Page 5 of Cornered

“Hello.”

Tate nodded. “Good to meet you. Sorry it’s under these circumstances. I’ve heard a bit about you from your brother.”

“Don’t listen to anything he says.” She attempted a smile, but it faltered, her blue eyes sad and red rimmed.

Tate offered a smile in return, hoping his sympathy was reflected in it.

“Can we talk?” Cole asked.

“About Brenda?” Pain flashed on her face, but she kept the tears at bay.

“Yeah.”

“Sure. Let’s go back to the break room. It’s more private.” She shot a knowing look at Tate. “And there’s coffee if you want it.”

She’d accurately read his longing. He fell halfway in love with her just for that. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

He and Cole followed her into the small area equipped with a table and full-sized kitchen. She motioned toward the disposable cups and Keurig, and Tate helped himself. Cole did the same, then the three sat at the round table.

Cole leaned forward. “We’re going to need to talk to her closest friends and coworkers.”

“Well, then I’m a good place to start. She and I met at the gym twice a week, then worked together every day. We hung out some on the weekends. I even let her lead me down the river occasionally when she was working at Bolin’s.”

“The ecotourism place,” Tate said. “I know it.”

Cole nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

“Then there’s Stan Gilchrest, our boss. You’ll need to talk to him if you haven’t already.”

Tate scratched his chin. “Not in detail.”

“Virginia Carson and Patti Smith were also good friends with Brenda. What else do you need to know?”

“Did she have any enemies that you can think of?” Tate asked.

Stephanie blinked, then frowned. “Enemies? Brenda? No. She was the kindest, most gentle soul you’d ever hope to meet. She had an incredible mind for numbers and was very good at her job.”

“Like you, I’m told,” Tate said. At her questioning look he said, “James.”

She sipped her coffee. “Hm. Well, I like to think so.”

Cole set his cup aside. “Look, Steph, I hate to say it, but it’s possible Brenda’s accident wasn’t exactly an accident. It’s possible someone ran her off the road on purpose.”

She gasped, then gaped. “What? You mean as in ...killed her?”

“Maybe. We found paint from another vehicle on the side of her car in different places. Like someone bumped her twice and it was enough to send her over the side.”

“B-but could it have been someone who was careless or drunk or—”

“It could be, but either way, they left the scene, so for now we’re treating this like a homicide.” At her stunned expression, Cole sighed. “I know it’s terrible to ask this, but could you show us Brenda’s workspace? We’re going to need to go through it in case it was someone she knew. If it was just some weird accident by a stranger, that’s one thing, but we’ve got to rule other stuff out.”

“Stan was just talking about needing to clear out her desk this morning, and I told him I’d do it after everyone left for the day.” She frowned. “It’s right there in the middle of the room next to mine. If you guys start going through it, everyone will...” She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“We get it,” Tate said, “but it’s possible she might have something in the desk that can lead us to why she’s dead. The faster we find that, the faster we hope to find out what happened on the road.”

“Right. Of course.” Steph stood and waved for them to follow. Tate snagged his coffee and pulled up the rear.

She stopped at a cubicle that was neat and organized. Ready for its occupant to settle into the chair and start work. Unfortunately, Brenda wouldn’t be coming back. Tate pulled in a deep breath while a sense of rightness settled over him in spite of the reason for his position being necessary. This was why he did this job. To get justice for those who couldn’t get it for themselves.

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