The Divine Appointment by Jerome Teel

Jessica’s death. It would be even more upsetting, Brantley knew. The truth was that Jessica probably had known what was happening and had been helpless to stop it. She may have looked into the face of her killer as she drew her last breath, unable to scream out for help.
    “She was strangled, sir.” Dodson’s voice was calm and without emotion.
    “Strangled!” Heddy screamed. “Oh, dear God!”
    For a moment, Brantley thought Heddy would faint as she sobbed uncontrollably. He averted his eyes and felt a stabbing in his stomach. Jordan, although stoic, wept as well. He tried to hold his wife as the realization of their daughter’s death, and the manner in which she’d died, slowly engulfed them. It was several minutes before either could speak.
    It was Jordan who collected himself first. “Do you have any idea who did this?”
    “We don’t have any leads at this point,” Brantley admitted. “We’re hoping that you can help by telling us about Jessica. Names of friends and acquaintances. Things she liked to do. Places she liked to go.”
    “Sure.” Jordan wiped his tears with a monogrammed handkerchief that he removed from his pants pocket. “We’ll do everything we can to help.”
    “She was an attorney, you know,” Heddy said proudly. She gradually regained her composure.
    “Yes, ma’am,” Dodson replied. “We’re going to her office when we leave.”
    “She graduated first in her law school class at Vanderbilt,” Heddy continued. Her voice was distant, and she gazed beyond the two detectives at an oil painting of Jessica at a young age on the wall over Brantley’s right shoulder.
    “She had been back in town only a few months,” Jordan said. “She worked as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Martha Robinson after graduation from Vanderbilt two years ago. She went back to Washington last week for her memorial service.” He hesitated. “Something seemed to be bothering her when she returned.”
    “Did she say what it was?” Brantley asked, intrigued by Jordan’s last statement. He made a note of it in his notepad.
    “No,” Jordan replied. “After a couple of days, everything seemed to be normal, and we didn’t ask her about it again.”
    “She had her whole life ahead of her,” Heddy added, still staring at the painting on the wall. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”
    Brantley and Dodson visited with the Caldwells for fifteen more minutes before departing. During the conversation, they jotted down several pieces of information that might be useful in searching for the murderer. Armed with the information the Caldwells had given them, the detectives expressed their condolences again and departed. Their next stop would be the offices of McAllister & Finch.

Chapter Five
    Downtown Nashville
    “Let’s get a quick lunch before going in,” Dodson said.
    He and Brantley exited their car in front of the multistoried office building on Commerce Street in downtown Nashville that housed the offices of McAllister & Finch. They parked on the curb beside a No Parking sign. The sign applied to everyone but them.
    Dodson could smell the aroma coming from one of his favorite lunch places. “This street vendor has some of the best Polish sausage anywhere around.” He motioned to a kiosk on the sidewalk near the front door.
    They walked over to the kiosk and Dodson held up two fingers. “With everything,” he said to finish the order.
    Without speaking, the vendor removed two Polish sausages from his steaming grill and covered them with every condiment he had. Dodson handed him a crisp ten-dollar bill for the two sausages and two bottled sodas.
    “What do you know about this law firm?” Brantley asked.
    He and Dodson moved away from the vendor to eat their lunch. They rested against the side of their unmarked sedan. A stream of men and women in business suits, all in a hurry to get somewhere, passed them in both directions.
    Dodson answered Brantley between bites of his lunch. “I know