Silent Fall

coworkers. The few family members who were there left last night."
    "Maybe you should call Jake, then."
    "On his honeymoon? I don’t think so. I’ve screwed up a lot of moments in my big brother’s life. This isn’t going to be another one."
    "What about your father?" she asked as they headed down the corridor toward the elevator. "I know you told me your mom left years ago, but couldn’t you ask your father for help?"
    "My father wouldn’t throw water on me if I were on fire," he said. "So it looks like it’s just you and me."
    She frowned. "For breakfast. Then you’re on your own."
    * * *
    Catherine ordered a sizable meal, all healthy items, of course. Her veggie omelet was made of egg whites, accompanied by a bowl of fruit and a cup of green tea, while his pancakes were covered with syrup, and his side of scrambled eggs and bacon was guaranteed to clog his arteries. He topped off his meal with a mug of strong, caffeinated coffee.
    As Dylan ate, the food began to take away the queasy feeling in his stomach that was probably the result of whatever drug Erica had given him. He still couldn’t believe she’d done it. He’d always considered himself a fairly good judge of character, and while he wouldn’t have said Erica was a Girl Scout, he hadn’t anticipated such a mean streak. Maybe he should have. She’d always looked out for herself. That was the one thing he knew for sure about her.
    "Tell me about your relationship with Erica," Catherine said, interrupting his thoughts.
    "We didn’t have a relationship. We had sex -- one night about six weeks ago. That’s it."
    "How did you meet?"
    "I was working on a news story, the murder of a San Francisco socialite, Deborah Ravino, who was also the wife of state senator Joseph Ravino. A man was on trial for the murder, but some things about the case didn’t make sense to me. I did some digging and Erica’s name came up. Turned out she’d not only had an affair with Joseph Ravino; she could also provide a motive for him wanting to kill his wife. With Erica’s help and my story, murder charges were filed against the senator. He’s currently in prison awaiting trial. It’s been on all the news programs. You must have heard about the case."
    "I rarely watch the news."
    "Excuse me?" he asked in amazement, certain he hadn’t heard her correctly. "The news is important. How else do you know what’s happening in the world?"
    "What does it matter if I know? I can’t change anything."
    "Of course you can affect change. I helped put the right man in jail by paying attention."
    "Well, I’m very glad there are people like you in the world, but it’s not my thing."
    Her cavalier attitude shocked him. "It should be your thing. It should be everyone’s thing."
    Her eyes widened at his tone. "I didn’t realize your job was so important to you."
    "It’s not just a job. It’s about shining a light on things that need to be seen, not letting the bad guys get away with anything." As he heard the words come out of his mouth, he wanted to take them back. They revealed far too much about him. He picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. The liquid had cooled, but he didn’t care. He needed to put some distance between himself and his last comment.
    "I never thought about it that way. I should have, because God knows too many people get away with stuff." She let out a sigh. "To be honest, I don’t watch the news because it can be so dark. I have..." Her voice drifted off as she gazed down at the table. When she looked up at him, he saw shadows in her eyes. "I have so much darkness inside me. I can’t take any more in. I’m full."
    "Where does it come from?"
    "It doesn’t matter. It’s just there."
    Dylan wanted to press for a better answer. He wanted to forget all about his own problems and dive into hers. But he would be using her to avoid what he had to face -- his own life. It was a hell of a lot more interesting to dig into other people’s problems than his own.
    "So back to Erica. You were working on the story together and you ended up in bed. Is that right?" Catherine asked.
    "After quite a few celebratory tequila shots."
    "That can do it."
    "It wasn’t a good idea, obviously. But it happened. I didn’t think it was that big a deal."
    Catherine picked up her cup and sipped her tea, her blue eyes turning speculative. "Maybe it was a