“How can I be a witness? All I did was hear a phone call.”
He hesitated and licked his lips. “Have you heard of voice recognition? It’s not solid evidence, but if we brought in suspects and had them speak, you might be able to recognize the voice.”
Aubree’s eyes widened. “I can’t put my baby in danger.”
“No, we would never consider that. You would be completely protected,” Agent Edwards said.
“But how? They’ve already killed my husband and someone else. What if they find me here?” A tense fear wound through her shoulders, and she clenched her jaw.
“You’re in a private facility surrounded by security personnel. You’re safe here, but you won’t be able to return to your home. ”
“But—you mean never?” She thought of her home, of Devin, of their wedding picture hanging in the bedroom, and of the leather ottoman Devin loved to rest his feet on. So many memories interlaced with common objects.
Agent Edwards frowned. “I’m afraid it won’t be safe until this case is solved. We’re setting up surveillance at your home and planting a decoy there to see if the killer will try again.”
Aubree’s heart felt heavy as one more weight of disappointment settled on her. Agent Edwards interrupted her thoughts.
“I wanted to ask if you remember anything else about the conversation. What kind of voice did you hear? Was there any kind of background noise?”
Aubree forced herself to recall the horrifying conversation from yesterday morning that had sent her life into a tailspin.
“His voice was gruff, and he laughed when he talked about where the body was hidden. He sounded so . . .” Aubree shuddered. “So triumphant.” She opened her eyes and looked at Agent Edwards.
“Can you recall any other words?”
Her shoulders slumped, but he continued. “At the time they may have seemed insignificant, but we’re checking out every possibility. It may not be important that you heard a certain voice. Maybe they’re after you because of a certain word or phrase you heard.” He opened one of the green files and moved his finger along until it rested on a word. “I want you to replay the conversation in your mind. Put yourself back in your car, holding the phone to your ear. Listen and tell me in what context the word intruder was used.”
With a shallow breath, Aubree closed her eyes and imagined being in her car yesterday morning. The sun had glared off of a few bug spots on her windshield, and she’d used the window wipers to clear it. She could hear the squeak of the wipers and swish of the water spraying across the windshield. Devin’s ring tone was set to a Jamaican beach tune. She’d only heard a few bars before pushing “accept” on the call.
Immediately, her pulse quickened as she thought about the man saying, Tidmore did the job, and the body is hidden in the manhole on 32nd Street. She breathed in through her nose and tried to remember what he had said next. “He said something about the intruder.”
She heard the folding chair squeak when someone moved, but she kept her eyes closed, listening and trying to piece together the fragments of her memory. The rough sound of the man’s voice had eclipsed any background noise. Aubree remembered the clipped way he spoke and thought about what he had said next. She whispered, “The intruder will clear the way.” When she opened her eyes, Agent Edwards was writing in the green folder as Cody and Haskins watched her.
“That was great.” He stopped writing and looked at her. “If you think of anything else, anything at all, please let me know.” Agent Edwards stood and shoved the folders back into his bag. He pulled a card from his back pocket and handed it to Aubree. “We’re not trying to hold you hostage, Mrs. Stewart, we just don’t want anyone else hurt.” His phone rang, and he pulled it from the clip on his belt, lifted his head toward Aubree, and said, “I’ll be back later.”
Haskins handed her a bag. “Thanks for your help. We had someone pick up some maternity clothes for you. Why don’t you change, and then I can take you to a phone to call your mother.” Aubree looked at her hospital gown, then took the bag and glanced inside at the new clothes.
“Thank you,” she whispered and hurried into the bathroom without another word. After she heard the outer door click, she turned the water on and tried to concentrate on the sound of the shower beating against the tile to rid her mind of the criminal’s voice.
Her body ached, and she felt the weight of her pregnancy growing heavier with each hour. Aubree stepped into the stream of water and let the tears come again. She could have a good cry now and then maybe hold it together when she talked to her mom about Devin.
After she showered and dressed, she looked in the mirror again, tying the string on the soft green maternity blouse at the small of her back. The dainty yellow flowers on the blouse were pretty, but unfortunately no one had thought about getting her makeup, so there was nothing to disguise her splotchy face or the blonde eyelashes that rimmed her puffy eyelids.
She combed out her hair and tucked a strand behind her ear. She wondered why the police couldn’t have brought some clothes and personal items from her house and then remembered it was still a crime scene. Looking at the square diamond on her finger, she thought of Devin. She tried to remember the way he would smile and laugh, but truthfully he hadn’t done much of that lately.
He always tried to joke around, but Aubree had sensed a departure from his former carefree self. He worried constantly over their finances and continually urged Aubree to work “just a little longer to help make ends meet.” She tried to discover what had been bothering him, but each time she probed, he would change the subject. She thought back to a conversation they’d had five months ago, when Aubree decided she wouldn’t return to work after the baby was born.
“I’d like to try my hand at this stay-at-home mom business,” Aubree said as Devin helped button her dress.
“Why? Don’t you think you’ll get bored?”
“I’ve been thinking about this baby.” She took his hand and placed it on her abdomen. “I want to take care of our child. I don’t want to miss a minute.”
Devin’s eyes widened. “You sure about this? Maybe you should work at least part-time.”
“But we don’t really need my income.” She took a step away from Devin, but he pulled her back to face him.
“What?” He sounded surprised.
Aubree hesitated and then straightened her shoulders. “When I thought about becoming a mother, I knew I’d have to give up certain things.” She placed a hand on Devin’s arm. “I’ve worked hard, and we’ve saved like crazy. I think it would be okay for me to take a break to raise our child.” She hugged Devin, and he put his arms around her. The scent of his favorite soap lingered on his skin, and Aubree inhaled and smiled.
He kissed her ear and murmured, “That’s a good plan, but let’s see how our finances look after the baby is born.”
She pulled her face back so she could look him in the eyes. “I love you, Devin, and I love this child. I want to be a mom now, and I know I could keep working and be a mom too, but this is important to me.”
Devin stared at her and shook his head. “Whatever you say, babe.” Then he laughed and tickled her, and the uneasy moment had passed.
Now, as she looked into the mirror, a new realization came to her. Everything was lost—broken. Devin was gone. The family she had prepared for, worked for, saved for was no more.
“Oh, what will I do?” Aubree whispered. How could she go on without Devin? He wasn’t perfect, but neither was she, and she loved him. She put her face in her hands and cried.
“Aubree, are you okay in there?”
She recognized the voice of Dr. Samuels and opened the door.
“You don’t look well. Come over here and sit down.”
Aubree let herself be guided back to the chair she’d sat in earlier.
Dr. Samuels held out an orange pill bottle. “I brought something for your nerves.”
“I don’t want to take anything. I have to be careful for my baby
.”
“This is a class C medication; it won’t harm your baby.” Dr. Samuels handed her the prescription bottle. “You need to take care of yourself. This is just enough to last you for the next few weeks.”
“But I don’t want to be numb to everything. I want to remember Devin.” Aubree whimpered, and she wrapped her arms around herself and let the pills fall from her hand.
“Aubree, I’m trying to help you. You need to take some of this medicine and then this sedative tonight to help you sleep.”
“What I need is to talk to my mother.” Aubree stood slowly. “Officer Haskins said I could speak with her this morning.”
“All right then. Come with me. He’s actually been waiting for you to get ready.” Dr. Samuels picked up the pill bottle and put it on the nightstand.
With swollen eyes, she followed Dr. Samuels out the door and down a long hallway. The facility was clean and quiet, and Aubree noticed the security guards standing at the outer doors. Dr. Samuels led her into another room filled with chairs and a phone in each corner sitting atop dark brown tables.
Officer Haskins and Detective Rawlings were in one corner, and they looked up when she entered. Cody was on the phone, scribbling something on a piece of paper while Haskins typed on a laptop—or was attempting to type. His fingers hen-pecked at the keys, and she guessed they were both working on her case. She hoped they would figure it all out so that she could go home soon.
“I want to call my mom now.”
Haskins walked over to her. “The FBI has been in touch with her, and they’re sending some agents to pick her up in the next hour and take her to the airport.”
Aubree nodded, and Haskins handed her the phone. She gripped the receiver with trembling hands as he dialed. After only the first ring, she heard a familiar voice.
“Hello?”
“Mom.” She said the word quietly and choked back the emotions waiting to erupt again.
“Aubree!” Her mom’s voice sounded shaky. “It’s so awful. I’m coming there as soon as I can. I only heard about it a few hours ago. I’ve been packing and waiting for the FBI agents to come, but then the police came over. They’ve been trying to collect some information about you and Devin to help with the investigation. Where are you?”
“I’m in—” Aubree started to answer when she heard a commotion, and someone grabbed the phone from her hand.
FIVE
STARTLED AND ANGRY, AUBREE looked up to see the FBI agent covering the mouthpiece on the phone. Agent Edwards’ face was crimson, and it made his hair look almost white.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Stewart. I thought someone had explained to you that you cannot share any details about your case.”
“What? Give me the phone. I’m trying to talk to my mother. I’m not doing anything illegal!” Aubree shouted and stood up.
As she reached for the phone, Edwards said, “Aubree listen, the police didn’t contact your mother this morning. It must’ve been someone else related to this crime.”
“What? How did you know?”
“We have these lines tapped into a listening service,” Edwards replied and pointed at the clear spiral cord trailing from his ear.
“Okay, but how could they find her so fast?”
Edwards didn’t answer. He put the phone to his ear. “Hello, this is Agent Jason Edwards from the FBI. I’m sorry to interrupt your phone call, but I need to verify that you are Madeline Nelson. Can you please tell me what condition your daughter is in?”
Aubree sat silently and watched as he nodded his head. “And when is she due?” There was another pause. “What is she having? A boy or girl?” He smiled and nodded again. Then he sat beside Aubree and covered the mouthpiece. “Haskins, Cody, we need to get somebody over to Aubree’s mother’s home in Idaho ASAP. Some police officers went over there today.”
“They couldn’t have been our guys,” Haskins said.
“They weren’t. They were trying to see if Mrs. Nelson knows anything. Our guys weren’t scheduled to pick her up for another hour.”
“Consider it done. We’ll have her leave immediately,” Haskins said.
“Hold on a minute. I’m going to put Mrs. Nelson on speakerphone, and I want you to hear what she has to say.” Edwards looked at Aubree. “You cannot tell your mother where you are. If you do, it could put her life in danger.”
Aubree swallowed and reminded herself to be brave as the agent pressed the button for the speakerphone. “Mom, I’m okay.”
“I wish I could be there to hold you right now,” Madeline said. “I’m so sorry this happened.”
“Mrs. Nelson, this is Agent Edwards again. I’d like you to be ready to leave as soon as possible. Our agents will be there to pick you up shortly, and you can take the first flight available into San Diego. I’ll have someone meet you there so that you can be with your daughter.”
“But where is Aubree? Are you holding her somewhere?”
Aubree leaned toward the phone. “Mom, it’s all right. I didn’t want to be at the house right now.”
“How do you know these men are real agents?”
“Because I—”
Edwards held up his hand again. “Mrs. Nelson, I can assure you we are true officers of the law. You don’t need to worry about Aubree. We’re just trying to help her get some rest and keep your grandchild safe.”
“But the police officers that came to my home today told me about what Devin did. They told me about the other things connected to this case, so I don’t know why you’re being so secretive.” Madeline’s voice continued to rise in pitch.
“They said that Devin was in some kind of trouble. Aubree, they said the FBI might get involved and that I should call these police officers immediately if they did because it was out of the FBI’s jurisdiction.”
“Mom, Devin didn’t do anything. He was murdered.” Aubree covered her mouth.
“I don’t know who to trust,” Madeline said. “Aubree, you need to get out of there. I don’t think you’re safe.”
“Mrs. Nelson, I’m afraid those men weren’t real police officers,” Edwards interrupted. “Whatever you do, don’t call them. In fact, I’d like you to give me the number. It’s probably not even a real number,” he said.
“Why should I give you the number?” Madeline demanded.
“Fine,” Edwards said through gritted teeth. “Call the Federal Bureau of Investigation yourself and ask them if Jason Edwards is a legitimate officer.”
“I’m sorry,” Madeline said, “but they told me Aubree might be in danger and that I needed to find out where she was and contact them. Aubree, honey, they said Devin had over thirty-five thousand dollars in credit card debt from Internet gambling.”
“Mom, that’s not true. They weren’t—”
Edwards picked up the phone before Aubree could finish. “Mrs. Nelson, I realize you’re worried, but we need you to finish packing. Don’t answer the door or the telephone until you see this same number on your caller ID. That will be me calling to verify that my agents are there to pick you up. At that time, I will give you a code word and when my agents show up, they’ll also have identification. Aubree is under a lot of stress, and it would help her if you could get here safely and soon.”
Aubree’s mind was spinning as Edwards spoke to her mother. Internet gambling—she had immediately protested but suddenly felt it was true. Devin was always working on the computer, and he’d been passed up for a promotion at work because he hadn’t turned in reports on time. But thirty-five thousand dollars? That part couldn’t be true.
Edwards hung up the phone. The fiery tattoo moved as he flexed his arm. He frowned, and it caused his forehead to crease in several places.
“We’ll be back in a bit, Edwards,” Cody said as he and Haskins left the room. Each footstep reverberated against the tile and pounded against Aubree’s overwhelmed mind.
“Is my mom going to be okay?”
“Yes. I think someone was trying to get information from her. I didn�
�t want to scare her, but those men couldn’t have been real police officers. We’re going to check the numbers they gave her, but I doubt they’ll lead anywhere. I’m sure they’re planning on keeping her under surveillance. I just hope they haven’t tapped into her phone already.”
“But they wouldn’t hurt my mom . . .” Aubree’s eyes filled with tears.
Edwards handed her a tissue. “Our guys will make sure she’s safe. She should be here soon.”
“And then I can see her?”
“Yes, but you’re still going to have to be careful. You can’t divulge anything about this case to your mother, or you risk putting her in danger.” He looked at her and frowned again. “After the funeral, you’ll be removed to protective custody and won’t be able to see anyone you know for awhile.”
“But—”
“Aubree,” Edwards interrupted and looked at her with a piercing gaze. “We don’t want any more deaths in this case. After the incident with your mother, at the very least, we’ll have to do some heavy surveillance if she is to return home.”
She swallowed a lump in her throat. “It’s true, isn’t it?”
He raised his eyebrows.
“The gambling debt,” Aubree ventured. “Devin was involved with Internet gambling.” She said it as a statement of fact, because she believed it was true. Cody had given her a sympathetic glance before leaving the room. They all knew.
It didn’t seem possible for Edwards to frown any deeper, but he did and then banged the table. “I’m sorry. There was no reason for you to find out like this.”
“No reason?” She felt the heat rising in her cheeks. “Oh, you mean since my husband was murdered, I’m pregnant, alone, and about to be placed in a witness protection program—why make my life worse?”
Edwards wiped his hand over his face and looked at the floor. “No, I wasn’t sure of all the details, and yes, I guess I didn’t want to add to your burdens. I planned on checking into everything and giving you some time before . . .” he narrowed his eyes and cursed under his breath.
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