A low curse was growled as he shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling the blaring device free. “It’s Gwen,” he announced after having looked at the screen. “I have to take this.”
“Of course.”
He answered the call with the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
Janie kept her expression schooled while willing her racing heart to return to a more controllable rhythm.
“The TV?” Emmett frowned.
Janie watched as he turned to make his way into the living room area. He picked up a remote and turned on the flatscreen that was mounted high on the fireplace stone.
“What’s going on?” She hurriedly joined him. “Did something happen?”
Before he could answer, another woman’s voice sounded from the TV. An anchorwoman appeared to be in the process of delivering her viewers some important news.
“A source close to the investigation revealed the body that was discovered in the shallow waters of the Potomac earlier this morning belonged to a twenty-two-year-old woman named Amy Weaver. According to the source, Miss Weaver was working as a White HousePress Office intern at the time of her death. An autopsy is scheduled for later today, but preliminary findings are leading investigators to believe the young woman’s death was a result of suicide. This is a developing story, and we will bring you more information as it becomes available. Until then, we return you to your regularly scheduled programming.”
“Oh, God.”
“I’ll call you back.” Emmett ended the call and came over to where she stood. “Janie, I’m?—”
“It wasn’t suicide,” she interrupted. “Please tell me you don’t actually believe what they’re saying.”
He shook his head slowly. “After last night? Not a chance.”
Relief blanketed her, but the respite was fleeting. She knew in her gut that Amy didn’t kill herself. And that meant?—
She was murdered.
What she’d assumed was simply a story worth chasing was quickly becoming a fight for survival. If the news was right, and the poor girl really was dead, Amy had already lost.
But Janie was still here, and she was still very much alive. And she had Emmett and his teammates at her side.
I won’t let them get away with this, Amy. I promise, I will make them pay for what they’ve done.
“Let me guess. Your boss sent you here because he’s seen the news.”
Chris held back his response until he sat down on the bench, joining the man only known to him as Billy. “You say that like there was a chance that he wouldn’t.”
They remained close enough to hear each other’s muttered voices while not making their familiarity noticeable to those around them.
Billy shrugged. “One can always hope.”
Chris slid a casual glance his way, assuming the ballcap and dark lenses the deadly man wore were more about concealing his identity than protecting his face from the sun. “Boss said you told him they wouldn’t find a body.”
“Of course, he did.” Billy looked around, appearing to take in the scenery as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Your boss gets himself all worked up and ends up hearing about half of everything I say.”
“So whatdidyou tell him?” Chris asked with little patience.
“That there wasn’t anything to stress about if the body showed up.”
“You should have made sure it didn’t.”
Billy turned his shaded gaze his way. “You telling me how to do my job?”
“I’m just saying, no body, no crime.”
“And I’m saying it’s all good. So how ’bout you let me do my job, and I won’t tell you how to do yours. Speaking of which . . .” Billy glanced down at his watch. “Aren’t you expected at the White House soon?”