The Fifth to Die by J. D. Barker

Author:J. D. Barker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

55

Porter

Day 3 • 1:35 p.m.

“My chiropractor is not going to be happy with me,” Sarah Werner groaned. She was lying on the desk in the observation room, the computer monitor and keyboard pushed to the side.

Guards had checked on them regularly about every thirty minutes, and Werner waved them off each time.

Porter slid back up in the chair. His everything hurt too.

He glanced at the clock hanging in the corner. “It’s been about three hours. What’s she doing in there?”

Sarah turned her head and looked back through the one-way window. “Still reading. We should have gotten lunch.”

Porter’s stomach grumbled in agreement. “I want to be here when she finishes. Best not to give her time to digest.”

“No words related to food, please.”

“Sorry.”

Porter raised his arms over his head and stretched. He fought back a yawn. “You don’t have to wait with me if you’ve got something else to do. I don’t want to hold you up.”

Sarah did yawn, covering her mouth. “I’ve got absolutely nothing else to do today.”

“No significant other in your life?”

Sarah laughed. “I’m a criminal defense attorney in one of the country’s most dangerous cities. I made the mistake of selecting an office with an apartment above it, which means my work literally comes home with me within just a few steps. Not that location matters, because I spend eighty hours or more a week with my head buried in case files regardless. If I’m not planted at my desk, I’m here or at the courthouse, sometimes the police station. Every decision I make sabotages any chance I may have at a life.” She rolled her head and smiled at him. “This is the closest thing I’ve had to a date in about four months.”

Porter felt his face flush. “Really? How am I doing?”

Sarah turned her gaze back to the ceiling and studied her fingernails. He noticed that they were not too long. If she wore polish, it was naturally toned. “You get points for originality, that’s for sure. Your choice of venue is a bit subpar, though better than some.”

“Maybe I could take you to dinner? Make it up to you?” The words slipped out before Porter realized he said them, and he wished he could take them back.

It was Sarah’s turn to blush. She nodded at his hand. “Maybe you should clear that with home, Romeo. I may be hard up, but I’m not ready to go there yet. I don’t even own a cat.”

Porter’s thumb slipped over the edge of his wedding ring. He looked down at the band. “My wife passed away last year. I probably shouldn’t wear it anymore, but my finger doesn’t feel right when I take it off.”

Sarah turned back to the ceiling. “Our date just officially turned awkward. I’m sorry.”

“I’m out of practice. In high school, I could turn a date south in under four minutes.”

“Oh, big man on campus, were you? I can’t imagine what you were like in high school.”

Porter had to think for a minute, the distant memories teasing at him, barely visible through a long tunnel.

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