Angelica ran towards Kevin’s body and unconsciously brushed Henry aside. She positioned the old man so that he was facing the ceiling, felt for a pulse and any sign of breathing. When no sign of life was seen or felt, Angelica positioned herself and started CPR.

“Dalton, I don’t think it’s necessary—”

“I’m a doctor,” she cut Henry’s statement, concentrating on counting. He fell quiet and chose the time to search the room for any clues while she went on with her work.

“I hear an ambulance, you can stop now,” he said moments later, his voice a whisper.

“I’m okay,” she said, stopping for a moment to feel for a pulse and continued once again.

“Angelica…” he said gently, looking at her determined face.

“I’m fine!” she shouted, her head bent. “I’m fine…” her shoulders started to shake. He caught her in his arms before she collapsed on Kevin’s lifeless body.

“It’s okay…” he murmured against hair.

“Why does he have to die? Why?”

He didn’t have a really good answer to that. He was still in shock himself.

“I attended two parties today and they did not end so well, do you know that?” she started to say. “What a freaking day!”

“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” he tried to say.

“I’m going to kill the bastard who did this,” she said with rage, looking at Kevin’s deathly pale face.

He cupped her face in his hands and looked at her straight in the eyes. For a moment, he was lost into their depths. “You are not going to kill anyone, understand? You’re in shock. I better take you home. I’ll come back here to give my statement to the police.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m staying.”

Their gazes battled for a minute. “Okay,” Henry finally yielded.

  *****

“We came by to talk to him after the party,” Henry was telling the police officer minutes later.

Angelica sat frozen in the couch in the living room beside him. Kevin’s body had already been taken, wrapped in a black body bag, for further investigation as to cause of death. People had secured his study up stairs, brushing every inch of the room for prints. She leaned her frail body against Henry for support. Though she said she wanted to stay, she was wishing she was somewhere far away.

“How did he look during the party? Was he anxious? Nervous?”

“He was himself,” Henry said calmly.

“He doesn’t like parties,” Angelica offered weakly. “He never liked parties.”

“What time did he go home? Was he alone?”

“He left about eleven o’clock. John Stewart took him home,” Henry answered.

“Who’s John Stewart?”

“Another partner of the firm. Kevin considered him as a son as I’ve heard.”

“Can you give us information how to contact Mr. Stewart?”

“Yes, of course,” Henry took out his phone and gave the number to the officer.

“So, Mr. Bell, what did you want to talk to Mr. Barnes about?”

“It’s about work.”

“You weren’t able to talk to him during the party?”

“We were both busy about something else.”

Angelica was not listening anymore. It seemed that whatever question directed towards Henry was also meant for her and her guardian was doing a good job answering those questions. At another corner of the room, Nora was seated with another officer for questioning, her tears flowing nonstop.

She stirred from her reverie when the officer questioning them stood up and shook Henry’s hand. “We’ll contact you anytime if we have further questions,” he said to both of them.

“Yes, thank you,” Henry replied. He looked at her when they were left alone. “Let’s go home.”

Angelica just nodded and found herself ushered out the door and into his car.

“He was a good man, wasn’t he?” she asked quietly after they took off into the night.

“He was a changed man, yes,” he nodded.

She turned her head towards him, saw his serious look. “You’re not at all moved by what happened. I thought you were close to him.”

“I’ve seen enough death,” he answered.

“But Kevin was close to you.”

“I’m not entitled to break down like normal people,” he replied once again.

“Yeah, you’re an NSA agent. Wonder what you’ll do when you find me dead,” she said without thinking.

He turned his head sharply at her direction. “That’s not going to happen, understand?”

“They eventually got to Kevin. They can very well get to me.”

“I won’t let that happen. Now, shut up.” He looked back at the road and zoomed the car, exceeding speed limit.

A tear escaped her eye. Fear had finally got to her.

But only for tonight.

Tomorrow—as they always said—was another day.

She’d recover fast as she usually did.

  *****

Her words lingered in her mind.

“Wonder what you’ll do when you find me dead…”

Yes, what would he exactly do if ever that happened?

That’s not going to happen. I won’t allow that to happen.

He failed with her father. He failed with her… He shook his head, erasing the picture of what happened years ago. He couldn’t fail with Angelica Dalton.

Henry was pacing around his room when his phone rang.

“What the hell happened this time?” Grissom’s voice boomed.

He looked at his watch. Does the man ever sleep?

“I don’t know. Maybe one of the members found out Kevin Barnes wanted out and took him out.”

“What about Dalton? Does she know?”

“Know what?”

“What did you tell her?”

“I told her I can help her find her father’s killer and she quickly agreed to take over the firm.”

“That’s all you told her?”

“Yes,” Henry lied.

“Good. Just make sure you keep your asset alive this time.”

He did not bother to say goodbye and clicked off.

Angelica Dalton was not going to die on his watch. He wouldn’t let that happen.

  *****

“Kevin was injected with a large amount of potassium chloride that caused a heart attack. A dose of sedative was traced from the brandy he was drinking. He was probably deeply sedated before the induced heart attack.”

“And where did you get that information?” Angelica asked him with awe.

“I can access police files,” he answered.

“That’s probably what happened to my dad as well,” she nodded. “Wonder when his autopsy result’s coming in.”

“Considering it was not with police permission, it’s going to take a while.”

“Oh well, I guess I’ll have to wait. Not that I’m not certain he wasn’t murdered,” she stood up and grabbed her bag.

Henry frowned up at her from the table. “Where are you going?”

“Work,” she answered nonchalantly. “I need work to take my mind off things,” she added.

“I’ll take you.”

“No, I can take a bus—”

“I’ll take you,” he cut her in.

“Okay, fine. You really don’t want to be away from me, do you?”

Henry shook his head and followed her out the door, grabbing his own briefcase with him. She was back to her normal self and he wondered if it was good or not. She sure recovered fast.

  *****

“I’ll be calling in any moment so carry your phone around,” he reminded her. “And remember, Dalton, one missed call means you’ll be applying for a vacation leave.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” she rolled her eyes and got out of the car.

“And be careful. I mean it,” he looked at her with a weird expression in his eyes.

“Okay…” she said with a frown. “I have to go. Bye,” she whirled around and walked towards the entrance of the hospital. What was that? For a moment there, he really looked concerned. A wicked smile crept up her face.

  *****

“What have you been up to these days?” a colleague asked her.

“Nothing much,” she murmured, eating her salad.

“You have not been putting a lot of hours lately,” another added.

“I have other important stuff to attend to,” she answered.

“Like what? Men?”

Usually, if people said something like that, she would brush it off. But she had been holding out a lot of negative feelings that it ticked her off. “No,” she looked them in the eye with her stingy look. “Like the death of my father.” She received a collective gasp from everyone. “So back off for a day or two, okay?” she almost shouted and got to her feet, leaving her food.

Maybe going to work was not a good idea after all so she took her bag and left the building.

  *****

“What are you doing here?” Henry asked, startled to see her sitting on the floor beside the door.

“I’m waiting for you. I don’t have a key,” she said, jumping to her feet with a smile. But he was not easily fooled, seeing that it did not reach her eyes.

“I thought you’ll be working,” he worked with the keys and opened the door.

“I got tired.”

He knew she was lying. He faced her, tipped his head to the right with a frown and said, “Something’s wrong with you. I know it.”

“Nothing’s wrong with me, okay?”

“It’s about last night. I know you’re still upset about it. Just talk it out, Angelica. It will make you feel better.”

“It won’t bring Kevin back. And it won’t bring my dad back,” she forced her way around him and walked towards her bedroom door. “And if you really want to keep me around, you better give me keys, sweetheart.”

Henry stood rooted for a few seconds, wondering if it was her way of dealing with things. It seemed weird. And she was obviously trying to hide what she really felt. Her eyes told him what she was trying to hide.

Henry took a deep breath and let it out forcefully. He was not sure if he wanted to see this kind of Angelica at all. He was just getting used to her playful and flirty attitude.

  *****

Angelica was inside her room, lying on the bed, staring blindly up the white ceiling when Henry came knocking on her door.

“Kevin’s family has scheduled the funeral tomorrow afternoon.”

She sat up. “He has a family?”

“Yes, and if it will make you feel better, he had a happy family full of wonderful grandchildren who adored him.”

Yes, it comforted her to know that there were people that made Kevin happy while he was still alive. “What time tomorrow?”

“Five in the afternoon.”

“We’re coming, right?”

“Of course. The other partners will be there—especially John Stewart.”

“What—” she stopped and stared at him. “You don’t think he killed Kevin, do you?”

“He’s the number one on my list,” he answered. “That’s why I don’t want to see you getting close to him. We don’t know the man very well and he can very well kill you if he wants to.”

Angelica shook her head. “I don’t think he killed Kevin.”

“Okay, so you’re the agent now. Let’s see why you think your boyfriend did not kill Kevin.”

“Boyfriend? Oh, you’re not jealous are you? Because you sounded a bit bitter just then, Henry.”

He gave her a look. “I asked you a question.”

She sighed and leaned back against her hands. “If he killed Kevin, he wouldn’t let Nora see him, right? That will be too stupid even for me.”

“You got a point, but that’s the reason why I suspect him.”

She looked at him incredulously. “What? Why?”

“Because no one else believed him to be Kevin’s killer because of that very same reason you gave me. You under analyzed the situation. Maybe he intentionally let Nora know he was there before Kevin’s death so that all doubts will be erased.”

“We can know the time of death,” she reasoned.

“But Nora can’t quite point out what time he left,” he reasoned out.

Well, he had a point, but she just got the feeling John was not the killer. Her mind was already set up on someone else but she did not dare tell him that.

“Whatever you think of John Stewart, forget about it. He’s still one of the partners in a firm that worked for one of the largest criminal organization. He’s already got a number of years in prison as it is.”

“You’re just jealous,” she scoffed.

“Why do you always have to bring that up? That’s a ridiculous idea and it’s not going to get us anywhere.”

“What? I just thought—”

“Just—” he held up a hand, “forget it. I don’t want to hear another story about someone getting jealous. Just take your rest.”

He left the room in a flash, leaving Angelica grinning like crazy. Then her smile disappeared when she remembered what he said about John Stewart. Then she remembered Pamela’s husband, Garrett Baldwin. Why did she have to be surrounded by dangerous people?

I can talk to John tomorrow, she thought. I might just get something—if he’s innocent or not.

Yes, tomorrow would be the perfect time.

  *****

“You don’t really look like you’re going to a funeral,” he said to her, shaking his head.

She adjusted her black wide-brimmed hat with a big white ribbon on it and ignored him. Then she turned her attention back on her knee-length black sleeveless dress that she thought was decent enough for the funeral. “You know what? I’m actually done caring to impress you. I already know you will never ever going to compliment me,” she leaned closer to the mirror to see if her lipstick was in line with her lips.

“It would impress me if you’ll stop giving off flirty glances and start acting like a real lady,” he said dryly.

“Where’s the fun in that?” she asked him, intentionally purring.

“Let’s go, we’re wasting time already.”

“Wait for me, sweetheart,” she taunted, grabbing his arm.

“You’re killing me,” he grumbled.

“I know,” she smiled. “You’re dying with your love for me. That’s sweet, really.”

“Shut up, Dalton.”

  *****

Unlike her father’s cremation, Kevin’s funeral was attended by a lot of people. Henry was not joking when he said the old man had a big family. It soothed Angelica. At least, the man would somehow be happy wherever he was right now, knowing his family would miss him and would always keep him in memory.

They were all invited to come to this big restaurant in the city for dinner by the family right after the funeral.

“Don’t make any wrong announcements again,” Henry told her in the car.

“What announcement?”

“Like us getting married.”

“Well, I can always say we’re already married if you don’t like that one.” She knew it would frustrate him and it showed. She liked him looking infuriated.

“Just keep your mouth shut.”

  *****

She already had a plan in her mind and she instantly acted on it the moment they entered the restaurant. It was a good thing Stan took Henry aside for a little talk because right across the room was John Stewart. She walked towards him.

“Hey,” he nodded at her admiringly. “You look awesome as always, Angel.”

“I should have a hat on but Henry wanted me to leave it in the car,” she joked, trying to have a light conversation before she could ask him what she wanted to know.

“Pretty shocking what happened, isn’t it?” he said, his smile completely gone.

“Yes, it is,” she nodded, looking at the little boy, probably Kevin’s grandchild, running around the tables. “I heard you were with him before he died,” she said nonchalantly.

“Yes.” There was no denial, no suspicions, and definitely no pretense in his answer. He really looked sad about what happened. “Maybe, if I shouldn’t have left him too early, this wouldn’t happen,” he added with bitterness.

“It’s not your fault,” she said gently, holding him by the arm.

“Can’t help blaming myself…” he muttered, sipping his brandy.

“This stuff—”

“Sweetheart, I’ve been looking for you,” Henry’s voice said against her ear and she felt his arm around her waist. She turned her head, startled.

“What?” she gasped out. His face was so near she could almost tug a little and kiss him. “I was talking to John,” she smiled awkwardly and leaned away. Why the hell did she lean away anyway? That was a pretty good chance!

His grip tightened around her waist. “Can I steal my fiancée for a minute, John?” he asked the man she was talking to.

“Sure,” John smiled and nodded.

“My dear, I’ve missed you!” Pamela piped in and she was too happy to be released from Henry’s angry, possessive, strong—whatever it was—hold.

“Pamela!” she cried out, receiving the lady’s eager embrace.

“I wanted to talk to you earlier but…” she trailed off, looking over her shoulder. Angelica’s gaze looked on and she saw Garrett talking with Stan now, his gaze at the back of his wife.

“Oh, I see, but that’s okay.”

“Why don’t we go talk?” the lady asked her, turning to Henry. “Can I? I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No, of course not,” Angelica answered before Henry could open his mouth to protest. “Why don’t we go for a walk? I heard they have a garden outside?”

“Yes, that will be lovely,” Pamela nodded.

  *****

When they reached the garden, Pamela turned to her in a rush, looked at the premises and when she was certain no one was around, she looked at Angelica, tears brimming her eyes. “I think I’m in danger.”

“What? Why?”

“I think I know who killed Kevin,” the lady stammered. “And your dad,” she whispered.

“Pamela, you’re shaking. Are you okay? What do you mean you know who killed Kevin and my dad?”

“I’m really scared right now and I don’t know what to do—”

“There you are,” Garrett’s voice said behind them and his wife, upon hearing him, froze and hastily wiped away her tears.

Angelica stared at him with a forceful smile.

“Dinner will be served,” he walked towards them, his smile obviously forced and creepy.

“Yes, dear, we’re coming,” Pamela said, her voice growing stronger. “Let’s go?” she asked Angelica, holding her hand.

“But—” she stopped when she saw Pamela’s warning look. “Okay, why not?” she smiled and walked with the couple.

Inside, Henry met her across the room full of tables already occupied by other guests. “We’re dining together,” he said to Pamela with his handsome smile.

“That will be lovely,” Pamela said and walked on with her husband.

“Henry,” Angelica whispered at him as he turned to glare at her. “I think Pamela’s—”

“I told you not to get near John Stewart,” he hissed, taking hold of her elbow and walking all the way to the table where the partners are already seated.

“But I have to tell you—”

“Stay beside me and shut up,” he ordered. “Let me do the talking tonight.”

Angelica tried to calm herself. The thing about Pamela would be better discussed later when she was alone with Henry. She pasted a smile on her face and said, “Whatever you say, sweetheart.”