The door opened and Gunner chuckled. “When did this become the romance zone?”
Her cheeks warmed while Ashton huffed out a laugh. “Busted,” he replied.
“Hey, Carly. Come on in, you two lovebirds.”
Eight screens hung on the wall. Four were dark. The other four monitored different teams on assignment. A large console filled the center of the room.
“How’s Henson doing?” Ashton asked.
“So far, so good,” Penelope replied. “Hey, Carly, how’s the sleuthing going?”
“Slower than we’d like.”
Penelope tossed her a nod. “You’ll get there.”
Gunner zoomed in on screen number two as three ThunderStrike team members escorted a man wearing a suit and dark sunglasses through an outside market. The room grew quiet as the men took him into a building and up a flight of stairs. One knocked once on a closed door. All three had their guns at the ready.
The door opened and they entered. After sweeping the room, they lowered their guns.
“We’re in,” said Henson through the comm. “All clear.”
“Nice job,” Gunner replied.
Gunner zoomed back out, then turned to Ashton. “What’s the latest?”
“I’m going to excuse myself.” Carly headed toward the door. “I’m dying to get this wig off, plus, I’d like to review the police reports.”
“Let me run Carly to the safe room.”
“Ash, I’m good, really. I know where I’m going.” She opened the door. “This room is awesome. Thanks for showing me.”
She hurried into the safe room. After removing her wig, she read the police report. At the time of her grandfather’s death, he carried no ID and the officer referenced him a John Doe. Her heart dipped. Poor Grandpa Pierce.
A jogger stopped just after seven Saturday morning to assist a man on the ground. Police notes said he tried to revive him, but that the “older gentleman was stone cold and gray”.
Tears pricked her eyes.
She skimmed the paperwork and found where her grandfather had passed.
LOCATION OF INCIDENT: Sidewalk on Ohio Drive, S.W., at the base of the Watergate Steps
She broke out in a cold sweat, the hairs on her arms standing straight up. Jumping out of her seat, she poured herself a glass of water and guzzled it down.
Despite not having any hard facts or evidence, Carly was convinced that George Internado had invited her grandfather to that location on the evening of February 22. Somehow, he ended up at the bottom of the steps, dead.
Did Internado push him?
She flipped to the coroner’s report.
TIME OF DEATH: Between 2200 on Friday, February 22, and 0100 on Saturday, February 23
CAUSE OF DEATH: Head trauma, resulting from a fall
Oh, my God.
The report also stated that Edward Stone, the son of the deceased, had identified the body at the morgue. Sadness blanketed her. Her dad had shouldered that burden alone.
Even with the unusual time of death, both the police and coroner reported no signs of foul play. Pierce’s death had been ruled an accidental fall and the case had been closed.