Trail of Destruction

Chapter 54

Chapter 54

At the end of Amy's funeral service, Christine had approached the woman she had seen sobbing and taken down her name and address. They had agreed to meet after the agent returned from her trip to D.C., so Christine found herself standing in front of the woman's brownstone in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.

She rang the doorbell and looked down the bustling street as she waited. A few minutes later the door opened, and Amy's friend, Tina, invited her in. They shook hands and Christine thanked the woman for seeing her.

"I'm happy to do whatever I can to help you find the man who killed Amy. She was my best friend."

Tina began to cry, lifting a Kleenex to her face. She turned and started walking into her living room, Christine on her heels. They sat, and the agent waited for Tina to compose herself.

"I'm so sorry," Tina said. "I've been like this ever since I heard. I'm supposed to go back to work tomorrow, but I don't know how I'm going to do it."

"That's okay, just take your time. I'm in no rush."

Tina sat up tall and took a deep breath. "I'm ready. What would you like to know about Amy?"

"Why don't we start with how you met Amy and the two of you became friends?" Christine asked, hoping the topic would help Tina relax.

Her strategy had the desired effect and before long, Tina was talking freely about how she and Amy had met while both were working for the state and had quickly become friends, eating lunch together most days.

"In some ways, we were so different, but in spite of that, we just clicked. Take marriage -- I've been happily married for years. Amy was divorced, but hoping to find a new husband and start a family."

Christine jumped in, taking advantage of the subject. "Was Amy dating anyone?"

"Not recently. She had been seeing someone. It was a guy she had met on the campaign trail. But they had broken up a couple months ago."

"Do you know his name?"

"No. In fact, she was really secretive about him. Even with me. She told me there were 'complications.' " Tina wiggled her fingers like quotation marks.

"What do you suppose those complications were? Do you think he might have been married?"

Tina's eyes widened. "Not a chance." She shook her head vehemently. "Amy would not have been dating a married man. Not only was she really against that morally, but she also wanted a husband and kids. She was smart enough to know that most married guys never leave their wives, no matter what they say."

"Smart girl," Christine said. "So then, what do you think the complications were?"

"I just assumed it was that she and the guy were both on the campaign staff. Amy had always resisted dating anyone she worked with." Tina gave a sad smile. "She had a whole bunch of dating rules."

"That's not a bad one," Christine said. "So did she tell you why they broke up?"

"No. In fact, it was kind of weird. One day he was Mr. Perfect. And then the next time she called, they had broken up and she told me she didn't want to talk about it."

"How often did you talk to each other?"

"When she was first on the campaign trail, it was every few days. But then, over time, our contacts became less and less frequent. Lately, we probably only talked about once a month." Tina shrugged. "She was so busy and she always worked really late. She just didn't have much time for herself."

Christine hesitated, unsure if she wanted to share the information she had, but then decided to go for it. "Did you know that Amy was pregnant?"

"Yes," Tina said, her eyes welling up with tears. She began to cry again and then jumped up from the sofa. "Would you excuse me, please?"

Christine watched her leave the room and then stood up, walking to the fireplace and picking up a photograph from the mantel. Tina and Amy had their arms around each other, beaming into the camera. When Tina returned, the agent set the photo back down.

"That's the last picture I have of Amy. She was here at my house for a party."

Tina walked to the sofa and sat down, placing a glass of water on the cocktail table in front of her. "I'm sorry. I should have asked you before. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thanks. I'm fine." Christine sat down across from her. "So can you tell me about the baby? Do you know who the father was?"

Tina hesitated, clearly struggling with sharing something she had been told in confidence. She finally spoke, her head lowered. "It was just a guy she had a one-night stand with. He didn't even know about the baby." She raised her head and held up her hands. "That was so unlike her. You have to understand, Amy was really pretty. She could have had any guy, and she knew it. She was a big flirt, but she never just jumped into bed with anyone. She always waited until she was in a committed relationship."

"But not this time?"

Tina lowered her hands to her lap and began to pick at a fingernail. "She said she was on the rebound. You know, after breaking up with the guy she had been dating. She felt really embarrassed about it."

Tina looked up and leaned forward. "But she had decided to keep the baby anyway. She was planning on quitting her job and moving back here to have it. She knew it wasn't the ideal situation. You know, without having the father involved. But she really wanted the baby. It was a dream come true for her."

Tina sagged back into the sofa, weeping softly. "I just can't believe she's gone. That someone killed her and an innocent baby. It's just so awful."

Christine stood and moved around the table. Sitting down next to Tina, she put her arm around the woman. "I'm really sorry for your loss. I promise you I will do everything in my power to find whoever killed her."