KADE MURPHY
U.S. Marshal Kade Murphy took a beer out of his refrigerator and slammed the door shut. He stomped into his living room, turned on the television, and sat down on his worn leather couch. Twisting off the lid of the beer, he flicked it onto the coffee table, and watched the metal lid spin in a lazy circle. It hit the side of his unused glass ashtray and stopped with a tinny clink.
"In other news, a hotel fire nearly claimed the lives of five hundred guests. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the blaze, which destroyed the fifth and sixth floors of the ten-story hotel."
Kade's gaze shifted from the beer lid to the TV. Death and destruction. That's all the world cared about anymore. No wonder Lillian preferred cartoons to CNN. The corner of his mouth lifted as he remembered how she'd lay around in nothing but his T-shirt and watch Dragon Ball Z. He hated that cartoon, but man, he loved watching her.
