“And you guys believed that?”
“David did.” Harris blew out a breath, and it ruffled the hair around her face. “But I think it was more than that. The witness must’ve said something else because David looked scared. I didn’t let up until he told me the other guy said Aguilar had people in the department doing his dirty work for him. People you wouldn’t suspect.”
Clementine narrowed her eyes. “You never want to hear something like that.”
“David didn’t seem surprised. More resigned. He didn’t want me involved, but I insisted. He’d already told me too much. He wasn’t going to get rid of me that easily.”
Clementine glanced down at David’s body and back up to Harris. “So why aren’t you lying next to him?”
“The witness wanted him to come alone. I wouldn’t let him.” She ground her teeth. “He gave me an address, told me to show up ten minutes after he did. I was to stay close but not intervene. We needed this guy to take down Aguilar and whoever he had in the department. We couldn’t risk spooking him.”
“I’m guessing he didn’t give you this address?”
“He sent me across town. By the time I figured it out, he had already turned his cell off. I drove around for a while, but I had no idea where they were meeting. Eventually, I went home.”
“There’s nothing you could’ve done, Adelaide.” Clementine put a hand on Harris’ shoulder and forced her to meet her gaze. “I mean it. This was David’s choice. Don’t bear the responsibility of decisions he knew could have this outcome. He probably saved your life.”
“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
