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“Roger that,” Rock answered.
“Do you need support from Metro?”
Rock shook his head. “Ashford is on his way here. I’m sure he’ll be putting a bigger team together. For now, I’ll take her back to her apartment.”
“Good.” Jinx walked back over to me, crouched down like he had before, and covered my hands with his. “We’ll find who did this, honey. In the meantime, Rock will make sure you’re safe. I’ll come by later.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled a second time, not knowing what else to say.
“TJ, what about Nancy? Do you know if she has any family?”
I shook my head. I’d known Nancy for almost a decade, but had no idea whether she did. She’d never mentioned anyone.
Jinx stood. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
Back in my apartment, I spent the next few hours making arrangements for my aunt to be cremated, per her wishes, once the medical examiner was done with her body. I had no way of knowing when that might be.
The other thing I did was try to recall every word Barb had said to me the last time I saw her. Given she seemed to think there was some correlation between my book and the story that had ended her career, I searched for everything about it I could find. When I came up with very little, I made a list of everything I could remember her telling me about it, hoping that once I was able to get a hold of her computer, I’d find more.
I was reviewing my notes, trying to piece things together, when I heard a knock at the door. Rock opened it, and Decker Ashford walked in. I closed my laptop and set it on the coffee table in front of me.
“Hey, Stella,” he said, coming over to sit beside me. “I’m sorry about Barb.”
I leaned against the back of the sofa. “Did you ever meet her?”
“I never had the pleasure, but I admired the hell out of her anyway.”
I smiled. “She was formidable.”
“If it’s okay with you, boss, I’m going to head back over there and see what I can find out,” Rock said to Deck.
“Copy that,” he answered. Ashford waited until the door closed behind Rock before he spoke again.
“How are you holding up?”
“I could use a drink. Better yet, a bottle.”
He stood. “Where do you keep your stash?”
“Under the breakfast bar.” I put my hand on his arm. “Deck, is there any reason why Rock would’ve been following me?”
Before he could answer, there was another knock at the door. When Deck walked over and opened it, Buck walked in.
“What are you doing here?” I stood and asked as he strode toward me. He pulled me into his arms without answering. “Give us a minute,” he said to Decker, who wa
lked out and closed the door behind him.
Once he was gone, Buck pulled back and cupped my face with his palm. I moved out of his grasp and sat back down on the sofa. He sat beside me.
“I asked what you’re doing here.”
“Rock called. He told me about Barb.”
“She’s dead. So is Nancy.”
“I’m sorry, Stella.”
“Did he tell you they were murdered?”
