Next Exit, Use Caution

by CW Browning

  “The memories are a good thing. It’s how he lives on in your life.”

  “I don’t need him to live on,” Alina said shortly. “I need him to be laid to rest.”

  Michael raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to reply, but he never got the chance. Stephanie and Blake came outside and spotted them.

  “There you are!” Stephanie exclaimed, coming towards them. “Why are you out here in the dark?”

  “I needed some air,” Michael said quickly, drawing an unreadable look from Alina. “It was getting hot in there.”

  “It’s packed,” Stephanie agreed with a grimace. “Alina, I don’t think you’ve officially met Blake Hanover. Blake, this is Alina.”

  Blake nodded and held out his hand to her in the shadows.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  “Is it?” Alina softened her question with a faint smile and took his outstretched hand. “I wouldn’t speak so soon, if I were you.”

  Blake grinned and looked into her face, unabashedly amused.

  “At least I know you’re not boring,” he said. “I’m sorry we’re meeting under these circumstances. I know John was close to you. I’m sorry.”

  Alina pulled her hand away smoothly and nodded in acknowledgement.

  “Thank you,” she said shortly.

  “The breeze feels good out here,” Stephanie said, turning her face into the wind blowing from the front yard. “It really is hot in there.” She glanced around. “Where’s Angela?”

  “Inside,” said Michael.

  Stephanie frowned at him.

  “You left her alone?” she demanded.

  “She’s hardly alone. There have to be close to a hundred people in there and, as far as I can tell, she knows them all.”

  “That’s not the point,” Stephanie muttered.

  Michael sighed and straightened up.

  “I’ll go check on her,” he muttered, heading toward the door.

  “Thank you!” Stephanie called after him. She took his place next to Alina in the shadows and looked at her old friend. “How’re you holding up?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “I’m not. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck,” Stephanie said roundly. “We’re going to Chickie and Pete’s for wings and beer after this. You want to join us?”

  Alina glanced at her, then at Blake.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why? I haven’t seen you in over a week. We need a couple hours to relax, especially after this.”

  “You guys go ahead. You’ve earned it,” Alina said. She nodded to Blake. “Especially you. I hear you’ve been helping Steph through all this. Thank you.”

  “It’s been no trouble,” he said with a shrug. “I’ve lost enough friends to know how it feels. Besides, it’s not all unselfish. I’m working out of the Philly office for a few days and Steph’s been kind enough to put me and Buddy up. You remember him?”

  He slid the mild jab in smoothly and Alina felt her lips curving in a grin.

  “Of course I remember Buddy,” she replied. “He’s a big old teddy bear.”

  Blake grunted at that and Stephanie burst out laughing.

  “Apparently not with everybody,” she told Alina. “That being said, he’s been nothing but friendly with me.”

  “It’s strange, that,” Blake said thoughtfully. “He took to you right away. That never happens.”

  “I beg to differ,” Alina murmured, her eyes dancing.

  “Walker!”

  Someone called out suddenly, forestalling any response Blake may have been about to make. Alina turned to watch as a man waved and ambled towards them, somehow appearing to rush without actually hurrying. His sandy-colored hair refused to lay flat, sticking up towards the back, and wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. She raised an eyebrow as he approached. He had the bizarre air of a mad scientist and Viper instinctively knew she was looking at the forensic genius John had held in such high esteem. Her lips twisted as a sense of melancholy rolled over her. John had called him the basement gnome. She wondered if that nickname would now die with the Special Agent who coined it.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” he said, joining the small group in the shadows. “I was trying to find you in there. There’s so many people!”

  “Yes, it’s a packed house,” Stephanie said. “Matt, you remember Special Agent Hanover?”

  “Yes, of course.” Matt shook Blake’s hand, his head bobbing awkwardly. “Hanover.”

  “Call me Blake,” Blake said. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “Wish it was for a happier reason,” Matt said.

  “Same. I’m sorry. Everyone liked John.”

  Matt nodded and pushed his glasses up on his nose.

  “Yeah, they did. He was good people. I’ve been to three of these now and it’s not getting any easier,” he said, sounding bewildered. “I don’t think it ever will.”

  “Matt, this is my old friend–”

  “Raven,” Alina interjected smoothly, holding her hand out. “Raven Woods.”

  Stephanie glanced at her, a look of consternation on her face at her almost-slip. While there was nothing that could be done about the many people from their past who knew Alina’s real name, there was an unspoken agreement that all new people were introduced with her alias.

  “Nice to meet you,” said Matt, shaking her hand. “That’s an interesting name.”

  “My parents were hippies,” Alina said blithely.

  “My parents were morticians,” he told her. “I was named after the first client of their joint business.”

  Alina blinked, feeling the corners of her lips pulling irresistibly upwards. She repressed them firmly.

  “I’m fairly confident I was named after a mushroom.”

  Blake erupted into a coughing fit.

  “Remember that side project you gave me last week?” Matt turned his attention back to Stephanie, dismissing Alina and mushrooms from his mind.

  Stephanie nodded and Viper stilled. Last week, before all hell let loose with Asad and his load of bombs, she had given Stephanie a white lab coat and asked her to have the basement gnome analyze it. It had been worn by the man she was convinced had killed John. She doubted he would find anything, but at the time, it was the only lead she had. Apparently, Matt was as good as the reputation that preceded him.

  “Yes.”

  “Well I got something today. It isn’t much, but there really wasn’t much to work with. I managed to get some DNA off it, but I can’t get a match on anyone. I’ve run it through all the databases we have and no hits. Without something to compare it to, it’s useless. Now if you get another DNA sample and bring it to me, I can tell you if it matches the one I have, but that’s about it.”

  “Then what did you get?” Stephanie asked with a frown.

  Matt pushed his glasses up on his nose again.

  “I told you, it’s not much, but it’s something interesting,” he said, dropping his voice. “At least, I think it’s interesting. The coat comes from Singapore.”

  Viper’s grew still while Stephanie stared at him blankly.

  “What?”

  He nodded.

  “Yep. I noticed the stitching was different from what I’m used to seeing on traditional lab coats, so I looked more closely at everything. It was the buttons.”

  “The buttons?” Stephanie repeated.

  “Yes. There are millions of different buttons out there, all used for different things. Most of them are standard buttons, but these weren’t,” Matt explained. “I narrowed the material down to the South Pacific, and then worked to match the exact button. Singapore. Those buttons are only used in three factories in Singapore. The fun part? One of those three factories produces lab coats. I can tell you where it came from, when, and in what batch.”

  “That’s crazy,” Blake said. “You figured all that out from a button?”

  Matt glanced at him.

  “Of course.”

 
“What’s the name of the factory?” Stephanie asked, glancing at Alina.

  “I wrote it down for you,” Matt said, digging in his pocket. “I brought it with me so I could give it to you tonight. I didn’t want to say anything in front Rob. You know, since it’s off the books.”

  “I appreciate that,” Stephanie murmured, taking the folded piece of paper from him.

  Blake raised an eyebrow and glanced at her, but remained silent.

  “Will this get you closer to figuring out what happened to John?” Matt asked.

  “I hope so.”

  “Good.” Matt pushed his glasses up on his nose once more and turned to leave. He went a few steps, then paused and looked back. “First the bomb residue from Syria and the Ukraine, and now a coat from Singapore. What the hell was John up to?”

  “I wish I knew, Matt,” Stephanie said grimly. “I wish I knew.”

  Matt nodded and studied her for a minute, then sighed.

  “If you need anything else, let me know. I’ll do what I can to help.”

  She nodded and he continued on, disappearing into the funeral home. Once he was gone, Stephanie handed Alina the folded piece of paper without opening it.

  “You heard the man,” she said. “The coat came from Singapore. Where did you get it?”

  Viper took the paper and raised her eyes to Stephanie’s, considering her for a long moment.

  “Not Singapore,” she said finally.

  Stephanie rolled her eyes.

  “You don’t say,” she muttered.

  “Anyone care to clue me in over here?” Blake asked, looking from one to the other. “What lab coat?”

  Stephanie looked at Alina and she shrugged.

  “He already knows too much as it is,” she said in answer to the question on Stephanie's face. “Go ahead and tell him. It can’t make it any worse.”

  “That’s comforting,” said Blake.

  Stephanie looked at him.

  “Last week, Lina gave me a lab coat and asked me to have Matt analyze it, off the books. Matt already found the bomb residue on John’s Firebird and gave me the results on a flash drive. He also told me he’d help any way he could if it meant finding out what really happened to John.”

  Blake looked at Alina, her face hidden in the shadows.

  “Where did the coat come from?” he asked. “What does it have to do with anything?”

  Alina was silent for a moment, studying Stephanie's face in the darkness. Now wasn’t exactly the best time to tell her that her partner was murdered. Then again, would there ever be a good time? And did she really want Blake to know about this? Her gaze shifted to him.

  “Stop thinking and just tell us,” Stephanie said, watching her. “I have a right to know, being as it was my forensic wizard who pinpointed where the coat was made.”

  Viper was silent for a long moment, then she sighed imperceptibly.

  “It came from Cooper Hospital,” she said, raising dark, emotionless eyes to Stephanie's, “the day John died.”

  Angela glanced at her watch and looked around. While the throng had thinned considerably over the past hour, the large front room was still crowded and stuffy. If she didn’t get some air soon, she was going to sweat to death. She’d find Stephanie or Alina and see if they wanted to go outside. Or, better yet, leave altogether and go to Chickie and Pete’s for that beer.

  Craning her neck, Angela scanned the crowds but they were nowhere in sight. She turned to leave the room and check the hall, almost plowing into someone as she did so.

  “Oh!” she exclaimed, pulling up short and glancing up.

  Trent looked down her, his gray eyes hooded. Dressed in dark pants with a black turtleneck under a charcoal sports jacket, he looked both relaxed and intimidating at the same time.

  “Hello Angela.”

  Angela stared at him in surprise.

  “Trent! What are you doing here?” she asked, falling back a step.

  “I missed you at the office today. Jeff said you took a couple days off for a funeral,” he said with a smile. “I wanted to offer my condolences.”

  Angela nodded, a feeling of disquiet washing over her.

  “That’s...very thoughtful of you,” she said, forcing a smile. “I appreciate it.”

  “It’s crowded,” he said, looking around. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a viewing this packed.”

  “Yes, John was a good man.”

  Trent looked at her.

  “Jeff said he was an FBI agent?”

  Angela nodded, glancing toward the coffin at the front of the room. As she did so, she scanned the crowded room again, searching for a friendly face she could flag down.

  “Yes.”

  “How did you know him?”

  “We grew up and went to high school together. He ended up partnered with one of my best friends.”

  Trent raised an eyebrow.

  “Really? Small world.”

  “It is around here,” Angela said, looking back to him. “If you don’t leave South Jersey to go to college, you pretty much stay forever.”

  “What happened? I mean, how did he die?”

  “He was in a car accident.”

  “Oh my God, so it was unexpected!” Trent exclaimed.

  “Yes. It’s been quite a shock.”

  “I’m so sorry. How have you been holding up?”

  “Well, as I said, it’s been a shock.” Angela glanced at her watch, wondering where Stephanie and Alina had disappeared to. She could really use an intervention.

  “It must be hard being alone at a time like this.”

  Angela’s head snapped up and she looked at him, startled.

  “What?”

  Trent raised an eyebrow innocently.

  “You live alone, right? It must be hard to be upset and alone.”

  Angela stared at him, Stephanie and Alina momentarily forgotten.

  “How do you know I live alone?” she demanded.

  “You mentioned it in Miami. I’m sorry, have I upset you?” he asked, concerned.

  “I...no,” Angela shook her head. “I’m sorry. I think I’m just tired,” she said sheepishly. “It’s been a long couple of days.”

  “I can imagine,” he said sympathetically. “If there’s anything I can do...”

  Angela shook her head and summoned a smile she didn’t feel.

  “Thank you, but I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I just have to get through the funeral and then everything should calm down.”

  “When is the funeral?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Are you staying with friends?”

  Angela’s brows furrowed into a faint frown.

  “I...why do you ask?”

  Trent shrugged.

  “I don’t know. I guess I just don’t like the thought of you being alone at a time like this.”

  Angela’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Why don’t you let me take you out for a drink?” he suggested.

  Angela felt her face grow warm as she scrambled in her mind to come up with an excuse, any excuse, to decline without sounding rude.

  “Really, I’ll be ok,” she began, breaking off as Michael emerged from the crowds next to them. “Oh! Michael!” Angela exclaimed brightly. “There you are!”

  Michael raised an eyebrow at the look of relief in her eyes.

  “Sorry, I got distracted by...someone,” he said, closing the distance to her side.

  “Trent, this is a friend of mine, Michael,” Angela introduced him. “Trent works for Trasker Pharmaceuticals. I met him in Miami while I was there on business.”

  “Nice to meet you,” said Trent, holding out his hand.

  Michael gripped it, his mind spinning.

  “Trasker?” he repeated, managing to keep his voice level through sheer force of will. “Now why does that name ring a bell?”

  “They’re one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world,” Angela told him. “I
’d be surprised if you didn’t know the name.”

  “That’s probably it. I don’t pay much attention to the business section, unfortunately. What are you doing up in Jersey?”

  “Angela and I managed to put together a deal with her bank,” Trent said easily, glancing at her with a smile. “It wasn’t easy, but she pulled it off. I’m here to facilitate the transition of accounts.”

  “He makes it sound much more exciting than it really is,” Angela said with a laugh. “I’m glad we could talk them into coming onboard, though.”

  “Did you know John?” Michael asked.

  “No. I just came to offer Angela moral support.”

  Michael raised an eyebrow and glanced at Angela.

  “That’s thoughtful of you,” he said. “It’s been a shock.”

  “That’s what I was just saying,” said Angela. “Have you seen Stephanie? She’s been the most torn up. I should probably get back to her,” she added pointedly.

  “I’ll get going,” Trent said. He looked at Angela. “If you change your mind about that drink, give me a call. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”

  “She’s not,” Michael said smoothly. “We’re keeping an eye on her. Don’t worry.”

  Trent nodded.

  “Good to know,” he murmured. “It was nice meeting you, Michael. I’ll see you soon, Angie.”

  Michael watched as Trent turned and made his way toward the front door. As he disappeared into the crowd, Angela exhaled loudly beside him.

  “Thank God you came when you did,” she told him. “That was the most awkward conversation of my life.”

  “What was he doing here?” Michael asked, looking down at her.

  “I have no idea,” she confessed. “I just met him last week. It’s weird. I mean, who just shows up at a viewing? Where are Steph and Alina? I want to get out of here and go get a drink.”

  “I left them outside.”

  “Let’s go get them, and get the hell out of here,” she said, turning toward the door.

  Michael followed her, his brows drawn together in a scowl. Why was someone from Trasker showing up at John’s viewing? And how the hell did Angela get involved in all this? The break-in at her house suddenly seemed much more ominous and Michael was glad he had insisted on Alina bringing Angela to her house. While Viper brought along her own set of problems, at least her house was secured, and more importantly, Angela would not be alone.