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“Did he know?” Harris looked down at David, and for the first time that morning, she felt a well of emotion creep up her throat. “Did he know he was going to die?”

“Only one other person might know the answer.” Clementine gave her a pointed look. “Are you going to call her, or do you want me to?”

“I’ll do it.” Harris wondered if Cassie already knew. Had David visited her? Had he told her exactly what happened? Would Cassie blame her for not being with him? “But I have to figure out what to say first.”

“If you’re looking for the right words for a situation like this—” Clementine turned her gaze back to David. “—you’ll be looking for a long time.”

“What about you?” Harris asked. “What are you going to say to the others?”

“Only what they need to know. If we have a rat, we need to flood the ship.”

Clementine waved the other officers back inside. Harris stepped back under the caution tape, walked down the stairs, and moved off to the side of the loading docks. A small crowd had gathered on the far end, but three police officers kept them at bay. Harris drew a deep breath and blocked them all out.

As she pulled out her phone, her stomach twisted. She hadn’t known Cassie long, but their friendship had been forged in the heat of battle. She was the one person besides David’s family who could possibly understand what Harris was feeling right now, and it was her job to deliver the killing blow.

Before she could lose her nerve, Harris dialed Cassie’s number.

“Hey.” Cassie’s voice sounded raw. She sniffled once. “What’s up?”

“Cassie.” Harris’ voice sounded unnatural, even to her ears. It was too full of emotion, too full of heartbreak. “Am I interrupting?”

“No.” The emotion had cleared from Cassie’s voice. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t really know how to say this.” She was starting to lose it. “It doesn’t feel real.”

“Adelaide. What happened?”

“It’s David.” Harris’ voice shook despite her best efforts to stay calm for her friend. “He’s dead.”

Etched in Shadow Chapter 2

If Cassie Quinn ever thought there was a limit to how much one person could cry, today had proven her wrong. Her throat was raw, her nose was red, her cheeks were puffy, and yet tears continued to stream down her face with great abandon.

It was a cruel trick of the universe that her life had come together for the briefest of moments before falling apart again. She’d repaired her relationship with her sister and her parents. She’d discovered that she’d had her abilities far longer than she could’ve imagined. And she’d even solved the murder of her childhood best friend, finally allowing souls like little Sebastian Thomas to rest after twenty long years of turmoil.

If it were any other day, Cassie would be on cloud nine. Savannah had greeted her with open arms. The sun was warm, and the chill breeze made her want to bundle closer to the people she loved. Work was going better than ever before, and she and Jason were texting daily now. Slowly but surely, they were getting to know each other.

But today was not like any other day.

Today, Cassie watched as her best friend was laid to rest.

The funeral was beautiful, if such a word could be used to describe the somber event. David’s casket had been draped with the American flag, and his colleagues, dressed in their finest, carried him with a strength Cassie couldn’t imagine mustering at a time like this.

She sat behind David’s wife, Lisa, while the woman clutched her daughters’ hands and cried. Half a dozen grandkids surrounded her. David’s legacy watched as each person took a handful of dirt or fistful of flowers, tossed it on top of his coffin, and said their goodbyes.

When it was Cassie’s turn, she felt Lisa’s eyes burning into the back of her skull. But whatever answers the other woman wanted, Cassie didn’t have them. The world around her was as silent as it had ever been.

The quiet of the day was soon shattered by the three-volley salute honoring David’s life. The bang of the rifles tore their way through Cassie’s patchwork façade, unlocking a newfound wave of pain that existed somewhere deep inside the darkest reaches of her soul. She found herself clinging to Harris, burying her face in the detective’s shoulder, and sobbing until her entire body ached.

David’s funeral affected every person in attendance, and when it drew to a close, Cassie witnessed some of the hardest, toughest men wiping away tears as they ambled back to their cars. Some would go home and find comfort in a bottle. Others would find that same comforting bottle at Lisa’s house, where she had invited David’s closest friends and colleagues to eat, drink, and remember the life he had led.

Cassie rode with Harris, having not trusted

herself to keep a car on the road in her emotional state. She was grateful for the detective’s presence, but it was a harsh reminder that something was missing. She and Harris were no longer whole without David by their side.

The Klein residence was bursting at the seams with food, booze, and people. Clusters of men and women had formed in the front yard, and Cassie could hear crying, laughing, and the clinking of glasses in equal measure. The porch sagged under the weight of a dozen large men telling stories about David—some heroic, some hilarious. She and Harris had to squeeze through the front entrance, only to pop out the other side into another group of officers talking about Detective Klein’s heroics.

Harris put her hand on Cassie’s shoulder. “Are you okay? There are some people I want to talk to, but I can stay with you if you need me to.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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