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“I don’t know. Whywould they give me details like that? Is there anything else I can help with?”
Amber guessed thatwas all she was going to get from this call, but it still felt like a lot.
“No, that’s all.Thank you for your time.” Amber hung up and turned to the others, trying towork out how important the information she’d just heard was. “So we have alawyer who has a connection to both victims and who was fired about a month agofor something that doesn’t sound normal.”
“What do you makeof it?” Simon asked.
Amber consideredit for a moment or two. “I’m not sure what it means, or if it means anything atall. At the most extreme… is it possible that we have a lawyer killing his ex-clients?”
Simon noddedthoughtfully. “It’s definitely a possibility. But we can’t jump to conclusionsjust yet. I think we need to talk to him.”
“I can get hisaddress,” Francesca said. “We need to find out more about these irregularitiesand why he was fired.”
It only tookFrancesca a couple of minutes to find an address for the lawyer, and when Simonsmiled his thanks, Amber had to admit that she was a little… what? Jealous? No,it couldn’t be that. Simon didn’t mean anything to her, other than the factthat he was her partner.
Maybe that waswhat she was jealous about, though.
“Are you okay?”Simon asked, his voice low and concerned. “You seem a little… off.”
Amber forced asmile, determined not to let him see what she was feeling. “I’m fine. Let’s concentrateon the case.”
For now, thatmeant one thing: they had to go talk to the lawyer.
***
Stanley Anderson’sapartment was in a small building in an older part of town. It was on thesecond floor, and as they climbed the stairs, Amber could feel her sense ofanticipation growing. At the very least, they were going to speak with someonewho could potentially explain the connection between the victims, but maybe itwas more than that. Maybe her wild hypothesis about him potentially being thekiller might prove to be not so wild after all.
Simon knocked onthe door, and after a few seconds, it opened to reveal a tall man withsalt-and-pepper hair and a few deep-set wrinkles. He looked like he hadn’tslept well in days. Stanley Anderson was dressed in a plain white shirt andblack pants, and his eyes had a guarded expression as he looked at the three ofthem. It was obvious that he recognized them as law enforcement the moment hesaw them.
“Yes?” he asked,his voice gruff.
“Mr. Anderson?”Simon asked, showing his badge. “I’m Agent Simon Phelps with the FBI, and theseare my colleagues, Agent Amber Young and Detective Francesca Angelique.”
“What do you want?”Anderson asked, his eyes flicking between them. “What merits three of you atonce?”
“We’d like to askyou a few questions about your former clients, Thomas Jackson and Emily Chen,”Simon said. “May we come in?”
Anderson hesitatedfor a moment and Amber wondered what they would do if he simply refused to letthem inside. They didn’t have enough on him to arrest him or force their wayin. They might be able to get a warrant, but there were no guarantees. Theywould have to simply walk away.
Finally though,Anderson stepped back, allowing them into the apartment. It was sparselyfurnished, but what furniture there was appeared to be antique. A largebookshelf stood against one wall, holding legal texts. Anderson gestured to alarge, well-worn sofa, and they all took a seat.
“What do you wantto know?” Anderson asked, his tone wary.
“We understandthat you were the lawyer for both Thomas Jackson and Emily Chen,” Simon said. “We’retrying to establish any connections we can between the two of them, and theonly link we have right now is you.”
Stanley Andersonlooked even more wary then, maybe a little frightened. It was obvious that he’dworked out that he might be a suspect. A part of Amber wondered if he wasplanning to make a run for it. If so, Amber had no doubt that she and theothers would be able to catch up to him.
“And you’retalking to me because…”
“We understandthat both of them were your clients at one point?” Simon said.
“That’s correct,”Anderson said, his eyes narrowing. “But I don’t see how that’s relevant.”
It seemed obviousthat he was going to dance around the issue if they let him. Amber decided tobe more direct. “What were you fired for?”
“What? Why do youwant to know that?”
Amber shrugged. “Itmight be relevant.”
