Chapter 13
Laurel continued up to the office, her boots echoing lightly against the stairs.
The hallway smelled like cheap coffee and lemon cleaner, while Kate’s desk looked like a riot of papers and sticky notes, all crammed into a system that probably only made sense to Kate.
A half-eaten muffin sat next to her keyboard.
“Hi, Kate. How are you?” Laurel paused to take in her assistant’s frazzled appearance. Kate’s hair was askew, blond strands frizzing out in the humid air, her eyes slightly wild from whatever mini-crisis she’d been wrestling with that morning.
“Hectic,” Kate replied, blowing out a breath. “One kid home with the flu, one cranky about somebody named Tysen, one stressing about batting order on the softball team. Which means, of course, that the healthy one left her mitt at home and I had to turn around and go back for it.”
Laurel couldn’t help but smile. “Head home. You can go home with the kids. You don’t have to stay here.”
“I do.” Kate’s tone was adamant, but there was an exhausted sort of resignation in her gaze. “Agent Norrs from Seattle has called twice.”
Laurel glanced at her watch. “It’s only eight-thirty. What’s his emergency?”
“He apparently wants to send a case your way,” Kate said.
“Okay,” Laurel said. “Did you speak with Viv about her friend?”
Kate’s brow wrinkled. “Yeah, and she didn’t want to talk about him. They just worked together, and I’m giving her some space right now. She’ll talk when she’s ready.”
“She’s a smart girl and is probably just processing her feelings.
Please let me know if I can do anything to help.
” Laurel walked past Kate’s desk, her attention already shifting toward the tasks ahead.
As she passed the computer room, she nodded at Nester, who was hunched over his monitor and muttering softly to himself.
His computer room was a disorganized labyrinth of cables and monitors, the glow of multiple screens casting harsh light across his unshaven face.
He barely looked up, a grunt of acknowledgment his only greeting. Whatever case he was working on had him hooked.
“Good morning,” Laurel murmured, continuing down the hall. She appreciated his dedication every day.
Her own office was quiet and cool, the air heated just enough to make her shoulders relax.
The rough door that served as her desk was mostly clear, save for a stack of reports and an empty coffee mug.
She needed caffeine. Now. “Kate?” she called, her voice echoing down the hallway.
“Hey, you didn’t have a coffee in your hand when you came in, and I forgot one earlier. ”
“I’ll go grab goodies from Staggers. Be right back,” Kate called.
“Thanks.” Laurel slipped off her jacket and tossed it over the back of her chair, hoping a double shot would help her to focus.
She pulled her phone from her pocket, flipping through messages until she found Agent Norrs’s number.
She pressed the button, lifting the phone to her ear and glancing out the rain-speckled window.
Spring might be inching its way into the mountains, but the chill in the air felt more like November than May.
“Norrs,” he answered, his voice clipped.
“Hi, Special Agent Norrs. It’s Agent Snow. Kate said to give you a call.”
“Oh, yeah. Hey, Laurel.” His voice carried a hint of strain.
“We are swamped right now with the attack on you and Walter, two RICO cases out of Seattle, plus the O’Malley trafficking bust, a cartel doublehomicide, and a couple of missing kid searches we’re coordinating with local law enforcement.
And that’s just the crap on my desk. I need to call in a quick favor but only if you have time. ”
“I do,” Laurel said. So far, the jurisdiction for Abigail’s shooting had remained with the state, and Tyler’s death with the Elk Hollow police. Her frustration with the lack of progress sat heavy in her chest, but she pushed it aside. “What do you have for me?”
“I’m emailing you all the documentation.” Agent Norrs’s voice crackled with static for a moment before leveling out. “The body of Dr. Miriam Liu was found and identified late last night by the county coroner.”
“Dr. Liu?” Laurel repeated, her mind already cataloging the name and filing it away.
“Yes. Miriam was married to one of my buddies from the service who died a year ago from cancer, and I promised to kind of check in on her. She doesn’t have any other family, and it looks like she might’ve died just in a car accident, but she was always so careful.
Meticulous. It doesn’t feel right, but it’s not really an FBI situation, and I don’t have a lick of time right now.
Plus, her body is with Dr. Ortega for the autopsy, and I know he’s your buddy. Will you just check in with him?”
Laurel seemed to be checking on people left and right. “Of course. Can you tell me anything else about her?”
“Miriam was a biomedical researcher, one of the best. Under contract with the federal government.”
Laurel booted up her computer. “So we might be able to gain jurisdiction if necessary.”
“It’s possible. She worked with Oakridge Solutions. I thought maybe you could poke around there and just make sure she didn’t have any enemies. Her boss was a guy named Dr. Sandoval.”
Laurel’s fingers hovered over her keyboard and then paused. “Oakridge Solutions?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Your friend is the second person who’s died from there lately. The first was a lab tech whose death was ruled a suicide.” Sometimes coincidences did happen, but still. She might have to call Viv that night.
Agent Norrs took a deep breath. “That’s odd, but the causes of death seem different. Yet I wouldn’t mind if you checked it out. You have time?”
“Yes.” Curiosity would propel her forward, regardless. If for no other reason than to assure Viv that the truth had been found about her friend. “Do you know anything about Oakridge other than they have governmental contracts?”
“No. Oakridge is one of many research firms in the Seattle area, and I’ve never heard anything interesting about them.”
Laurel really needed coffee. “Okay. I’ll be in touch.”
“Also,” Norrs added quickly, his words coming out in a rush like he’d been holding them back, “your sister’s really thrown by the shooting on the steps. If you could give her a call, I’d really appreciate it.”
Laurel stiffened, her gaze cutting to the rain-splattered window. “Nothing throws Abigail, Agent Norrs. She killed our father, and she’s been charged. This thing is going to trial, and apparently sooner than anticipated. Why would she want that?”
“To get it over with. She’s innocent, Laurel. It was clear self-defense.”
The guy had no clue. “I hope you’re not a witness,” Laurel said slowly.
“I wasn’t there,” Agent Norrs replied, irritation sharpening his words. “But I do know how much she feared your father. You’ll need to tell the truth on the stand as well, Laurel.”
“Of course I’ll tell the truth.” Laurel’s words came out clipped, and she didn’t bother trying to soften them. “But I think Abigail killed Zeke to hide something.”
Agent Norrs huffed a breath. “Like what?”
That was the problem. Laurel didn’t have a concrete answer, just a tangled knot of suspicion and instinct. Abigail was too composed, too calculating. Every move she made seemed deliberate and strategic.
“I don’t know,” Laurel admitted, relying on facts and not emotion. “I believe that she tried to kill Zeke once before, but he refused to confirm that fact before dying. I also suspect her in other deaths. Perhaps he had proof about those murders. All I know is that she isn’t who you think she is.”
Agent Norrs snorted. “Give her a chance. Good Lord. She was so upset that you lost your baby, she went and challenged a man who then tried to kill her. It was self-defense.”
“Was it?” Laurel’s temper flared. It wasn’t like her to lose her cool, but she was starting to like Agent Norrs, and Abigail would hurt him in the best of circumstances. In the worst, who knew what she’d do.
“Yes—definitely self-defense.” Norrs’s tone rose. “Your father was a monster, and Abigail had every right to defend herself.”
Laurel shook her head. “I don’t trust her, and you shouldn’t either.” How in the world could she convince him to protect himself ?
“There wasn’t a lot your father did except hurt her,” Norrs said, his voice losing some of its edge. “You don’t know her the way you think you do, and whatever your differences, she’s still your sister.”
“Abigail and I are not close. You need to realize that now,” Laurel said. Why wouldn’t he see what was right in front of him? “If you’re not going to see the truth regarding her, someday she’ll show it to you.”
“Oh, yeah? You think she’ll dump me?” Agent Norrs chuckled.
“I certainly do. That’s her pattern.”
A chair creaked through the line. “Does her pattern include getting engaged?”
Laurel sat back, her breath catching. Before she could reply, Kate appeared in the doorway, holding a latte with a pink sleeve wrapped protectively around it. “Thank you,” Laurel mouthed, offering Kate a smile as she accepted the cup. “Did you say engaged, Agent Norrs?”
“Yes.” His voice now lowered and softened. “I asked Abigail to marry me, and she said yes.”
Laurel paused with the coffee in her hand.
Abigail was taking this one further than she would’ve guessed.
“Wow.” The woman moved quickly, but this was outright sprinting.
“Agent Norrs, I’ve given you all the warnings I can.
Let’s just keep our relationship professional and worry about what happens to Abigail later. ”
“I worry about what’s going to happen to Abigail every second.” His words came fast. “She needs you in her corner, and it’s the right place for you to be. That man was evil. Don’t you agree?”
Laurel let the warmth from the drink seep into her palm. “I do think he was evil. But one doesn’t preclude the other. Abigail could be just as evil. Open your eyes.”
“I will, if you will,” Agent Norrs fired back.
“Of course. It was nice speaking with you.” Laurel ended the call.
Abigail was planning to marry Agent Norrs? The man was too stubborn to see anything beyond what Abigail wanted him to see. His loyalty was commendable but also blinding.
But she’d made a promise to help him, so she’d do her job. Laurel reached for the phone again and dialed the main line for Oakridge Solutions. The receptionist answered on the second ring.
“Hello, this is FBI Special Agent Laurel Snow. I’d like to meet with Dr. Sandoval,” Laurel said, her mouth watering for that latte.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” the receptionist replied. “Dr. Sandoval is unavailable right now, but I can make you an appointment for a bit later today.”
Laurel placed her coffee on the desk. “All right. I’ll be there in less than an hour.” She tossed the phone down and took a sip of her latte, enjoying the sugar.
Walter walked down the hallway and stopped just outside her door, his posture stiff, his eyes dark-rimmed with exhaustion. His gait still carried a slight limp from the accident.
“Hi, Walter,” Laurel said, studying him. “How would you like to take a drive with me?”
His eyes snapped up. “Of course. What’s the situation?”
“Probably nothing, but it beats just sitting around here.”
Walter nodded. “I’m with you.”
“Maybe we can grab lunch afterward,” Laurel said, already reaching for her jacket. “Let’s go.”