for someone like him.”
Louis’s gaze thawed slightly. “That’s welcome news. There are many people out there for whom morality is a convenience to be placed aside for the right price.”
“I’m not one of those people,” Caroline said, surprised by the vehemence in her voice.
Louis must have heard it, too, because his face calmed and his posture relaxed.
“Now that Kennedy knows we need Dr. Wong to win, he’ll be mobilizing all of his resources to find her, too. Heaven help Dr. Wong if he gets to her before we do.”
Caroline stayed silent. She waited for Louis to outline his plan. He was a chess player. A master litigator. He’d have a strategy. He always did.
But his next words left her worried.
“I’m going to be stuck here in New York for the Telemetry Systems depositions for the rest of the week, so you’re going to have to take the lead in trying to locate Dr. Wong,” he said. “Please keep me apprised of your progress.”
Caroline’s face fell.
“I’m sorry I can’t help,” he said, “but there’s no way I can reschedule these depos.”
He reached into his pocket and withdrew his wallet.
“But I can give you this.” Louis removed a black credit card embossed with the golden logo of Hale Stern, LLP. He extended it to Caroline.
“This is the firm card,” he said. “We usually only give these to our partners, but this is an exceptional circumstance. Please charge whatever you need to on it.”
Warmed by her boss’s trust, Caroline took the card from his hand and tucked it carefully into her wallet. But even that small patch of sunshine couldn’t dispel the building maelstrom of worry coursing through her gut. If Dr. Heller had been murdered, those who’d killed him would now be gunning for Dr. Wong.
“I’m a little . . . nervous about going after Dr. Wong.” Caroline cringed at her words.
“I understand,” Louis said. “You’ll have to excuse me. Sometimes I become so wrapped up with winning that I forget the human stakes involved in our cases.” He released a long breath, then added, “You shouldn’t do anything you feel uncomfortable doing.”
Caroline considered his words. He was allowing her an out. A chicken exit.
“I’m okay,” she said. “I’ll keep going.” At least for now, she added silently.
“Good,” said Louis, looking at his watch. “Then you better get going. You don’t want to miss your flight home.”
CHAPTER 11
When Caroline exited the sliding doors of the airport terminal, she was greeted by the stinging odors of car exhaust and jet fumes. Vehicles of all sizes jammed the narrow road fronting the Arrivals curb. Some had trunks open, their occupants standing on the sidewalk hugging welcomes to their loved ones back from faraway places. Others sat waiting for passengers to appear from the black hole of baggage claim.
Caroline knew there was no one for her. Eddie was in transit. Her mom was in Oregon. Her dad was in Connecticut. Her best friend was traveling God knew where. And Uncle Hitch was likely curled up with a bottle of Grey Goose somewhere.
Making her way toward the outer ring of the arrivals area, Caroline scanned the signs until she found the one she sought: PARKING LOT SHUTTLES. A bus sat beneath the yellow sign, its engine idling, its bifold doors standing open.
Lucky break, thought Caroline, dragging her suitcase toward it.
After slotting her suitcase onto the luggage rack, Caroline sat down in one of the concave plastic seats. Almost immediately, the tiredness hit her. The last week had been a sprint. And the race wasn’t over. She still needed to find Dr. Wong. More than that, she still needed to get Dr. Wong to come to New York for the hearing in six days. Just six days.
There would be no rest for her. She needed to get her car. Get back to the firm. Find Dr. Wong. In that order, and right away. Then she could rest. Easy.
The bus rocked as another passenger boarded. A blond man wearing a knit cap and an army surplus jacket made his way down the narrow aisle toward Caroline. Over one shoulder, he wore a black nylon messenger bag with gunmetal-gray buckles that clinked as he walked.
He sat down beside Caroline just as the doors at the front of the bus squeaked shut. With a rumble and a cloud of exhaust, the bus pulled away from the curb to begin its slow circumnavigation around the airport terminal, picking up more passengers before finally it would head to the off-site parking lot