LITMIR.BIZ

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about what happened to your friend, Mrs. Ellis,” Spiller added into the loaded silence.

      “So am I,” Kasey responded in a small voice.

      

      “How far away were you?” Gallain asked, the briskness back in his tone, obviously resenting the intrusion and the rebuke.

      “I’m not sure.”

      “How far is that?” Gallain pressed in spite of the growing frown from Spiller. “I need details.”

      “A few yards, give or take.”

      Gallain thrust his hands though his hair again and released a deep sigh.

      Kasey’s blue eyes flared. “Look, I can only tell you what I saw and didn’t see, right?”

      “Right,” Spiller said, focusing his glare on Gallain.

      Gallain shrugged. “Okay, I’ll accept that for now. But once you’ve had time to get over the initial shock, I want to concentrate on the killer himself. I’m betting you saw more than you think.”

      “I hope you’re right, Detective. I want to solve this as much as you do.”

      “So what about Shirley Parker? I bet you can tell me something about what made the deceased tick.”

      “I didn’t…don’t know a lot about her away from the office.”

      “I understood her to be a friend as well as your partner,” he pressed.

      Once again Kasey didn’t like his tone, but she ignored it. He was just doing his job, she reminded herself, which was trying to find out who killed Shirley. And though she respected that, she didn’t respect his method of going about it.

      “We were friends, yes, but never running buddies, so to speak. I knew her growing up, even though she was quite a few years older than me. She actually gave me my start in advertising. As a result, I always considered her my mentor. Still, we hadn’t seen each other in years until she called me out of the blue and made me an offer I thought I couldn’t turn down.”

      “What about since you’ve been back?” Gallain asked, seeming to scrutinize her closer.

      “Not then, either.”

      “What did you talk about over lunch or dinner? That kind of thing, things women talk about. Perhaps she had a man in her life and discussed him with you.”

      “If so, she never said,” Kasey replied, “and I never asked.”

      He stared at her a moment longer, then released a breath. “So what did you talk about?”

      “Work mostly.”

      “I understand the agency’s in deep financial trouble.”

      He’d been quick to find that out. She had to admire him. “You understood correctly. We’re struggling to stay open.”

      “Did Ms. Parker ever tell you why?”

      “No, she didn’t.”

      “What happened when you asked her about it?”

      “She told me not to worry about it, that she’d take care of me and the business.”

      “And you believed her?”

      Kasey jutted her chin. “At first, then I realized I’d been had. Before I could have another chat with her, she was—”

      “So what about the books?” he interrupted.

      Kasey quickly regained her composure. “From what I’ve seen of them, there’s nothing to indicate where the money went.” Kasey paused. “Apparently everyone at the agency was kept in the dark.”

      Gallain stood. “Seems like the lady had a lot of secrets.”

      

      “What have you found out?” Kasey asked, turning the tables on him.

      “Not much. We went over her home with a fine-tooth comb. Nothing there that implicates anyone.” He paused. “You still remain our best hope for solving this case, Mrs. Ellis. And I’m not giving up. On you.”

      Kasey didn’t respond. What could she say that hadn’t already been said?

      Gallain glanced at his partner. “Meanwhile, Spiller here will keep an eye on you and your place for a few days.”

      “Just in case he did see me,” Kasey finished, the tremor having returned to her voice.

      “That’s right.”

      Another loaded silence permeated the office. Only Spiller’s muffled cough broke it. Kasey rose to her feet and swayed as the room spun. Gallain’s fingers circled her upper arm. “Are you okay?”

      As quickly as the room had shifted, it settled. “I will be,” she lied. After this night, she feared she’d never be all right again.

      “Detective Spiller will drive you home, then see to your vehicle. I’ll be in touch.”

      No, please, Kasey’s mind screamed in rebellion. She wanted this session to be the end of her involvement. Unfortunately it seemed to be just the beginning.

      Two

       S he was exhausted. However, Kasey knew sleep would elude her, so she didn’t bother going to bed. Following a hot bath, which seemed to have wired her more, she made a cup of hot chocolate and sat on the wicker chaise lounge in her bedroom.

      It would be nice to sip on the drink, and in between sips close her eyes, maybe even dose a bit. Fear of what she would see imprinted on the back of her lids kept her eyes wide-open. Would that terrifying image of Shirley’s blood-stained body ever leave her? Not for a long time, she told herself. If ever.

      Kasey gnawed on her lower lip, her gaze veering to the French doors that led onto her tiny third floor balcony. When Shirley had told her about this secluded apartment complex nestled between numerous oaks and pine trees, Kasey hadn’t been all that excited.

      First, she hadn’t wanted to go into another apartment. She had wanted a small house; unfortunately she couldn’t afford one. Second, she hadn’t wanted to live on the third floor; the thought of trudging up such a long flight of stairs was uninviting.

      Now, she was glad to be there. An intruder would have a much more difficult time getting to her. Kasey shivered then reached for the afghan at the end of the lounge even though the July night was so hot and humid, she’d had difficulty in cooling her apartment. Once the coverlet was over her, she shifted her eyes back to the doors. She had to stop dwelling on morbid thoughts and possibilities.

      The fact that she wasn’t alone, that Detective Spiller was lurking somewhere in the darkness keeping watch on her, should have offered her a measure of reassurance.

      “Rest easy, Mrs. Ellis. Nothing will happen to you on my watch,” he’d told her when he escorted her to the door.

      Somehow she had dredged up a smile. “I’m counting on that.”

      “If you need anything or if anything out of the ordinary happens, call me on my cell.” He pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to her.

      “I’ll be fine,” she said, not at all certain that was the truth.

      He stepped back, then paused. “Don’t let Gallain upset you. He’s not always that abrasive.”

      “Are you sure about that?”

      “No,” he admitted a bit sheepishly.

      She managed another smile. “Don’t worry. I can handle him. He can’t make me see what I didn’t see or say what I don’t know.”

      Spiller seemed suddenly uncomfortable as if he’d spoken out of turn. “Protecting you is our primary goal.”

      Again

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