Not likely.
“Absolutely. I take it you haven’t made your phone calls yet?”
“No, I’ve been talking to Daniel. We had a good talk.” She turned toward Jake’s office. “As much as I would like to, I can’t let myself get sidetracked again.”
Jake followed her into his office and closed the door. “Would you like to sit on the couch? It might be more comfortable.”
It wasn’t a couch, it was a love seat, but there was no need to make it sound so intimate. “Yes, but I need your laptop to look up some numbers since I don’t have Cameron’s contacts.”
Jake grabbed the phone and his laptop and sat beside Emily.
She pulled the computer onto her lap and searched for the numbers she needed. Once she found the first number, she took a deep breath and mumbled, “I’ll do the easiest one first.”
She called Cameron’s landlord. She didn’t tell him her brother had been murdered, only that he’d died unexpectedly. He expressed his surprise and condolences and assured her that Cameron’s lease was paid until the end of the month. That gave Emily two and a half weeks to clean his apartment out.
When that phone call ended, she debated who to call next. She had two more people she absolutely needed to call. Neither of which she wanted to talk to. Three, if she counted Trent. But she was hoping she could get Kiera to notify Trent. She found the next number, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before she punched it in.
“Mr. Garrison’s office, please,” she said, when the receptionist answered.
“May I ask who’s calling?” the receptionist asked.
“Emily Anderson.”
“Hi, Emily, how are you doing?”
Emily sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m fine Gloria, thanks for asking. Is Maxwell available?” Emily had never cared for Gloria, or Max for that matter. But her father’s close association with them forced her to see them regularly.
She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. Thinking about her father made this harder.
“Emily,” Max’s booming voice came over the phone. “How are you sweetheart? I haven’t seen you in forever.” Before Emily could respond, he continued. “Have you seen Cameron? He hasn’t come into work for a week. I know he prefers working from home, but we haven’t had any communication from him. Which is not like him. And his phone goes straight to voice mail.”
“Cameron’s dead, Max.” Emily’s voice broke. Would she ever be able to say those words without the stabbing pain accompanying them?
“Oh no,” came the still too loud, sympathetic voice. “How? What happened?”
“He was murdered—” Those words were even harder to say.
Jake slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him, drawing strength from him.
“Oh, Emily, I’m so sorry. Cameron was such a good kid. I can’t believe someone would want to hurt him. Was it a mugging or something?”
“No. Two men shot him in my house.”
“In your house? Did you two get messed up in something illegal?”
Heat rushed through Emily’s veins. “No, of course not.” Why had Max jumped to that conclusion?
“Sorry,” Max’s voice sounded contrite. “This is such a shock. I don’t understand how or why this happened.”
“Me either,” she lied. She’d never really liked Max, but today in her heightened emotional state, she found him especially irritating.
“I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for you, Emily. You shouldn’t be alone right now. Why don’t you come stay with Denise and I?”
“That’s very kind of you, but I’m not alone. I’m staying with... friends.” Jake squeezed her shoulder, and once again, she was grateful for his comforting touch. “I’d appreciate it if you would let the co-workers he was closest to know. And have someone clean out his office and send his things to my home address.”
“Of course, of course. Do you know when the funeral will be?” His voice finally quieted.
“The police won’t release his body, while the investigation is still open.”
