Kate finally let out a tiny smile. "Thanks."

M ichelle jogged back to the truck and climbed in. While King drove she filled him in on her conversation with Kate.

King slapped the steering wheel. "Damn, so there was someone. The guy who was talking to her father could have been the man with the gun in the closet."

"Okay, let's break this down. There were two assassins but only one followed through. Intentional or not? Cold feet, or was it all about setting up Ramsey?"

King shook his head. "If intentional and you know you're not going to use your gun, why even bring it to the hotel?"

"Maybe he and Ramsey met beforehand, and the other guy had to at least make a pretense of intending to carry it off. Otherwise, maybe Ramsey gets suspicious."

"Right, that could be. Okay, now we need to take a really hard look at Ramsey's background, probably back to college. If the man knew Regina Ramsey, and Arnold Ramsey talked about times changing, the answer might lie in the past."

"And it also might explain why a Berkeley superstar was teaching at a little college in the middle of nowhere."

Michelle once again slid into the backseat. "You drive while I change back into my clothes."

King focused on the road as his ears picked up the sounds of garments being pulled off and on. "By the way, do you often strip to your birthday suit in the company of strange men?"

"You're notthat strange. And, Sean, I'm really flattered."

"Flattered? About what?"

"You snuck a peek."