by K. M. Hodge
He drank so much these days that they hadn’t been together in over two long weeks. The time apart meant that each small touch he proffered now threatened to send her over the edge. She needed to get to work, but the idea of letting him take her right there in the middle of the kitchen overpowered her sense of duty.
Just as he started unbuttoning her blouse, a petite woman with dark hair and eyes entered the kitchen, causing Marianna to pull away from Jason’s grasp.
Must be the ever formidable Ellie.
“Oh, jeez, sorry,” the woman said, looking away.
Marianna wasn’t one to be embarrassed, but the other woman’s cheeks pinked. “Wait, don’t go. It’s okay. I really should be leaving. I’m late for work as it is.” Marianna pushed Jason out of the way and jumped off the counter, buttoning herself up.
The woman stood half in, half out of the room.
Marianna smiled and shrugged a little as she righted her shirt. When she was once again presentable, she walked over to Jason’s friend and extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Marianna. You must be Dr. Forester. Jason has told me so much about you. It’s nice to finally meet you. I suppose I have you to thank for him getting cleaned up.”
Ellie shook her hand. “Nice to meet you as well. I don’t know that I can take credit for his cleaning up though.” She gave him a sidelong glance.
Marianna nodded and went back to give Jason a chaste kiss. “I’ll call you later,” she said, and headed out the door.
***
Ellie stared at the now closed door, her mouth hanging open.
“You can pick your chin up off the floor now, Ellie.” Jason looked at her with an amused look on his face.
She poured herself some coffee and scooted up onto the island while Jason resumed making breakfast.
He poked at the scrambled eggs. “You’re unusually quiet. Does it shock your sensibilities that I have a sex life? Did you imagine me a monk?”
She carefully set her cup down beside her. “No, not a monk. I’m glad you have someone. I was actually thinking how it would have shocked Katherine. Why didn’t you ever tell her?”
“Katherine didn’t need to know,” he said, avoiding her gaze.
Ellie picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. She wondered if keeping this hot, younger girl a secret was his passive-aggressive way of punishing Katherine for supposedly leading him on all those years. “How long have you two been together?”
He shrugged but still didn’t turn “I don’t know... a couple of years, I guess.”
What? How have you kept this woman a secret for so long?
Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone beeping—the third message that morning.
She gasped in surprise when Jason unexpectedly made a grab for her phone. He used his free hand to hold her back, unfairly using his size against her. “Let’s see what we have here.”
“Dammit, Jason, give it back.” A swift kick to the back of the knee caused him to stumble but not fall.
“You really don’t want me to read this text,” he said, out of breath. He activated the voice command. “Play message.”
“Can’t stop thinking of last night,” her phone said.
“Ooohh!” He made silly faces at her. “You did sleep with someone!”
She flushed with embarrassment and snatched it away from him at last. “Fuck you, Jason!” She stormed out of the kitchen.
How dare he!
He followed hot on her heels, much to her great dismay. “So wait, let me get this clear. You get to encroach on my privacy, but your life is completely off limits?”
She paused, bristled by his entitled tone.
“Would you tell Katherine if she were here?” He stood on the landing to the stairs staring up at her.
She turned in a huff to face him. Her face flushed and tears streamed down her cheeks. “Yes, yes I would tell her, but I can’t do that anymore now, can I? Maybe... I miss my best friend, especially now when I’m going through a crazy time of my life. Maybe... I was hoping you of all people would understand.”
Jason sighed and his shoulders dropped. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
He swiped away one of the tears on her cheeks with the pad of his thumb, and drew her in for a hug. “Katherine always said I was a good listener—” A blush spread across his pale cheeks. “—when I’m not being a total dick.”
She didn’t want to smile, but she couldn’t help it. This was the Jason she knew and loved, but even with his self-deprecating request to be her friend, she just wasn’t ready to talk about this with him—with anyone yet.
She pulled away and sighed. “Maybe another time. I think I need to process this by myself first.”
He stepped back and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
She gave him a fleeting smile and climbed the stairs to the guest bedroom, and for the hundredth time in the last few days, she wished her best friend was still just a phone call away.
***
Richmond Police Department, First Precinct
Richmond, Virginia
June 16, 2025
11:00 AM
~~~
Marianna sat at her desk sipping her coffee as she cross-referenced recent suicides, murders, and accidental deaths of individuals in the greater DC Metro area, with her growing list of individuals who were ever, in any way, involved with The Syndicate, especially the trial.
It didn’t take long before her list had five names on it. She would eventually need to talk this out with someone from the FBI, so she made a note to look into the case file to see if anyone on the case were still with the Bureau.
She stretched her arms behind her back and let them fall to the side with a sigh. The forensic report on the weapon left at the scene should have come in by now. Thank God for modern technology. Good quality forensic evidence analysis came within days now instead of weeks, like when she had first started on the force. This forced criminals to be more clever, and, sadly, they often didn’t disappoint to do things that kept her up at night.
Quinn O’Mally, a detective in the department, walked up to her desk and asked, “How’s the case coming, Espy?”
“It’s looking to be a little more involved, actually.”
He sat backwards on a chair and poked at her screen to turn it around.
She typed up her list to go over with a representative of the FBI.
“You thinking maybe this is a serial job or something?” He was always jumping to wild conclusions, but this one happened to be right on the mark.
She shrugged, not wanting to show all her cards yet. “I’m meeting with the lieutenant this afternoon to go over everything with her.” She stood up and stretched her back; middle age was a bitch on the body. “But first I’m gonna go for a run to clear my head.”
She knew suggesting anything that remotely resembled exercise was a surefire way to get Quinn, who barely passed his physical every year, to leave her alone.
“I reckon ya need to stay hot for Lisa?” He shot her a suggestive wink.
She shook her head. She and Lisa, the Editor-in-Chief of the Danville Press, dated several years ago but broke things off when Lisa wanted to make things exclusive. Monogamy had never been Marianna’s thing.
Quinn showed an annoying amount of interest in her sex life. Like a dog with a bone, he fixated on her former relationship with Lisa.
She wondered if he focused on her relationships so heavily because he was interested in her.
Quinn spun out of his chair and stood up. “I think I’ll go grab something to eat for lunch. Are you hungry for anything?”
She shook her head. “I brought lunch, thanks.”
“I knew you were going to say that. One of these days I’m going to wear you down and you’ll say yes.”
Wouldn’t hold my breath, if I were you.
***
Bruckman Assisted Living
Alexandria, Virginia
June 16, 2025
1:00 PM
~~~
Betty Williams moved back home to the DC metro area to be closer to her sons and their families after her husband’s death several years ago.
Ellie knew the real reason had more to do with being closer to Katherine, whom she loved like a daughter. Unlike her sons, Katherine would call several times a week, visit every Tuesday, and helped Betty with whatever she needed.
As part of her dying wish, Katherine had asked Ellie to look after the poor old woman. It was an easy request for Ellie to fulfill. On the way, she stopped and picked up some junk food and sweet tea for them to binge on together. She also brought Katherine’s funeral memorial card since Betty had missed the service.
Ellie walked into the commons room, and Betty squealed with joy and tossed her Reader onto the plush couch she had been sitting on. Betty jumped up faster than an eighty-year-old woman should be able, and hugged Ellie.
She felt like a fragile bird in Ellie’s arms. “How are you, Betty?” She spoke loud enough for Betty to hear.
Betty’s eyes shot wide as she whispered in Ellie’s ear, “They’re listening.” She kissed Ellie’s cheeks and her cheery smile returned. “I’m all right, Ellie. I’m sad I didn’t make it to the funeral though.”
Ellie sat down beside her, but couldn’t get what the old woman had said out of her mind.
Who’s listening, exactly? Is she slipping into dementia? Is this why Katherine wanted me to keep an eye on her?
***
Church Hill Neighborhood
Richmond, Virginia
June 16, 2025
2:00 PM
~~~
Jason worked straight through the day on researching The Syndicate. His hands shook and sweat dripped down his face—from not drinking—making the work extra challenging. He knew he was teetering on the edge, barely a functioning alcoholic.
As he read Alex’s old notes, he came across inferences to a nameless source that had been pivotal in locating US Marshal Mitchel and in bringing FBI Assistant Director Fullmore to justice. According to the notes, the source had provided a security tape that showed Fullmore had been taking bribes to look the other way.
But who was the source?
He had read all of the official paperwork and most of Alex’s own personal notes, but all he could find were the initials SR.
As he was combing through the arrest paperwork, his email pinged with an incoming message.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Date: Monday, June 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Subject: Obituary
~~~
Dear Mr. Knettle,
I am a big fan of yours and have been following your career for years with some interest. I heard you might be working on a new project, a true crime novel about “The Syndicate.” You might want to turn your attention to researching obituaries. There are a lot of notable people dying these days.
Sincerely,
True Blue
Jason closed the email and stood up to stretch. He opened the liquor cabinet, absentmindedly grabbed a bottle of scotch, and poured himself a glass. He drank it before registering what he was doing.
I fucking can’t go five minutes without a drink!
He poured the rest of the bottle down the drain and angrily tossed the bottle in the overflowing recycle bin. His head was pounding, but his mind went back to the email and what it might mean. He sat back down and tapped away at his keyboard. Maybe one of his techy friends would have something to make the searching more efficient.
He scrolled through his contacts and called Lisa Eddie, Editor-in-Chief of the Danville Press, the news “paper” his family had owned for years. It had been almost eight years since they had moved to an all-digital citizen’s newspaper and ditched the analog. It had been a risky move at the time but had, in the end, paid off. It kept his family business running when so many other papers were going belly up.
She answered on the first ring. “Hey, Knettle, what’s up?”
“Do you have any algorithms or apps I could use to search obits for the DC metro? Their search program sucks.”
“Yeah, I think so. Let me go through my stuff and get back to you.”
“Thanks.”
“How are you holding up?” she asked. “We missed you last weekend.”
He knew that her feelings were hurt that he had missed her wedding, but she had let it slide since Katherine had been dying.
“I’m doing okay, I guess.” After a somewhat long and awkward pause, he added, “I’m sorry I missed the wedding. It looked like quite the party.”
“You should think about settling down yourself.” She nagged him all year to pop the question to Marianna.
“I don’t know why everyone thinks they need to marry me off. I’m doing fine on my own.”
Lisa audibly sighed. “I’m worried about you, Jason. You’re not doing fine and you know it.”
Shit, it’s that obvious?
He wet his lips and ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair. “Yeah, well, I’m peachy so you can quit worrying.” When the other end remained silent, he took a deep breath and continued. “Just call me if you find something I can use.”
After a long pause, she said, “Okay, J. I’ll put it in your Dropbox if I find something.”
“Thanks.” He ended the call.
Fuck it!
He walked out the back door, slamming it behind him. The dive bar down the street was calling to him.
***
Manny Richards’s Brownstone
Alexandria, Virginia
June 16, 2025
3:30 PM
~~~
Manny Richards went to the Senior Center every Monday to play chess with a retired cop from Richmond. It was the one thing Manny looked forward to every week. Today, when he had found a note from his wife saying she had borrowed his truck to pick up furniture from a swap meet, he didn’t think twice about her borrowing his ride. He hadn’t thought she would be so late that he would miss his chess game.
He had waited on the porch for over two hours when his phone finally rang with an unknown number. Normally he would have let it go to voicemail, but he worried it was his wife trying to reach him.
He answered on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Mr. Richards?”
“Yes, this is he.” A creeping worry spread through him.
“Mr. Richards, this is Dr. Wills with Pendrall General. We’re going to need you to come in. Your wife has been in an accident.”
Manny dropped his phone. He knew from the tone of the man’s voice what he was going to say next. His wife wouldn’t be coming home.
I’ll need to call the girls.
***
Chapter 3
Church Hill Neighborhood
Richmond, Virginia
June 16, 2025
6:30 PM
~~~
Ellie took a long nap after her meeting with Betty. The old woman’s disturbing behavior left Ellie a little shaken. Betty had always been sharp, but now it seemed as though she might be losing some of her mental faculties.
In preparation for her dinner with Jason and Katherine’s husband, Ben, and wanting to look nice, she picked out a simple green smock shirt and black silk shorts.
A knock at the door startled her. “Come in,” she said, slipping on her comfortable but stylish flats.
“Hey, you look nice.” Jason stood in the open door frame dressed in a short-sleeve, blue, button-down shirt and gray linen shorts.
Ellie gave him the once over and nodded her approval. “Thank you for cleaning up.” He had been drunk off his ass when she came home and had looked like a total bum. She’d half expected him to bail on her, but there he stood looking clean, even somewhat sober—a small mercy, since the last thing Ben needed was to deal with a drunk.
“You ready?” he practically whispered. He glanced up at her with his bloodshot eyes, probably still hung-over.
She nodded, and they quietl
y walked down the stairs to her car.
The silence continued the entire way to Ben and Katherine’s house. The familiar drive from Ellie’s old house to Katherine and Ben’s brought back a rush of memories. She worried about Jason, who stared out the passenger window the whole fifteen minutes. The smell of liquor seeping out his pores concerned her even more.
Once there, Ben let them inside the darkened, spotless home, where dinner was waiting on the table. The three sat down and ate their food in near silence, everyone looking at the empty spot at the end of the table where Katherine would have sat.
Ben finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m not the best host tonight. Katherine was the one who was good at this sort of thing.”
Ellie placed her hand on top of his. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about.”
Ben dropped his gaze, but she detected a faint, ghost of smile across his lips. “Thank you, Ellie.”
After they finished their meal, Ellie helped clear the dishes while Jason helped himself to the bar on the buffet at the back of the dining room. He drank a generous glass of scotch from his spot perched atop the side table.
Ben pulled out two boxes from the front room coat closet and pointed at the smallest one. “The first box is for you, Ellie. It’s mostly Alex’s stuff. I figured you would want it. There’s also some of Katherine’s jewelry and some clothes she thought you might like.” He poured himself a tall glass of scotch—something he almost never did. “The other one is for you, Jason. It’s a bunch of journals and things Katherine thought you might need for the book.”
Jason sat quietly at the table, but Ellie put down the dishes she’d been clearing away and opened her box. She picked up one of the carefully folded handkerchiefs that rested on top of the pile, thumbing the monogram on the bottom before holding it up to her heart. “Thank you.”
Alex had been a sore subject over the years, even though Ben always seemed to be understanding and accepting of the space his wife’s ex took up in all of their lives. It’s not that Katherine didn’t love Ben; she had just loved Alex more. Everyone knew this, even her husband, but he seemed to love her enough for the both of them.