Unless the woman with the bracelet found her first.
Headlights swept across the parking lot. Tessa moved to the window, pulse racing.
Blue Honda. Maya's car.
Relief and fear tangled together in Tessa's chest. She watched as Maya parked, got out, looked around the parking lot with the same wariness Tessa had been feeling all day. Good. Maya was being careful.
Tessa waited until Maya was at the door before opening it, quickly pulling her friend inside and immediately locking the deadbolt and chain behind her.
"Holy shit, Tessa." Maya wrapped her in a hug that Tessa returned fiercely, holding on longer than normal, feeling safe for the first time since finding Victor's body. "Are you okay? What the hell is going on?"
And that was the question, wasn't it? What was going on? What had Tessa stumbled into when she'd walked into Victor's house and found him dead? What danger was she in, and how did she escape it?
"I need your help," Tessa said, her voice steadier than she'd expected. "And I need you to believe me when I tell you what I think happened."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Kari sat on the hotel bed surrounded by printouts and her laptop, trying to piece together Dr. Jennifer Caldwell's lawsuit timeline. It was nearly nine PM, and she'd been at this for two hours, cross-referencing court documents with news articles and public records.
The lawsuit itself was straightforward—Caldwell and several advocacy groups challenging the Sunset Ridge Resort's environmental impact assessment and permit approvals. Filed in March of the previous year, it had progressed through initial hearings with what looked like solid legal footing. Expert witnesses lined up, documentation prepared, media attention building.
Then, in July, Caldwell had filed a motion for discovery that would have required Sterling to turn over internal communications about the project. Two weeks later, she'd abruptly withdrawn from the case. The other plaintiffs had continued for another month before settling quietly.
Kari pulled up the Phoenix PD database that Maria had given her temporary access to and searched for any reports involving Caldwell's name and address during that period.
Three hits.
The first was from last June—a harassment complaint about repeated phone calls from unknown numbers. No action taken beyond documentation.
The second was from early July—vandalism report. Someone had spray-painted "DROP IT OR ELSE" on Caldwell's garage door. Photos were attached to the report.
The third was from late July, after the lawsuit had been dropped—Caldwell's car keyed in the ASU parking lot. Minor property damage, no suspects.
Kari stared at the reports, feeling her anger build. Caldwell had been intimidated into dropping her lawsuit. Phone calls, vandalism, property damage—an escalating pattern of threats designed to scare her into backing down.
And it had worked.
She checked the time. Late to call, but this couldn't wait. Kari pulled up the number Caldwell had given them earlier and dialed.
Caldwell answered on the fourth ring, her voice wary. "Dr. Caldwell speaking."
"Dr. Caldwell, this is Detective Blackhorse. I'm sorry to call so late, but I found something I need to ask you about."
A pause. "You couldn't have asked me about it earlier when we met?"
"I came across the police reports from last year. The harassment, the vandalism, the threats. That's why you dropped the lawsuit, isn't it? Not because of legal fees."
Silence stretched for several seconds. Then: "Can this wait until tomorrow? I'd prefer to discuss this in person."
"I understand, but we're running out of time to help Thomas Hatathli. If you know something relevant to these murders—"
"It's not about what's relevant," Caldwell interrupted, her voice tight. "Discussing these things over the phone, this late at night, when I'm alone in my house... you'll have to forgive me if I'm not comfortable with that."
Kari understood immediately. Caldwell was scared, even now, a year after the threats had stopped. "I can be at your office in thirty minutes if you prefer."
The line was silent. Kari had to check her phone to make sure the call was still going.
"Dr. Caldwell, were the threats serious enough that you believed your life was in danger?"
