A Deadly Truth

CHARLOTTE

Few things have knocked the wind out of my sails, like receiving this news. Everything spun momentarily, and it felt as if someone had thrown a brick at my head. I started to feel faint, my heart felt like it would burst, and my palms grew clammy as beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

“What do you mean, he’s dead?” I asked, struggling to collect my thoughts. “He can’t be dead; he just sent me this,” I added, showing her the texts I’d received from him.

She stared at the phone’s screen for a moment, then sighed. “Signora, I—” she began, but I shook my head vigorously.

“No,” I interrupted, defiance etched on my face. “He can’t be dead, not when we’re making progress with the case. He—” My words faltered as I began to cry. She reached for my hands and held them.

“I know it’s hard to accept, and I’m so sorry you had to hear it like this. I was hoping to wait until you were feeling better before saying anything, but he’s dead. He really is,” she said slowly, releasing my hand w