Page 42 of D for Dead

Amy padded through to the kitchen, collected her own bottle from the counter. Although she didn’t have much appetite, she guessed she needed to eat. She opened the refrigerator and eyed the pizza she had bought earlier, before glancing back at Sullivan.

‘You hungry?’ she asked.

‘Yeah.’ He didn’t look up. ‘I already ordered Chinese.’

‘Oh, okay.’

He was making himself at home.

‘I ordered enough in case you hadn’t eaten.’ Now he looked up, meeting her eyes. ‘You like Chinese, right?’

‘Sure.’

Taking over her apartment, ordering Chinese; he was getting comfortable.

‘What are you up to?’ she asked, nodding at the computer for want of distraction.

‘Running over stuff.’

‘To do with the case?’

He shot her a look; didn’t reply.

‘If it’s to do with the case, I have a right to know.’

There was an edge to her voice, and it irritated her. She didn’t want to be one of those whiny self-pitying types she avoided writing about.

‘Come here.’ Sullivan patted the seat beside him.

Tentatively Amy ventured across and sat down.

Not too close.

But still close enough she could smell the faint scent of soap and cologne.

Focus, Amy.

Glancing at the computer screen, she recognised the website of her publishing firm, Maxwell Grey. The page was open on staff profiles.

‘Anyone stand out?’ Sullivan asked. ‘They’re a small firm, so I’m guessing they’ve all been involved in your books. Have any of them ever shown a little too much interest in you? No one there you’ve pissed off?’

Amy studied the pictures. She recognised most of their faces, knew some better than others. Her eyes dropped to the picture of Shannon Castle, her publisher’s personal assistant. How many times had she made small talk with her? And now she was dead; the victim of a book she had helped to publish.

‘They are all nice people. Professional, friendly, easy to work with. I honestly can’t think of a single person there who would have a problem with me. Or want to hurt Shannon.’

‘We met with the Maxwell Grey brothers today. They were genuinely shocked about Shannon Castle. She’d worked for them a while.’

‘Yeah, she was there when my first book was published.’

‘Did you know her well?’

‘We weren’t friends, but we would always chat when I saw her. She had a close family – have they…?’

‘They’ve been told.’

‘I should send flowers or a note. I met her mom once, bumped into them when they were shopping. They’ll be taking this hard. Shannon, she didn’t deserve this.’

‘No, she didn’t.’