From "Intoxication" by Tim Kizer

As she pulled the trigger and watched the holes appear on the target, another theory formed in her head: what if someone had hired Helen to kill her? In this case, it would be so much harder to figure out the motives behind the attempt on her life.

Another thing--a poison could kill you, but it could also cripple you for the rest of your life. In light of this fact, what was Helen’s intent? To murder her or get her paralyzed? Suppose they wanted her out of the way but alive (that would explain why Rick had not died that day). It takes an expert to choose the right substance and the right dosage to spare the target’s life while damaging important body functions. An expert such as a chemist? But Helen was not a chemist; she was just a bimbo with a marketing degree from Fullerton State University.

If Helen had died, how was Leslie going to identify the forces behind her? That would be a very tough task. And in the meantime, these people would send a replacement killer instead of Helen.

Damn, it was too early to relax after all.

From "Without Reproach" by AJ Barnett

Jenny couldn’t stop shivering. "You been sending those letters, haven’t you. You scared the hell out of me."

"Letters?" Eduardo frowned. "What letters?"

"Filthy, despicable letters. You’ve been trying to frighten me off."

"Don’t be ridiculous." Eduardo dragged a chair over. "Sit down. You look ill."

She said, "I didn’t know your brother. I never knew him. How could I?"

She grabbed her things and spun away, but he grabbed her arm. He looked at her worriedly. "I’ll fetch a drink," he said. "You need to sit down."

"Don’t…don’t touch me." Jenny screwed her eyes. The light was fading, the room spinning, her legs buckling. She didn’t care, it didn’t matter. She had to get away.

He held on to her. "Sit down. Why are you fighting me?"

She scrubbed her face then hit out at him again, struggled to get free. She couldn’t find her handkerchief to wipe her nose; couldn’t dry her eyes, was way past caring.

"For God’s sake, why won’t you sit?"

He’d done this. Eduardo with his scheming, he’d done this. Why was it dark? "Get your hands off me," she screamed hysterically, her knees finally giving way. "Get your filthy hands off."