Page 56 of Operation: Sharp Angel

“Yeah, go ahead,” the cop answered.

Tessman crossed the street and occupied himself at the utility box for fifteen more minutes while the cops finished up. Finally, he heard that Jackson and Smith were done and had vacated the premises. He stayed where he was until Briana drove away, followed by the officers. Hoch still stood by his car, assessing the damage and winding himself up.

“All assets are clear of the scene, Control,” Tessman reported.

“Roger that, Moe. Control, dropping off.”

“Jax, are you still nearby?” he broadcast.

“Affirmative, just leaving the neighborhood. Why?”

“I have a really bad feeling. Can you watch the feed as he goes back inside? He’s still pissed. I think he may take it out on his wife.”

“What? You think he’s going to go in and beat her up?” Briana broke in.

“Yeah, I do,” Tessman said. “He’s standing in the driveway winding himself up.”

Quebec

Becca kept herself busy going through the bins from her sister’s house and the boxes returned by Detective Davis again while Carter and the others who were setting up Briana’s client’s husband were away. She would admit that she felt anxious about the safety of Simone Hoch, who technically was now her client as well. And she was worried about Briana, purposefully provoking a violent man. She knew she wasn’t cut out for this sort of work because she didn’t want to see anyone get hurt.

She’d also decided that she needed to go home. She couldn’t hide in this building indefinitely. She’d talk with Carter about that when he returned. They had no idea who those men were that had been in her sister’s house. According to Angel, the man who’d been shot still refused to talk to the police. And there was no ID on him or the man she’d killed in the closet. Without knowing who they were, they wouldn’t be able to figure out what they were looking for.

The other decision she made that morning was that she was going to resign from the firm. She didn’t want to practiceestate law any longer, and she didn’t need the money with the inheritance she’d be getting. She could take her time to figure out what the next chapter of her life looked like. That decision did bring her a degree of peace.

After finishing going through the last of the bins and boxes, she wandered through the hallway and ended up at Angel’s desk. “You look lost,” Angel said with a grin. “Getting bored?”

“Yes,” Becca said. “I looked through the bins and boxes a third time and I still don’t see anything that anyone would have been looking for.”

“It might not be there to find,” Angel said with a shrug. “You knew your sister and her husband the best. If they wanted to hide something or put it someplace for safekeeping, what would they do with it?”

“Ordinarily, I’d say in their safe, but Detective Davis went through all that stuff too and found nothing.”

“What did your sister do to hide things when you were kids?” Angel asked.

Becca chuckled to herself. “She used to hide her treasures in her socks.”

“Did you go through all the sock drawers in the house?” Angel asked.

Becca grimaced. “No, I didn’t touch any of the drawers the clothes are in and neither did the intruders,” she pointed out.

“Well, from what Jackson said, they were stopped before they went upstairs to where the bedrooms are.”

Becca nodded. “True. And they did rummage through all the clothes at my house.”

“Becca,” Angel said gently. “What could your brother-in-law or sister have been into that would have caused this? I know you don’t want to believe either or both were into something they shouldn’t have been, but the fact is, this kind of thing doesn’thappen to people who aren’t doing something sketchy or aren’t involved with the wrong people.”

“I don’t know,” Becca admitted. “I keep thinking it was a mistake. Someone mistook them for someone else.”

“I hope that wasn’t the case. If it is, this may never be solved,” Angel said.

“Has your husband told you the theories they have? Carter mentioned they have a few theories, but he got called to a meeting this morning with Colonel Shepherd after he brought it up, before I could ask.”

Angel bit her lip. “It’s not my place to say anything, Becca. It’s not my investigation. Ask Carter and Jackson when they get back. They should be back soon.”

Becca felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. She nodded. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Yes, lunch should be coming soon. Would you get the leftovers out of the refrigerator and put them on the one side of the counter like I do? That would help me a lot. I want to finish the updates I’m making on this spreadsheet before lunch.” She tapped her monitor.

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