Last Breath (Emma Last FBI Mystery Series Book 1) by Mary Stone

Author:Mary Stone [Stone, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mary Stone Publishing
Published: 2023-05-30T16:00:00+00:00

19

At the airport, Leo and Denae stopped to let a family of four lumber across their path through the heart of the lobby. Groups of people coming and going crossed in front of them, some hauling what looked like a month’s worth of luggage.

Denae dodged an efficient-looking flight attendant hauling a rolling suitcase. “Are Perkins’s parents planning on getting right back onto a plane or what? Why not just meet us at pickup?”

“Heck if I know.” Leo glanced at his phone again. “Amy Perkins said to meet them at the tavern just this side of security. Said they’ll wait by the hostess stand for us.”

“I see it.” Denae took the lead, her boot heels joining the echoes of the other percussive footsteps of passengers, flight crews, and staff, scattering in different directions. For a Tuesday morning, the airport wasn’t too busy, but Leo would’ve preferred to pick the couple up and drive them to their hotel or just meet them there. Who chose to have a meeting in an airport?

“That must be them,” Denae muttered as they came within sight of the overpriced tavern.

A just-past-middle-aged couple stood waiting near the host stand. Both Mr. and Mrs. Perkins were engrossed in their smartphones rather than focusing on each other or anything else. Their carry-ons partially blocked the main aisle into the tavern, but neither seemed concerned about the other customers and staff being forced to step around the obstruction.

Leo held out his hand to shake and begin the introduction.

Ignoring him, Mrs. Perkins turned to the host and demanded a table for four.

Leo transferred his attention to the man. “Mr. Perkins, I’m Special Agent Leo Ambrose, and this is my partner, Special Agent Denae Monroe.”

The man held out a business card rather than shaking his hand.

“Uh, thank you.” Leo took the card and considered throwing it in the trash. Instead, he pocketed it.

Strange.

“We know who you are, Agent, thank you.” Alcohol steamed from Mr. Perkins’s mouth as he spoke. “If you don’t mind, I need a drink, so let’s do that and get this question stuff over with, all right?”

Without waiting for an answer, he turned away to follow his wife. She jounced her carry-on through the aisles of the tavern.

Denae elbowed Leo’s shoulder. “Not quite grief-stricken, huh?”

“Everybody handles grief different, I guess.”

Denae snorted, picking up on his sarcasm. “Drowning their sorrows?”

Keeping a few steps back, he watched the couple as they followed the host to a booth in the corner. Mr. Perkins all but fell onto the bench while Mrs. Perkins tucked their carry-ons against the wall.

Before Leo and Denae could sit, Mr. Perkins was already ordering a whiskey sour. To her credit, the host didn’t flinch at the midmorning request or tell the man it wasn’t her job to get the drink order. Mr. Perkins also ordered a coffee and water for his wife. The host raised her eyebrows in question at Leo next.

“Just water, thanks.”

Denae gestured to the coffee cup turned down in front of her. “Strong coffee, if you could.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.