Kate sat nervously in the waiting room of the police station. She was tapping her shoe against the back of the chair, something she used to do when she was about to take a test she hadn’t studied for. She looked around and wondered if she’d made the right decision by coming in today. She hadn’t told anyone in her family where she was going. Her husband assumed she was out grabbing coffee with friends. Both of her daughters were in school at the high school just up the road. 

She looked down at her hands, her brand new diamond she’d gotten from JC for their fifteenth wedding anniversary glistening in the light. Her first engagement ring had been less than a ½ carat because they’d been so young. And it was a rushed wedding since she was already three months pregnant with Ellie. But JC had gone above and beyond for their 15th. The diamond was a two carat emerald cut and she still couldn’t believe she owned something this beautiful. What could she say? She had a good husband. 

They’d met in Music Theory class back when Kate was a sophomore and JC was a junior. He was from Maryland, she was from a little town in southwest Georgia. They’d both been friends with Lance, who knew both of them from different classes. Lance and Kate were theater majors and JC and Lance lived in the same dorm. She’d been severely hungover that morning -who in their right mind took Music Theory at 8am, or any class at 8am for that matter-when JC walked into the room and Kate was instantly attracted. The feeling was mutual. Lance had formally introduced them and they went out later that week. He’d never left her dorm room that weekend.

She squeezed her hand into a fist and then let her fingers tap against her knee. Her appointment was with Detective Julie Sammons, who was the head Detective of this precinct in Atlanta. Getting an appointment with her hadn’t been difficult, because of the nature of visit and the rumors of the case being reopened at Carson College, an elite private school in the heart of the city. A suicide that looked more like a homicide. Kate had shivered when she thought about that day. The day she found out Lance had hung himself. Back then, she had just found out she was pregnant and all that mattered was trying to graduate and marry JC before anyone started talking. 

Lance’s death ruined any hope of that. 

Kate sat back in the chair and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost 11:00 and her meeting had been scheduled for 10:45. No matter. She had all the time in the world. She and JC weren’t leaving to meet everyone else for their beach vacation for two more days. Just enough time to gather the information she needed from Detective Sammons. 

Julie Sammons pulled her blond hair back into a tight bun and looked through the blinds in her office at the woman sitting across from it. Kate Chasez wore jeans and a lightweight black sweater. Her brown hair was pulled back into a low, braided ponytail and she wore white sneakers. Her foot was tapping against the chair, a sign that Julie knew meant she was nervous. From what she’d read, Kate had nothing to be nervous about. She hadn’t been the one to kill Lance. But she could imagine the thoughts racing through the woman’s head right now. She’d sat on this secret for more than fifteen years now. 

It wasn’t until Lance’s sister, Stacy,  had come into the police station two weeks ago with evidence she’d found that Lance and his friend Justin had been in an argument right before his death. There was an old floppy disc that Stacy had found in the spare room at their parents house where all of Lance’s stuff had gone untouched. She’d had it converted from the disc to a zip and everything was there in plain sight. It was just a matter now of putting the rest of the pieces together. 

Kate uncrossed her legs and pulled her phone out. A message from JC lit up on her phone Meet for lunch?  JC was now a music professor at Carson College and had Wednesdays off for lunch.

Kate sighed and grimaced. She wanted to tell JC where she was and why, but first she needed to talk to Detective Sammons. 

Can you meet at 1?  She typed back and waited for him to reply. Surely they’d be done before then? 

Sure. Sushi Palace on Peachtree?

Perfect. And just for fun, she sent him three  kissy face emojis, knowing how much he hated them, but enjoying poking him a bit.

Just then, the door opened across the hall “Kate Chasez?” Julie Sammons stood in front of her office door, dressed in all black, reminding Kate of Olivia Benson with blond hair. 

“Hi.” Kate stood and followed her into the office.