AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Harris walked by the bench twice, peering at people’s faces and scouting the areas where someone could hide. When she passed by a third time, Randall occupied the space, staring at his phone. He had no sense of self-preservation. If he had, he would’ve kept his head on a swivel.
Still, she ducked away and circled behind him. Peered over his shoulder. He was staring at her phone number, his thumb hovering over the call button.
“No need,” she said, and he jumped. “I’m here.”
“Detective Harris.” His voice was breathier than it was on the phone. He was terrified. His skin was pale and sweaty, but his cheeks were a rosy red. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought he had the flu. “You scared me.”
“Let’s go.”
“Go?” He turned his head in one direction and then the other. “Go where?”
She nodded the way she’d come. “There’s a bench down there with better cover.”
“Better cover?” He stared in the direction she’d indicated, but didn’t move. “Why?”
“Less chance of someone seeing us. Less chance of someone shooting me.”
“Shooting you?”
She was tired of him repeating everything she said, so she didn’t bother answering. She turned and began walking to the other bench. There was no way he wouldn’t follow her, so she didn’t bother looking back over her shoulder.
The second bench was more secluded. Tree branches hung lower. Enough cover for a brief conversation. She brushed crumbs off the seat and sat down. Randall stood in front of her.
“Sit,” she ordered. He complied. There was a foot between them. “Closer.” He scooted to the side a few inches. “Closer. People will avert their eyes if they think we’re together.”
Randall swallowed audibly but complied. His leg pressed up against hers. She could feel heat radiating off him. “Is this okay?”
“That works.” She
let the man breathe for a moment. In and out. In and out. A dozen times. There was no point in delaying the inevitable any longer than that. “Do you know what happened to David?”
“Someone shot him.”
“I’d gathered as much.” She tried to keep the venom from her voice but failed. “Why aren’t you dead, too?”
“I ran.”
Harris bit down on her tongue. She couldn’t blame someone for their survival instinct. Something told Harris he wouldn’t have been much use to David anyway. Not that it made it any easier to hear he’d abandoned her friend as he bled out on a warehouse loading dock floor.
“Do you know who shot him?” She asked.
“Not exactly.” He was shaking now. “But I have a guess.”
“Guesses don’t do me much good. I need proof.”
He produced a flash drive. “This is all the proof I have. It’s not much, but I hope it’ll be enough.”
She eyed the flash drive but didn’t take it. “Why are you giving me this?”
Randall searched for the words, and when he found them, he deflated. “I can’t do it anymore.”
“Do what?”
“Help him.” He swallowed. “Help Aguilar.”
“How are you helping him?”
“It’s all on here, okay?” For the first time, Randall took in his surroundings, as though it had finally occurred to him he wasn’t safe out in the open like this. “This is what I wanted to give to David. But they killed him before I could.”
