Alecia walked into the hotel room, dropping the few bags of books on the counter. She glanced at the clock. She had a few hours to curl up and read before Ryder came back to the hotel

– if he came back. Seattle wasn’t that exciting when there was no one around. She flipped on the TV and watched the news, hoping for more information about the case her husband was so immersed in.

The Hendrix firm was fighting for a pharmaceutical company wanting the town council to give it land for a large plant that would bring many jobs to the area. It was a simple matter, except for...