of paper.
    Paula took the signed paper and departed in the direction of the kitchen.
    “She didn’t look impressed with the tip that you left,” Judson observed.
    “Well, she should have been impressed. It was a good tip. I’ve worked as a waitress. Everyone knows that ex-waiters and -waitresses always overtip, even when the service is lousy.”
    “I’m just saying she didn’t look impressed.”
    “And she doesn’t like cats, either. Forget Paula. Let’s get back to the subject at hand. You said you’re good at identifying the bad guys. So what is the hard part of a murder investigation for you?”
    Judson picked up his coffee. “The complication in situations like this is finding the type of evidence that we can take to the local cops, the kind they need to make an arrest and build a case.”
    “But isn’t that what you and your brother do?”
    “Not exactly,” Judson said. “Mostly we work off the record.”
    “Off the record?”
    “Didn’t Abby explain what it is that Coppersmith Consulting does?”
    Gwen hesitated. “She said you conducted security investigations for a government agency that recently shut down due to severe funding cuts.”
    Judson looked pained, but he did not correct her.
    “That’s true,” he said. “But the great thing about working for our former client was that the guy in charge wasn’t overly particular about the sort of legal technicalities that regular law enforcement has to deal with. Sam and I were hired to gather intelligence and make security recommendations. We were not in the business of making arrests.”
    “I see.”
    “Is there a problem here?” Judson asked.
    “I’m not sure yet. Did your brother warn you that if we do manage to prove that Evelyn Ballinger was murdered, the local chief of police will probably consider me to be the lead suspect?”
    Judson drank some coffee and lowered the cup. “I believe Sam did mention that possibility, yes.”
    “Let’s get something straight here, Judson. I’m employing you to find the person who murdered Evelyn Ballinger, assuming she was murdered. I expect you to do so in a way that keeps me out of jail.”
    “I usually charge extra for that kind of work.”
    She stared at him, speechless for a few seconds. Judson used the time to down more of the coffee.
    “Are you serious?” she finally managed.
    “No.” His smile was cold steel and his eyes burned. “Don’t worry, you’re getting the friends-and-family rate. That means you won’t pay extra for little add-on services like making sure you don’t get arrested for murder. I’ll throw those in for free.”
    “Gosh, thanks.” Her temper threatened to flare, but she wrestled it to the ground. It wasn’t like she had a lot of options when it came to investigators, she reminded herself. “What, exactly, do you propose to do first?”
    “According to
Psychic Detecting for Dummies
, the first step is to visit the scene of the crime.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll do that later tonight when I can get inside without being seen.”
    “There’s no reason to sneak around. As it happens, I have the keys.”
    “Well, hey, that sure makes life simpler. Can I ask why you happen to have the keys to the victim’s house?”
    Gwen braced herself. “Evelyn didn’t have a lot. She spent her life studying the paranormal.”
    “Not a profitable career path unless you’re a scam artist.”
    “No,” Gwen agreed. “But what Evelyn did possess, she left to me.”
    Judson’s brows rose slightly. “This case is getting more interesting by the minute. You do realize that in some circles the fact that you are Ballinger’s sole heir might be viewed as a motive for murder?”
    “Trust me,