Louisa took a deep breath. Her lungs ached with sadness, fighting tight ribs to expand. “I suppose you’re right.”

It was over, but it was going to take a long time for it to feel that way.

April wiped her nose and pulled her purse from her drawer. “I’ll walk out with you.”

Seeing April cry started Louisa all over again. She plucked a tissue from the box on her assistant’s desk and dried the tender skin around her eyes.

April changed into athletic shoes. They walked toward the exit in silence and swiped their badges at the security desk. Outside on the concrete apron in front of the museum, April turned toward the bus stop with a sad wave. Louisa scanned the curb for the Rittenhouse town car.

The museum murderer had been caught. She could just walk home, but she’d arranged for the pickup that morning, and her limbs felt as if they had tripled in weight since then. Every step was a supreme effort. She was going to take a hot bath, put on yoga pants, and climb into bed. But without Kirra, the apartment would be empty. How could she have gotten so attached to the dog in less than a week?

An even better idea occurred to her. She would change her clothes, then go see Conor at work tonight and have dinner at the bar. Perhaps the crowd and noise would be better than her silent apartment. So what if he hadn’t said he was falling for her too? Probably, she should have waited before springing that on him this soon. A week did not make a relationship.

Decision made, she suddenly craved his strong arms around her body. Just being with him would make her feel better. How could she have gotten so attached to him in such a short period of time? It suddenly seemed as if her life had started when she’d walked into his bar the week before. Prior to him, she’d been alive, but she hadn’t really been living.

Everything had changed since that day. Riki and Zoe were dead, probably Isa too.

The wind blurred her watery vision. She spotted the sleek black vehicle fifty yards ahead. As she approached, the uniformed driver got out and opened the door for her. Blinking away her tears, she rooted through her purse for another tissue. She was blotting her eyes and running nose as she stepped into the vehicle. A jolt of pain struck her in the shoulder and blazed through her body. She stiffened and fell forward onto the back seat. Her twitching legs were shoved roughly into the vehicle.

What was happening?