The Eyewitness

by Nancy C. Weeks

  He turned his back on her. “Go where the evidence takes you no matter who you find at the other end. That was what your father taught me, and the promise we made to each other just yesterday.” The muscles in his shoulders tensed. “You’re looking into the possibility that we accused the wrong person for Joe’s death. I accepted the slug from the surgeon, and it would have been so easy for me to switch the evidence to make it appear you were both victims of the copycat sniper. That’s why you’re here, right? Angela is retesting everything?”

  “Again, I’m so sorry. I had no right to judge you like that.” Heat seeped into her cheeks. “I saw your name on the evidence sheet and jumped to the worst conclusion.”

  “I don’t blame you for that.”

  “I blame me, damn it.” There, she’d said it out loud. Her actions hurt, and Alec had had enough pain dropped on his shoulders. But they’d both agreed to follow the evidence no matter where it led. “The events of the evening warped my common sense. I can never make that right.” She raised her palm when he tried to interrupt. “You’re part of my family. You’ve sat across the table from me for more meals than I can remember. You spend Christmas in my home and stayed with us at Bethany Beach during our summer vacations.”

  “I drove you crazy being there.”

  “You don’t drive me crazy anymore.”

  At least not the “get out of my face” kind of crazy. No, there was a new, exciting crazy between her and Alec that made her knees weak. And how could she ignore the throbbing from deep inside her for one more minute?

  He eased toward her, his expression again hard, jaw taut. “You don’t know me, Emersyn. Your dad did, and I made promises—”

  “Dad is no longer here for either one of us. Maybe it’s time we are here for each other.”

  She felt the tremor that sliced through him in her bones, but the man had control. And whatever he was holding back from her didn’t frighten her. It was clear raw pain fed his anger. After five years of endless dinners, she should have had some hint to the source of that pain.

  She followed Alec’s sporadic pacing around the room. She had to say something to break the tension. What she ached to do was step in front of him and pull him back into her arms. It was a selfish need.

  But he wouldn’t welcome her comfort, so she leaned against the door, swallowed the unexpected tears, and changed the subject.

  “I thought from the beginning that the copycat sniper’s style didn’t fit, that Dad’s murder wasn’t so easily explained. There are two theories. Both hint that this nightmare has something to do with the photo in the file. Either someone wants each of those men dead, and my father was the first, or one of the men in the photo killed Dad. The copycat sniper could be our Beltway killer as well a cop killer, or he didn’t kill Dad and he has his own agenda that only makes sense to him. The only evidence that might lead us toward the killer was lifted off my family-room floor while I stood in a stupid daze inches away.”

  “I have the information from the files, and you have the journals.” Alec removed his phone from his sport coat. “I took photos of each page and saved it to the Cloud.”

  Emersyn charged back into his personal space. “You allowed me to believe—”

  “I had every intention of sharing this information when we were alone. But you decided Jared McNeil was your best friend. How could you go off with that guy?”

  “Nathan sent him. McNeil’s brother owns a security firm, and Nathan arranged private security details for Mom, Tessa, and me.”

  Alec didn’t respond for a long time, but the way he avoided eye contact was a sure sign he was working through something Emersyn wasn’t going to like.

  Finally, he said, “Do Nathan a favor and get your butt into protective custody until this is over. Last night is a prime example of why we keep victims clear of the investigation.”

  “The shooter was aiming for you, Alec.”

  “Your body would have bled out over mine seconds later.” He shoved his fists in his pockets.

  “I got something!” Angela bellowed from her office.

  Turning, Emersyn reached for the doorknob.

  “I want you safe, Emersyn,” Alec said.

  “And I wanted wall sex a few minutes ago. We don’t always get what we want.” She slipped past him but stopped in the corridor. “Open up to me, Alec, and I’ll consider what you want.” Then she rushed into Angela’s office. “What did you find?”

  “Emersyn, take a breath,” Angela said, turning toward Alec in the doorway. “Close the door. We have a big mess on our hands.”

  Alec set his hand at the small of Emersyn’s back and eased her into the chair she had vacated earlier. He dropped into the second chair. “What’s going on?”

  “My findings will be added to a formal report once I have Jackson review the results. You stumbled onto something, and from this moment on, we are going completely by the book.”

  “Just what did she stumble onto?” Alec’s voice was rough, hoarse.

  “I don’t believe this office ever took possession of the bullet fragment removed from Emersyn.”

  Alec sat straight, his muscles tight. “The surgeon gave it to me, and there was no outlet from the surgical unit except past me.”

  “And you handed it off.” She clicked her mouse, and an image of a slug appeared on her screen. “This slug is supposed to be the bullet removed from Emersyn’s chest. But, as it turns out, it is an exact match to the slug removed from Gabe Harrison, victim number three of the Beltway copycat sniper. It was wiped clean of all evidence and then covered with Emersyn’s and Joe’s DNA.” She flipped to another image. “It appears Harrison’s fragment was replaced with a bullet that is a complete match to the slugs collected last night. Emersyn, you believe there are two snipers, but there is no evidence to support that. We still could be looking at one sniper with two weapons.”

  “The man who killed my father was focused; he thought of nothing but the shot. The guy last night was sloppy, indecisive. It was as if he was playing with us, couldn’t decide who to kill first.”

  Alec shifted toward her. “Em, you can’t know . . . ”

  “I do know.” I felt him.

  Blood rushed into her head. How could she relate her experience in the sniper’s nest without sounding like she had gone off the deep end? After a quick breath, she blurted out, “It’s a gut thing. The shadow man demanded that Dad leave something alone. Dad answered, ‘Never,’ and then dropped. No hesitation or doubt.” She paused, searching for a hint of understanding in the others, but was met only with blank stares. “What we should be asking is, where in the hell is the slug that was removed from me?”

  Alec reached for her father’s case file and gave it a quick glance. “I need to have a conversation with a couple cops.”

  Angela pinned him with a hard glare. “Tread lightly. This could fall back on you.”

  “Which two cops?” Emersyn couldn’t control the fear in her voice.

  Alec stood and, without even a glance in her direction, exited the office.

  “Damn it, Alec, which cops?”

  “I’ll let you know when I know.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Why am I here? Hell, he should go home, get shit-faced, and then sleep it off.

  Alec rested an elbow on the steering wheel and eyed the D’Azzos’ two-story colonial. Last night, Em could have died, and he was still so fucking overwhelmed with Joe’s death, he hadn’t a clue how to keep her alive.

  The first time he’d ever parked in this spot, he had borrowed a car—he didn’t have a license—and trailed Joe home, convinced he would discover that the man was a carbon copy of the worthless, fucked-up cops he had known his whole life. The evening was warm, late summer, and the flower gardens around the trees and along the porch were in full bloom. Maryland’s humid heat hadn’t bled the life out of them. Joe’s home was peaceful, a complete opposite of the dumps where Alec had lived. It was at that moment he’d vowed that if he ever ow
ned his own place, he would make it a real home.

  Joe had gotten out of his car, and the front door had opened. Alec’s heart had skipped at the sight of Em’s pure, unshielded, childlike joy. She barreled down the front steps and into her father’s arms with such force, it almost knocked Joe on his ass.

  Alec had laughed out loud until the comparison of his life with hers ignited the fuming rage that lived just under his skin. The whys kept him in a daze until Joe and Grace strolled down the sidewalk hand in hand, puppy Simba on his leash. It took Joe about ten seconds to spot him. Alec should have taken off long before, but he was caught. Joe had said something to Grace, and they’d both headed straight toward him. Then Joe had leaned into the passenger window to ask if Alec would like to take a walk with them and then come in for cake.

  Cake. What the fuck? Who in their right mind invited into their house a messed-up kid with no family, no home, and the beginnings of a juvy record that painted a clear picture of where he would be in five years?

  Em had been off at some event when they returned to the house. He didn’t meet her face to face for years. But Grace’s chocolate cake almost rivaled sex. Sometime that evening, Joe had slipped past Alec’s defenses and made him believe for the first time that he had value.

  Alec wiped the moisture from his cheek with his sleeve, shoved his past where it belonged, and forced himself out of the truck. The muscles in his lower back and shoulders screamed in protest as he hauled his toolbox from the bed. Boarding up the family room windows would be his in, and Grace was his shield from Em.

  The woman had no idea the effect that kiss in the break room had on him. Wall sex. He’d almost relived his early teen years.

  He raised his fist at the door but lowered it, taking in cold air until his lungs hurt. It took only seconds for the control to slip back into place. He tapped gently, loud enough to let them know he was there without sounding threatening.

  Grace opened the door and, with a welcoming smile, stood back so he could enter.

  “I thought I would get some plywood from the shed and seal up the windows.” Lame, he thought. He read the same word in her eyes. There was no doubt about why he was here.

  “Thank you, Alec, but my brother-in-law came after church and took care of it.” Grace moved into the family room. “It’ll be a little chilly in here until the glass is installed.” She paused, her back stiff, tense. “I was wondering if you’ve spoken to Oliver Gates.”

  His commanding officer’s name sent a volt of dread into his gut. The man hadn’t bothered returning Alec’s messages. At this point, all Alec wanted to do was clear the damn air. The longer Gates avoided him, the darker the image grew.

  “I sent my report to him early this morning but haven’t heard from him. Why do you ask?”

  “Alice Gates and I had plans for lunch. She never showed up, and her cell rolls over to voicemail. What’s even stranger is that Alice never called to check on us. It’s not at all like her.”

  “I’ll run by their place on the way home if you want.”

  Grace placed a hand on his arm. “My sisters are on their way over to take Em and me to dinner. You’re welcome to join us. Until then, how about we have a quick cup of coffee?”

  “You don’t have to entertain me, Grace. You have plans. I’ll get out of your hair.”

  Her grip on his arm tightened, and Alec wasn’t sure if he’d ever witnessed the fierce, angry expression on her before. Her stance mirrored Joe’s.

  “What is it, Grace?”

  “I finished the journals. If you’re having the same tingling feelings about Oliver as I am, don’t ignore them.”

  “I’ve only gone through the first journal,” Alec admitted.

  “Then you’re in for a few surprises.”

  “Like?”

  “Joe’s notes were for him alone,” Grace said sadly. “I tried to decipher what he didn’t want to put down on paper. Tessa finished them and made a copy to bring back with her to Quantico. Em has them now.”

  “That’s all you can give me?”

  “I want you to draw your own conclusions.” She turned her back on him. “But I’ll give you this,” she said softly. “Sometime in the last ten years, my husband stopped trusting his best friend, and I didn’t even notice.” She moved back into the foyer and wrapped a scarf around her shoulders. “We have all been best friends since college. I thought nothing got past me when it came to my family.”

  “Joe let things brew in his head until he was ready to talk about them.” Alec hadn’t a clue what else to say to her. Instead of fumbling with an awkward hug, he changed the subject. “I need your help with something.”

  “Anything.”

  “Talk Em into protective custody. I can’t protect her.”

  “Sorry, I can help with anything but that.”

  “Why?”

  The word came out harsh. Wasn’t it Grace and Joe’s wish that he stay clear of Em? Hell, he couldn’t take another kiss like this morning.

  “You and Emersyn have made more progress in the last few days than the tristate task force has in months.”

  “We still have nothing,” Alec insisted, “and damn it, Grace, she’s not a cop! Working on her father’s murder case isn’t what she is supposed to be doing. Joe would have a fit.”

  “Emersyn should have been a cop. You know it, and so do I. She didn’t enter the police academy for Joe. He’d made his views clear since she could walk.”

  Alec’s gaze fell on the gaping hole in the hardwood. “You could have been planning her funeral today.”

  “That was a low blow, Alec. I expect better from you.”

  “I’m sorry, but it’s true. I don’t know how to keep her safe. I don’t even know what I’m up against. Are there two separate killers with two separate agendas, or is there just one crazy bastard out there messing with all our lives?” This time, he didn’t cover his frustration. “I can’t believe you don’t want to help me with this.”

  “I know my daughter. So do you. She will work this case with or without you. Alec, I want you so close to her she can’t turn around without bumping into you.”

  He swallowed hard. That was something he never thought he’d hear from Grace. “And you know as well as I do that can never happen. Em is . . . She has this way of looking at me, seeing something I’m not. And I have these feelings . . . chemistry. Damn it, I can’t be around her.”

  Grace’s lips pinched, and her eyes narrowed. “Are you asking me to keep Emersyn off this case or away from you?”

  That was the last thing he wanted, but it was the best for Em. There couldn’t be a rinse-and-repeat of this morning. He didn’t have the willpower to keep her at arm’s length. Hell, his body grew tight just being in the same house with her. “I made a promise to Joe.”

  Grace’s gentleness returned. “Oh, Alec, how long are you going to allow my husband to stand between you and Emersyn?”

  Again, something close to shock clogged his throat. It was a few moments before he could speak. “You want me with her?”

  “Opinions change. I want her happy again, and I think you could be just what she needs. I have no doubt you can protect her. Anything else is between you and Emersyn. All I ask is that you be honest with her.”

  “I’ve never lied to Em, nor do I plan to.”

  “Hiding yourself is a lie, Alec.” Grace pressed her hand over his heart. “You’re a good man. Emersyn needs to know the whole you.”

  “Once she knows, this conversation will be moot.”

  “Alec, you just insulted the one thing I have done in my life that I take enormous pride in. I raised her. If you really believe that, you don’t know Emersyn at all.”

  Heat flooded his cheeks. Before he could reply, two loud knocks sounded, and he reached for the doorknob. Grace slipped on her coat as the foyer filled with her sisters and their spouses. Alec had interacted with the group over the years, but they still made him nervous as hell. He couldn’t get used to their openness, the
way they crowded him and made him feel as if he was one of them. Joe had always been his buffer.

  He grabbed his toolkit for a quiet exit just as Em bounced down the stairs with the familiar canvas bag swung over her shoulder. She pinned him with a sexy smile that made him want to yank her against him and kiss her until they both melted in a puddle on the tile floor. Then he took a closer look. Damn. She was up to something.

  She greeted each of her relatives with a hug then drew her mother aside. Despite the tense words between them, Grace appeared to agree with whatever scheme Em had planned.

  Em grabbed her coat off the peg on the wall and looped her arm through Alec’s. Grace cleared her throat, and all eyes turned to her.

  “It’s just going to be us old folks tonight. As it turns out, Emersyn and Alec have a date.”

  “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting,” Em whispered as a hint of shyness spread through her features.

  Em’s sexy voice burned through his system as the heat tautened every muscle. He gripped her waist and found his balance. Whatever she was up to, she was his ticket out of here. “Just got here myself.”

  He met Grace’s stare. Her head tilted slightly, and a message passed between them, something he’d never dared hope. It was almost as if she were pleading with him to give Em a chance. Giving her a quick nod, Alec reached behind him and opened the door. Em gave everyone a good-bye wave, grabbed his hand, and pulled him out the door.

  The silence continued until they were out of the neighborhood and heading for the beltway. He eyed the sedan following him three cars back. He had to hand it to McNeil. Whoever he’d hired to tail Em was good.

  “What did we plan for this date?”

  Em twisted in her seat. “Grotto’s Pizza and then your place.”

  “That’s not a good idea. How about pizza and I take you home?”

  “The shooter took out the bay window. The place is like an iceberg. Do you have a problem with us hanging out at your place?”

  “It’s not that—”

  “Then what is it? Did you leave dirty dishes in your sink, and you don’t want me to find out that you’re normal?”