Mary Baxter - Pulse Points

“Relax, Mrs. Ellis. You’re safe here. We’re here to help you not hurt you.”

Gallain’s voice was as strong as his features. And confident. But not abrasive. Impatient was the word. She suspected he was ready to hit her with a barrage of questions, yet he seemed to sense how emotionally fragile she was and was trying to take it easy, something that apparently wasn’t easy for him.

“Are you up to talking?” Gallain paused, sweeping a hand though his crew cut. “I don’t want to rush you.” He let the rest of his sentence trail off but she got the message.

His impatience was no longer veiled, though his voice remained even. Of course, he wanted to rush her. Who was he kidding? She expected him to bark at her any minute, a thought that at one time might have drawn a smile. Not today. Not after she’d just witnessed a murder. And not just a random murder, either but that of her friend and partner.

Kasey took a deep, shuddering breath in hopes of blotting out that painful image, at least for the moment. It didn’t work. When she stared into Gallain’s sharp green eyes, it was Shirley’s white face and lifeless body that she saw.

She blinked when another detective entered the cubicle. A tall man with a kind face, he folded his arms, leaned against the door, then merely nodded at her.

“Mrs. Ellis.”

As though being chastised for removing her gaze, Kasey swung her eyes back to Gallain. “I’m sorry. It’s just that—” Her words faded into the tomblike silence of the small cubicle, though she was aware that on the other side people were scurrying about and telephones were ringing.

“So you still don’t think the killer saw you?”

“Like I told you at the scene, I don’t think so, but again I can’t be one hundred percent sure.” Kasey noticed her voice trembled. She bit down on her lower lip to control it.

“Okay, did you see him?” The detective’s eyes pinned her with intensity.

“No. I mean I did, but I didn’t.”

Gallain didn’t so much as twitch a muscle at her contradictory response. “You’re sure about that?”

“Absolutely. The man who fired the shots was a blur then and still is.”

“How ’bout what he was wearing?”

When she didn’t answer, Gallain went on, “His clothes. You must’ve noticed something. His shirt. The color of it, perhaps. Something.”

“Not…really.” She felt her own frustration building. “Everything happened so fast.”

For a second, Gallain stared at her as if he didn’t believe a word she’d said. Maybe that was what suddenly roused her out of her traumatized state and forced her upright. She stared back.

He rubbed his chin, then the base of his neck. When he spoke again, his demeanor had softened somewhat. “Look, I don’t like this any better than you, but without you, we have nothing.”

“Don’t you think I want to help?” Kasey rubbed her pounding forehead. “That I’m trying hard to remember? My God, I saw this sicko kill someone.” Her tone had risen to a shrill ring.

“Maybe if we gave her some time, Gallain, eased up a bit, she would be of more help.”

Both Kasey and the detective cast their eyes in the direction of the other officer who had pushed away from the wall and was ambling toward them.

Before Gallain could take umbrage to another opinion, the man eased down on the edge of the desk and said with a smile, “I’m Detective Hal Spiller.”

Fleeting as that smile was, it seemed to enhance the kindness in his face, which in turn bolstered her confidence a notch, something she badly needed.

“Sorry about what happened to your friend, Mrs. Ellis,” Spiller added into the loaded silence.

“So am I,” Kasey responded in a small voice.

“How far away were you?” Gallain asked, the briskness back in his tone, obviously resenting the intrusion and the rebuke.

“I’m not sure.”

“How far is that?” Gallain pressed in spite of the growing frown from Spiller. “I need details.”

“A few yards, give or take.”

Gallain thrust his hands though his hair again and released a deep sigh.

Kasey’s blue eyes flared. “Look, I can only tell you what I saw and didn’t see, right?”

“Right,” Spiller said, focusing his glare on Gallain.

Gallain shrugged. “Okay, I’ll accept that for now. But once you’ve had time to get over the initial shock, I want to concentrate on the killer himself. I’m betting you saw more than you think.”

“I hope you’re right, Detective. I want to solve this as much as you do.”

“So what about Shirley Parker? I bet you can tell me something about what made the deceased tick.”

“I didn’t…don’t know a lot about her away from the office.”

“I understood her to be a friend as well as your partner,” he pressed.

Once again Kasey didn’t like his tone, but she ignored it. He was just doing his job, she reminded herself, which was trying to find out who killed Shirley. And though she respected that, she didn’t respect his method of going about it.

“We were friends, yes, but never running buddies, so to speak. I knew her growing up, even though she was quite a few years older than me. She actually gave me my start in advertising. As a result, I always considered her my mentor. Still, we hadn’t seen each other in years until she called me out of the blue and made me an offer I thought I couldn’t turn down.”

“What about since you’ve been back?” Gallain asked, seeming to scrutinize her closer.

“Not then, either.”

“What did you talk about over lunch or dinner? That kind of thing, things women talk about. Perhaps she had a man in her life and discussed him with you.”

“If so, she never said,” Kasey replied, “and I never asked.”

He stared at her a moment longer, then released a breath. “So what did you talk about?”

“Work mostly.”

“I understand the agency’s in deep financial trouble.”

He’d been quick to find that out. She had to admire him. “You understood correctly. We’re struggling to stay open.”

“Did Ms. Parker ever tell you why?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“What happened when you asked her about it?”

“She told me not to worry about it, that she’d take care of me and the business.”

“And you believed her?”

Kasey jutted her chin. “At first, then I realized I’d been had. Before I could have another chat with her, she was—”

“So what about the books?” he interrupted.

Kasey quickly regained her composure. “From what I’ve seen of them, there’s nothing to indicate where the money went.” Kasey paused. “Apparently everyone at the agency was kept in the dark.”

Gallain stood. “Seems like the lady had a lot of secrets.”

“What have you found out?” Kasey asked, turning the tables on him.

“Not much. We went over her home with a fine-tooth comb. Nothing there that implicates anyone.” He paused. “You still remain our best hope for solving this case, Mrs. Ellis. And I’m not giving up. On you.”

Kasey didn’t respond. What could she say that hadn’t already been said?

Gallain glanced at his partner. “Meanwhile, Spiller here will keep an eye on you and your place for a few days.”

“Just in case he did see me,” Kasey finished, the tremor having returned to her voice.

“That’s right.”

Another loaded silence permeated the office. Only Spiller’s muffled cough broke it. Kasey rose to her feet and swayed as the room spun. Gallain’s fingers circled her upper arm. “Are you okay?”

As quickly as the room had shifted, it settled. “I will be,” she lied. After this night, she feared she’d never be all right again.

“Detective Spiller will drive you home, then see to your vehicle. I’ll be in touch.”