Page 17 of In the Line of Ire

"Let'sgrill outside," said Solomon. "It's too nice a night to cookinside."

"Soundsgreat. I just need to get out of these clothes and into somethingmore..." I stopped, searching for the word as I unbuttoned thefront of the oversized utility suit.

"Comfortable?" supplied Solomon. "Fitting?"

"Stylish," I decided.

"Touché. I'll fire up the grill."We stepped into the house and Solomon shed his utility suit in thecorridor, revealing his hip-hugging jeans and a t-shirt thatstretched across his chest in a very satisfying way.

"I hopeI always have the hots for you," I said, my mouth moving before mybrain could engage or filter my words.

"Youwill."

Smiling,I took the stairs quickly into the small attic that was turned intoa bedroom. Swiftly shucking the suit along with the jeans andt-shirt I wore underneath, I slipped on a knee-length dress andflats before I brushed my hair into a neater ponytail. By the timeI returned downstairs, Solomon had ignited the grill. I collectedtwo beers from the refrigerator and took them outside, handing himone.

"Tonightwas unexpected. Are we wrong to come home and carry on likeeverything is normal after finding a dead body?" I asked althoughthe normalcy was more than a little reassuring.

"No. Ifind it best to stick to the regular routine."

"It'salmost too normal."

"Ithought you were going to have a panic attack back there. How areyou feeling now?"

"Better.Calmer."

"Did youuse any of the coping strategies the therapistsuggested?"

"No. Iforgot." Solomon and I had seen a therapist the week before, partof our pact to help me overcome the fear and horror I felt when hewas shot a few months ago. He didn't seem to have any lastingemotional damage since then; as he said, he was unconscious formost of it. I, however, still got flashbacks although they werebecoming more infrequent. If I didn't get on top of it, there was apossibility I might never be able to step foot in our old houseagain, and I knew, even if he didn't come right out and say it,that Solomon really wanted to live there. It was bigger, moreluxuriously appointed and in a much smarterneighborhood.

"And youwere still okay?" Solomon moved the coals around the grill with apair of long tongs without looking at me.

"Yes."Apart from wondering if I would hurl.

"That'sprogress."

"I guessso." I sat in one of the lawn chairs and stretched my legs,enjoying my surroundings. The sun was getting lower, the breezecool but still warm. Small birds tweeted in the trees nearby, andthe smell of barbecue coals was making me hungry. Yet my husband,my wonderful husband, was the best sight of all.

When Iclosed my eyes for a moment, all I could see was the poor womansplayed against the wall like a broken doll, the purse covering herface. No purse deserved that kind of treatment. No one deserved todie like that. I had to find out who was responsible forit.

"John?"I called.

"Yes?"

Iwondered if the woman could have lain there all night, all alonewith no one to save her. "If we get the case, I want in on it," Isaid.

ChapterFive

Solomon,Delgado and I sat in the boardroom facing the screen Lucas hadrigged up earlier. In the bottom right corner, I could see uslooking serious and attentive. Filling the screen were severalsuited men and women who sat around a table. I only recognizedSamantha although she appeared tired and drawn. I had to imagineshe had a pretty rough night dealing with the police officers atthe scene and then rounding up the board members for an emergencymeeting.

"We'venever had a murder at the mall before," said the oldest of thegroup, a man with pure white hair and a snowy white beard. "We'renot going to start now!" He banged his fist on thetable.

"Thatship has already sailed, Ron," said Samantha.

"Well,we don't want another one!" Murmurs of agreement accompanied hispronouncement. "Samantha here has briefed us on the counterfeitissue. We don't want any of that either. What are you going to doabout it?"

"Wouldyou like us to investigate?" asked Solomon. He relaxed in hischair, looking entirely nonplussed as Ron loomed into thecamera.

"Damnright we do! Several big leases are up for renewal and we're aboutto sign a deal for some other new stores. If word gets out thatcounterfeit goods are being fenced in the mall, we'll struggle toretain our lessees. No one wants to be associated with that kind ofpress."

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