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“They tried.” His voice quivered. “I’m faster than I look.”

“Lucky you.” She didn’t bother to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

“I heard about Detective Klein.” A pause. “I’m sorry.”

“Are you safe?”

He laughed. “For now.”

“Why are you calling me?”

Another pause. Confused silence. “I’ll tell you what I told David. I have information on Aguilar. Information that could put him away.” He let his words hang in the air. “Forever.”

“That’s good to hear.” Harris bypassed her desk and walked straight to her car. “Tell me where to meet you.”

30

By the time Jason and Cassie pulled up to the curb outside a lavish green-and-cream Queen Anne-style house, someone was already there to meet them. Thankfully, the earlier rain had subsided and the sun peeked out from the clouds.

After leaving the volunteer center, Cassie had called the number on the poster. The woman on the other end of the line introduced herself as Marsha, Naomi’s mother. It hadn’t taken Cassie more than two minutes of explanation before Marsha had agreed to meet with them. She’d given them her address, but Cassie would’ve known which house it was from a mile away.

Marsha had filled the yard with posters screaming #JUSTICEFORNAOMI in bold purple letters. Purple and white streamers hung from the trees, and if the wind caught them just right, it looked like they were dancing.

Marsha waved from the end of the driveway. She wore a white t-shirt with a picture of Naomi in the center. Her skin was a dull beige, mottled with age spots borne from too much sun-exposure. She was fit for her age, which Cassie guessed to be around fifty, and wore a diamond bracelet and matching necklace. From the house alone, Cassie could tell the family was several tax brackets above her league. She felt cheap just pulling up to the curb.

“Cassie?” Marsha leaned down to investigate the car. “And Jason?”

“That’s us, ma’am.” Cassie got out of the car and waited for Jason to join her. “Thank you for taking the time to talk to us.”

“Thank you for calling.” Marsha put her hand on Cassie’s arm and squeezed. “Naomi sent you to us, I just know it.”

Cassie kept a smile plastered on her face. Naomi had definitely not sent her, but she wouldn’t say that out loud. “I hope so.”

Marsha didn’t move to invite them inside or even onto the porch. She shifted her weight to one hip and placed her hand on her waist. “You said you had a family member who died, too?”

“My cousin,” Jason said, forcing Marsha to shift her focus to him. “Jasmine. We don’t know if something happened, but the whole situation feels off.”

“And we’ve encountered a few other families who recently lost their loved ones under strange circumstances.” Cassie gestured to the woman’s shirt. “Can I ask what happened to Naomi?”

“She had a tumor in her stomach. It was benign. She went through surgery. The doctor took care of it. There was a chance another tumor would grow back, but they didn’t seem worried about her chances. She was only twenty-six.”

“Were there complications from her surgery?” Jason asked.

“That’s what the doctors said, but I don’t believe it.” Marsha brushed a piece of hair out of her face, but Cassie saw it for what it was—a nervous habit fueled by rage and frustration. “She was fine after the surgery. They were going to keep her for a couple nights because she was in a lot of pain. But she was recovering. Then one day, she got worse.”

“Do you know why?”

“No.” Marsha looked at Cassie and shrugged. “I was with her that night. She was in so much pain. She started crying and talking to someone who wasn’t there. In the middle of it all, she had a heart attack and died.”

“Talking to someone who wasn’t there?” Cassie looked at Jason. Her previous theory reignited against her better judgement. “Did she say who? Did she describe them?”

Marsha frowned and looked at Cassie like she had a screw loose. “She was out of her mind. I think it was all the drugs in her system. She didn’t actually see anyone.”

“Of course.” Cassie smiled to reassure her that no, of course she didn’t think her daughter had been talking to someone who wasn’t there. “How did the hospital respond?”

“We requested an autopsy, and we’ll be suing them for malpractice, of course.” Marsha flipped her hair again. “The money doesn’t matter to us. Justice for Naomi does.” She gestured to the signs in her yard. “They thought they could settle out of court. Buy us off. They made the wrong move.”

“Have you heard of any other families being offered compensation like this?”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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