Justifiable by Dianna Love, Wes Sarginson Read Free Book Online

she told him she was moving to Philadelphia.
    He’d thought since he controlled her trust fund and, thus, the checkbook, she’d come to her senses.
    Big mistake.
    “I’ve never been interested in corporate law,” she said, digging for her keys when she reached the parking lot. And, more specifically, she was not interested in his corporate legal issues. She hated anything to do with the heartless media business where the end justified the means – to quote her father’s philosophy – and wouldn’t have taken a position with his company for any enticement.
    Admittedly, she’d gotten her stubborn genetic coding from this very man.
    “Kirsten – ”
    “I really have to go. I’m running late for a meeting. What time is the...event on Monday?”
    Another long pause. “I’ve got a call holding. I’ll let you know as soon as I have the exact time.” 
    The call ended, saving her from acting on the urge to shout, “Liar.”   He wouldn’t have called if he didn’t know the time of the new headstone placement down to the second. She could not give in to his badgering and guilt dumps. Not if her hunch was correct about her father’s culpability in her mother’s death.
    Especially if she found the young woman Kirsten’s mother had sent to her for help. Right before the funeral, Kirsten had received a call from a frightened woman who’d given her name as Jane Doe and sounded like she was in her late twenties. Jane said she’d only talk in person and only if Kirsten could help her deal with the FBI. That’s when Kirsten knew in her heart that her mother hadn’t died of natural causes.
    Kirsten had told Jane to meet her at an apartment that belonged to Elicia Halladay, the first person Kirsten had made friends with in the town where she’d attended college.
    Her first and only friend outside the Massey influence.
    After the funeral, it had taken until the next day to get away from her father’s house under the pretense that Kirsten needed time to mourn alone. When she’d arrived at Elicia’s apartment it was empty and both women were gone. 
    Did she believe her father was capable of murder?
    Yes.
    And she’d make him pay for it.
    Powerful men just fell that much harder when brought down by the law.
    Finding Elicia was key to locating Jane Doe, if either one of them was still alive.
    Kirsten spent some part of every day searching for her friend. Elicia trusted one person who lived here in Philly and, based on what Elicia had said, she’d never move away. Kirsten hadn’t found that person yet, but she would.
    Right now, her job was investigating Sally Stanton’s murder and keeping the media – specifically Riley Walker – from interfering while she did. If Walker knew she was taking a closer look at the Stanton murder and agreed with him on several points, he’d dig harder than a dog after a juicy bone.
    The minute he turned this case into anything news worthy, the mayor would come down on Cecelia who would make Kirsten’s life hell. She could have her choice of jobs with her degree, but Philadelphia was the only place she could find out what happened to Elicia and, possibly, Jane Doe.
    Being a DA Investigator gave her access to information and suspecting foul play in her mother’s death gave her a legal reason to be searching for Elicia.
    Kirsten wouldn’t let anyone – especially an ambitious newsman – cost her this position. Nor would she allow Sally Stanton to receive anything less than her best effort in the meantime.
    Walker was no slouch when it came to reporting. He had a dangerous background in the media that someone like her father would respect. Not her. With twenty-four hour security squatting outside Judge Berringer’s residence, there was nothing Walker could get from digging around that location.
    Walker had used his anchor position to film a special that helped Philly PD get some badly needed equipment, but Detective Turner wouldn’t talk to the media about a case either.
    That