Page 46 of Justice for Daesha

“Maybe they belong to the others.”

Something in her voice startled him. “What do you mean, the others?”

Dropping the picture onto the coffee table, she buried her face in her hands for a full minute before she lifted her head and answered. “Chance has two brothers.”

“Brothers? Who?”

Her eyes closed as she hung her head. “Ainsley is the oldest. He owns K-Fabuleuse, the shoe manufacturer.”

Amos knew exactly who they were. They’d become competition for TommyChoo and Louboutin, and they were the latest rage. They’d even started a new line, K-Fabuleux, their division for men’s shoes, and their products were constantly on backorder. “So he makes those shoes…”

“Yeah. The ones with the scenes printed on the insoles. Very popular. And then there’s Benson.”

“Older? Younger?”

“Middle boy. Owns KelsoPerformance.”

That didn’t need explanation. Amos knew all about KelsoPerformance. They made everything from huge touring bikes to dirt track bikes, all custom built and designed to the rider’s specifications and modified and adjusted to fit only that person. He wasn’t familiar with the K-Fabuleuse logo, but he was with the one for the motorcycle company.

And it fit. He stared down at the ring’s design, knowing before he even looked at it that the big swoopy things in it were wings. That was the logo, a shield containing a “K” with wings attached to it. In that moment, he knew he didn’t have to look at the shoe company’s logo. It was the rest of the design, he was sure of it. Grabbing his phone, he went to his search engine and pulled up the KelsoPerformance logo. “Daesha, look at this.” He held his phone down next to the ring and, from out of the design, the KelsoPerformance logo appeared, blended into the one for the percussion manufacturer.

Daesha groaned and grabbed her phone. He watched as she tapped on the screen, and in seconds, she placed it next to the picture of the ring.

It was the K-Fabuleuse logo, and there, on her screen, was the rest of the design. Three logos, but on one ring. Why? And who didn’t want her to have it? The person who killed her thought eventually someone would come along and recognize it, so they got rid of it. Who had it? Amos didn’t know, but he wanted to find out. Something crossed his mind, but he shoved it away. No. That kind of speculation wouldn’t be helpful to anyone.

He knew his next move?talking to Ainsley and BensonKelso. He’d bought half a dozen of the button microphones and he’d only used one. Why did he get the feeling he was going to need every last one of them?

* * *

“Went to Austin yesterday.”

“Yeah?”

“He remembered the ring. Said there was an odd guy who ordered it. Paid cash for it, and it was hideously expensive.”

Amos held his breath. “Was his name Kelso?”

“Yeah! How’d you know?”

“I figured it out.”

“That was a little over fourteen years ago. Man came in, paid for it, gave him the design, and then came back to pick it up. Name, AinsleyKelso.”

Ainsley. Amos knew where he was going next. “Thanks, Cruz. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Give me another call if I can help.”

Switzerland. That’s where the person answering the phone at K-Fabuleuse told him AinsleyKelso was. He’d be back on Thursday. That was too long, but it would have to do. Amos was pretty sure Mack wouldn’t sign off on an expense form to go to Switzerland, at least not unless he was going too.

But he decided to just show up at BensonKelso’s business in Lexington and see what happened. It was every bit as impressive as Chance’s place, and he steeled himself for difficulties.

He needn’t have. As soon as he walked in, a man at the reception desk turned and Amos was face to face with BensonKelso. “May I help you?”

“Um, I came to talk to you, but I didn’t expect you to be out here,” Amos said, shocked.

“My receptionist is out sick today and there’s nobody to answer the phones. I was just checking messages before I go out to the shop. And you are…”

Amos held out a hand, which Benson took and shook. “AgentAmos Fletcher. KDCI.” He could feel the man recoil as soon as he said his name. “I wanted to talk to you about DorindaBlackmon.”

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