Shadow of Death by Yolonda Tonette Sanders Page B

“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary.”
    When they got off the phone, Natalie thought about calling Troy again. What would she say? That she was calling to end his clandestine meeting with his mistress? She didn’t feel like hearing him try to lie his way out of this. This was the end of her marriage, she was sure. What she wasn’t sure about is what life would look like without Troy.

Chapter 8: A Heartbeat’s Moment
    T roy was in the parking lot of the FBI office by seven as he waited until it opened at 8:15. He felt bad about leaving Natalie to take the babies with her when she took Nate to school. He knew it was more convenient for her when he stayed until she got back, but he wanted to be the first one through the FBI doors this morning. Cheryl’s harassment was about to end, even if it meant temporarily inconveniencing his wife.
    Being that this was Troy’s first time coming to the federal office, he was a little taken aback by how secluded it was. It sat on the far west side of Nationwide Boulevard in a brick building that, in his mind, looked mysteriously important. Visitor parking wasn’t free. There were a couple of pay-to-park meters that civilians used to purchase tickets for the spaces that were unassigned. Troy paid for his ticket and waited.
    At first Troy got nervous as he watched agents pull into the lot and go inside. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to sit out here. What if he saw Cheryl? Or worse, what if she saw him? Who knew what kind of story she would concoct in rebuttal to his accusations. He really had no proof because he’d deleted all the text messages she’d sent prior to the weekend to prevent Natalie from ever seeing them. Her most recent ones weren’t incriminating in the least bit.
    The closer it got to 8:15, the more uncomfortable the thought of Cheryl spotting him made Troy feel. He was on her turf and had to ensure that she would be nowhere around, so he decided to send her a text.
    â€œSorry 4 such l8 notice. Need 2 c u. Can u meet at the Dublin Entre preneurial Center?”
    Her response didn’t come until several minutes later. “Y there??? Let’s meet at my house instead. I’m on my way home now.”
    For good measure, she sent her address again, which he already had from the message she’d sent over the weekend. His plan for sending her to the northwestern suburb had been to make sure she was as far away from this office as possible. He knew she’d likely jump at the chance to meet him and he’d been banking on the flexibility of her job to allow her to do so. Apparently, his manipulative tactics had been in vain because Cheryl gave no indication that she was coming into work this morning. Had he known that, he would have left well enough alone. He didn’t bother to reply. Instead, he felt a little more at ease, believing that after this visit to her place of employment, Cheryl’s harassment of him would be nipped in the bud for good. Ignoring a call from Natalie, he got out of his car and went inside the building.
    Having never been to this office or any FBI office, for that matter, Troy had a reality check when he walked in to find the lobby void of a receptionist or other personnel to greet him. There where two glass stairwells on either side, but it was clear that one could not access them without proper ID. He went to the elevator and made his way up to the third floor as indicated on the wall placard. He walked out the elevator and again, there was no one to greet him—nothing but plain painted walls and a door to the left with an intercom button and built-in camera.
    â€œHow can I help you?” came the voice after Troy pushed the button.
    This was not the scenario he’d planned and he quickly used his law enforcement status so that he didn’t seem like just another civilian. He’d even worn a suit this morning to appear more professional. “I’m