Free The Next Victim by Jonnie Jacobs

that much of the company's legal work was handled by outside counsel. Nash would be the point person, but not someone who wielded a great deal of power or influence.
    "Please, have a seat. Would you like some coffee? It's actually a step above what you find in most offices."
    "No, thank you."
    Nash waited until Kali was seated, then settled himself and straightened some papers on his desk. Kali noticed a folded newspaper among them. This morning's edition, no doubt, which contained an account of John's death and a recap of the earlier murders. She and Sabrina had read it over breakfast.
    "What can I do for you, Ms. O'Brien? Did you come for your brother's personal effects?"
    "In part. My sister and I will have to settle his affairs. But I want information as well." She'd come to see Reed, but in many respects the attorney was actually a better choice. He wouldn't be as personally invested.
    "Information about stock options, death benefits, and the like?" He reached for a file from the stack to his left.
    Kali's mind hadn't even begun to deal with the minutiae of her brother's estate. She was still reeling from the shock of his death.
    "That too," she said. "But what I really want is to know about Sloane Winslow's murder."
    Nash sat back in his chair and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. His expression was pained, but softer too. More human. It suited him better than the bland mask of corporate counsel.
    He sighed. "It's been a terrible week for us. Terrible every way you look at it."
    "You know the police considered my brother a suspect?"
    Nash nodded. "The police spoke with a number of us and the local media have been on the story from the start."
    "What was the general feeling here--that the police were right, or that they were way off track?"
    Nash cleared his throat, looking uneasy. "Nobody
wanted
to believe it. John is...he was a likable guy. He got along well with people, myself included."
    Kali nodded and waited for Nash to continue.
    "We all knew John had a personal in with Reed, and to be honest, in the beginning it was a bit of a concern for those of us who'd been with the company for many years. But John never took advantage of their relationship. He was well liked and respected."
    "Nobody wanted to believe it," Kali prompted, "but?"
    "But as more and more evidence pointed in his direction..." Nash made a gesture of helplessness with his hands. "I assume the police have gone over their reasons with you?"
    "In broad terms, yes. I understand that there was some tension between him and Sloane Winslow."
    "Well, yes." Nash hesitated. Kali couldn't tell if it was simply because he was unwilling to speak ill of the dead, or if he held back for other reasons. "They had different visions for the company," he continued finally. "John and Reed were focused on maximizing profits with an eye toward being bought out by one of the larger chains. Sloane wanted to keep it in the family."
    "Is it true she wanted to get rid of John?"
    The hesitancy again. "She was lobbying to replace him," Nash said reluctantly.
    In other words, the cops had been right. John had motive. At least in theory.
    "How did Reed feel about it?" Kali asked.
    "He was the one who brought John on board. I think he felt like he was caught in the middle."
    "Did the police question him?" Sloane might have been trying to oust John, but Reed shared John's vision for the company--a vision that was now more secure with Sloane dead.
    Nash again pushed his glasses higher on his nose. "They questioned all of us. Reed was never a suspect, if that's what you're getting at. He was at a business function the night Sloane was killed."
    "Does
he
think John did it?"
    "You'd have to ask him that. The official company position is that guilt or innocence is best left to the legal system."
    Kali imagined that as general counsel, Nash had a hand in formulating that position. Not that she could fault him for it. It was a by-the-book response, one that she herself would