The Murder That Never Was (Forensic Instincts 5)

“A lot has happened since we saw you, and before we saw you,” Milo told Ryan and Marc. “But I want you to sign a confidentiality agreement. And we’ll sign whatever contract you need us to.”

“They’ve been prepared.” Casey slid several sheets of paper across the table. “Ours are already signed. The contract is waiting for your signature.”

Milo too

k the pages and scanned them, passing them to Lisa. “Just so you know, this whole situation found us. We’re innocent of any wrongdoing.”

“That’s not quite true,” Marc said. “You’re guilty of identity theft. But we’re not the police. So that information stays in this room.”

“I appreciate that,” Lisa said, signing the documents and passing them back to Milo. “And, for the record, the identity swapping was completely spontaneous and all me. Milo wasn’t involved. I saw Julie Forman shot dead. Given some of the things I’ve done—”

“Your drug running,” Ryan supplied.

A brief pause. “Yes. Anyway, I assumed it was my past coming back to haunt me. So I was desperate to have the people I’d worked for think I was dead. I took Julie’s wallet and cell phone, and planted mine on her. I was too freaked out to function. I ran to Milo.” She gave a small, self-deprecating laugh. “I always have and I always do.”

“And Miles did the rest,” Emma murmured. “He cleaned up after you and created new identities and new lives for you.”

“Exactly.”

“How did you meet Julie Forman? You were obviously close if you were living in her apartment.”

“Not at all. We only knew each other for a week.” Lisa went on to explain Julie’s part in getting her a job at the gym and giving her a temporary place to live. “Our resemblance to each other was a fluke.”

“So you think the cartel figured out the truth and they’re now after you?” Patrick asked.

“That’s what we thought at first,” Milo replied, sliding the fully-executed agreements across the table to Casey. “And it’s still possible. But there’s a hell of a lot more going on here than we knew. We walked right into a completely separate but potentially explosive situation.”

“Which is?” Casey asked.

Milo hesitated. He glanced at Lisa, seeking her permission to fully confide in the Forensic Instincts team. “I trust them, Lis,” he stated frankly. “But you have to also.”

Lisa chewed her lip and then nodded. “Emma sealed the deal. Knowing who set the wheels in motion—and why—convinces me that she and her team are in our corner. So, yes, I trust them. Go ahead.”

Emma was practically glowing. “Thank you,” she said. “We’ll come through for you, I promise.”

“I believe you.”

With that, Milo told the team everything, from the private messages sent by Shannon—including the audio tape she’d attached of her argument with Jim Robbins—to her impending runaway trip to Upper Montclair, to their visit from the Montclair police.

“Now we’re leaning toward the fact that it really was Julie they wanted to kill, not Lisa,” Miles concluded.

Casey leaned forward. “Let’s dismiss the audio tape. From what you’ve told us, there’s nothing solidly incriminating on it. Lisa, tell us what you remember about the shooting. You obviously were up close at some point if you swapped IDs with Julie. Did you see her approaching the apartment? Did you see the vehicle or its occupants? Anything you can remember could help.”

Lisa dragged nervous hands through her hair and stared down at the table. “I haven’t wanted to relive that day, that moment. It was the most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Try. You’re in a safe place now.”

Swallowing, Lisa forced the memories to resurface. “I was sitting outside on the front steps of the apartment. I saw Julie coming. But she wasn’t herself. She was furious, shaking, striding to the apartment like she was about to punch someone. I remember that, because I was scared to death that she’d found out about my past. She was gripping a bag and her purse. In a nanosecond, a dark car came speeding down the street and right up to her. The passenger door opened, and a big, creepy guy with tattoos on his arms got out. He was holding a gun. Before Julie even had time to react, he put two bullets straight into her head.”

“Two gunshots and no one came running?”

“I guess he used a silencer. He had to, because the shots were like muffled pops. Julie crumpled. Everything in her purse flew out. Blood was splattered everywhere. The guy jumped back into the car, and they took off.”

“You’re sure no one else was around?”

“Very sure.” Lisa’s eyes were damp. “I double-checked before I ran to the body. There was blood pooling all around her head. She wasn’t breathing. I checked her pulse. I had to make sure…but she was dead. That’s when I took what I needed from the stuff that had been in her purse—her wallet, her cell phone, her keys, her checkbook—anything tied to her identity. I planted my ID on her body and bolted.”

“Did you take the bag?” Marc asked.