File M for Murder by Miranda James Page B

get her away from here as soon as possible. I knew from experience, however, that we would be here for a while.
    As I watched Laura, I saw the tears begin to well in hereyes. I pulled out my handkerchief and handed it to her, and she dabbed at her eyes. I opened my arms, and she leaned into them, resting her head against my shoulder. “Honey, I’m so sorry,” I whispered. A muffled sob was her response.
    “Mr. Harris, I need to ask your daughter some questions since she was first on the scene.” Williams spoke politely, but firmly. I held up a hand to stall him for a moment, and he nodded.
    “Laura, do you feel like talking to the officer?” I kept my voice low and gentle. I felt Laura nod against my shoulder. She detached herself from my embrace and scrubbed her face with my handkerchief.
    “Sorry, Officer, he was a friend of mine. Finding him like that was a shock.” Laura began with a quaver in her voice but finished sounding stronger.
    “Can you tell us who he is, Miss Harris?” Williams regarded Laura with a neutral expression.
    “Connor Lawton,” Laura said. “He’s a playwright. He’s—he was—here as writer-in-residence for the year at Athena College.”
    Before he could continue his questioning, the clatter of approaching footsteps across the bricked courtyard alerted us to the presence of newcomers. I met the gaze of one of them, and my stomach started to knot up.
    Accompanied by two deputies, Kanesha Berry marched toward us. Her grim expression did not bode well for either me or Laura.
    Right behind Kanesha and her men came an ambulance crew. The deputies stepped aside to let the other group by. I kept my eyes mostly on Kanesha, and her gaze never wavered from mine.
    I braced myself for the storm about to hit, praying that I could somehow protect my daughter from the worst of it.

THIRTEEN

    Officer Williams pointed the ambulance crew toward the open door, then stepped forward to greet Kanesha Berry and the deputies several feet away. They had a low-voiced conversation while Laura and I stood there under the unsmiling watch of Officer Grimes. I was getting impatient. I wanted to take Laura away, because finding a dead body is a horrible experience. She didn’t appear to be in shock, but I could imagine how wretched she felt.
    As I stood there, inwardly fretting and watching my daughter closely, Laura said quietly, “I’m okay, Dad. This is horrible, but I’ll get through it.”
    “Okay, honey,” I said. “But if you feel like you need to get away from here, tell me.”
    I’d kept one eye on Kanesha Berry while I spoke to Laura, and now the chief deputy moved forward. She stopped a couple of paces in front of me.
    “Mr. Harris, I can’t say I’m pleased to find you here.” Kanesha’s expression was impassive, but her voice wastart. “Would you care to explain just why you’re here?” She glanced at Laura. “And this is your daughter, I take it?”
    “Yes, this is Laura. She’s teaching at the college this semester.” I introduced Kanesha to Laura before I continued with my explanation. “I’m here because Laura called me and asked me to come. She was upset over what she found, and naturally I responded.”
    Kanesha nodded. She glanced around the courtyard. “There’s a bench in the shade.” She gestured with her right hand. “Why don’t y’all wait over there? I’ll have more questions for you in a few minutes.”
    “Sure.” I was suddenly conscious of the heat again. Shade was a welcome idea. When Laura and I sat, I wasn’t surprised to see that Officer Grimes had followed us. He took up position a few feet away inside the shaded area.
    Laura and I remained silent as we watched the apartment door. Kanesha had gone inside with her deputies while Officer Williams remained outside. The EMTs came out and found another shaded spot where they could wait until they could remove the body.
    Kanesha’s “few minutes” passed, and she was still inside the apartment. Patience