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Authors: Adrienne Giordano
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punch.
Instinctively, she checked the ornate clock on the back wall. She’d just seen him. Five hours ago. They’d sat at that tiny table in the lounge, ribbing each other and pretending to flirt while their competitive juices flowed.
Five hours.
She opened her mouth, forced the words out. “I just…”
“I’m sorry to tell you like this. I’m going through his texts and saw it was you.”
That made sense. Of course they’d search his phone for leads.
“Angel, I saw him this morning.”
“Where?”
“At Fortuna. I’m consulting for them.” She squeezed her eyes closed, drove the picture of Mark sitting in front of her, smiling, prodding her for intel, from her mind. The ache in her chest spread from center mass into her shoulders. “What…happened?”
“We don’t know yet. He was found behind a vacant building in East Charleston. He checked in around noon, said he was meeting an informant. That was the last we heard from him.”
Kate sat forward, pinned her hair back with her hand and pressed her fingers into her skull. He must have left Fortuna shortly after their meeting if he was in East Charleston around noon. “He left me about 10:30.”
“Did he say anything? Where he was going or anything?”
“No, but he asked me about a dealer from Dominion.”
“Dale Cousins,” she said.
“Yes. How do you know?”
“He mentioned him to me when he checked in. I think the informant he was meeting had information on Dale.”
Obviously, the Dale Cousins murder hadn’t made its way to Angel yet.
“Well, Angel, I was just in a meeting with the Fortuna execs and the PD found Dale Cousins’ body in an alley this morning.”
“Stop it. Cause of death?”
“Strangled. They think.”
Silence. Kate knew the feeling. None of this could be coincidence.
“Shit,” Angel said. “Hang on.”
She broke off, speaking to someone on the other end, the conversation a muffled blur.
“Kate?”
“I’m here.”
“I need to go. Do me a favor, keep me in the loop if you hear anything. I’ll do the same.”
The line went silent and Kate sat for a second, phone still at her ear, the shock of the last few minutes taking hold, polarizing her.
Mark.
Gone.
Again, she pictured him, just that morning, sitting across from her. Her telling him she was glad they’d run into each other.
And now…
Another fierce punch knocked her square in the chest, locking up all her precious oxygen. She squeezed the edge of the table— gone —and opened her mouth.
Nothing.
A strangled gasp provided zero air and she slapped at her chest—not here, not now. Later, she could lose it. Later she could give in to the shock. And sadness.
Pressure built behind her eyes, tiny little explosions waiting, anticipating unleashed tears.
Relax. She focused on her hands, the way her fingers draped across her legs, her painted nails, anything to occupy her mind for a few seconds.
Her lungs broke open and air, all that precious oxygen, filled her bloodstream.
Cliché as it was, all the typical questions ran through her mind. Could I have done something? Should I have asked more questions? Could I have changed this outcome?
In reality, the answer to all those questions was a life-sized no. She and Mark? Work friends. They had never shared confidences, didn’t call each other outside the office. Chances were, even if she’d asked, he wouldn’t have told her anything.
Still…she’d been one of the last to speak with him. She ran through the conversation again in her mind. Had he said anything that might help find his killer?
Three quick knocks on the conference room door brought her eyes snapping open.
She sat up, set her icy fingers over her cheeks, let the cold bring her out of her emotional fog.
“Kate?”
Ross’s voice.
“Come in,” she called, her voice shredded. She took a sip of water from the glass sitting in front of her. Pull it together.
Ross pushed the door open. “Hey,” he said, “I wanted
Instinctively, she checked the ornate clock on the back wall. She’d just seen him. Five hours ago. They’d sat at that tiny table in the lounge, ribbing each other and pretending to flirt while their competitive juices flowed.
Five hours.
She opened her mouth, forced the words out. “I just…”
“I’m sorry to tell you like this. I’m going through his texts and saw it was you.”
That made sense. Of course they’d search his phone for leads.
“Angel, I saw him this morning.”
“Where?”
“At Fortuna. I’m consulting for them.” She squeezed her eyes closed, drove the picture of Mark sitting in front of her, smiling, prodding her for intel, from her mind. The ache in her chest spread from center mass into her shoulders. “What…happened?”
“We don’t know yet. He was found behind a vacant building in East Charleston. He checked in around noon, said he was meeting an informant. That was the last we heard from him.”
Kate sat forward, pinned her hair back with her hand and pressed her fingers into her skull. He must have left Fortuna shortly after their meeting if he was in East Charleston around noon. “He left me about 10:30.”
“Did he say anything? Where he was going or anything?”
“No, but he asked me about a dealer from Dominion.”
“Dale Cousins,” she said.
“Yes. How do you know?”
“He mentioned him to me when he checked in. I think the informant he was meeting had information on Dale.”
Obviously, the Dale Cousins murder hadn’t made its way to Angel yet.
“Well, Angel, I was just in a meeting with the Fortuna execs and the PD found Dale Cousins’ body in an alley this morning.”
“Stop it. Cause of death?”
“Strangled. They think.”
Silence. Kate knew the feeling. None of this could be coincidence.
“Shit,” Angel said. “Hang on.”
She broke off, speaking to someone on the other end, the conversation a muffled blur.
“Kate?”
“I’m here.”
“I need to go. Do me a favor, keep me in the loop if you hear anything. I’ll do the same.”
The line went silent and Kate sat for a second, phone still at her ear, the shock of the last few minutes taking hold, polarizing her.
Mark.
Gone.
Again, she pictured him, just that morning, sitting across from her. Her telling him she was glad they’d run into each other.
And now…
Another fierce punch knocked her square in the chest, locking up all her precious oxygen. She squeezed the edge of the table— gone —and opened her mouth.
Nothing.
A strangled gasp provided zero air and she slapped at her chest—not here, not now. Later, she could lose it. Later she could give in to the shock. And sadness.
Pressure built behind her eyes, tiny little explosions waiting, anticipating unleashed tears.
Relax. She focused on her hands, the way her fingers draped across her legs, her painted nails, anything to occupy her mind for a few seconds.
Her lungs broke open and air, all that precious oxygen, filled her bloodstream.
Cliché as it was, all the typical questions ran through her mind. Could I have done something? Should I have asked more questions? Could I have changed this outcome?
In reality, the answer to all those questions was a life-sized no. She and Mark? Work friends. They had never shared confidences, didn’t call each other outside the office. Chances were, even if she’d asked, he wouldn’t have told her anything.
Still…she’d been one of the last to speak with him. She ran through the conversation again in her mind. Had he said anything that might help find his killer?
Three quick knocks on the conference room door brought her eyes snapping open.
She sat up, set her icy fingers over her cheeks, let the cold bring her out of her emotional fog.
“Kate?”
Ross’s voice.
“Come in,” she called, her voice shredded. She took a sip of water from the glass sitting in front of her. Pull it together.
Ross pushed the door open. “Hey,” he said, “I wanted
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