Leo cleared his throat. “If you want me to find her, I’m happy to look.”
Kendall’s eyes shot to Monk’s. “It’s up to you,” he said.
She nodded but didn’t answer. She didn’t shut the option down, though, either.
“Okay,” Helia said, drawing out the word. “So, what were you two talking about before Dulcie dragged you in?”
Monk wanted to brush the question—the whole topic—off; instead, he filled them in on the gun and the Florida connections.
“Trish?” Helia asked, her expression conveying the same doubt he’d seen earlier.
“I know you think it’s a stretch, but she’s from Florida and is someone from your past who’s reemerged into your life,” Monk said.
“Could she be the woman I heard?” Kendall asked.
“What woman?” Leo and Dulcie replied at the same time. Kurt’s murder had taken precedence, and he hadn’t updated either on what Kendall overheard. He nodded to her to fill them in.
She drew back in surprise, then, as if making up for the momentary lapse of confidence, she snapped her spine straight and repeated what she’d told him.
“It couldn’t have been Trish,” Leo said when she finished.
“Why not?” Kendall asked, curiosity rather than challenge in her tone.
“I did a quick look at her while you were talking, and she flew into San Francisco four days ago. Before that, she was in Miami, but the day Roger died, she was in Hong Kong. I’m not sayingshe wasn’t involved in Roger’s death, but she couldn’t have been who you heard.”
Kendall stared at the phone. “You got all that in the, like, ninety seconds it took me to tell you what I heard?”
Leo chuckled. “Yeah, we’re good like that.”
“So what have you found out about the other two dead guys?” Kendall asked.
Monk cast Helia a questioning look. Should he be worried about her interest? Not in the sense he thought she had anything to do with it, but was it healthy?
Helia’s eyes widened and she shrugged, not having any idea either, apparently. Dulcie cleared his throat and gave a tiny shake of his head. Since he was the only one experienced with kids, Monk decided that, as weird as it felt, he’d trust his brother and let Kendall lead the discussion.
“Nothing new on Flannery,” Leo answered.
“The guy who was found dead in his home a few days ago?” Kendall clarified.
“The same,” Leo confirmed. “I was about to update Monk about Kurt Fisher when you all came into the conversation.”
“And?” Kendall pressed.
Monk leaned back against the sofa. Beside him, Helia tucked her legs underneath her, her body listing into his. Pushing aside whatever Dulcie or Kendall might think, he laid his hand, palm up, on his thigh. Without hesitation, she slid hers over, twining her fingers with his, then rested her head on his shoulder. Dulcie’s eyes bounced between them before settling on Kendall.
“Kurt Fisher did leave the valley to work with a restaurant in San Francisco. That was three years ago. He lasted there about a year and a half, and he’s been bouncing from job to job ever since,” Leo said.
“Addiction issues?” Monk asked.
“There’s some evidence of that, but nothing conclusive. His most recent job is an interesting one, though,” Leo replied. “He works for Wei Zhao. Or rather, he worked for Wei Zhao at one of his smaller enterprises.”
“Which sounds not legit,” Kendall said.
“Zhao operates several legit businesses but has just as many that aren’t. The one in San Francisco that Fisher worked for was a fish import business.”
“Interesting,” Helia said. “Trish is in the import business, too.”
“I imagine Flannery is as well unless all the accessories his mother’s business sells are made in the US,” Monk said.
