Page 59 of End Game

“Stick to fucking up people’s lives with your lobbying. Leave the investigation to the professionals.”

Once the door closed behind him, Kayla backed up until her vehicle absorbed her weight. A mix of emotions pounded through her, making her unsteady on her feet. Fury and shame battled for the top position.

He had no idea what she’d sacrificed for the citizens of this state, this country. Every molecule in her body has been focused on fixing what was broken with the political system. Why did he hate her profession so much?

Stick to fucking up people’s lives.

She flashed back to Alexander Brighton and his notable absence senior year.

28

Leaving the resident agency’s break room, Ash crossed paths with Peppy Patsy and saluted her with his brimming cup. “Thanks for putting on another pot.”

“My pleasure, hon. Now that we have a fancy coffee maker, it’s as easy as buttering biscuits.” She stopped a few feet away. “Need help with anything?”

He gripped the mug a little tighter as he prepared to take a drink. Unlike most communal coffee, the brew here was good. Didn’t matter who made it, all they had to do was follow the detailed instructions Patsy had taped to the new coffee maker.

“I’m good.” Ash blew into his cup before taking a tentative sip. The hot liquid was a few degrees shy of scalding as it slid over his tongue and down the back of his throat. Perfect.

He continued toward his office.

“If anything comes up, just give me a holler,” Patsy said. “Now that I have a part-time assistant, I can take more off all y’all’s plate. I can’t imagine the number of balls you have in the air with the Stokes case.”

“Thank you, Patsy. I—” He paused and turned back to the office assistant—manager. “Actually, there is something you could help me out with, if you’re game.”

Her smile grew wider. “I was born ready to play. You can ask my poor aggrieved mother. She could tell you story after story about my rollicking teenage years.”

Ash couldn’t help but grin. “I’ll keep that in mind when I need blackmail material on you.”

“Oh, I’ve gone and done a number on myself now.” Laughing, she nodded toward her desk a few feet away. “Let me grab something to write on.”

Ash followed and waited for her to get settled in at her desk.

“What’s on your mind, hon?”

“At the governor’s crime scene, I found a pearl stud earring pinned to a tree branch.”

“Sounds like someone took Pin the Tail on the Donkey to a whole new level.”

Ash suppressed a smile. He’d learned not to acknowledge Patsy’s sometimes inappropriate, always amusing, one-liners. She could shoot off one right after the other like clay pigeons.

“Based on the line of sight, I believe it’s where the shooter set up to make the kill shot, though forensics has yet to confirm my suspicions.”

“A calling card?”

“Signature,” he corrected. “Either that or a drunken socialite got stuck in a tree.”

Patsy chortled. “Want me to check to see if a pearl earring pops up in any other cases?”

He nodded. “Widen the net. Search for any jewelry, not just pearl studs. It’s a long shot, but worth looking.”

“Got it. Anything else?”

“Not at the moment. If you get a hit, let me know immediately. I don’t care if the director herself is in my office.”

“I need to finish something for Mitch, then I’ll jump on this.”

He recalled the research he’d done yesterday on the Secretary of State’s website. The organization who’d paid millions of dollars to Krowne and Associates, over a number of years. “One more thing?” he asked.

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