She waved a hand. “Yesterday, I was just fit to be tied, but I’ve had a night to work through it and have things in perspective today.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive. You don’t get anywhere pretending the world is something it isn’t.” She pulled back her shoulders, and Kait was reminded of Nina’s strong-willed grandmother. “I may not accept things I can’t change all the time, but this situation calls for acceptance. Quinn wants to be a SEAL more than he wants to be with me, so why focus on that? Better to set my sights on the things I can control. Asking him to help falls in that category.”
Kait appraised Nina. “Since when did you become such a grown-up?”
Nina smirked. “I didn’t, but it sounds good, doesn’t it? And hopefully, it’ll help me get through seeing Quinn again.”
“Do you really think he can get the info we need on Fenton?”
“He was never very open about his life as a SEAL, but one thing I am certain about. They command an amazing amount of respect. Even officers give them a wide berth. So, asking a clerk for a little information should be no problem.”
“Then the real problem is you having to face him again.” Kait looked for any hint of unease in Nina’s expression. “I could go with you when you talk to him, if that would help.”
Nina gave a firm shake of her head. “I can handle this alone.”
“Are you sure?” Kait asked. “I mean, after the post office and all.”
“That was different. I wasn’t expecting to see him there. I’m more prepared for our meeting this afternoon.”
“You’ve already arranged to talk to him?”
“Figured I’d just keep stewing about it until I did. We’re meeting at TeaTime this afternoon.” Nina mocked an innocent look that failed completely.
“Nina, no.” Kait sat forward. “You’re not really making him meet you there, are you? Talk about a bull in a china shop. He hates that place.”
Nina wrinkled her nose. “I know.”
Kait swatted a hand at her friend. “You’re so bad.”
“Hey. He broke up with me, so he should be the uncomfortable one.”
“Ah, sweetie,” Kait said. “You need to quit saying he broke up with you.”
“Close enough.”
Kait didn’t think it was close at all, but she was looking at it from an outside perspective, not from the heart as Nina was doing.
She heard the soft thump of footsteps approaching and swiveled in time to catch Sam stepping up to the cubicle, his gaze shooting between them. “Am I interrupting something?”
“We’re done,” Nina said pointedly.
Sam focused on Kait. “Sulyard’s already arranged for ERT to meet Dane at Congdon’s house to process it. I plan to meet them there, but we should still have enough time to question Mrs. Congdon first.”
Kait smiled up at him, eliciting a similar grin. After Sulyard had forbidden her from investigating on her own, she was thankful that Sam had asked her to accompany him. And maybe, just maybe, she was excited to be spending more time with him.
She stood, turned her attention to Nina, and felt guilty about the flutter in her stomach Sam caused when Nina was still suffering over Quinn. “Call me after you talk to Quinn, okay?”
“I’m thinking this will require another girl’s night. You game?”
Kait nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll have Lily, so you’ll have to come to my house.”
“Don’t we always,” Nina said. “I’ll bring the bottle and a little something to snack on.”
A little something to snack on—in Nina’s world—took hours to prepare at home and was loaded with calories just like the treats last night. Kait would need extra time on the treadmill for sure. “If you need me before then, just call or text.”
Nina’s smile waned. Maybe she wasn’t as okay with talking to Quinn as she’d claimed. She was very good at putting on a front when something was troubling her. Especially here at the office.
Perhaps Kait should insist on accompanying Nina to the meeting. After all, Nina had been there for Kait every moment after Abby died. Since Nina had lost her brother in a white-water rafting accident, she understood the aching loss of a sibling. So she’d supported Kait year after year, helping chase down false leads on Fenton and keeping Kait sane when they didn’t pan out.
“We’ve gotta go, Kait,” Sam said.
“Go on.” Nina waved at her, her salmon-colored nails catching the overhead light. “I’ll be fine, and you have a killer to catch.”
Kait squeezed Nina’s hand. Kait hoped she wasn’t letting down her best friend, and Nina really would come through a visit with her ex in one piece.
Chapter Fourteen
ON THE DRIVE TO Mrs. Congdon’s home, Sam glanced at Kait from behind the wheel. She was deep in thought, and her clenched jaw said it wasn’t a pleasant daydream. She had to be thinking about the case. Maybe wondering how she could be more involved in it, but Sulyard made it clear he wouldn’t let her do more unless he or Nina requested help.
Sam nearly snorted. She would no more stand back and let him lead this case than he’d stand back in her position. And he preferred it that way. He liked her spunk and determination. He just didn’t like seeing the lingering look of despair on her face, and wanted to do something about it.
“You did a good job back there,” he said, hoping to engage her in conversation and take her mind off her thoughts. “I finally understand something about computers and get how Rhodes makes his money.”
She looked at him warily. “I’m not sure Detective Yates will agree with you.”
“He’s a jerk.”
“I hadn’t noticed.” She gave him a wry smile.
“I’m being serious, Kait. You have a knack for explaining hard to understand concepts.”
“I get a lot of practice. I volunteer with a team of computer professionals to teach people how to protect themselves on the Internet.”
He had no idea how she found time in her busy schedule to volunteer. “How did you get involved with computers, anyway?”
“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing.”
“No, not bad. Just . . . well . . . you know. You aren’t the typical geek.”
She crossed her arms. “I’m assuming that was meant as a compliment.”
“I’m really putting my foot in it, aren’t I?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t hold it against you.” She looked out her window. “You can’t see this today, but I have always been shy. Painfully shy, and much more of an introverted geek than I seem now.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “Abby was the opposite. She was outgoing, and others flocked to her. When we were little, she made sure I was included in things, but when we got older, her friends didn’t want me hanging around as much. So I retreated. My cousin was a lot like me. He bought one of the first Apple computers. I got hooked, so it was natural for me to get a computer science degree.”
Surprised, he glanced at her. “So how did a shy girl with a computer degree become an FBI agent?”
She sighed. “That’s a long story.”
“And you don’t want to talk about that.”
“Very perceptive, Detective.” She smiled. “What about you? How’d you decide to become a police officer?”
“Smooth move, turning the tables on me.”
“I’m an agent, remember? We’re good at getting information out of people.” She chuckled, giving him a glimpse of her playful side. “Seriously, why a cop?”
He frowned, knowing she’d be like a pit bull until he gave it up. The last person he wanted to talk, or even think about when a crazy murderer was running free, was his dad. The man who’d gladly defend Rhodes and put him back on the street to kill again. “It’s a long story.
”
She gestured at cars clogging the highway ahead. “We have nothing but time.”
“Good,” he said, smirking. “So you can tell me why you chose the FBI, then.”
He hoped she’d continue to play along, but instead of a smart retort, he received a pained look, and she reached for her soda to take a long pull on the straw.
The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her more. He took a breath and launched into his story. “My dad was a buttoned-down suit like Sulyard. Arrogant. Always right. Demanding. Except, he was a defense attorney, getting every slime ball off for their crimes, and he kept pressuring me to follow in his footsteps.”
“Seriously?” She squeezed his arm, her fingers cold from her drink, before she self-consciously dropped it to her lap. “You becoming a cop had to be one of the worst things you could to him, then.”
“Precisely.” Sam would never forget the day he told his father, and Sam had all but been disowned. “I was young and hot-headed when it came to Dad. So I figured he’d go ballistic if I become a cop.”
She shifted, facing him, her face rapt with interest. “And did he?”
“Oh, yeah,” Sam answered. “I hit the mark.”
She studied him intently for a moment. “Even if you took the job to make your dad mad, it seems like you really like it.”
“Most days I do,” he said, not willing to go any further. He used to enjoy the detective work all the time. Even days where they found a fellow human being brutally murdered. He felt useful. Needed. By the victim who couldn’t speak, and by their families who could. And that had been enough for him for a long time.
Until Stacie and Hannah’s deaths rocked everything he believed in. Now he just felt empty. On the job and at home. Marcie’s comment at the morgue came to mind, but he shoved it away and focused on the road.
“Did I say something wrong?” Kait asked, clearly confused at his change in attitude.
“No, we’re good,” he said, then clamped his mouth shut for the remainder of the drive. He’d already said too much. She didn’t need to hear about his baggage. And he didn’t need to see her pity him when it was becoming clearer by the minute that he wanted something else from her.
At the assisted living building, Kait got out of the car the minute Sam parked.
“What’s the rush?” he asked when he joined her on the sidewalk.
She simply shrugged, straightened her jacket, and ran a hand over her hair. Not that either was necessary. Nothing was out of place. A stressful two-hour meeting and he was rumpled, but she looked as fresh as the moment he’d first laid eyes on her that morning.
She headed up the walk of the new and very pricey assisted living building. He hung back, noticing how her pants fit her generous curves like a glove. He didn’t feel guilty keeping his eyes on her all the way to the apartment. Watching her was strictly business, and he needed to make sure she stayed safe from Rhodes.
Right.
Nearing the front door, she looked over her shoulder. “Stop looking at me like that, Detective. I’ve shot men for doing far less.” She fired off a wicked grin.
“I don’t know.” He grinned back. “I’m pretty sure it’s worth taking a bullet for.” He wasn’t sure how he expected her to respond to his open flirting, but a blush creeping up her neck wasn’t it.
Interesting.
They signed in at the front desk, and the receptionist buzzed them through. Kait avoided eye contact for the elevator ride to the fifteenth floor. He had to smile at the insecurity he hadn’t seen in her until now. After her reaction to his flirting, he could actually believe her story about growing up shy. He should do something crazy like kiss her, just to see how she reacted. But they were on the job, and he’d honor that.
The elevator dinged. She stepped into the hallway but lingered by the door and chewed on her lip. “You’re taking point on this, right?”
He hoped his flirting wasn’t to blame for the disappearance of her usual confidence. “I can if you want me to.”
“It’s just . . .” Her voice fell off, and she shrugged. “In cyber crimes, I don’t often deal with talking to people about murdered family members.”
“Don’t worry, I got it.” He squeezed her arm.
She smiled. Softly. Sweetly, like he was the only person in her world. Before he could react, she started down the hallway. She seemed oblivious to the effect such a smile could have on a guy, but he wasn’t. His pulse kicked up, and he had to force himself to focus on their mission as he knocked on Mrs. Congdon’s door. It wasn’t long before the drone of her mobility cart whirred toward them, and the deadbolt clicked open.
“I didn’t expect to see you again, Detective.” Mrs. Congdon peered up at Sam through thick glasses that made her eyes look unusually large. She wore a flowery housecoat similar to the one she’d worn at the death notification call, and her eyes were puffy and red from crying.
“I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am,” Sam said. “But I have a few more questions for you.”
“Of course.” She changed her focus to Kait. “And you are?”
“Sorry, Mrs. Congdon,” Sam stepped in. “I should have introduced the two of you. This is Agent Knight with the FBI. She’s working the case with me.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Mrs. Congdon.” Kait offered a tight smile.
“Thank you.” She lifted a gnarled hand to the control knobs on her cart. “Please come in.”
She reversed direction and pointed her cart toward the miniscule living room. She gestured at the same loveseat covered in a worn flowery fabric where Sam had sat two nights ago.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked.
“Thank you for asking, but no.” Kait perched on the edge of the loveseat.
Sam shook his head and settled next to Kait.
Mrs. Congdon shifted on her cart. She weighed all of ninety pounds, and that was being generous. “You said you have additional questions.”
“I do,” Sam said. “When I spoke to you the other night, you were having a hard time remembering when you last talked to Elliot. Has that become clearer for you?”
“A little. Nothing much goes on around here, so I sometimes lose track of days.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “I think it was a few weeks. He called to tell me he’d made a new friend who would be coming to stay with him for a few days.”
“Did he mention the friend’s name or where he lived?” Kait asked, her voice soft and compassionate, though Sam knew she had to be eager to learn more about this friend.
“No. Is that important?” She looked from Kait to Sam. “Did this friend have something to do with his death?”
“We’re not sure yet,” Sam answered.
Her hand flew to her chest, and she grabbed onto a gold locket dangling from a thick chain. “I knew it. Just knew it. Elliot didn’t make friends. I warned him that this man might take advantage of him, but he didn’t listen. My poor, poor Elliot.”
Kait took Mrs. Congdon’s hand and held it until the older woman calmed down.
“What about Elliot’s health?” Sam asked. “Did he have any recent medical procedures that might have included an IV? Maybe in the last week or so?”
“Medical procedures?” Her eyes widened behind the thick lenses, and her hand dropped to her knees. “No. Why do you ask?”
“No procedures involving a hospital stay?” Sam quickly followed up.
“No. Nothing.” Her gaze darted between Sam and Kait, searching for explanations.
Sam smiled at Mrs. Congdon to ease her concern. “I had a minor procedure once and didn’t tell my parents because I didn’t want them to worry. Could Elliot have done the same thing, do you think?”
She shook her head almost violently. “Not my Elliot. He was so squeamish about needles. Passed out at the sight of them.
Even as a boy. If he was going to have anything done that involved a needle, I’d have been there by his side.” She smiled as if a fond memory had come to mind. “Besides, he never got his driver’s license, and he was afraid to leave the neighborhood on the bus. He would have needed someone to transport him. Wait, do you think this mysterious friend took him?”
“He could have taken a cab,” Sam suggested.
She frowned. “Since I no longer drive, we often took a cab. But again, even with this new friend, I’m sure he’d want me there with him, holding his hand.”
Poor Elliot Congdon. So afraid of life that he hid in his home. A virtual recluse, yet Rhodes had found him and killed him anyway.
Mrs. Congdon sat up straighter. “Now suppose you tell me what this is all about, Detective.”
“The medical examiner believes Elliot recently had an IV,” Sam answered.
She shook her head hard. “That’s not possible. Not for my Elliot. At least, not without me there.”
“Still,” Kait said. “We’d like to follow up with his doctor. Do you have his contact information?”
“I’ll get it.” She pressed forward on the cart’s controls, wheeling out of the room.
“I’d bet that friend was Fenton,” Kait whispered as she leaned close to Sam.
“Unless Congdon wasn’t as much of a hermit as his mother thinks.”
“We need to interview the neighbor who wasn’t available before. She might be able to give us a description of this friend. Plus, if Congdon did leave home, she’d have been the most likely person to see him.” Kait glanced at her watch. “Hopefully, we have enough time to talk to her before meeting ERT.”
Sam nodded. “I’ll text my LT when we get out of here, so he can assign someone to question Congdon’s doctor while we talk to the neighbor.”
Mrs. Congdon came back into the room, a worn address book resting on her lap. She flipped it open to the doctor’s information, and Sam jotted it down.
She ran her fingers across the page, tears pooling in her eyes. “I can’t believe I’ll never take my boy to see this fine doctor again. Never do anything with Elliot again.”
Web of Deceit Page 14