Spontaneous - Brenda Jackson [29]
She glanced up to find Duan staring at her. “And you think you’ll be able to crack a case—two cases—in one week? Do you honestly believe that Edward will give something away to make that happen?”
She watched as he dragged in a deep breath. “If cracking the cases was just dependent on me, then I would say no. But I’m not the only one working them. I have four other men in the firm who’re just as determined to solve this, and I consider them the best there are. One is even a former FBI agent. The first thing we had to do was get the Atlanta police to agree to reopen the files. And now that that’s been done, we have technical equipment at our disposal that wasn’t on the market a few years ago. I feel certain if there was foul play in either case, we’re going to find out this time. We have the time, manpower and the resources to do it.”
Kim began pacing as she tried to make sense of everything Duan had said. Moments later, she stopped and glanced over at him.
He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. His expression was unreadable, but she was certain hers showed that she was still upset.
Thinking she had paced long enough, she moved over to the sofa and sat down. “I gather there wasn’t sufficient motive in either case. He couldn’t collect on insurance policies since the women—according to him—weren’t dead, just missing.”
“True.”
“So the only thing you and your friends have to go on is gut instincts?” When he lifted his brow, she said, “Yes, I know all about gut instincts. I dated a detective while living in D.C. It was a short-term affair but long enough to get an idea of how a cop thinks. That’s one of the things he and I didn’t agree on, because people in the medical field, we base our decisions on scientific data.”
“And so do we, to a certain extent,” he said. “The use of DNA proves that. But still, there are times when you know something doesn’t add up, but you just can’t prove it. And unfortunately, there’re not always unlimited funds available to prove your theories. The city of Atlanta was undergoing budget cuts, so without evidence to support a lengthy investigation the cases stayed in missing persons and never made it over to homicide.”
He paused to allow what he’d said to sink in before adding, “Landon Chestnut, the detective who originally worked the second case, felt something was missed in the first, which hindered him from doing a good job. Now he can pursue both with a full team behind him.”
Duan finally moved away from the wall to take the chair across from Kim. He was fully aware that over the past twenty minutes or so, in the midst of their conversations, something was taking place between them that had nothing to do with sex but everything to do with trust. She was upset, understandably so, yet she’d been willing to listen while he explained things.
“I wish I could say that after meeting Villarosas I think Landon is wrong,” he spoke up and said. “But before I flew out here I was able to read documentation on both cases, and I think there’s more to it than two women deciding they no longer wanted to be married and hauling ass, never to be heard from again.”
His opinion did nothing to relieve her anxiety. It only worsened it. “If what you say is true, then how can you think my mother’s life is not in danger, Duan?”
He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs. “First of all, if Villarosas has gotten rid of two wives, he wouldn’t risk there being a third without raising a lot of suspicions. And he and your mother aren’t married yet and he has no reason to think she’s being unfaithful like the other two were. Besides that, he asked about my profession before we left your mother’s house, so he knows I’m an ex-cop. He even knows I’m an ex-cop from Atlanta and he’s probably wondering if I’m familiar with the investigation.”
Kim sighed and leaned back in her chair. “But solving a case can take weeks, months, possibly years. You met my mother, Duan. You saw how her face lit up when Edward got there. She’s fallen for him, and if he’s not what he’s pretending