T went home day Tricia died.
He sent it and then hurried into his father’s room, where his mother was sitting next to the bed. He quickly told them his suspicions.
“I’m afraid she might not get the message before she sees Thomas,” he said.
“Call the Billings police,” his father said.
Brick shook his head. “I can’t trust them after what happened with me.”
“Then go,” Hud said and reached for the phone beside the bed. “I’ll get you a patrol car so you can use the lights and siren. It will get you there much faster.”
MO THOUGHT ABOUT her sister, missing her, as she rode up the elevator to the top floor of the office building. As she stepped out, she had to wipe her tears. Looking around, she caught a glimpse of the Billings skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The rim of rocks the city was famous for gleamed golden in the lights from the city.
She’d never been to Thomas’s office. She walked to the wall of glass and tried the door. Then she heard a click and the door opened into a room full of tiny cubicles. Mo realized that she’d never asked Thomas if he enjoyed his work. When he and Tricia had gotten engaged, Thomas had been on his way to medical school. So how had he ended up working for a pharmaceutical company in one of these small cubicles?
The office, she noticed, was empty, most of the overhead lights dark. She started toward the area where there was light when her phone lit up and a notification pinged from her shoulder bag, indicating an incoming text. She started to check it when Thomas called out, “Over here.”
She wound her way toward him, thinking of her sister. Had Tricia been unhappy with her choice in a husband? Had nothing turned out the way she thought? Or had she just fallen in love with JP, something she hadn’t seen coming? Something that had turned her life upside down and ended in her death?
Mo still had so many questions and feared she might never get all the answers. But at least the paperwork from the animal shelter had helped bring down Jeffrey and JP. She knew the feds had been building a case for a long time. But after Elroy had taken the papers to the FBI, they had moved quickly.
“Hey,” Thomas said as he turned in his chair to look at her.
She took in his cubicle, the small desk, the stacks of paperwork, a few sticky notes on his bulletin board to remind him of meetings. A framed photograph of Tricia sat in the corner. She stared at her sister’s smiling face and remembered the day the photo was taken. They’d all been at a family picnic not long after Thomas and Tricia were engaged. Her sister looked happy.
“Are you all right?” Thomas asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.
She nodded distractedly. “Were you happy?”
He blinked. “You mean married to Tricia?” She waited for his reply, not sure why she’d asked. “She was the only woman I ever loved.”
“But were you happy?” She motioned to their surroundings.
Thomas looked around as if seeing his office space for the first time.
“I remember when you wanted to be a doctor.”
He swallowed and looked away. “Dreams change. We were going to start a family. Medical school would have taken so long and been too expensive and Tricia wanted a home and...” His voice died off. “Why are we talking about this now?”
She knew he was right. She cleared the lump in her throat. “You said you found more papers and a safety deposit box key?”
He nodded and rose. She could see that her earlier questions had upset him. “I need a cigarette.”
“I didn’t know you smoked.”
“I hadn’t for years until... It’s a terrible habit, but right now I need one. Do you mind?”
She did. The drive had been long. She was tired and wanted to get this over with. Tomorrow her partner had said he would go with her to the bank to get the safety deposit box opened.
“If you could just give me the key and papers...”
“Maureen, can’t we just step outside for a few minutes? Please?”
The empty office felt eerie and the last thing she wanted to do was breathe in secondhand smoke. But what was one cigarette? “Sure. But after that, I need to go.” She wanted to get back to Brick. Once she got the safety deposit key, she would drive back to be with him and his family.
Thomas was rummaging around on his desk for his pack and lighter. “This will just take a minute. I hardly ever see you anymore. I’ve missed you.” She watched him dig around nervously in the drawer.
Something shiny caught her eye on his desk. A lethal-looking silver letter opener. She tried to make out the design, moving the stack of papers until she could see the logo: MSD, Inc. The name of the corporation that ran the nonprofit animal shelter when Tricia met JP? Her heart bounced in her chest.
“Got it.” Thomas said as he pocketed his cigarettes and lighter. “We can go outside.”
Mo heard her phone ping with another text. She started to check it when Thomas took her phone out of hand.
“You can do without this for a few minutes. I’d like your undivided attention for once,” he said, putting the phone down on his desk next to his computer.
As he turned out of the cubicle, she impulsively picked up the letter opener, tucking it into the back waistband of her jeans and covering it with her shirt and jean jacket.
“Coming?” he asked, looking back at her.
She saw something in his gaze. Suspicion? She was sure he hadn’t seen her pick up the letter opener. But he did glance at the desk as if he couldn’t remember what was on it. Important papers he hadn’t wanted her to see? Or something else?
She felt foolish for taking the letter opener. Did she really think
