MULTIPLE MOTIVES (The Kate Huntington mystery series Book 1) by Kassandra Lamb

see if there’s anybody related to one of them that might have a major grudge against us.”
    “Anyone you come up with, you give me their names and let me do my job!” Phillips ordered.
    Kate resisted the temptation to point out that if he’d been doing his job in the first place, her sister might not have ended up in the hospital.
    Out in the parking lot, Kate’s ride was waiting. Mac leaned against the front fender of his Hummer, arms folded across his chest. He nodded toward Rob’s car several rows over, where Lou, Rob’s bodyguard, was sitting. “He your hired muscle? Not real subtle.”
    “Made him, huh?” Rob said.
    “Made both of ’em. Only ’cause I know what to look for. Most people don’t. That one’s good. Discreet.” He pointed with his chin toward Skip’s dark blue Explorer. “Truck parked where it ain’t obvious, but he can pull out quick if need be.” He paused. “Did a tour at Fort Meade, when I was Special Forces. Worked for Langley awhile too.”
    To Marylanders, Fort Meade was shorthand for the National Security Agency, and Langley, Virginia was where the CIA’s main offices were located. Mac was letting Rob know that he had experience with covert operations.
    “That was quite some time ago though,” Kate said.
    “Kinda like ridin’ a bike, sweet pea. Not somethin’ ya forget. Where we havin’ this war council tonight?”
    “Liz wants in on this so it has to be at my house,” Rob said.
    “I’ll get us some carryout after work,” Kate offered. “We should be there about six.”
     
    That evening, they found Liz–in shorts and a polo shirt that matched her green eyes–propped up in the corner of the Franklins’ family room sofa. Her legs were stretched out along its length. The cast on her right thigh had been replaced with a bright red brace. The lacings on it made it look like she was wearing a corset on her leg. Her left ankle and foot were now ensconced in a walking cast, the outer layer of which was a navy blue canvas boot with velcro straps. It was twice the size of regular footwear.
    Kate was relieved to see that, despite the brace and ugly boot, she looked good. The bruises were gone from her face and her short, strawberry blonde hair had regained its luster.
    “Mac, you devil! Come over here and give me a kiss,” Liz said in her booming voice, so incongruous coming from her petite body.
    Mac grinned and went over to give her a peck on the cheek. They all took seats and the war council was convened.
    An hour later they’d polished off the Chinese carryout and had the beginnings of a plan. Skip would continue shadowing Kate during the day, so Mac could check on his restaurant. He would take over in the evenings, sleeping on her living room sofa, his Glock within easy reach.
    Rob and Kate would start digging through their files. Once they had some likely suspects identified, Mac would track them down to see what they had been up to lately.
    Liz had pointed out that she could handle any computer research needed. She admitted to having some limited skills as a hacker.
    Rob looked at her, appalled.
    “They’re rusty. Haven’t used them in years,” Liz hastily added. “But desperate times call for desperate measures.”
    Mac confessed to having a small arsenal in the back of his truck, most of it legally registered. Wednesday afternoon he would take Kate to his favorite spot, in the rural northern part of the county, for some target practice. She wasn’t enthusiastic about learning to shoot a gun, but Mac was adamant.
    “Once we have the suspects narrowed down,” she said, “maybe we can figure out how to lure the killer out–”
    “Too dangerous, sweet pea.”
    She stifled a surge of irritation. “Mac, I can’t turn names over to the police until we’re fairly sure the person is the killer, and we can’t go on like this forever. Rob can’t afford the bodyguards. You’ve got a business to run. And I’m not willing to live in constant fear