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home.â
What he said made sense. The police would take Renee and Momâs statements, then release them. They might take Ina in or release her. It was difficult to say, but her questioning would take longer.
âShould we call Seth?â I asked. âHe helped me through questioning last time.â
âIâm going to call Seth, but for a referral for an experienced criminal lawyer. Something tells me this might need more legal muscle. Find out if Ina has a lawyer. If not, we can use the referral.â
âOh, crap!â I said into the phone, remembering something. âSeth and Zee are still out of town.â Their daughter, Hannah, had recently moved with her husband to Chicago. Seth and Zee had taken off for a couple of weeks to spend Thanksgiving with them and then see friends who lived in the Midwest.
âI can still call him,â said Greg. âIf I donât reach him, Iâll call Steele.â
I groaned. Mike Steele was my obnoxious boss. He had a sick love for my stumbling in and out of trouble, but he was a kick-ass attorney, though not in the field of criminal law. âBut call Seth first,â I insisted. âWe could even call Clark, who could ask Willie. Iâm sure Willie knows lots of experienced criminal attorneys. Or even Dev, though Iâm not sure I want Dev knowing I stumbled upon another body.â
âAll good ideas, sweetheart. One way or another, weâll find Ina an excellent lawyer.â
I held the phone like a lifeline, worried about my next question. âGreg, do you think Ina might have had something to do with Tomâs death? She did seem genuinely shocked when she saw the body, but you never know.â
âInaâs no angel, and she and Tom have always had problems, but I canât imagine her killing anyone.â
Iâm sure the families of most killers thought that. I did not voice my thoughts to Greg.
âBut either way,â he continued, âsheâll need competent legal help to get through this. If she and Tom were having problems and Tom was cheating, the cops will see it as motive. I sure hope she has a good alibi.â There was a pause, but it wasnât followed by swearing. âFor once, Iâm glad you were there when a body was found. Iâd hate to think of Ina going through this on her own.â
I tapped the phone to make sure Iâd heard correctly. âSo youâre not going to tell me to keep my nose out of it?â
âI think this is the perfect time for both of us to stick our noses into something.â He cleared his throat. âOf course, only if Ina is implicated.â
Yeah, right. I know my husband. Even if Ina is totally cleared as a suspect, Greg will want to get to the bottom of who killed Tom Bruce. He may not have liked Tom, but the killing was too close to home for him to stay out of it.
I glanced back at the locker to find the police moving everyone out of the area. The group of bystanders, including Ina, Renee, and Mom, was being herded once again, but this time toward the front of the storage compound.
âHoney, I have to go. Theyâre clearing the area.â
âIâll be there as soon as I can. Stick close to Ina. The moms will probably be okay, but who knows what might come out of Inaâs mouth under the circumstances.â
âAye, aye, captain.â I love it when my hubby exerts his take-charge personalityâwell, I love it when it doesnât collide with my own pig-headed streak.
four
When I caught up to the crowd, they were being held in an area just inside the front gate of Elite Storage. The police were methodically working through everyone, taking names, contact information, and short statements. It looked like we might be here a good long time. Kim Pawlak sensed the same thing and disappeared into the office, returning with two folding chairs for Renee and Mom, for which I thanked her.
Ina was off to the side. With