pulled the phone from his ear as if imagining the operator’s voice. He dialed the number again. The same message repeated. He sat in the leather chair in front of the desk and walked through the events leading to her dictating her number, sure that he had remembered it correctly. Then there was only one logical conclusion; she had given him the wrong number.
His brow furrowed with that thought. He stood and resolved that maybe it was for the best. If she didn’t want him to have her number why didn’t she just say it. He shook his head with disappointment and stood to take his shower. Oh, well, her loss.
* * *
Harold and Kathryn Donovan divorced when Saul was nine years old, Camille read. She continued as she took a sip of her coffee. A few lines later, she learned that Kathryn had died from breast cancer two years later. Saul was sent to live with his father. Maybe there was some bad blood between them. She backed up and noticed the divorce was due to infidelity. Hum.
Camille grabbed the phone and dialed Ashanta’s number. She listened to it ring and flipped through notes about Saul’s issues with a few minor misdemeanors, stealing, arson and assault. He was expelled from several private schools before being sent to a boarding school.
Ashanta’s voicemail answered, so Camille left a message. She began to gather the files and bring order back to her living room. She needed to get out for some fresh air. She placed her coffee mug in the sink when the chime of her cell phone filled her home, she answered on the first ring.
“Hey, girl,” she answered, assuming it was Ashanta.
“Hey,” Derek responded, amused.
“Derek? Hey, what’s up? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until next week.”
He paused and Camille waited to hear what prompted his call. He rarely called to limit the number showing up in her phone records.
“I have some bad news. Harold’s body was found by his housekeeper this morning.”
Camille froze. “What do you mean by found? As in, he’s dead?” She sank to the couch.
“Yes.” Neither spoke for a moment.
“What does this mean for the case?” Camille asked. She would not claim to have known Harold well, he was no saint, but no one deserved death. Something told her it wasn’t due to natural causes. Harold was active and in great shape for a man his age.
“I could ask you the same thing. I’m ready to move on from this case and they’re pushing us to close. He was our primary suspect and as it stands everything we’ve found could be dismissed as circumstantial evidence and now he’s dead.” She could hear him moving around. “And Camille, they suspect foul play.”
“Who could have done it?” she said more to herself than him, but he answered anyway. She looked around her living room at the scattered files, raking her mind for something that would equate to Harold dying.
“Again, that’s something I need to know from you.”
Camille began to tell him about her suspicions, but she lacked evidence. She told him about the incident between Harold and Saul the night before. She closed by telling him about the relationship between Harold and Ashanta. Ashanta would be devastated.
“Did they leave the club together?”
Camille paused. She didn’t want to answer his question. “Yes,” she said hesitantly. Friendship aside, Camille knew this would make Ashanta a suspect and it would bring in the local authorities. They were now looking at the trafficking charges and possibly murder.
“Camille, I need you to move on this, I need to know… we need to know who IJDC’s supplier is or I’ll have to pull you.”
She stood in the middle of her living room, all traces of her hangover gone. Anger surfaced, “You can’t!” She all but yelled in Derek’s ear.
He was a fair man, but he didn’t have patience. He was one of the youngest special agents in charge and the agency
His brow furrowed with that thought. He stood and resolved that maybe it was for the best. If she didn’t want him to have her number why didn’t she just say it. He shook his head with disappointment and stood to take his shower. Oh, well, her loss.
* * *
Harold and Kathryn Donovan divorced when Saul was nine years old, Camille read. She continued as she took a sip of her coffee. A few lines later, she learned that Kathryn had died from breast cancer two years later. Saul was sent to live with his father. Maybe there was some bad blood between them. She backed up and noticed the divorce was due to infidelity. Hum.
Camille grabbed the phone and dialed Ashanta’s number. She listened to it ring and flipped through notes about Saul’s issues with a few minor misdemeanors, stealing, arson and assault. He was expelled from several private schools before being sent to a boarding school.
Ashanta’s voicemail answered, so Camille left a message. She began to gather the files and bring order back to her living room. She needed to get out for some fresh air. She placed her coffee mug in the sink when the chime of her cell phone filled her home, she answered on the first ring.
“Hey, girl,” she answered, assuming it was Ashanta.
“Hey,” Derek responded, amused.
“Derek? Hey, what’s up? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until next week.”
He paused and Camille waited to hear what prompted his call. He rarely called to limit the number showing up in her phone records.
“I have some bad news. Harold’s body was found by his housekeeper this morning.”
Camille froze. “What do you mean by found? As in, he’s dead?” She sank to the couch.
“Yes.” Neither spoke for a moment.
“What does this mean for the case?” Camille asked. She would not claim to have known Harold well, he was no saint, but no one deserved death. Something told her it wasn’t due to natural causes. Harold was active and in great shape for a man his age.
“I could ask you the same thing. I’m ready to move on from this case and they’re pushing us to close. He was our primary suspect and as it stands everything we’ve found could be dismissed as circumstantial evidence and now he’s dead.” She could hear him moving around. “And Camille, they suspect foul play.”
“Who could have done it?” she said more to herself than him, but he answered anyway. She looked around her living room at the scattered files, raking her mind for something that would equate to Harold dying.
“Again, that’s something I need to know from you.”
Camille began to tell him about her suspicions, but she lacked evidence. She told him about the incident between Harold and Saul the night before. She closed by telling him about the relationship between Harold and Ashanta. Ashanta would be devastated.
“Did they leave the club together?”
Camille paused. She didn’t want to answer his question. “Yes,” she said hesitantly. Friendship aside, Camille knew this would make Ashanta a suspect and it would bring in the local authorities. They were now looking at the trafficking charges and possibly murder.
“Camille, I need you to move on this, I need to know… we need to know who IJDC’s supplier is or I’ll have to pull you.”
She stood in the middle of her living room, all traces of her hangover gone. Anger surfaced, “You can’t!” She all but yelled in Derek’s ear.
He was a fair man, but he didn’t have patience. He was one of the youngest special agents in charge and the agency
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