Like No One Else by Maureen Smith Page B

name?”
    â€œMaribel Cruz.”
    Tommie pursed her lips, searching her memory. After several moments she shook her head, saying apologetically, “The name doesn’t ring a bell. I’ve met hundreds of people after performances, autographed more programs than I can count.”
    â€œThat’s what I figured,” Paulo said.
    â€œWhat did I write?”
    â€œIn the program?” At Tommie’s nod, he said, “You told her, ‘Don’t ever give up on your dreams.’”
    Tommie ate a forkful of waffle and chewed thoughtfully. “She must have been an aspiring dancer,” she mused.
    â€œWhy do you say that?” Paulo asked.
    â€œI meet a lot of aspiring dancers, women who approach me after a performance and tell me how much they’ve always wanted to dance professionally but never had the opportunity. They tell me how much they hate their job because it keeps them from pursuing their dreams. I always encourage them to follow their heart, even though I know better than anyone how hard it is to break into the world of professional dancing.”
    â€œWas it hard for you?”
    Tommie snorted. “Hell, yeah. I’ve been dancing and performing ever since I was four years old, but I didn’t get my big break until I was almost thirty. Before I moved to New York to tackle Broadway, I worked as a legal secretary. The pay was phenomenal, and the firm I worked for was top-notch. But busting my ass as someone’s secretary was not what I wanted to be doing for the rest of my life. So I definitely know where these women are coming from when they tell me…” She trailed off, staring quizzically at Paulo, who had the oddest expression on his face. “What?”
    â€œI didn’t know you were a legal secretary. What was the name of the law firm you worked for?”
    â€œThorne and Associates. Why?”
    He stared at her, his gaze hard and piercing. After a prolonged moment he shook his head, as if to dismiss an absurd thought. “Nothing,” he muttered. “Forget it.”
    But Tommie’s curiosity had been piqued, and something in his demeanor had sent a whisper of unease sifting through her. “Come on, Paulo. What gives?”
    He hesitated, looking grim. “You may have had more in common with Maribel Cruz than you thought.”
    Tommie frowned. “What do you mean?”
    â€œShe was a legal secretary at my family’s law firm.” Paulo paused. “Before that, she worked at Thorne and Associates.”

Chapter 6
    Two hours later, as he waited in Ted Colston’s plush, dark-paneled office suite, Paulo was still mulling over the connection between Tommie Purnell and Maribel Cruz. He didn’t know what to make of the fact that the two women had worked for the same law firm at the same time, and now one of them was dead. It could mean anything. Or it could be nothing more than a disturbing coincidence.
    Except Paulo didn’t believe in coincidence.
    â€œI apologize for keeping you waiting, Detective.”
    Paulo glanced toward the doorway as Ted Colston strode purposefully into the room. He was in his mid-forties, tall and broad-shouldered with a lean, athletic build that suggested he took full advantage of the firm’s state-of-the-art fitness facilities. His dark brown hair was neatly trimmed, not a strand out of place, and he wore an impeccably tailored navy blue suit that reminded Paulo of the story Daniela had shared with him earlier.
    â€œNo problem.” Paulo rose from the visitor chair and shook the other man’s hand, noticing upon closer examination that Colston’s face was haggard, the skin around his blue eyes creased with tension and fatigue.
    â€œThanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me,” Paulo said.
    â€œOf course. Anything I can do to help with the investigation.” Releasing Paulo’s hand, Colston rounded the large mahogany desk to