Tuesday morning, very early; the Centre office, Beijing
The morning English-language newspaper's headline read: Body of Che Ling Lyle Found in Abandoned Quarry. Parker stared at it for a long, long time, then forced herself to read the rest. Emergency call. Disappearance of Che. Male voice, unidentified. Body beaten. Death from internal injuries. Defensive wounds. The police had no leads. Of course they didn't.
She lifted her eyes from her desk when she heard Lyle's voice from a cubicle or two over.
"...it's just so difficult." Lyle's voice was quiet, but steady. "We were having problems, she'd gone off to think. I knew there was another guy, but... I had no idea he was a threat."
Parker swallowed back bile as the secretary he was speaking to expressed her condolences, asking if he needed anything?
"No, really, I. I appreciate this. You don't know how much." She looked up to see Lyle squeezing the secretary's hand, face blank with what others would interpret as shock, or grief. "I just need time to process it all."
The secretary walked away after pressing a hand to his cheek, and Lyle turned to meet Parker's eyes. Frozen silence for a moment, then he walked over to stand in front of her desk. "Are you going to express your condolences as well?" All smarm and all charm gone. Just flatness. And something threatening, darker behind it.
"I'm sorry Che is dead." And I know who to blame. "She was a sweet person."
"She was." A long cold moment on both sides. "This didn't have to happen. If she'd just trusted me--"
Parker squeezed the pen in her hand tight enough to bruise her palm. "Nothing would have been any different."
"Mr. Lyle, you have a call on line two." One of the associates came up with a message pad. "Mr. Raines wants you to consult with him on a special project."
"I'll be right there," Lyle said, then straightened his tie. "Gotta carry on, right?" He flashed her a meaningless smile. "The funeral's Thursday. Hope you can make it."
Parker waited until he was gone to tear up the newspaper, shredding it into long strips and throwing them in the trash.
She lifted her eyes from her desk when she heard Lyle's voice from a cubicle or two over.
"...it's just so difficult." Lyle's voice was quiet, but steady. "We were having problems, she'd gone off to think. I knew there was another guy, but... I had no idea he was a threat."
Parker swallowed back bile as the secretary he was speaking to expressed her condolences, asking if he needed anything?
"No, really, I. I appreciate this. You don't know how much." She looked up to see Lyle squeezing the secretary's hand, face blank with what others would interpret as shock, or grief. "I just need time to process it all."
The secretary walked away after pressing a hand to his cheek, and Lyle turned to meet Parker's eyes. Frozen silence for a moment, then he walked over to stand in front of her desk. "Are you going to express your condolences as well?" All smarm and all charm gone. Just flatness. And something threatening, darker behind it.
"I'm sorry Che is dead." And I know who to blame. "She was a sweet person."
"She was." A long cold moment on both sides. "This didn't have to happen. If she'd just trusted me--"
Parker squeezed the pen in her hand tight enough to bruise her palm. "Nothing would have been any different."
"Mr. Lyle, you have a call on line two." One of the associates came up with a message pad. "Mr. Raines wants you to consult with him on a special project."
"I'll be right there," Lyle said, then straightened his tie. "Gotta carry on, right?" He flashed her a meaningless smile. "The funeral's Thursday. Hope you can make it."
Parker waited until he was gone to tear up the newspaper, shredding it into long strips and throwing them in the trash.