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“Well, if you’re anything like me, you wished the answer was ‘yes,’ because at least you’d have a shot at answering more questions. But you’re also relieved the answer was ‘no,’ because maybe that means he’s at peace.”

“But someone murdered him.” The mask flickered, but Harris forced it back into place. “How could he be at peace?”

“I don’t know.” Cassie remembered what she’d told Lisa about David not wanting to visit her after he died. “Maybe he doesn’t want to.”

“Does it always happen right away?”

“Not always.” Cassie tucked her feet underneath her. Talking about this, even to Harris, still felt strange. And vulnerable. Like exposing the rawest nerve in her body to someone who had been a stranger a few months ago. “It’s not like there’s a rule book. Spirits come and go in whatever way they can. Sometimes it’s their choice. Sometimes there are other factors at play.”

“That doesn’t help us solve David’s case.” Harris put her hands on her hips and tipped her head back. She sighed at the ceiling before looking back down at Cassie. “I didn’t mean it like that. I know you can’t control any of this. I’m just frustrated.” She sat down and drained the rest of her beer. “Not at you. At the case. At David. At myself. At the world.”

“I am, too. Trust me.” Cassie took another sip of wine and felt the liquid warm her body. “But you’ll figure it out. We’ll figure it out. I shouldn’t be in New Orleans more than a couple days. Maybe by then you’ll have learned something else.”

And maybe by then I’ll be ready to solve my best friend’s murder. But I doubt it.

“I hope we have that kind of time.”

Cassie cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean? Isn’t this a top priority for the department?”

“Of course.” Harris shrugged. “But that doesn’t mean they’ll catch the right person.”

“I don’t follow.”

“We were meeting a witness who wanted to turn on Aguilar. Then David winds up dead and the witness is missing? It was either a setup or a lucky break for Aguilar. Either way, this man is powerful. He’s always been untouchable, which means even if we catch his guy, the one who killed David, it doesn’t mean we’ll catch him. Just because someone else pulled the trigger doesn’t mean Aguilar isn’t responsible, but it’s a lot harder to prove that in a court of law.”

Cassie sat with that for a minute. She knew David’s job was dangerous, but as the years went by, she must’ve gotten accustomed to it. Of all the people they’d tracked down together, she always felt like David was in control. Or that he’d made the right decision. And she hadn’t even heard of Aguilar before now. Cassie wasn’t one to doubt Harris’ judgment, but all this information was coming in too fast for her to process.

“Something isn’t right.” Harris said. She leaned forward now, her elbows on her knees, one hand wrapped around the back of her neck. She was staring a hole through the floor. “David didn’t want me to be with him that night. Either he was trying to protect me, or he was trying to keep something from me.”

“What would he possibly want to keep from you?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Harris’ laugh was hollow. “Probably better, actually.”

“If anything comes to me, you’ll be the first person I contact. I promise.”

“I appreciate that.” Harris stood. “I should go.”

“I’ll drop the keys off to you tomorrow morning.”

Harris scratched the top of Apollo’s head, and then ruffled Bear’s fur. “I promise I’ll take good care of them.” Harris made her way to the door with Cassie at her heels but stopped shy of opening it. “When you get back, maybe we can team up. Find real justice for David. Make sure he’s at peace.”

“Yeah. Of course.” Cassie smiled and watched as Harris left, pulling the door shut behind her. But as soon as the detective was out of

sight, Cassie sank to the ground. Bear jumped off the couch and nuzzled her hand with his nose. “Hey, handsome man. I’m glad you’re here.”

Apollo meowed from the couch but didn’t bother moving.

“You, too, Apollo. I don’t know what I’d do without you guys.”

Cassie let the tears slide down her face, and Bear cleaned them away one by one. She thought she’d feel some relief now that she’d made it through David’s funeral, but the pressure still sat on her chest like a ten-ton elephant. She’d even been looking forward to this trip, to forgetting what she’d left behind in Savannah, but now it was simply an inconvenience.

Cassie didn’t fault Harris for wanting her help. If the situation were reversed, Cassie would ask the same thing of the detective. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to solve David’s murder. It would bring her as much peace as it would bring him. But the journey to justice was rarely an easy one.

And something told her she wouldn’t like the answers she’d find.

4

Cassie stood in a darkened hospital room surrounded by the rhythmic beeping of machines. Though her dream had stolen her sense of smell, she could imagine the antiseptic burn that clung to the air and assaulted her nose. She was grateful for the reprieve, but confusion and heartbreak soon replaced her relief.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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