“Fill me in on everything,” Malone said.
Trent’s phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “It will just be a second,” he said, and answered.
“Unbelievable.” Malone sat back with his coffee.
Saved by the ringing phone…Amanda scarfed downed her carbs, taking delight in every huge bite. Not exactly something to be proud of, but damn it, she’d earned the calories.
“Thanks.” Trent sounded dejected as he put his phone away. “The search has been called off. There’s no sign of the woman.” He looked at her as if he expected her to say something.
Amanda couldn’t have responded if she wanted to. Her cheeks were puffed out, full of delicious donut.
“All right, let’s back up here,” Malone said. “Amanda told me about a woman at the scene… Let’s start at the beginning.”
Amanda gestured for Trent to do the honors while she inhaled the rest of her donut.
After Trent caught Malone up, he leaned forward. “So, let me get this straight. You two think someone was hired to kill Dominique Sharp, but she messed up, so she’s back to finish the job?”
She finished her treat, wiped her fingers off, and tossed her napkin in the bag with Trent’s. “You can’t dismiss that it seems someone is awfully intent on killing Dominique. A hired gun is something we need to consider.”
“A female hired gun, at that.”
“Why not?” She angled her head, challenging him.
Malone held up a hand. “It was just a comment. It’s just not exactly something you run into every day.”
“I’ll give you that.”
“We can’t ignore the evidence. The murder method with the two taps to the chest, one to the head,” Trent laid out. “And the rounds were fired from a gun with a silencer. Someone who wants to get in and out without being seen or heard.”
“Huh.” Malone shared his gaze with the two of them, going from one to the other. “So you’re both stuck on this being a gun for hire?”
Trent nodded. “I am.”
Amanda seconded that and added, “We need to get protection on Dominique Sharp, but she’s not being what you’d call cooperative.”
“Even though she must know her life is in danger?”
“Even though…” Not that it was something Amanda could understand.
“What is it with some people?” Malone shook his head. “Where is she now?”
“Set up in a hotel room with officers posted at her door,” Amanda told him.
“That’s something at least.”
“Something, I guess.” There was no way to hide that she wasn’t impressed with Dominique’s attitude about police protection. “She still insists on going about her life like normal. That includes going to work at her firm.”
“Even after everything that happened? And the fact her boyfriend is under the knife?”
“Lovernot boyfriend,” Trent corrected. “She’s put him into a box with a label that suggests the relationship is nothing more than a series of booty calls.”
“To each their own. Still, the question remains. She’s not responding like one would expect.”
“Nope. Apparently, Dominique wears accumulatingenemies as some type of badge of honor. She’s going to have her assistant gather all threats against her together. She’s also agreed to share all the paperwork connected to the purchase of the DC law firm.”
“The threats could present us with a bunch of rabbit holes, making it hard to know which one to go down.” Malone grunted when he shifted in his chair and shot her a look.
With that, she didn’t dare ask about his back. “They might, but I don’t see what choice we have.” She just hoped there weren’t too many threats to wade through. Too many suspects could be just as problematic as too few.
