Night Watch

by Susan Sleeman

She shifted in the chair. “Are you familiar with the prickly caterpillar bean?”

  He tilted his head. “I’ve heard that mentioned, but I’m not sure where.”

  “Recently?”

  He tapped his chin. “No, I can’t say as I remember when or even where I heard about it.”

  “What about anthrax?” Erik asked. “Do you have it in any of your labs?”

  “Anthrax?” He clutched his hand to his chest. “Oh, dear. No. No. We aren’t conducting any research that would require anthrax.” He flashed his gaze to Kennedy. “Was your mother involved with that? If so, I’d be very surprised. I didn’t think her lab was a level three.”

  Kennedy started to answer, but Erik stood, and she took it as a sign that he didn’t want additional discussion on the matter.

  Erik peered at Edwards as if he were looking at the man through a microscope. “If I were to ask these questions of other professors here, would I get the same answers, or would I get the party line from them too?”

  “I’m not sure what you mean. I’ve told you the truth, so unless they lied to you, you would get the same answers.” Edwards got up, resting a hand on his lower back as he stood. “I’m sorry that my answers don’t seem to be to your liking, but it is what it is.” He turned his attention on Kennedy and smiled. “Your mother was a wonderful person, and she’ll be sincerely missed.”

  “One more thing, Professor,” Erik said, seeming as if he was trying to catch Edwards off guard. “Do you know Professor Judson Purvis?”

  Oscar’s jaw tightened. “That pompous old fool. Yes. Everyone in our academic circle knows him.”

  “Why’s that?” Erik asked.

  “He’s on the fed’s Responsible Officials list, and he’s the only one in the area. He believes that makes him superior to the rest of us, when any one of us could apply for and be approved if we had a reason to.”

  “And what’s his reason?” Erik asked.

  “Research involving Peronosclerospora Philippinensis. A downy plant mildew that causes great damage to maize and sugarcane around the world.”

  “Can you spell that for me?” Kennedy asked and jotted it down when he did. “So nothing that could poison an individual like anthrax?”

  “No. Nothing like that. Which makes his posturing even more pretentious.”

  “Did he know my mom?” Kennedy asked.

  “I don’t know. He was a big schmoozer at parties, but since she didn’t attend them, perhaps not.”

  “Does he have an office in this building?”

  “Yes.” He named the location. “Now, if that’s all—”

  “For now,” Erik said.

  Edwards walked away, a hitch in his step.

  “I didn’t much like that guy,” Drake said. “Did you believe him?”

  “It was hard to see through the smoke he was blowing to find the truth, so no,” she replied.

  “Let’s head up to Purvis’s office,” Erik said. “See if we can surprise him.”

  The guys stepped next to her, and they checked the directory for his office location then, she led the way through the building to Purvis’s closed office door. Drake pounded loudly, then stepped aside.

  “Enter.” The single word came from a haughty male voice.

  Erik shook his head. “Sounds like he’s the king of the castle allowing us entry.”

  “Edwards did say the guy was pompous,” Kennedy said.

  Drake parked a shoulder on the wall. “I’ll stay out here and have your back.”

  Erik pushed the heavy door open, releasing a strong whiff of incense. He blocked the way as his head swiveled, then apparently finding it safe, he stepped back. Kennedy got her first look at a man with a full head of white hair sitting behind the neat desk. He had a thick neck and broad shoulders under his stiffly starched white shirt.

  He stood and planted his big hands on the desk, and she imagined him wearing a stocking cap and breaking into her mother’s place. He fit the build and seemed aggressive already, but his nose was perfectly aligned.

  He eyed them both for a long moment. “And who might you be?”

  Kennedy forced herself to relax to reduce his suspicion and reminded him of their phone message. “We were hoping you might have time to talk with us.”

  He lifted his hands from the desk, extending one to shake and offering her a sympathetic smile. “Is this about your mother? I heard about her passing, but I didn’t know her, so I’m not sure I can be of help.”

  His grip was tight and painful, but she worked hard not to wince. “Would you mind if we just asked a few questions?”

  He rolled up a perfectly pressed white sleeve and glanced at a pricey gold watch. “I have a lecture in fifteen minutes.”

  He settled into the high-back leather chair and rested his elbows on the padded arms, looking alert yet relaxed at the same time. There was something about him that was disconcerting, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Maybe it was the arrogance in the set of his jaw and his gaze. Or maybe she just wanted to see something negative in him because he was the same size as the guy who’d threatened her.

  “You say you didn’t know my mother, but Professor Edwards said you’re very social. We wondered if you’d heard some gossip about her, or have any idea of who might want to harm her.”

  “Harm?” He cocked a thick black eyebrow. “I thought her death was an accident or self-harm.”

  “We have reason to believe otherwise,” Erik said.

  “Goodness.” Purvis snapped his chair forward. “From what I hear, she was well loved. I have no idea of who might want to hurt her.”

  Erik pointed at a wall of potted plants. “You obviously love plants. Do you garden at home too?”

  “Yes.” His eyes took on a sparkle. “After research, puttering around in my garden is my next love. I find great enjoyment in trying new plants and cross-breeding them.”

  Erik leaned forward. “Would you happen to have a prickly caterpillar bean?”

  “I once did. I just had to grow it to see the odd shape, but it didn’t do anything for me. It’s an annual so when it died off, I didn’t plant it again.”

  “I’m assuming most everyone in your department has a home garden,” Kennedy said.

  “Most of us do.”

  “What about the chemistry professors?” Erik asked.

  “A few that I can think of.”

  “Is Professor Edwards one of them?”

  “Oscar?” Purvis lifted his chin. “He has a garden, but calling him a gardener is a stretch. At least a gardener at my level. He’s an amateur.”

  “So you’ve visited his garden?” Kennedy asked.

  “A long time ago.”

  Erik’s eyes glinted. “At that time, did he have a prickly caterpillar bean?”

  “Not that I saw, but the seeds were making the rounds around here for some time.” He waved a hand. “They’re rare and hard to come by, so they were snapped up.”

  “Could you give us a list of the people in the department with gardens?”

  “If you give me your email address, I’ll get to it as soon as I can.”

  Kennedy appreciated his helpful attitude, but he had this self-serving air, and she didn’t trust him to be truthful if it didn’t benefit him. “Do any of the labs here work with anthrax?”

  He snapped his chair forward. “Anthrax? No. Why do you ask?”

  “We’re exploring many lines of inquiry,” Erik said.

  Purvis shifted his gaze to Kennedy. “Do you think your mother died of anthrax exposure?”

  “No.” Kennedy didn’t feel a need to share the details of her mother’s death with this man.

  “But you are a Responsible Official,” Erik stated, “and as such, you could request anthrax.”

  “I’m the only Responsible Official on faculty.” Purvis puffed up his chest. “I take that tremendous honor seriously and wouldn’t try to procure any Select Agent that we didn’t have a legitimate reason to request. We don’t have a legiti
mate reason to ask for anthrax.”

  “So that’s a no, then?” Kennedy prodded when he didn’t actually answer the question. “You’ve never requested anthrax.”

  “Correct.” He stood, his eyes narrowed into angry slits as if upset at being pushed to respond. “Like I said. I have a lecture, and I need a moment to prepare. Please close the door as you leave.”

  Erik placed a business card on the desk, tapping it a few times to get Purvis’s attention. “Thanks for agreeing to email a list of gardeners. And if you hear anything unusual regarding Wanda, we would appreciate hearing about it.”

  Purvis gave a sharp nod then fired a pointed look at the door.

  Kennedy stepped out before Erik and turned to him as he closed the door.

  “He was either hiding something at the end, or he just doesn’t like to be questioned.”

  “Could be either,” Erik said. “But I think he deserves a deeper dive into his background. As does Edwards.”

  In his condo, Erik closed up his laptop, and resisted sighing. A few hours in research and he’d hoped to find something about either of the professors that would move their investigation forward. Or that his brothers had found viable suspects on the Responsible Officials list, but dinnertime had come and gone, and they were no further ahead than when they’d gone to interview the professors.

  He looked at Kennedy, who was setting out silverware for a late dinner with Finley, who’d arrived a few minutes before. Finley had brought three large salads, but Erik was going to take his meal to Drake’s place to give the sisters time alone.

  He piled the to-go container with a big cobb salad on top of his laptop, wishing it was a thick juicy steak with a steaming baked potato instead. He laid his phone next to it and looked at Finley. “Just call when you’re ready to leave, and I’ll escort you to the exit.”

  “Thanks.” She lifted the lid from her taco salad, emitting a tangy scent.

  “You sure you don’t want to eat with us?” Kennedy asked.

  “You need time alone.”

  “That doesn’t sound good.” Finley frowned, looking very much like a younger version of Kennedy. “You’re not going to question me again, are you?”

  Kennedy sat. “No. Just want to catch up.”

  “Okay, then.” Finley’s frown turned into a hesitant smile as she dropped into a chair.

  “See you later.” Erik resisted squeezing Kennedy’s shoulder with his free hand.

  For the last two hours as they’d worked side-by-side, he’d had the most overwhelming urge to touch her. He’d contained it, but he kicked up his speed to get out into the hallway, where he took a deep breath before heading toward Drake’s condo, Pong at his side.

  His phone rang, and he flipped it over on his computer to see an unknown number. Could be related to the investigation. He answered.

  “Mr. Byrd, it’s Nora.” Her tone was frantic and curt.

  “What is it?”

  “I need your help. Please. I just got home. Walked from the bus stop. There’s someone in my house. I see a flashlight moving inside. I’m so afraid.” Her voice broke with a sob.

  “Don’t go inside.” He used his best former officer voice to gain her cooperation. “Move away from the house to a safe location and call 911.”

  “But you’ll come too, right?”

  No chance he wouldn’t go. “I’m on my way, but a patrol officer will be able to respond faster than I can get there.”

  “Hurry. Please hurry!” Her high-pitched request pulled at his protective streak. “And come alone. I don’t want Kennedy to find out about this.”

  21

  Nora told Erik to come alone, but he wouldn’t do so, even if the police would be on scene when he arrived. So he grabbed Drake and they took off, the drive made in silence. By the time Erik pulled up to the house, the sun had dropped behind the horizon, and he had to squint to see a patrolman haul a male outside through her front door. No sign of Nora in the shadowed darkness, but lightbars on two patrol cars twirled, the orbs casting red and blue light and disturbing the calm neighborhood.

  Erik shifted into park and kept his focus on the action. “Maybe this’s the guy who broke into Wanda’s place too.”

  “Let’s find out.” Drake reached for his door handle.

  “No. You stay here,” Erik said. “Nora wanted me to come alone, and I don’t want to spook her.”

  Drake was quiet for a moment. “If I see any threat, I’ll be joining you.”

  “Thanks, man.” As the guy in cuffs was hauled closer, Erik could see that he fit the intruder’s description, from the crooked nose all the way down to the combat boots. Oh, yeah! Maybe their suspect had been arrested.

  Erik waited for the officer to put the man in the car before he got out of the SUV. He approached slowly until he could get a good look at the officer’s face.

  Excellent. Erik knew the veteran officer who was now staring at him.

  “Smitty!” Erik called out. “It’s me. Erik Byrd.”

  “Birdbrain.” He lifted a fist to pound Erik’s hand with a hard punch. “What are you doing here?”

  Erik grinned at the old nickname. “I believe this guy is related to an investigation we’re working on. Your department is investigating too and being handled on your side by Frank Johnson.”

  Smitty’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me about it.”

  Erik gave a brief overview of the investigation.

  “This is really odd.” Smitty looked around, maybe checking to see where the other responding officer had gone, then stepped closer. “We found the guy stealing a denture plate.”

  “Denture?”

  “Yeah, not a full set, but an upper plate.”

  When Erik and Kennedy were dating, Wanda had lost many of her upper teeth due to gum disease and uncontrolled blood pressure. She was a beautiful woman—an older version of Kennedy—but she couldn’t do implants, so she’d had to have her upper teeth removed. Was this Wanda’s plate and did Nora have it or did it belong to Nora?

  “It’s in a small brown box labeled inDents,” Smitty added.

  inDents. Alarm bells rang in Erik’s head, but he wasn’t going to share his knowledge with Smitty. Erik would save that for the detective. “That is odd.”

  “Yeah, there were plenty of pricey electronics in reach, so this guy must’ve specifically been looking for the denture.” Smitty ran a hand over his silvery buzzed hair.

  “You talk to the homeowner yet?” Erik asked.

  Smitty shook his head. “Dispatcher told her to go to a café down the road to be safe. Was planning on heading over there after we wrap things up here.”

  As the first responder, Smitty had a bit of work to do before he could leave, giving Erik enough time to question Nora. “You’ll loop Detective Johnson in on this, right?”

  “Will do.”

  “And have him give me a call.”

  “You got it. Now back to your cushy private job while I do mountains of paperwork.” Smitty grinned. “Seriously. Good to see you, Birdbrain.”

  “You too, man.” Erik wanted to rush away, but he took his time heading back to his vehicle and slowly pulled away from the curb.

  “Where we headed?” Drake asked.

  Erik explained and just finished when he found the restaurant brightly lit and filled with customers.

  “Let me guess,” Drake said drolly. “You want me to stay here.”

  “And here I thought I was the smart brother.” Erik chuckled and reached for his door handle.

  Drake didn’t laugh. “I might not be coming in, but I’ll be right outside the door.”

  “Just don’t let Nora lay eyes on you.”

  They both got out, and at the restaurant door, Drake stopped next to a pillar in a shadowed area.

  Erik pushed open the door, the bells above tinkling. The old-fashioned diner smelled of burgers and fries, and Erik’s stomach grumbled. Maybe he should grab some dinner here instead of eating the rabbit food Finley had brought to his
place.

  Nora sat at a counter facing the door. She spotted him, leapt from her stool, and ran across the room, barely missing a server in a short skirt and bright red apron, her arms filled with platters.

  “Sorry,” Nora tossed off the quick apology but didn’t stop until she clutched Erik’s arm. “Did you go to the house? Did they arrest someone?”

  Erik nodded, and her shoulders sagged.

  He held her up. “We should sit down and talk about it. Somewhere private. Like my vehicle.”

  “I’ve already paid for my coffee so I’m good to go.” She bolted for the door.

  Her behavior might be funny if not for the fact that it was borne from terror. He gave Drake a subtle gesture telling him to stay put, then unlocked the SUV doors, and they got in.

  “Do you know who they arrested?” she asked as she closed her door.

  Erik shook his head. “But he fits the build of the person who broke into Wanda’s house.”

  “I thought it might be connected to that.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  She bit her lip. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

  “I thought as much.”

  “You did?” Her eyebrows shot up. “But I was so careful to hide my feelings.”

  “Not quite careful enough to fool a former police officer.” He smiled. “What haven’t you told us?”

  “First, about Wanda’s phone. I erased it.” She flashed up a hand. “And before you judge me, let me tell you why. She was seeing someone. Dash Gordon. She didn’t want Kennedy or Finley to know about him. So I had to do it. She would’ve wanted that. And I wasn’t interfering in a murder investigation then.”

  Erik didn’t bother to lecture her. The damage was done. “Why didn’t she want her daughters to know?”

  “Dash is only forty-five, and it was…well, it was just a fling. She’d been with their father since she was eighteen. One night when the two of us went out, we ran into Dash. He’s a sales rep for one of the pharmaceutical companies sponsoring her project. He came on to her, and she might’ve been a little bit drunk.”

  “It’s odd that we didn’t find his prints in her bedroom, then.”

  “He wasn’t invited over there. Finley had a habit of dropping in unexpectedly. And Wanda was worried someone would see them together and it would be construed as a conflict of interest, so Wanda always went to his place.” Nora twisted her hands together. “I also took her overnight bag so the girls didn’t ask why she had one at the lab. Plus, it had some suggestive lingerie in it.”