"You, too. I wasn't sure you were at the same number. It's been a long time."
"It has. You look tired. Still working night and day in pursuit of truth and justice?"
"Pretty much."
"I've been following your career, and that piece on Congressman Merkle was an amazingly detailed exposé, Haley. The way you laid out the story from start to finish…it was impossible to stop reading. You have a gift for making a story come alive."
"Thanks. I worked on that story for several weeks, and I wasn't sure I would be able to generate enough hard, irrefutable evidence to get the paper to publish, but it finally happened, and Congressman Merkle is going to jail."
"Because of you."
"I just put a spotlight on him and hoped law enforcement would do the rest. Thankfully, they did."
"They should have been the ones to uncover the story, not you, but I don't find local law enforcement to be too bold or innovative, especially when it comes to powerful people," Julia said. "One big reason why I left my job after twenty years of service. I was starting to believe justice wasn't the goal anymore." Julia paused. "What can I do for you? You said you wanted to talk about Landon?"
"Yes. A woman named Sabrina Lin contacted me yesterday, claiming she had information on Landon's death. She set up a meet in Griffith Park at seven o'clock last night."
"That's not a good place for a meet," she said, her gaze narrowing. "Why wouldn't you insist on a more crowded setting?"
"I didn't think she was a danger to me. But it turns out she was a danger to herself. I was about to talk to her when she was shot with some kind of poisoned dart. She died within seconds."
Julia's brow shot up as she set her coffee mug down hard on the table. "She was murdered right in front of you?"
"Pretty much. I was a short distance away. I never got a chance to talk to her, unfortunately, and when I heard someone in the woods, I took off."
Julia's expression didn't change, but her posture shifted almost imperceptibly—the cop in her taking over. "You didn't call it in?"
"Not right away. I just wanted to get out of there. And she was already dead. I called 911 about fifteen minutes later." She took a sip of her coffee, even though this was her fourth cup and she was already over-caffeinated. But she felt like she needed it to keep going.
"What do you know about this woman?"
"She was a lawyer at Adler and Briggs."
"That's a top firm with high-end clients. What's her connection to your brother?"
"She was a student at Westbridge Law School when Landon died, but she was older than him. She wasn't connected to him or the fraternity. At least, I don't think she was. I can't figure out why she'd suddenly have information about his death six years later. But I think someone killed her so she couldn't talk to me. The timing seems too coincidental to be anything else."
"It certainly feels like the two events are connected," Julia said. "I don't recall Sabrina Lin's name coming up in my investigation."
"I was wondering if you could double-check your files and see if you ever made a note about her."
"I'll do that. But I don't think her name is in the file, and, as you know, the investigation didn't go on long."
She nodded, still angered by how quickly the police department had accepted the verdict of accidental death. Although Julia had not been so quick. She had been the one bright, shining light back then, someone who actually seemed to care, but the department had forced her to move on to other cases. "I appreciate anything you can do, Julia. Landon's investigation came to an abrupt end, but if we can find out what Sabrina learned, maybe we can get it reopened."
"I'll see what I can find out about what happened at the park last night. I still have some friends in the LAPD."
"The FBI is investigating, not the LAPD. An agent showed up at my door this morning."
"FBI, huh?" Julia murmured. "What's the agent's name?"
"Matt Lawson. Do you know him?"
"No."
She paused, drawing in a quick breath. "I haven't told you everything. When Sabrina fell to the ground, she dropped her phone. I grabbed it and ran."
"You have her phone?" Julia asked in surprise.
