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Claire shrugged and said, “It’s possible Let me knoill you? I can’t really explain it, but I feel somewhat attached to Joan I want to knohat happened to her and why”

Chapter 9

Conklin caate to the Homicide squad roo desks—his and Lindsay’s—and a side chair

He grabbed his desk phone and called St Francis Memorial He was shunted around to various bureaucrats until finally a head nurse told him that Mrs Murphy was in stable condition and was currently having a CAT scan

Conklin said he’d call back He was glad to have tiround check on thewith her

He booted up his co the databases that were at his disposal at the police office He learned that Joan Murphy, nee Tuttle, had been born in New York in 1972 Her azine and her father was CEO of a business one to private schools and had capped off her high school diploree in literature from Berkeley

Murphy’s first husband, Jared Knowles, was a well-regarded art director in Hollywood Her second and current husband, Robert Murphy, was a model and small-time actor as born in 1986 Conklin did the quick er than his wife

Joan had bought and paid for the Murphys’ hoe to Robert, and it had since been featured in azines The Murphys were also pictured in many of the society columns and had a handful of celebrity friends On the face of it, they seeood quality of life

Conklin stretched, taking a break He texted Sackowitz, telling hi to interview Joan Murphy ASAP After that, he scavenged the refrigerator in the break roorabbed the snack, knowing Lindsay wouldn’t mind

He ate at his desk and opened the cri zip, zero, and nada on Joan and Robert Murphy They hadn’t ever been in trouble with the law No scandals, no shoplifting, no nothing

Next, Conklin looked at all online photos he could find of this nice, upscale couple What had happened to Joan? She seeht she checks into a hotel room and entertains a ets into this hotel roos the millionairess and leaves her for dead

And what had happened to Joan’s jewelry? Had the whole thing been a pre-planned ar to look that way to Conklin Maybe it hadn’t been about the duplicitous relationship after all

Suddenly, his desk phone rang, jerking hihts

The caller ID read SACKOWITZ

“It’s crazy that Joan Murphy is alive, right?” he said to the night-shift detective