Shots in the Dark by Allyson K Abbott Page B

to put the name forth, because it would only muddy the waters by providing another viable suspect and creating reasonable doubt, but if that’s the case, they’ll never admit to it. It would land them in a lot of hot water if they got caught hiding or suppressing evidence.”
    â€œWell, figuring out who the mystery man might be is a starting point,” Holly said. “Though I’m not sure how we can go about it. If the legal teams, with all their resources, couldn’t come up with it, I don’t know how we can.”
    I nudged Cora. “If we could find a way to get ahold of Tiffany’s computer or phone, do you think you could dig something up?”
    â€œIt’s possible,” she said with a halfhearted nod. “But how are you going to get them? I imagine they’re logged in as evidence somewhere.”
    â€œI’m sure the defense team is working on appeals,” I said. “They’d be able to request the evidence, wouldn’t they? Maybe we should talk with them and let them know we’re trying to exonerate their client.”
    Clay shook his head. “Except anything Cora found would not only be inadmissible, but it would likely also be considered evidence tampering. And that would jeopardize the appeals process.” He paused and shook his head again. “They’ll never go for it.”
    I looked around at the group members. All of them were wearing thoughtful expressions as they pondered the problem, and I had faith in their brainstorming abilities. Then Alicia proved me right.
    â€œYou know, we women tend to have confidantes,” she said, looking over at Holly and smiling. “We need to find out who Tiffany’s confidantes were and talk to them. If she was having an affair, a confidante would know.”
    â€œGood idea,” Joe said, slapping his thigh.
    Cora started tapping on her keyboard. “Maybe I can get some ideas by taking a look at Tiffany’s social media. I’ll see what I can find.”
    â€œDid she work anywhere?” Carter asked. “Coworkers often become confidantes.”
    â€œThey sometimes become secret lovers, too,” Sam added, bringing his psychological knowledge to the mix.
    Clay said, “She didn’t need to work. Her family money saw to that. She did do some volunteer work, though she dropped it several months before she was killed. Maybe she met someone there.”
    â€œIt’s worth looking into,” Carter said. “Do you know where it was?”
    Clay nodded. “She volunteered at a local animal shelter.” He then provided the name of the place.
    â€œSo how should we divvy up the duties?” Carter asked of no one in particular.
    One of the newer members, high school physics teacher Stephen McGregor, said, “If someone can get me any information about the car and the bullet trajectories, I can take a look at them to see if the physics fit with Middleton’s story.”
    I glanced over at Clay with a questioning look. “Did they present any information along those lines at the trial?”
    He nodded. “They did, and the trial was televised. There should be footage showing the original evidence and displays. I know someone who worked on it. I’ll see if I can get a copy.”
    â€œThanks, Clay,” I said, thinking the devil might prove to be a valuable team member, after all. “I plan on heading up to the Waupun Correctional Institution tomorrow to have a chat with Ben Middleton, if it can be arranged, but I haven’t spoken to Tyrese yet, so I’m not sure if that plan will fall into place. If I can’t do it tomorrow, I’ll get to it as soon as I can.”
    â€œWho is Tyrese?” Clay asked.
    â€œHe’s a local cop and a member of this group,” I said. “He helps us out when he can with stuff he feels comfortable doing.”
    Clay nodded thoughtfully. A silence fell over the group as the