Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Ford.
I didn’t want him to see his grandfather like this, so I scrambled to my feet. I wiped the tears from my eyes as I turned toward the door. My blood-slick palms left smudges on the desk as I steadied myself. I rushed over to Ford and wrapped my arms around him. “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Even as I said the words, I didn’t believe them.
Half an hour later, the streets were lined with lights, and the office was filled with cops and firefighters. I stood in the corner and watched as the EMTs rushed in. One of them asked me questions while the others tried to revive my father. Their voices were a distant hum beneath the pounding in my ears. The cold seeped deep into my bones, but it wasn’t from the room. It was from the hollow ache spreading through my chest.
I felt numb.
Disconnected.
Weightless. It was like I was watching it all through a pane of glass. When they carried his lifeless body out of the office, that hollow ache grew to the point I feared it would swallow me up whole.
Once they were gone, a detective came over and asked to speak with me. Seconds later, I was sitting in one of the empty offices answering questions I had no idea how to answer. Someone had called my mother, and she was waiting outside the door with Ford. I was doing my best to hold it together as the detective pushed, “Is there anything more you can tell us?”
“Not that I can think of.”
“You can’t describe either of them?”
“I wish I could, but it all happened so fast,” I explained once again. “I only saw them through the slats in the closet door. I wasn’t able to see their faces.”
“I see,” Detective Joyner muttered as he jotted something down on his notepad. “And about what time did you arrive at his office?”
“I’ve already answered that and all of your other questions.”
“I’m aware, but it’s important that we go over it again. It’s the best way to make sure we don’t miss anything.”
“Okay. It was right around six. The office was already closed, but Joyce told me he had an appointment at five-thirty, and he would see me right after.”
I wasn’t a fan of Detective Joyner. Not because of his rotund physic or receding hairline, but because he was arrogant and coy, and he had this annoying habit of sucking air between his teeth.
It didn’t help matters that I was freezing. I wrapped my arms tighter around me, hoping it might help ease the chill that had seeped into my bones, but it did little to help. I was still trembling, and it only seemed to make my nerves worse. I was struggling to keep it together, and Detective Joyner knew it.
His face was a mask of practiced sympathy, and it did little to make me feel any better. In fact, it made me feel worse. “So, you go to his office after closing hours, and you ride the elevator up to the second floor. When you start to your father’s office, you hear the gunshots…”
“No, I heard my father talking first. He was yelling about something, but I can’t remember what was said.”
I went over everything again, and when I was done, I added, “I’m sorry. That’s all I know.”
“And you’re sure you don’t know anyone who might want to harm your father.”
“There’s no telling.” I sighed. “My father and I weren’t as close as we used to be, so I really don’t know what was going on with him.”
“Okay.” Joyner closed his notebook as he stood and said, “You’ve been very helpful, Ms. Warren.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more.”
“You’ve given us more than you think.”
I had no idea what he’d meant by that, but I didn’t question it.
I simply nodded and said, “I’m glad I could help.”
“I will need to question your mother and son.”
“Why would you need to question my son? He didn’t see anything.”
“Maybe not, but there’s always the chance that he picked up on something you didn’t.”
“Okay, but can it wait until tomorrow? It’s late, and he’s been through enough for one day.”
“Absolutely.” His expression softened as he said, “I know this is difficult. Losing someone is hard enough without all this red tape, but we’re doing everything we can to bring you answers.”
Answers.
That was something we all wanted—the police, my mother, and especially me. I wanted to know the why, the how, and the who. Maybe then, I wouldn’t feel like my life was unraveling.
“I appreciate it.”
“If you think of anything, even something you think is small and insignificant, please reach out. It could make the difference between us finding and not finding the men who killed your father.”
“I will. Thank you, Detective Joyner.”
This whole thing felt so surreal.