Total pages in book: 183
Estimated words: 174715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 874(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 874(@200wpm)___ 699(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
We must demand that the District Attorney, and our members of law enforcement, uphold their honor to protect us, and I for one, do not feel protected. I feel naked and exposed. If you too feel naked and exposed, I challenge you to tweet, call and even visit the offices of the people I will list out at the end of today’s entry of Cat Does Crime. Until tomorrow, stay safe —Cat
“That’s damn good and accurate,” Savage says. “Too often the politics of an organization win and the DA just wants to calm the public and ensure election year goes well. It’s an effed-up mess.”
Cat looks at me. “Well?”
“You’re saying ‘look at me’ to a killer.”
“I disagree,” she says, “but hey. If Reese wants to take me to Paris to get me out of town, like Cole just did you, I’m in.” She scoots her MacBook to the side. “Let’s talk about the suspects.”
“For what purpose?” I ask, growing more and more concerned about her putting herself on the line.
“For the purpose of my team following up,” Savage says, glancing at Cat, clearly thinking what I’m thinking as he says, “Right, Cat? Because this article is enough. We’ll take it from there.”
“Correct,” she says. “Reese and I agreed that I’d pull back after the article ignites fire for my readers.” She looks at me. “Let’s do what we do. Let’s investigate for a book we’ll write together later, after Savage and his people catch the killer.”
“There was a boyfriend of one of the victims and another professor who worked with our client, teaching in the same building,” I say. “We used them both in the trial to create reasonable doubt but I always believed it was the boyfriend.” I look at Savage and change subjects. “Can you check on Cole?”
“He’s fine,” he says. “My team has eyes on him.”
I stand up. “I’m going to try to call him again.” I punch in his auto-dial and start to walk out of the room, but I get his voicemail. I turn to face Cat. “Can you call Reese?”
“He’s not been gone that long,” she says, patting the table. “Come sit. I’ll order us cookies from the corner bakery and we’ll stuff our faces and solve this murder so your man can stop fretting.”
“Yes. Please. To all of those things.”
Cole
I’m standing in the holding room when Reese is brought in to join me. “You didn’t need to come.”
“If you kill the guy,” he says, “I’m out a new partner and that can’t happen.”
He steps to me, close enough to ensure anyone listening is tuned out. “You could make things worse.”
“Or I could convince him that we’ll find the real killer,” I say.
“Or you could jump over the desk and beat the shit out of him like I would if he attacked Cat, and end up in jail yourself.”
“It would be worth it.”
“No,” he says. “It wouldn’t. We’ll take this on together, man. You and Lori are family. We’ll do this together.”
Family. He hits about ten nerves with that statement, a few I didn’t know still existed until that bathroom, until I saw that man charging at my wife. “Lori is my wife.”
“And our family,” he argues.
The door buzzes and we both turn to face the guard. “He said to tell you that the only place he’ll see you is a dark alleyway and ‘fuck you.’ And yes, I’ll write up a sworn statement to that effect, but you shouldn’t be here. You need to leave.”
“We’re leaving now,” Reese assures him.
My jaw clenches and I look skyward, not sure if I really wanted to talk to that man or beat the shit out of him. I’m pretty sure the latter. Yeah. The latter. I was going to hurt him. I want to hurt him. I grab my briefcase and head for the door and I don’t stop until I’m exiting the building with Reese quickly stepping to my side. “My car—”
“No,” I say glancing over at him. “I’m walking. I need to clear my head.”
“Talk to me, man.”
“I need to clear my head.”
“Cole, stop.”
Fuck. I stop and face him. “I need—”
“I get it, but this is you and me. What is going on in your head?”
“Nothing good fun and fucking my wife won’t solve, preferably in the opposite order, but not yet. I need to think. I love you, man, but give me some space.”
He studies me a moment and reluctantly, it seems, he nods. “You know where to find me.”
“I do,” I say and I start walking again.
Lori
Two hours after Reese went after Cole, he returns, without Cole. Savage collects him from the door, and he joins us in the kitchen. “He’s clearing his head. He’ll be back soon.”
“What does that mean?”
“He’ll be home soon,” he assures me, but he isn’t home soon.
Two hours later, I’m still in the kitchen with Cat, Reese, and Savage, working the clues to the murders, but I’m barely hearing anything they say. I’m about to try to call Cole again when the front door opens and closes. I am immediately on my feet and before I can even leave the kitchen, Cole appears in the doorway, the lines of his handsome face, strained and hard.