Cassidy Roth turned and walked back to her car, ignoring the commotion around her. Tears burned behind her eyes.
She’d failed her friend and mentor.
Charlie had been the only person she could really talk to. Not about personal stuff, but work. He didn’t find her off-putting as so many people did because she didn’t know what to say or do in social situations. He didn’t find her weird or too smart like most of the guys she’d known in high school. By the time she got to college, she wasn’t interested in talking to her peers at all. She really only connected with people in the biochem department.
She walked several blocks to her car sweating in the heat and humidity, because the police had blocked off all the streets leading to Java Antonio. When she got to her car, she left the area and found herself stuck in traffic because of all the police detours. It took her several minutes to break free, and then she was on her way to Charlie’s apartment.
She hadn’t been able to save him, but she would prove—somehow—that he’d been murdered.
And not by the police. They may have pulled the trigger, but someone else set Charlie up.
She called the only person she trusted.
“Yep,” he answered.
“Adam, it’s Cassidy.”
“Hey, Cass, what’s up?”
“I need your help. And I might need to use your lab.” Though she had no idea where she was going to get Charlie’s blood. She could get his hair follicles. Maybe that would be the way to go. And she had his writings. She had always been the smartest person in school, but she hadn’t been able to make sense of the code Charlie seemed to be writing in. But between her and Adam they could figure it out.
She wished she had asked him sooner, but Charlie was so paranoid he wouldn’t let her talk to anyone. And the one person she’d reached out to on her own was now dead.
“What’s wrong?” Adam sounded concerned.
“It’s a long story, Adam. I’ll tell you everything on one condition. You can’t go to the police.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“No. But the police can’t do anything. This is a situation where they think the case is solved. I have to find something to convince them that Charlie was poisoned.”
“Whoa, go back, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Dr. McMahon? Your boss?”
“Yes. He was murdered and I need your help to prove it.”