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Post by earthylady on Jan 14, 2009 1:57:12 GMT -5
Imagine using an old movie as a murder manual. The picture of O'Shay in a diaper is not a pretty site. Great chapter JL.
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Post by jaglady on Jan 14, 2009 6:03:30 GMT -5
Thanks, Earthylady. I'll be polite and say I have my opinions about the guy.
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Post by jaglady on Jan 14, 2009 19:10:37 GMT -5
Chapter 13—Talking With Mr. Cooper
Dan Cooper sat at the interrogation table with his eyes averted. He tried to give off the impression that he didn’t understand why he was being questioned, but the truth was, it tore at him that he was now on the wrong side of that interrogation table and on the wrong side of his now former colleagues. Horatio stared in another direction, doing his best to control his anger as he stood in front of the crime lab’s once-trusted AV tech.
His former boss paced slowly, directing his voice to the brown case file. “Mr. Cooper. It was bad enough that you took liberties with Speed’s credit card. That would have just gotten you some community service and a criminal record. Illegal internet trafficking? Child porn distribution? I think that carries five to fifteen in the Federal pen. The FBI is going to want to have a chat with you pretty soon. I was hoping maybe we could speak with you first.”
“Nobody got hurt, Horatio” Dan insisted in a much more humble voice. That line had worked with Calleigh.
Horatio barely maintained his composure as he turned his eyes toward Dan and raised his voice. “Tyler was almost brought up on charges and fired because of your little business on the side, Mr. Cooper. There were underage kids in those pictures you trafficked. Try again!”
Dan pursed his lips and looked sideways. He really had no answer, and both of them knew it.
His former boss now looked at him almost sympathetically. “But I get the feeling you didn’t act alone. So if you want to save yourself, it’s time for you to start talking. Whoever you’re protecting is gonna let you take the fall, and you know it.”
He stared forward into the distance as he took a deep breath. “O’Shay” he barely mumbled.
Horatio furrowed his eyebrows at him. “Supervisor O’Shay?”
Dan looked at the Lieutenant ruefully. “Yeah. Scott O’Shay paid me to get the stuff for those freaks he hangs out with. First he just said it was a social club. Look, when I found out what he was really into, I didn’t want any part of it. Speed’s card number was right there. I mean, I didn’t think this was gonna happen.” He now stared into the distance. “And they kind of had me for the distribution. So I didn’t say anything, just hoping maybe it would all go away and nobody would notice.”
His former boss nodded. “Well, unfortunately for you, the Feds and the FCC noticed. Did you rig the crime lab’s computer system?”
“Not all of it. They gave me a little help. I’m good, but I’m not THAT good.”
“Who helped you?”
“One of O’Shay’s diaper buddies. He didn’t give me his name. O’Shay just had him call me and tell me what to do. I’d know his voice, though.”
Horatio looked firmly at Dan now. “Mr. Cooper? Listen to me. I want names. I want phone numbers. I want dates. And give Tyler some IP addresses.” He narrowed his eyes at the former AV tech. “The tech we hired to replace you is undoing the damage as we speak. Let me know if there’s anything I should tell her. She used to work the FBI Cybercrimes unit, and she doesn't like you very much right now.”
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Tyler walked into the computer lab. “Morning Emmie. You’re in early.”
Emmie smiled at him slightly. “Hey Tyler. I just like to make sure everything’s in place before things get hopping.”
“How was your weekend?”
She shrugged. “Okay. Fed my cat, unpacked, emailed some old acquaintances. So it looks like you and Ryan are gonna have to work on both sides of the Bohannon case now, huh?”
“Yeah. The night shift helped out with some of the tracking. I have to look at some bank statements they ran down overnight.”
“Sounds good. Horatio gave me the go-ahead to start fixing the switching system, so I’ll be in the switching room working on that.”
Emmie opened her bottom drawer to search for the mapping folders when a plain white envelope simply marked Emmie in blue ink caught her attention. With her finger she discreetly slit it open, finding only a fresh, crisp twenty dollar bill inside. Not the same bill she had thrown at Rick Saturday night. She pursed her lips thoughtfully as she debated whether to talk to him about it. Instead she stuck it back in the envelope and left it in the bottom drawer. She would deal with it later. Of her many priorities, Rick’s attention was not one of them right now.
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On the way back to his office, Horatio stepped into the open IAB office without knocking. “Rick.”
Still miffed from his experience Saturday night, Rick Stetler looked at the Lieutenant somewhat contemptuously. “Lieutenant Caine. What a pleasant surprise. Make yourself at home. How may I be of assistance?”
Horatio stood in front of the desk opposite his nemesis. “Been lonely since Yelina left Miami?”
“Excuse me?”
“You’ve taken quite an interest in the new computer tech.”
He leveled his brown eyes at the Lieutenant. “And what’s wrong with that? I’m just trying to make her feel welcome. She’s new to the area, a Navy widow—“
Horatio stood with hands on hips, staring away matter-of-factly. “Father’s a CEO, political ties all the way to the White House. Very handy to have in your pocket if you get tangled up in something like, say, the Bohannon case?”
Rick now stared daggers at his nemesis. “I don’t know what you’re accusing me of!”
“She told me about your little dinner date Saturday night! The Silver Palm, Rick! Awfully pricey place for you to be taking a computer tech, don’t you think? She says you started grilling her for names and numbers for a ‘friend.’ And on the County’s dime, no less. If that’s the case, maybe you can give Miss Stockburne her twenty dollars back.”
Rick deliberately threw his pen down on the desk. “Look! I simply invited her to a networking dinner Saturday night! And it’s a legitimate business expense, since she’s a department supervisor. I tried to be nice to her, but I guess she misunderstood, and now she’s accusing me of hitting on her!”
Horatio faced him more directly, eyes narrowed. “That’s not what she told me, Rick. Emmie Stockburne has a stellar record with the Marine Corps and the FBI. She’s not going to just walk in here and suddenly lie about everybody now, is she? I hired her because she’s a good leader and a good systems expert.” He now leaned closer to the IAB agent to emphasize his point. “And just so you know, as her supervisor, I’ve given her a direct order that she is never to call in any political favors for you while she works here. And she takes orders very well.”
“You weren’t there, Lieutenant! How do you know what happened?”
“I know your track record for twisting the facts, Rick. And now so does Emmie. She’s only been here a week, and she already knows not to trust you.”
Rick slowly stood up. “For your information, I did give her back her money! I didn’t want it in the first place!”
“Are you helping O’Shay?”
He scowled at the Lieutenant. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“I’m gonna ask you again, Rick, because you know as well as I do the place is gonna be crawling with Feds. Are you involved in the Bohannon case?”
“No. O’Shay asked if I could get some contacts from Emmie Stockburne. He said it was for a friend. That’s all he told me.” The IAB agent spoke deliberately and maintained eye contact. Given Supervisor O’Shay’s way of doing things, Horatio was fairly satisfied with Rick’s answer.
“Just remember. If I find out that’s why you’ve been prying Miss Stockburne, then it’s you who’s gonna get investigated this time.”
He leveled his eyes at the Lieutenant. “You threatening me?”
Horatio turned to leave. “I’m promising you. Stay away from Miss Stockburne unless it’s job-related. She reports directly to me. And just remember. Those connections of hers can work both ways.”
As Horatio walked out of the steamed IAB agent’s office, his cell phone rang. He flipped it open. “Caine.”
“It’s Tyler. I was able to track some of those pictures. Supervisor O’Shay’s friends didn’t do a good job of hiding their tracks. Based on what you got from Dan Cooper, I was able to get bank statements and cell phone numbers.”
“Nice work, Tyler!” Horatio snapped his cell phone shut and hurried toward the lab with a firm resolve.
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ladytaz29
Rookie Officer
Caution..Must wear flame retardent materials..
Posts: 377
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Post by ladytaz29 on Jan 14, 2009 19:41:42 GMT -5
Horatio really put it to Rick...Glad Emmie talked to him about it. I have a feeling O'Shea's world is about to get rocked. :pillowfight: Good chapter JL
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Post by jaglady on Jan 14, 2009 19:54:47 GMT -5
Thanks, LadyTaz. The next chapter is the biggie.
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Post by earthylady on Jan 15, 2009 1:57:47 GMT -5
This chapter was great. Horatio sure knows how to handle Rick. O'Shay is really a snake.Hope he gets what he deserves. Can't wait for the next biggie.
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Post by jaglady on Jan 15, 2009 19:56:05 GMT -5
Chapter 14—The Uraveling
Delko walked urgently into the lab. “Cal. Got your page. What did you find out?”
Calleigh looked at him firmly. “It looks like Keith Salter was telling the truth.” She stood up and drew his attention to the copper strands that had been separated into two halves. “Up here in this area is positive for Keith’s fingerprints and DNA.” She motioned further down the strand toward the frayed ends. “If you look here, Keith’s prints were separated into two. So he did hook the whole wire up into the lower part of that generator. But then it looks like after he did his work, the killer came in behind him and bifurcated the wire, hooking it up into the upper half of the generator. Prints on the lower half of the copper wiring match the prints and DNA on the upper and lower hatches of the backup generator. There’s your five hundred volts.”
Delko nodded thoughtfully. “Did we get anything off the ends?”
Calleigh nodded. “Just got a positive for prints. And our killer.”
“Who?”
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Horatio and Delko were prepared for anything as they knocked on the front door of the Galloway residence, hands on weapons. “Mr. Galloway? Miami-Dade PD” Horatio demanded.
No answer.
“Mr. Galloway?” he repeated, more urgently this time.
Delko looked at him, motioning toward the garage around back. “You hear that, H?” he nearly whispered.
Instinctively both Horatio and Delko drew their guns. “The garage!”
The two CSI’s and two uniformed officers crept cautiously to a humming sound in the garage. Horatio touched his nose as he glanced at Delko. “Car exhaust” he whispered. He wasted no time in opening the side door and was nearly overpowered by the smell and the fumes.
“Open that garage door! Call rescue!” he yelled to one of the uniformed officers as he and Delko covered their noses and ran into the dark, smoky garage.
Mr. Galloway sat motionless in the driver’s seat of his red Chevy Lumina, eyes closed, his head turned away. Delko yanked the driver’s side door open as Horatio quickly wrapped both arms around him and pulled his limp body out to the fresh air as quickly as he could, laying him on the concrete next to the garage. His skin was a pale gray, and his lips were blue. Horatio felt his neck. Cold. Nothing.
“Anything, H?”
The Lieutenant looked up at him and shook his head. “He’s gone.” He got up and sighed over the general manager’s lifeless body. “Tell rescue to take their time!”
Delko waited for the fumes to clear before snapping on his latex gloves and peeking inside the Lumina’s dark front seat. He shone his flashlight around the dark interior and found nothing remarkable, other than a red folder with a stack of photos, notes, and printed emails peeking out. Though he couldn’t be completely sure this was a suicide, his instinct told him that, if not Mr. Galloway, someone had deliberately placed this on the front seat to be found. The CSI carefully picked it up and backed out of the darkened car.
“See anything, Eric?” Horatio wanted to know, standing beside Mr. Galloway and scanning the scene a little further.
“Yeah, H. There was this.” Just a quick glance through the folder was enough to tell him that Paul Galloway was also a member of the Adult Diapers Club. He nodded sadly. “Mr. Galloway definitely had some secrets of his own. And this.” He showed a small red electronics textbook to the Lieutenant who glanced at it.
Horatio peered over Delko’s shoulder through his sunglasses. “An electronics manual. So it looks like Mr. Galloway finished what Keith started. I think Mr. Galloway was leaving us a message.” He paused to gather his thoughts. “Here’s what I want you to do, Eric. Take this car and every photo, every piece of paper back to the lab. Alexx will post Mr. Galloway.” He glanced away in sadness that a husband and father had to die.
“I wonder if Mr. Galloway finally knew we were coming.” Delko said.
“Somebody did. And they wanted to make sure we knew the whole story.”
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Special Agent Sackheim glanced at the federal subpoena one more time as he stood at the entrance with Horatio, Tyler, and two other FBI agents. Everybody was there, and everything he needed was in place.
Horatio put his hand on the red folder as he looked at Tyler. “You ready?”
Tyler nodded with a thankful smile. This was exacting justice. The Lieutenant was sure to let Tyler take this walk with him, not only because Emmie Stockburne had been recused from the case, but also because Tyler deserved it. “Thanks, Horatio.”
Horatio and Tyler strained to keep up with Sackheim and his suited FBI colleagues as they stepped in their authoritative march quickly through the hallways, past bystanders, past uniformed officers, slowing down at the doorway of the main conference room.
A security guard put up his hand. “I’m sorry, you can’t go—“
Agent Sackheim never looked at the man as he immediately produced his identification. “FBI. We have a Federal subpoena for Scott O’Shay” he said in a tone that implied that there would be no argument.
The security guard knew immediately to step aside and let the five gentlemen through the doorway. All five gentlemen kept their determined expressions as they stepped into the crowded conference room into the glare of studio lights.
Supervisor O’Shay whipped his head at the unwelcome disturbance, obviously annoyed. “I’m in the middle of a press conference right now, gentlemen! Can it wait?” he said rather impatiently.
Agent Sackheim stepped to the side as Lieutenant Caine locked angry eyes with the supervisor.
“Supervisor O’Shay, maybe you can tell these reporters why you paid a Miami-Dade computer tech to traffick child pornography and use a dead police officer’s credit card number to sell pornographic website access to your friends in the Adult Diapers Club.” Without another word he quickly tossed the red folder clear across the brown conference room table in the same manner that Rick Stetler had done to him not long ago.
The horde of reporters wasted no time in pouncing on the folder’s contents like a school of sharks attacking wounded prey, grabbing whatever documents and photographs they could reach within a split second.
Horatio motioned toward Tyler as he continued to look straight into the stunned supervisor’s eyes. “And you didn’t care if Tyler Jensen took the fall for it. Did you?”
Scott O'Shay now looked into Tyler’s eyes. Tyler now gained his confidence in confronting the man who would have been just as happy to see him take the fall for all of this. He narrowed his eyes at the blonde supervisor.
The tone of the reporters changed from bored, organized and formal to charged, chaotic and frenzied. Adrenaline shot through Scott O’Shay as he now turned toward the shouting reporters who thrust microphones and lobbed a hailstorm of questions regarding the sudden turn of events.
“Is this in any way related to the Bohannon case?”
“Supervisor, did you murder Derrick Bohannon?”
“Can you tell us more about the Adult Diapers Club?”
“Are there any more city officials involved in this, Sir?”
Gathering himself, O’Shay knew he had lost this one. He now looked at Lieutenant Caine, whose scowl had turned into a victorious smile. His breath quickened as he then forced himself to face the frenzied mob of reporters and glaring lights.
“I’ll issue an official statement concerning this later. This press conference is now over!” He could barely be heard above the din, but he didn’t care as he and his entourage quickly exited by way of the other door. Security guards strained to keep O’Shay and his entourage separated from the media frenzy.
Horatio then motioned toward the door. “Tyler, I think we better let the Feds do their job now.”
Tyler smiled. “You’re right.”
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Post by earthylady on Jan 16, 2009 11:01:08 GMT -5
Diaper man has been bought down,it was nice that Tyler was allowed to witness it. Great chapter again JL.
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ladytaz29
Rookie Officer
Caution..Must wear flame retardent materials..
Posts: 377
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Post by ladytaz29 on Jan 16, 2009 17:51:42 GMT -5
DUN DUN DUN...The shadesof justice have struck again. Great that Horatio let Tyler be in on it. Amazing chapter and amazing story JL.
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Post by jaglady on Jan 16, 2009 20:51:49 GMT -5
Thanks, everybody.
Just a couple of chapters to go for this one. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 15—Extending the Olive Branch
Horatio stood in the viewing area of the morgue as he watched Alexx clean up after examining Paul Galloway. “What did you find out, Alexx?” He asked into the mike.
Alexx looked up to the windows and shook her head. “Asphyxiation from carbon monoxide poisoning. Tox came back negative for any kind of drugs, and no signs of any blunt-force trauma. As far as I can tell, Mr. Galloway just walked into his garage, turned on his car, and slipped away.” She removed some instruments for cleaning. “My work is done here.”
The Lieutenant nodded. “Suicide.”
Alexx looked up at him knowingly. “Too many secrets, Horatio.” She then looked down at the pale body that was Mr. Galloway. “Too many secrets. It all caught up with you, Sweetie.” She then carefully pulled the sheet over his head.
Horatio’s cell phone rang. He snapped it open. “Caine. I’ll be right there.” He closed his phone and reholstered it. “Thanks, Alexx.”
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The blonde, middle-aged man stood up at the visitors’ area and shook hands with Horatio. “Hi Lieutenant Caine. I guess you remember me? John Beckwith?”
“Mr. Beckwith. Sorry we couldn’t meet under better circumstances.”
The talk show host nodded at him sadly. “Yeah. Me too.”
“Why don’t we take a walk? I have the feeling there’s something you want to share with me.”
The blonde gentleman sat down sadly at the table and looked around. “I just heard about Paul Galloway. Everybody knew something was wrong when he didn’t show up for work this morning.” He shook his head. “I just felt like I should come thank all of you and to apologize for all the trouble you had to go through.”
Horatio nodded sympathetically.
“I guess now’s not a good time to tell you this.”
“I have a feeling there’s more to this, Mr. Beckwith. I’d like you to tell me.”
“A whole lot more. The day Bo died? We weren’t gonna talk about the Adult Diapers Club thing.” He shook his head with a sad smile. “I didn’t even know where it all came from. I assumed he got it from an AP wire or an internet website, but I guess he knew about Paul Galloway all along.” He sighed deeply.
“Go on.”
John Beckwith lowered his eyes. “There was a pretty good reason why Derrick acted the way he did. His closest friends knew he had a drug and alcohol problem, and, well, Paul was gonna fire him. I knew and he knew that his days were numbered at WION. Derrick confided in me a lot, and he told me he was gonna get back at Paul. I guess I only just figured out what he meant.”
Horatio stood up and paced thoughtfully. “Mr. Beckwith, I thought it was Scott O’Shay that you and Mr. Bohannon exposed on the air. Were you planning to go public about Paul Galloway too?”
The talk show host shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess he threatened to. I hate to say it, but Derrick was getting a little out of control. I guess anything was possible.”
“But now we’ll never know, will we?” Horatio knew he could not discuss the finer points of the case, so he left that piece of the puzzle.
“I guess not.” John paused and stared out the window. “Have you guys found any leads on what happened to Derrick?”
“We’re looking at some possible leads now, Mr. Beckwith.”
“That morning Paul and Bo had one hell of a fight in Paul’s office.” He laughed sadly. “I sure didn’t know about Paul and this Diaper Club thing. Bo knew about Scott O’Shay, but hey, that’s what we did. That was the crux of our radio show.”
Horatio nodded. “The Poke in the Eye Guys.”
John Beckwith smiled. “Yeah. I tell you what. Now some pretty heavy things are coming out in the news about Scott O’Shay. Fraud? Trafficking? Child porn distribution? I had no idea we’d opened up such a can of worms. Usually when we go after the city’s politicians, it’s a parody, and it’s all in fun. I didn’t know how deep this thing was.”
“That’s okay, Mr. Beckwith. If you and Mr. Bohannon hadn’t come forward with this story, I don’t think we would have known, either. So, any idea where you’re going from here?”
The man looked at Horatio with more assurance now. “I took a job in Jacksonville. I’ve already sold my condo, and my family is moving up there as we speak. No, I admit that it was tough after Bo died, but with Paul, well, that sealed the deal. It’s time for us to go. It’s not the drive time, but at least we get to stay in Florida this way.” He sighed as he looked around the room. “You know, Lieutenant Caine, when I first started out in this business, I played forty-fives in a studio no bigger than this room in a town in Iowa you couldn’t find on a map. I’ve been fired three times. Talk radio’s big these days, but that doesn’t mean it’s comfortable. ‘Poke in the Eye Guys’ might sound a bit corny, but I know what I’m doing is important.”
Horatio gave the man a sympathetic smile. “And that’s what matters.”
John Beckwith reached into his portfolio. “I thought you might like a little something. This is from our number one show. Remember how I told you Bo brought in a copy of rude sound effects that one time? Well, the day we did that show, I got a call from you guys at the MDPD telling us traffic accidents almost doubled because people listening to us that day were laughing so hard. Who ever thought Bo and I had that many listeners on the drive time?” He handed Horatio a CD in a jewel case. “It’s just a copy, though. I wanted the original as sort of something to remember Bo.”
Horatio studied the jewel case and accepted it. “Rude sound effects.”
The talk show host grinned. “Yeah. You can get a debate going on something as simple as whether farting is funny or not. On days we were off, that was our number one most requested show.” He shrugged with a smile. “And that’s what I like to do. Get you to talk. Get you to think. And if I can get you to laugh, hey, even better. Sounds like a lot of people here in Miami think that stuff is pretty funny.”
Horatio raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Not just in Miami, Mr. Beckwith.” He looked toward the computer lab. “I think I know who might have some use for this.”
John Beckwith stood up and extended his hand to Horatio. “Well, Lieutenant, I might give our politicians a poke in the eyes, but I salute all you police officers. Thanks for everything. I better be going now, but I just wanted to say how much I appreciate everything you did.”
The Lieutenant shook his hand. “Good luck, Mr. Beckwith. And don’t stop poking.”
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Emmie had left the door to the switching room slightly open. Natalia slipped in and faced her. “Cyberagent Stockburne.”
“Agent Boa Vista” Emmie answered, not taking her eyes off the crinkled routing map. “What can I do for you?”
Natalia stared at her for a moment. “Nothing. See you. Cyberagent.”
Emmie narrowed her eyes as she turned toward her former nemesis. “I earned that title! What did YOU do? Besides wreck a few careers?”
The CSI turned toward her former rival. “That was a long time ago!”
“Not long enough. Garrett was just two years from retirement as memory serves.”
Natalia glared back at her. “Hey, I know what I saw.”
“And I know what you didn’t see. Tell me. How is it Garrett went down and Peeler walked away clean? You had to have seen what he was doing.” Emmie folded her arms and glared at Natalia now. “And how do I know you’re not still at it?”
“I’m not still at it! And for your information, I gave this lab a good report” she insisted.
“Yeah? Well you can be damn sure I’m gonna do some checking. Don’t forget that we cyberagents have a long reach.”
Natalia turned to leave. “Whatever. I’m just trying to be nice. You’re the only one keeping all that alive.”
Emmie sighed as she looked hard at the black switching panel she had just installed. “Natalia, wait. Please?”
Her former nemesis turned and looked at her expectantly.
“Peeler was the main reason I left the FBI. It was getting dangerous in there. After my husband died, I had to bail.”
Natalia nodded. “I knew. I couldn’t prove it. Why didn’t you ask one of your uncles to do something? You were pretty good at that.”
Emmie smirked. “Because fire with fire doesn’t always work. I knew people, and so did he.” She dipped her eyes understandingly. She knew she could talk in the switching room away from curious ears. “That dirtbag never forgave me for cracking the Talladega case. He thought he should’ve gotten all the credit for that one.” She now looked up at Natalia. “I don’t know a whole lot of people here.”
“I know exactly what you mean. And Emmie?”
“I’m listening.”
Natalia faced her. “I’m sorry about your husband.”
Emmie just bowed her head. “Thanks.”
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