Deadly Drive by Cara Putman

Author:Cara Putman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cara Putman

13

“You okay?” Detective Beldon had pulled her hair up into a messy bun and looked worn around the edges. I imagined I looked the same.

“I’ve been shot, sort of, and my brother’s been murdered. I’m starving and I think the man who shot me may have been someone my brother knew.” None of this made sense. I rubbed my forehead, where an ache was building behind my eyes. Then I leaned forward and put my head on my arms across the desktop.

“I can help with food. The rest? We’ll figure out.” She placed the sandwich in front of me, but I wasn’t certain I had the energy to unwrap it. Detective Beldon sank onto the small loveseat, the space so tiny her knees almost touched the desk chair. “Tell me why the phone call upset you.”

“I not-so-randomly picked one of the people at the think-tank to call. But then I had to wonder why she was in the office on a Saturday.”

“What reason did she give?” The detective had her notebook out and was ready to take notes as she ate her sandwich and chips.

“That there was a meeting earlier today with a potential funder. She called it a transformational gift. I wonder what that means?”

The detective shrugged. “I don’t know, but sounds important.”

“I agree. And she said Nate had set up a networking event with the funder for Thursday night.” I took a bite of the Italian sub, savoring the flavor of oil-and-vinegar-soaked lettuce and tomato piled high on assorted meats and a layer of provolone cheese. Wiping my fingers on a paper napkin, I set the matchbooks on the table, along with Nate’s phone that I’d promised to give to her. “I was trying to match the notations in these matchbooks to Nate’s calendar. There’s an event, but it didn’t make sense. Allison told me that Nathan organized a monthly networking event for young professionals who worked in the international development space. He’d bring in an expert like this foundation rep to talk for twentyish minutes, then people would mingle. She said this was what caught the foundation’s attention.”

“Those events happen all the time.”

“I know. That’s what doesn’t make sense. Why Nate? What about his group would attract high-level attention?”

“It’s a good question, but I’m not sure it’s relevant to his death.”

“Maybe, but would your opinion change if you knew he was at one of these the night he died?” My throat constricted at the word. “Am I going to have to go back to the morgue?”

“Yes.”

Her answer was so stark it pierced through me. “Can we do that now?”

She glanced at her watch and nodded. “Let me make a call while you eat.”

I tried to enjoy the sandwich as she confirmed we could return and that the body—my brother’s body—was ready for us. Thirty minutes later, we reentered the small room with the body. I steeled myself and examined the face. It was Nate, and I wouldn’t deny it anymore. All of my earlier doubts were me trying to avoid the hard, painful truth.

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