things. I'll be back some time this afternoon."
A hour later she was in a Grob Aerospace SP jet, the only passenger, heading west over the Rockies with the briefcase on the seat next to her. Three hours later she touched down at LAX where she rented a black 5-Series BMW.
She punched the home address of disbarred attorney Richard Blank into the GPS and studied the map.
Then she merged into traffic.
4
Day One
July 18
Monday Morning
Beacher, Condor & Lee, LLC occupied floors 40, 41 and 42 of the cash register building on 17th Street in the heart of Denver's financial district. For years it was the city's second largest law firm. This year it muscled into the top dog position as a result of the continuing decline of Holland, Roberts & Northway, thanks to the Michael Northway fiasco last year.
Pantage scurried through the reception area intent on making up the lost part of the day to the extent possible. Before she got past the glass walled conference rooms and into the hallways, the receptionist waved her over.
"Did you hear?"
No.
She hadn't.
Hear what?
"Jackie Lake got murdered last night."
Pantage studied the woman's face, waiting for the punch line. Then her chest pounded.
"You're serious," she said.
"It's so freaky."
"What happened?"
The woman shrugged.
"No one knows yet other than it happened and it's being investigated as a murder, not an accident or suicide."
"Is it on the news?"
"It started to break an hour ago," she said. "I'll bet dollars to donuts that the cops will be around here today asking questions. Condor's already put out a global email telling everyone to be around as much as possible."
"I'll be here," Pantage said.
"We're having lunch catered," she said. "The big conference room at noon."
"Okay."
In her office, Pantage closed the door and locked it. She left the lights off and slumped into her chair. She had one thought and one thought only, namely that she was the one who killed Jackie.
That's how she got the wound.
They must have had a fight.
It must have been traumatic.
That's why she couldn't remember.
Her brain was trying to protect her.
The cops could be here any second.
Sooner or later, probably sooner, they'd get their hands on Jackie's cell phone records. They'd have the text messages and know that Pantage went to Jackie's house last night. That plus the head wound would be all they'd need to hold her as a prime suspect. Then the forensics would start to get matched up. She unquestionably left prints, DNA, fibers and who knows what else.
Think.
Think.
Think.
As wrong as what she did was, she didn't want to get carted out of the firm in handcuffs. She couldn't take the stares and the whispers and the wide-eyed looks of surprise. She couldn't take watching the news tomorrow from a jail cell and hearing one of her co-workers tell a reporter, "It really doesn't surprise me. There were rumors that she had a secret side."
"What kind of secret side?"
"I don't know, it was just gossip."
"Gossip about what?"
"I've already said too much."
Taylor Sutton was a good defense attorney and her office was close, just a couple of blocks down the 16th Street Mall. Maybe Pantage should go over there right now and tell her what happened. If nothing else, the woman could negotiate her surrender and get it done privately.
What to do?
What to do?
What to do?
Her head pounded.
The Aspirin was working but only halfway.
Suddenly a knock came at the door.
Pantage stared at the sound, frozen, and said nothing.
The knob jiggled but didn't turn.
"Pantage are you in there?"
She recognized the voice.
It belonged to Renn-Jaa Tan, the associate next door.
5
Day One
July 18
Monday Morning
Drift parked the Tundra in the underground lot, bypassed the elevators, took the stairs to the third floor and pushed into the homicide department. His desk was over by the windows, a cubical, open and exposed. His predecessor had an enclosed office down the hall,
A hour later she was in a Grob Aerospace SP jet, the only passenger, heading west over the Rockies with the briefcase on the seat next to her. Three hours later she touched down at LAX where she rented a black 5-Series BMW.
She punched the home address of disbarred attorney Richard Blank into the GPS and studied the map.
Then she merged into traffic.
4
Day One
July 18
Monday Morning
Beacher, Condor & Lee, LLC occupied floors 40, 41 and 42 of the cash register building on 17th Street in the heart of Denver's financial district. For years it was the city's second largest law firm. This year it muscled into the top dog position as a result of the continuing decline of Holland, Roberts & Northway, thanks to the Michael Northway fiasco last year.
Pantage scurried through the reception area intent on making up the lost part of the day to the extent possible. Before she got past the glass walled conference rooms and into the hallways, the receptionist waved her over.
"Did you hear?"
No.
She hadn't.
Hear what?
"Jackie Lake got murdered last night."
Pantage studied the woman's face, waiting for the punch line. Then her chest pounded.
"You're serious," she said.
"It's so freaky."
"What happened?"
The woman shrugged.
"No one knows yet other than it happened and it's being investigated as a murder, not an accident or suicide."
"Is it on the news?"
"It started to break an hour ago," she said. "I'll bet dollars to donuts that the cops will be around here today asking questions. Condor's already put out a global email telling everyone to be around as much as possible."
"I'll be here," Pantage said.
"We're having lunch catered," she said. "The big conference room at noon."
"Okay."
In her office, Pantage closed the door and locked it. She left the lights off and slumped into her chair. She had one thought and one thought only, namely that she was the one who killed Jackie.
That's how she got the wound.
They must have had a fight.
It must have been traumatic.
That's why she couldn't remember.
Her brain was trying to protect her.
The cops could be here any second.
Sooner or later, probably sooner, they'd get their hands on Jackie's cell phone records. They'd have the text messages and know that Pantage went to Jackie's house last night. That plus the head wound would be all they'd need to hold her as a prime suspect. Then the forensics would start to get matched up. She unquestionably left prints, DNA, fibers and who knows what else.
Think.
Think.
Think.
As wrong as what she did was, she didn't want to get carted out of the firm in handcuffs. She couldn't take the stares and the whispers and the wide-eyed looks of surprise. She couldn't take watching the news tomorrow from a jail cell and hearing one of her co-workers tell a reporter, "It really doesn't surprise me. There were rumors that she had a secret side."
"What kind of secret side?"
"I don't know, it was just gossip."
"Gossip about what?"
"I've already said too much."
Taylor Sutton was a good defense attorney and her office was close, just a couple of blocks down the 16th Street Mall. Maybe Pantage should go over there right now and tell her what happened. If nothing else, the woman could negotiate her surrender and get it done privately.
What to do?
What to do?
What to do?
Her head pounded.
The Aspirin was working but only halfway.
Suddenly a knock came at the door.
Pantage stared at the sound, frozen, and said nothing.
The knob jiggled but didn't turn.
"Pantage are you in there?"
She recognized the voice.
It belonged to Renn-Jaa Tan, the associate next door.
5
Day One
July 18
Monday Morning
Drift parked the Tundra in the underground lot, bypassed the elevators, took the stairs to the third floor and pushed into the homicide department. His desk was over by the windows, a cubical, open and exposed. His predecessor had an enclosed office down the hall,
Similar Books
Bridge of Doom
George McCartney
Possessed By You (Overworld Underground Book 1)
John Corwin
Shadow Fire
Kimber Leigh Wheaton
Death and the Princess
Robert Barnard
ThirteenNights
Sabrina Garie
The Custodian of Marvels
Rod Duncan
The Eloquence of Blood
Judith Rock
Love Is Beautiful (Chelsea & Max)
Abby Brooks
The Immortals
Amit Chaudhuri