“You’d better go join your coworkers,” he told me, but I shook my head in defiance.
“I’m not going anywhere. It wouldn’t be right. She doesn’t have anyone else. I don’t want to…” I trailed off.
Sean took my hand and squeezed it gently. “You don’t want to leave her. I know. But this is a crime scene now, Lila. And I’ve got to assist in any way that I can. Finding out what happened to this woman is my responsibility.”
“And mine!” I was surprised by my vehemence. “I had coffee with her today. She went out of her way to help me with one of my client’s projects.” I pointed toward the main room where the party had been held, my ire rising. “Melissa was just down that hall, eating the same food we did. She was talking shop and encouraging writers and laughing. Look at her now! Why? Why is she here?”
My tirade finished, Sean helped me to my feet and wrapped his arms around me. “Something drew her to this place. And if the killer was able to succeed in convincing an intelligent woman to enter a dark and deserted corridor alone, then he had leverage over her. That makes me think he wasn’t after you.”
I curled my hands into fists. “It doesn’t matter which of us he wanted. If Kirk Mason—”
“We can’t jump to any conclusions, Lila. We don’t know who did this.” Sean’s tone was firm. His arms slid away from mine, and I could feel a chasm growing between us as his professional side took over. He was about to continue when he suddenly eased the flashlight from my hand and pointed the beam at Melissa’s right hand. It was curled around a crumpled piece of paper. I only saw it for a moment, but I could tell that the paper was made of thick stock, like a notecard. The edge of a photograph protruded from between the card’s folds. Every fiber in my being longed to reach out and pry the card loose from the woman’s fingers. I wanted to know what had led her back here, what had lured her to her death. The answer was inside that note or on the photograph; I was certain of it.
Sean sensed the tension in my muscles and pivoted me away from Melissa. “Come on, hon. I can’t touch it, either. No gloves.”
He escorted me toward the lobby, holding an index finger out to his coworkers from the station as they passed by. I knew that the signal meant he would immediately return to the crime scene, leaving me to wrestle with my shock and fear without his comforting presence.
And that’s exactly what happened. Franklin and Vicky had rounded up the rest of the agents and they were waiting in the lobby, huddled close to one another as if they were all seeking shelter from a rainstorm. Sean spoke hastily to Vicky, but Jude interrupted their conspiratorial exchange.
“I’ll take her home. She’ll be safe with me,” Jude told Sean and whoever else was within earshot. “And I’ll stay as long as you need me,” he added in a low whisper only I could hear.
Sean nodded his thanks, made eye contact with me for a brief second, and then disappeared down the dark corridor. At that moment, I began to question whether I really wanted to be in a relationship with a cop. We’d hardly seen each other over the last few months, and now, when I wanted Sean with me most, he wasn’t available. I knew I was being selfish and childish, but seeing Melissa had stripped me of my usual aplomb. I didn’t want to be alone tonight. Glancing at Jude, I nodded in gratitude. He draped his coat over my shoulders and put a protective arm around my waist.
The faces of my coworkers mirrored my own. The news of Melissa’s death had frozen their expressions into blank stares. They each gave me a sympathetic nod as I said good-bye, and I knew they were too stunned to do more than that.
“I hope you have something stronger than wine at home,” Jude said as we turned to leave. “You need a shot of the hard stuff.”
I managed a rueful smile. “I always keep a supply of Jim Beam on hand. My mother won’t drink anything else. After I moved in, she made me put a bottle on my shopping list before I could finish unpacking my first box.”
Jude raised his brows. “Amazing Althea. Maybe she knew that you’d be in need of a splash of whiskey tonight.”