Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99132 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
The idea that someone could be gunning for her instead of Abigail wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. That sort of mistake happened. The shooter might’ve hit the wrong target. But Abigail had enemies. Not Laurel. Not the kind that aimed snipers at courthouse steps in broad daylight.
And that other comment, about Huck . . . Laurel shoved the thought aside before it could take root. Huck was solid. Steady. The kind of man who didn’t need games or manipulation to say what he meant.
But Kohnex had managed to find the concern that lurked in her mind when she was awake at three a.m., staring at the ceiling and doubting herself, like any human. Kohnex had been trying to bother her, and she wouldn’t let him.
That didn’t mean he was wrong.
Chapter 13
Laurel continued up to the office, her boots echoing lightly against the stairs. The hallway smelled like cheap coffee and lemon cleaner, while Kate’s desk looked like a riot of papers and sticky notes, all crammed into a system that probably only made sense to Kate. A half-eaten muffin sat next to her keyboard.
“Hi, Kate. How are you?” Laurel paused to take in her assistant’s frazzled appearance. Kate’s hair was askew, blond strands frizzing out in the humid air, her eyes slightly wild from whatever mini-crisis she’d been wrestling with that morning.
“Hectic,” Kate replied, blowing out a breath. “One kid home with the flu, one cranky about somebody named Tysen, one stressing about batting order on the softball team. Which means, of course, that the healthy one left her mitt at home and I had to turn around and go back for it.”
Laurel couldn’t help but smile. “Head home. You can go home with the kids. You don’t have to stay here.”
“I do.” Kate’s tone was adamant, but there was an exhausted sort of resignation in her gaze. “Agent Norrs from Seattle has called twice.”
Laurel glanced at her watch. “It’s only eight-thirty. What’s his emergency?”
“He apparently wants to send a case your way,” Kate said.
“Okay,” Laurel said. “Did you speak with Viv about her friend?”
Kate’s brow wrinkled. “Yeah, and she didn’t want to talk about him. They just worked together, and I’m giving her some space right now. She’ll talk when she’s ready.”
“She’s a smart girl and is probably just processing her feelings. Please let me know if I can do anything to help.” Laurel walked past Kate’s desk, her attention already shifting toward the tasks ahead. As she passed the computer room, she nodded at Nester, who was hunched over his monitor and muttering softly to himself. His computer room was a disorganized labyrinth of cables and monitors, the glow of multiple screens casting harsh light across his unshaven face.
He barely looked up, a grunt of acknowledgment his only greeting. Whatever case he was working on had him hooked.
“Good morning,” Laurel murmured, continuing down the hall. She appreciated his dedication every day.
Her own office was quiet and cool, the air heated just enough to make her shoulders relax. The rough door that served as her desk was mostly clear, save for a stack of reports and an empty coffee mug. She needed caffeine. Now. “Kate?” she called, her voice echoing down the hallway. “Hey, you didn’t have a coffee in your hand when you came in, and I forgot one earlier.”
“I’ll go grab goodies from Staggers. Be right back,” Kate called.
“Thanks.” Laurel slipped off her jacket and tossed it over the back of her chair, hoping a double shot would help her to focus.
She pulled her phone from her pocket, flipping through messages until she found Agent Norrs’s number. She pressed the button, lifting the phone to her ear and glancing out the rain-speckled window. Spring might be inching its way into the mountains, but the chill in the air felt more like November than May.
“Norrs,” he answered, his voice clipped.
“Hi, Special Agent Norrs. It’s Agent Snow. Kate said to give you a call.”
“Oh, yeah. Hey, Laurel.” His voice carried a hint of strain. “We are swamped right now with the attack on you and Walter, two RICO cases out of Seattle, plus the O’Malley trafficking bust, a cartel doublehomicide, and a couple of missing kid searches we’re coordinating with local law enforcement. And that’s just the crap on my desk. I need to call in a quick favor but only if you have time.”
“I do,” Laurel said. So far, the jurisdiction for Abigail’s shooting had remained with the state, and Tyler’s death with the Elk Hollow police. Her frustration with the lack of progress sat heavy in her chest, but she pushed it aside. “What do you have for me?”
“I’m emailing you all the documentation.” Agent Norrs’s voice crackled with static for a moment before leveling out. “The body of Dr. Miriam Liu was found and identified late last night by the county coroner.”