Fatal Accusation (The Fatal Series)

by Marie Force

  Sam shrugged. “I wish I could be there to support her.” She glanced at the clock on the far wall. “I think their two minutes are up.” She started walking in the direction Ashley had gone, scanning the nameplates outside each office until she found Massey’s.

  An older woman with a stern face and sturdy body sat at a desk outside.

  Sam walked right by her.

  Most people would knock before opening a closed door. Sam wasn’t most people. She opened the door to find Massey in an embrace with Ashley.

  Very interesting. After their encounter on the street last night, the sight of him made Sam’s skin crawl. She was still getting a weird vibe from him. Whether that vibe was related to Tara’s death or not remained to be seen.

  “Leave,” she said to Ashley.

  Her green eyes flashed with outrage. “You can’t just come in here—”

  “Detective Cruz, would you mind setting our friend Ashley straight on what I can do?”

  “Um, she can arrest you if you don’t shut up and get out of here.”

  God, he was good.

  Thankfully, Ashley took his advice, casting one last lovelorn look over her shoulder at Massey on her way out.

  Freddie closed the door behind her.

  “Is all of this necessary?” Massey asked. “Coming to my workplace and flashing your badges around?”

  “Is it necessary, Detective Cruz?”

  “Clearly it is or we wouldn’t be here. Does your boss know you’re fooling around with your assistant?”

  His eyes narrowed into a look of pure fury. “What do you need? I have very important meetings today.”

  “We could always do this at our place, if you’d prefer,” Sam said.

  He blanched. “Do what? I had nothing to do with Tara’s death. I told you that.”

  “Talk to me about your financial situation,” Sam said.

  At that, he lost some of his rigidity. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Not sure yet. That’s what we’re trying to find out. How does a guy like you with a fancy law degree from—” She leaned in for a closer look at the diploma on his wall. “Yale and a big job at the World Bank end up on the verge of bankruptcy.”

  “I got into some trouble with gambling.” His teeth were gritted with outrage. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

  “Murder makes everything my business.”

  “I think you secretly enjoy the little power trip you get from throwing that badge around.”

  “Sure, I love seeing a woman who recently gave birth to a child she’s wanted all her life, according to her parents, naked and strangled in her bed when she’d planned to be home for her child’s next feeding. The power of that just goes straight to my head.”

  He paled somewhat at hearing the details of Tara’s death, which was actually good news for him. That he hadn’t seemed to know those things could support his claim that he’d had nothing to do with it.

  “She didn’t deserve that,” he said softly. “She was a good person, even if she made a mistake getting involved with Nelson.”

  “Why do you see it as a mistake?”

  He looked at her like she was crazy. She got that look a lot. “The guy is married, he’s the freaking president and he’s old. What the hell did she want with him?”

  “When she could’ve had you, you mean?”

  “She could’ve had anyone. What did she want with him?”

  “Who knows? Maybe she was seduced by the power.”

  “Whatever. She made a lot of questionable decisions after we broke up.”

  “Funny, you didn’t mention those questionable decisions yesterday.”

  “I wanted to protect her reputation.”

  “She’s dead, Mr. Massey. The most important thing now is finding the person who took her life, not preserving her reputation. What questionable decisions did she make?”

  “She went out with a lot of guys.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I kept tabs on her. I was concerned.”

  “Did she know you kept tabs on her?”

  “I don’t think she did.”

  “And how exactly did you keep these so-called tabs?”

  “I kept in touch with her friends, who were also concerned.”

  “Did you keep the tabs because she was dating again and you were jealous or because you honestly felt concerned for her safety?”

  “I said I was concerned.”

  “It sounds to me like you didn’t want her, but you didn’t want anyone else to have her either.”

  “That’s not true! I wanted her to be happy.” His shoulders slumped. “The money situation was the main reason I ended it with her. I didn’t want to drag her into my mess right when her business was starting to really take off. It wouldn’t have been fair.”

  “Why didn’t you mention that last night when we asked why your relationship with her ended?”

  “It’s embarrassing. A guy my age with my education and a good job shouldn’t be struggling financially. It’s not something I talk about.”

  “Here’s a tip for you—when cops ask you questions, it’s a good idea to tell the truth, even if it’s embarrassing.”

  He glared at her. “I don’t have a lot of experience with cops.”

  “I’ll give you a pass this time. But I’d encourage you to be honest with us going forward. Who were her closest friends?”

  “Carly Sargant and Suzanne King. They go back to high school.”

  “Where would I find them?”

  Massey withdrew his phone from his pocket and wrote down phone numbers he found in his contacts.

  “Put your number on there too.”

  After glancing at her, he wrote it down and handed her the piece of paper. “Carly owns a flower shop in Georgetown. Suzanne is a stay-at-home mom in Alexandria. If you’ve talked to one, you’ve pretty much talked to them both. The three of them were tight.”

  “Stay available.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Unless you have something else to add, which if you do, now is the time. If I find out you’re stonewalling us, I’ll come for you, and I won’t be as friendly next time.”

  “I have nothing else except I hope you find whoever did this to Tara.”

  “We’ll show ourselves out.” Sam headed for the door, stopping at the desk of the older woman outside, who glared at her.

  “Are you his assistant, Janice?”

  “I am.”

  “You told our officers that he never left the office yesterday?”

  “That’s correct. He was in meetings all day until he got the news about his former girlfriend and left.”

  “Were you here all day?”

  “I never left the building.”

  Sam handed her notebook over to the woman. “Write down your full name and phone number.”

  She took the notebook, her hostility toward Sam coming through loud and clear, which told Sam that Janice was protective of her boss.

  Sam took the notebook back from Janice. “Thank you.” She took off toward the exit, and as she went past Ashley’s desk, she stopped to address her. “I just gave your boss a tip, so now I’ve got one for you too. When cops show up wanting to talk to someone you work with, get the person. Don’t go have a romantic snuggle with them, because that wastes our time. We don’t like having our time wasted, got me?”

  The woman’s big eyes got bigger, which left Sam feeling satisfied she’d put a scare into her. Good. People who wasted her time infuriated her. “Our work here is finished, Detective Cruz. Let’s go.”

  In the elevator, he glanced at her. “Mean and scary.”

  “Thank you for the review. I hate people.”

  “Often with good reason.”

  “Ta
ra is lucky that guy dumped her. He’s a scumbag pretending to be a successful professional.”

  “And he’s a cliché, fooling around with his much-younger assistant.”

  “Right?”

  “What’s next?”

  “We’re going to find her friend Carly in Georgetown. When we get outside, call Carly to get the address of her shop and let her know we’re coming by. Also get Suzanne’s address in Alexandria.” She hoped they didn’t have to make a trip to Northern Virginia. In addition to hating people, she also hated having to leave the District for any reason.

  They retrieved their weapons at the security checkpoint. Sam returned hers to the holster she wore on her hip with a feeling of relief. She hated being unarmed on the job.

  Freddie made the call to Carly as they walked to the car and wrapped up the conversation as they got in.

  “Petals on M Street.”

  Sam directed the car toward Georgetown. “That Massey guy seriously gives me the creeps.”

  “I can see why.”

  “I want to like him for this, but as creepy as he is, I believe him when he says he wanted the best for her. I think he really did love her, and he’s been a disaster since he lost her.”

  “Maybe so. The friends will know the deal.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Parking in Georgetown ought to be an Olympic sport,” Sam said as they arrived in one of the swankier parts of town.

  “Seriously. Just double-park over there.” He pointed. “The flower shop is in the next block.”

  Sam pulled up to the spot he’d identified and put on her hazards. They got out of the car and walked the short distance to their destination. Everyone she passed on the sidewalk did a double take when they realized who she was. Sam hated that almost as much as she hated people who wasted her time. But she kept that to herself since the reason for her higher profile was her much-beloved husband, the vice president.

  For him, she’d put up with just about anything.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  THEY ENTERED THE fragrant flower shop, which even Sam had to admit was flat-out adorable, with colorful displays and a wide assortment of gifts in addition to the main attraction. The woman working behind the counter had her back to them. “Be right with you.”

  “Lieutenant Holland and Detective Cruz, Metro PD. We’re sorry for the loss of your friend.”

  The woman who turned to face them was tall, blonde, pretty in a patrician sort of way with fine features and blue eyes. “I’m devastated, sick to my stomach.”

  On a closer look, Sam noticed deep, dark circles under her eyes. “We’re hoping you can help us figure out who might’ve wanted her dead.”

  “Other than the president?” The woman did nothing to hide her fury. “Why haven’t you arrested him?”

  “Well, it’d be awfully difficult for a man surrounded by world-class security to commit murder.”

  “That doesn’t mean he couldn’t hire it done. He probably asked his degenerate son to recommend one of his disgusting friends to get rid of her before she ruined everything for him.”

  “Did you know about the affair with Nelson?”

  “No.” Carly sighed and her shoulders sagged. “I found out when everyone else did. I knew she enjoyed working with Nelson and thought he was an impressive person. But an affair? I had no clue.”

  “And normally you’d be in the know on something like that?”

  “Always. That’s how we rolled.”

  “We talked to Bryce.”

  Carly’s eyes hardened at the mention of his name. “And what did he have to say?”

  “That he loved her and hoped we find whoever did this to her.”

  She scoffed. “He loved her so much he dumped her and broke her heart.”

  “We’re looking for someone who would’ve wanted her dead. Does he fit that bill?”

  “I can’t imagine that. I don’t like the guy, but he did love her. Or at least he acted like he did until he dumped her.”

  “Can you think of anyone else who might want her dead?”

  “Not really. For a while after they broke up, she went a little crazy on that DateMe app that everyone’s so in love with, but that stopped when she joined the campaign. And then, after she left the Nelson administration, she was pregnant but wouldn’t tell us who the baby’s father was, so we assumed he was probably married. But we never could’ve imagined that the president was the father.”

  “That hasn’t been confirmed.”

  “But it’s assumed by everyone after the news of her affair broke.”

  “Who would’ve known about her affair with the president?”

  “If she didn’t tell Suzanne and me, she didn’t tell anyone. We weren’t able to reach her after the story broke, which was worrisome.”

  So, had the leak come from Nelson’s camp, then? The thought of having to pursue that angle gave Sam heartburn. “What about the ex–business partner? Paige Thompson?”

  “They weren’t in touch as far as I know. They went their separate ways after Paige left the business.”

  “Do you know why Paige left?”

  “I never did hear the details about why Paige left when she did. Tara was bummed because the business was really taking off around that time, and it was a lot for her to handle on her own. She promoted Delany from part-time to full-time, and that worked out well as far as I could tell.”

  “Can you think of anyone else who would’ve had insight into the affair with Nelson or any of the other men she dated recently?”

  “Check the app if you want to know who she was spending time with.”

  “We’re still trying to locate her phone.”

  Carly gasped. “Hang on. I was tracking her. I insisted on it because she was dating so much.” She went into the back room and returned with her phone, tapping the screen and then frowning. “It’s not on, so I can’t get a location.”

  It would’ve been too easy for the phone’s location to show up. They never got that lucky.

  “I’ll keep checking to see if it shows up,” Carly said.

  Sam handed her a business card. “Call me if it does or if you think of anything else we should know.”

  “I will. Ever since she broke up with Bryce, she’d been kind of lost. Her career was booming, but her personal life was messy. I had no idea how messy until the news about Nelson came out.”

  “What did you think when you heard that?”

  “Like everyone else, I was stunned. Tara dated a lot of men, but she had rules about married guys. It would’ve been wildly out of character for her to have an affair with a married man.”

  “That’s very helpful to know. Thank you for your time and the insight.”

  “I hope you can find the person who did this. It’s so sad that she finally had the child she’d craved and was taken from us right when she had finally gotten the one thing she wanted the most. I’m heartbroken over it.”

  “We’re so sorry for your loss. Please call me if you get a bead on her phone.”

  “I will.”

  When they left the flower shop, Sam took a deep cleansing breath of the cold air outside. Approaching the car, Sam noticed a well-dressed man on a cell phone, pacing the sidewalk near where she’d parked.

  “Some asshole blocked me in. I’ve called the police, but they’re taking their own sweet time, as usual.”

  Sam flashed her badge along with a smile. “I’m your asshole. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

  “Uh, I have to go.” The guy ended the call. “You can’t just block people in. I’m late for a very important meeting because of you.”

  “I’d apologize, but I’m not sorry. Murder trumps whatever you’ve got going on.”

  His brows narrowed into an expression he probably practiced in front of the mirror for when he wante
d to be fierce and intimidating. It had zero effect on her. “I know who you are.”

  “Did you hear that, Detective Cruz? He knows who I am!”

  “That never happens.” The dry, acerbic tone made him the best wingman ever.

  “You think you’re so special, the second lady running around with a gun and a badge, but you’re not special, and you have no right to break the law.”

  “Feel free to report me to my superiors. They love getting complaints about me.” Having better things to do, she headed for the driver’s side of her car and got in. When Freddie was in the passenger seat, she reached for her phone. “This would be a good time to take a call, don’t you think?”

  He snorted with laughter. “He’s gonna blow a gasket.”

  “I can’t talk and drive. That’s not safe.”

  Freddie shook his head as he chuckled. “You’re in rare form today, Lieutenant.”

  With an eye toward the guy on the sidewalk, Sam pretended to talk on the phone, and sure enough, the man’s anger level spiked into the nuclear zone. Maybe if he hadn’t been such a dick, she might’ve cut him a break. “I think I might have anger issues.”

  “Really? That’s just now occurring to you?”

  “I’m serious.”

  “So am I. Of course you have anger issues. So do I. With the crap we see on a daily basis, who could blame us?”

  Sam “talked” on the phone for a full five minutes before starting the car and pulling away from the curb, waving to her new friend on the curb, who looked like he might be having an actual stroke. “He needs to take a chill pill.”

  “You enjoyed that a little too much.”

  “I have to find joy where I can.”

  “What’s our next move?”

  “I want to talk to Archie about getting us into her account on DateMe.”

  “That’s not going to be easy.”

  “He’ll know how to do it.”

  “I hate to mention the elephant in the room, but the one person who has the most significant motive isn’t on our list.”

  “No, he isn’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “What reason would the president have to kill her when the story was already out? The damage was done. What does killing her do for him but add to the shitstorm?”