Page 32 of Rules of Engagement

"That's what I thought," said Lucas. "I'm following the trail but it's going to take me a few more hours."

"Do MPD know?"

"Not yet."

"Pass on the information discreetly. It would be helpful if they put out a BOLO. Any other news?"

"I'm working on the names from the list. Twenty are dead."

"So, we're down to seventy-seven names?" I asked.

"Uh, not exactly."

"What's not exactly about dead people?"

"I figured someone might want revenge on the dead person’s behalf."

I groaned. It was entirely possible Lucas was correct, but it would be impossible to check every single family member and friend associated with a person who might have been wronged, or felt they were. It wouldn't even be possible to track down everyone associated with the dead people. "There’s a chance someone might, but it doesn't sound right. Shooting a man at close range seems very personal, not to mention the risk involved in attacking someone like Solomon. I think it's got to be more personal. Put those names aside and work on the rest."

"Done. Any news?"

I didn't have to ask what news Lucas meant. "No change," I told him. "Did you get into the secure server? I checked the filing cabinet and couldn't find any employee files."

"Figures. He might not want information like that to be unsecured. I'm running a program for the password."

I hung up and stared at my phone for a moment. I had Solomon's phone in my bag, along with his laptop. If I could work out his password, I could search for any information pertinent to the case. Despite my career, which revolved around nosiness, snooping into Solomon's personal things wasn't my thing. I'd never had any need to prowl through Solomon's private accounts before. He never made me feel suspicious or worried about our relationship and I never even once thought he was up to anything that would hurt me, but this was different. This wasn't about my feelings, it was about what he might have kept from me, or perhaps didn't even think of as a valid threat.

Before I could reach for the phone, the door slid open. "Hey," said Anastasia, stepping into the room with my parents and Garrett immediately behind her. The small room was suddenly full as they huddled in. "I brought you a tea," she said, passing me a cup. "It's from the vending machine but they taste okay."

Mom moved to my side. "Did you get everything you needed from home?" she asked.

"Yes, for now."

"I'm going to make up your old room," she said. "You don't have to go back to your house, if you don't want to."

"I think I'll stay here," I said. What if something happened to Solomon and I wasn’t here? I had to stay.

"That's fine by us," Mom said, glancing to Dad, who nodded. Normally, my mother was a lot less ready to agree so it had to be a sign of how worried she was that she didn't argue. "All you have to do is call us and we'll pick you up. Do you want us to stay longer?" she asked.

"No, that's okay. I know you've been here all night, plus, Anastasia and I will keep each other company and Damien said he's on his way."

Anastasia's head shot up. "You spoke to Damien?"

I nodded. "This morning. He said he'd come."

"I tried to call him from the airport and he didn't answer. He didn't reply to my text messages either."

"He's probably traveling," I suggested.

"Did he say where from?"

"Boston."

"Boston? What is he doing there?"

"He said he took a job there,” I said as Anastasia’s face filled with surprise. “He also said that he would get here as fast as he could."

"I have to take off too," said Garrett. "I'm needed at MPD."

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