Free Like Sheep Gone Astray by Lesile J. Sherrod

anything to get it.
    It was for the simple thrill of the hunt that he let that young minister see that he was being watched while eating lunch at the Solomon Grill. He'd almost laughed when he saw Anthony nearly choke on a french fry, the unmistakable scent of fear permeating the air from underneath that righteous halo.
    Kent had stumbled over Anthony Murdock's name a few times early on in his investigation. He was certain that Murdock was part of a growing web of deceit being spun around the town of Shepherd Hills like the silvery lace of a black widow spider. But as with any intricate web, all bugs and lowlife eventually get caught.
    “I'm onto all of you,” Kent mumbled while massaging his knee. He scanned the parking lot and the front entrance of Haberstick Associates, looking for any sign of Anthony or anything that would provide further direction for the case.
    He checked his rearview mirror. A shiny black Jaguar with tinted windows was nestled between two Dumpsters toward the rear of the small office building.
    “Funny place to park such a fancy car.” He shook his head. As he watched, a young black female in a fur stole jumped out of the passenger's side. She slammed the door shut and started shouting through the window. Out of curiosity, Kent decided to pull his car closer to make out her words. But before he could start his ignition, she jumped back into the Jaguar and it sped off.
    “Weirdos.” Kent shook his head at the spectacle before turning his attention and thoughts back to the office building.
    “Wait a minute! What are you telling me?” Shock filled Terri's voice as she sat across from Cherisse, both of their plates untouched. The dim lighting of the Westcott Room did not hide the expression on Cherisse's face.
    “You heard me right, girl. Your man, Anthony, has finally come around to his senses. If what I heard today is true, you two are on the verge of getting millions and millions! I can't believe it! I'm best friends with a millionaire!” Cherisse was grinning from ear to ear.
    “This can't be real.” Terri sat back in her chair with an elated sigh. “Are you sure you heard right? Start over again.”
    Cherisse rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth playfully. “I've told you the same story three times this past hour. You're going to make me late. I'm not like you. I have a supervisor to report to when I return from lunch.”
    “I know, Cherisse, but this sounds too good to be true. I need you to tell me this one more time to make sure I'm hearing you right. Now what happened again?”
    “Like I said, I was running some numbers for Mr. Fabian to make sure we were ready for a wedding we're catering this weekend. You know how the business wing at Fabian's Catering Service is set up. I'm in the cubicle closest to the window, with three cubicles next to me, and then there's the door that leads to the hallway where you can either leave the building or go back to the kitchen.”
    “I know, I know. Get to the good part.”
    “Anyway, while I was working, I heard what sounded like two men come in and sit in the cubicle closest to the door. I figured they were potential customers Mr. Fabian was about to meet with. Well, before Mr. Fabian came in, they were talking about some meeting that was supposed to be happening at two o'clock today. I wasn't really paying attention because I wanted to finish what I was doing to meet you for lunch on time.”
    “Like that was really going to happen,” Terri joked. Cherisse rolled her eyes again.
    “As I was saying, I wasn't paying attention to their conversation until I heard them say something about a Mr. Murdock. Of course, I wondered if they were talking about your Anthony. That's when I heard one of them clearly state, and I quote, ‘After today's meeting with Haberstick, Anthony Murdock will be one of the wealthiest young men in Shepherd Hills.’] The other man did not sound so certain. He seemed to be questioning something about Anthony. He was