My team has looked into all the possibilities while searching for Erin, so being a friend and a family member, you would obviously be on that list. And if I was perfectly honest, at first that is why I initiated several conversations with you lately.
“I can stay and help. I want to make sure the tablet is the only thing missing.”
She bit down on her bottom lip. The temptation to accept his offer was strong.
“Everyone needs help from time to time. Let me help you, Selena.”
His calm countenance soothed her, and before she realized what she was doing, she nodded.
“Before we get to work, tell me what was on the tablet.”
He wouldn’t be happy about what she was about to say, but if that was the reason behind the breakin, she wanted him to know. She drew in a deep, composing breath. “I’ve been looking into the cases Michael was working on right before he was killed. I think there could be a tie to one of them and his murder.”
“Which ones?” His mouth pulled into a thin, firm line.
“There were three that look promising, but one of them was a dead end.”
“The Capitol K-9 Unit has been delving into all of Michael’s activities, and so far we have come up with nothing, so why do you think two cases are still viable leads?”
“One of them is the Huntington case.”
“The man convicted of selling intelligence secrets is guilty. All the evidence pointed to him.”
Selena nodded. “But Sid Huntington insists he’s innocent, that someone set him up to be the fall guy, and Michael believed him.”
Nicholas shook his head. “Michael was wrong. I’m familiar with that case. I went through it when we looked at what Michael was working on at the time of his murder.”
“Michael’s secretary told me that he was on the trail of a new piece of evidence. He’d been excited about the possible lead.”
“But she didn’t know what it was?”
“No, and I haven’t been able to find out what it was.”
“So other than that, Huntington looks guilty to you?”
“Yes.” She squeezed her hands into fists. Listening to herself made even her think she was grasping for an answer.
Frown lines grooved his forehead. “What’s the other case?”
Selena hesitated. This one involved her uncle, and she’d been putting it off, delving into all the others first because she didn’t want to make their precarious relationship any worse. Only in the past couple of weeks had she turned to the Littleton case. “It’s another one that Michael was working on overturning the conviction.”
“The Littleton case?”
Selena nodded.
“I’m not that familiar with it. Another K-9 officer looked into that one.”
“Greg Littleton was sent to prison for murdering Saul Rather. Saul was a young intern for my uncle. He’d been with him only two months.”
“What was Littleton’s connection to Rather?”
“He was the custodian at Saul’s apartment complex.” Selena rose. “I fixed some coffee after talking to you on the phone. Do you want some?”
“Yes, please.”
She escaped into the kitchen, needing time to decide what to tell him. There was no way her uncle was involved. The intern on her uncle’s staff hadn’t been there that long. He ranked at the bottom of the office personnel, doing all the work no one else wanted to do. She doubted her uncle had had any dealings with the young man.
“What was Michael Jeffries doing for Littleton?”
The question took Selena by surprise. She spun around, her hand over her heart. “I didn’t hear you come in here.”
“Sorry. I learned to be silent when I was a Navy SEAL.”
She leaned against the counter, the thump of her heartbeat calming. “Littleton had an appeal, and Michael took over the case from Greg’s court-appointed attorney. His secretary told me Michael felt the guy botched the case from the beginning.”
“Is that why Michael thought Littleton was innocent?”
“The evidence was circumstantial. Greg found Saul Rather’s body in the parking lot early in the morning. Minutes before, Greg heard what he thought was a car backfiring. When a tenant found them, Greg was kneeling next to Saul’s body. Greg’s prints were the only ones on the gun. Greg testified he moved it when he checked to see if Saul was alive.”
“That’s what he was convicted on?”
“Greg isn’t the smartest person. He was shocked at finding a body and wasn’t thinking straight.”
“So what was his motive?”
“The night before, Saul and Greg had a fight near the apartment’s pool. Some of the tenants witnessed it. Saul accused Greg of coming into his apartment and stealing from him. He was going to talk to the management office about firing Greg.”
Nicholas scowled. “No one else had a motive?”
“Not that the police could find, but I’m not so sure they looked too hard. With the murder of a senator’s staff member, they wanted to close it quickly. I believe my uncle put some pressure on them, too. I don’t think he wanted his name in the paper associated with a murder victim. He was up for reelection at that time. This all happened almost two years ago. Greg’s been in jail since the crime.”
“Greg? You keep saying his first name as if you know him. Do you?”
She turned toward the counter and reached for a mug for Nicholas, filling it and topping off hers.
“Selena, are you avoiding my question?”
Her grip on the coffeepot handle tightened. She put the glass carafe down and passed him his mug. “I have met him.”
“When? How?”
“At the end of last week, I went to see him at the prison, and we talked for a while. I used the fact I was the niece of a US senator to have a quiet, extended time to interview Greg and determine if I agree with Michael.”
One of his eyebrows shot up. “And?”
“I think he’s innocent.”
Nicholas took a sip of his coffee. “Why?”
“For one thing, the thief in the apartment complex was discovered not long after Greg was convicted. Michael followed up on that and discovered the items stolen from Saul’s apartment were pawned by the man caught, so Littleton was innocent of stealing from Saul. No motive. But the assistant DA said that didn’t really prove anything. The threat of being fired was enough of a motive. People have killed for less.”
“True.”
“There’s only so much I can glean from the court records and Michael’s secretary’s memory. My thoughts and notes of the meeting were on the stolen computer tablet. I’m going back out to talk to Littleton. I know of a couple of witnesses who testified to the argument between the victim and Greg, but there were others who weren’t at the trial. I’m thinking about talking to some of those people as well as the others and—”
“Hold it right there.” He put up his finger close to her mouth but not touching it. “You are not to investigate anything involved in Michael’s case, especially now. Have you forgotten someone broke into your house?”
She squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t know if your team has really investigated Michael and the possible motives for his murder. If Erin isn’t the killer, I think you all believe someone was after the congressman and Michael got in the way.”
Nicholas met her intense gaze with his own. “It’s more likely that the congressman has made enemies more than his son. Remember he was a victim, too.”
“From what I know of the crime, the congressman came outside after his son was killed and he was shot then. That sounds like someone was after Michael, not Congressman Jeffries.”
“True. We have to look at all the possibilities.” Nicholas glanced away for a few seconds. “What did Greg tell you exactly?”
She frowned. “A lot of what I told you. He gave me some names, but I can’t remember all of them. As I said earlier, I’d written them down along with other notes then transferred them to my tablet. That’s on
e of the reasons I need to go back. That, and Greg was going to try to remember any encounters with the delivery boy who was the real thief at the apartment complex.”
“Is Littleton the one who told you about the pawnshop where the perpetrator was fencing the stolen goods?”
“No, I told him. He didn’t know anything about it. Michael’s secretary told me. It was something Michael discovered a few days before his death. Ask the officer who looked into the case if he even knew about the pawnshop. He might not have had all the information on the case at the time of Michael’s murder.”
Nicholas stepped closer to her, invading her personal space. “I will. Does that satisfy you?”
She wouldn’t move back as was her normal tendency when someone came too near. Holding her ground, she lifted her mug and took a long drink of her now-lukewarm coffee. “Until all my questions are answered, no. I’m concerned for Erin, so I will do what I must to prove her innocence.”
He thrust his face closer. “Do you want to end up dead like Michael?”
Selena sucked in a ragged breath and backed away. “I told Greg I would come see him again and I intend to. I also asked him to go over the time from right before the fight to when the police showed up. Including if he could remember seeing anyone who wasn’t a tenant at the apartment complex.”
“I’m sure the cops already did that.”
“But now he has all the time in the world to go over it. When a person is afraid, he can suppress some thoughts.”
Nicholas placed his mug on the counter, putting more space between them while he kneaded his nape. “What if I help you? Will you not do anything without me?”
“Are you going to be open-minded or are you going to try at every turn to persuade me to drop my investigation?”
He paused for a long moment, his dark eyes fixed on her. “I’ll be there to protect you and bounce ideas off of. Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Because I’m going to the prison on Thursday and you’re welcome to come with me.” She wouldn’t admit to him that she was concerned after someone had been in her office and her house, picking through her possessions. She kept her journal on her tablet, writing her personal thoughts as well as the developments and questions about Michael’s murder and possible suspects. She felt violated all over again, thinking about a person reading through her private thoughts. She shuddered.
“Are you okay? Maybe you should rest. You do have a mild concussion.”
She smiled, trying not to think of her journal in someone else’s hands. “Is that why my head is pounding? I’d hoped if I ignored it, the headache would go away.” She glanced at the kitchen clock. “Time for another pain reliever, and then I need to get back to work straightening up this place.”
“I have a suggestion. Why don’t you lie down and rest while I at least put your furniture back and straighten some. It might make it easier for you to go through your belongings later.”
“Don’t you have to work?”
“It’s nearly noon, so I’m on my lunch break.”
She studied him, his commanding presence appealing at a time when she felt vulnerable. “Fine, if you make sure I only nap for half an hour. I finished upstairs, but look at all this. I’ve got too much to do, so I can’t rest long, and someone is coming at one to install the alarm system.”
“That’s good he’s coming so quickly.”
As she made her way to her bedroom, she glanced over her shoulder at Max, at attention, by the front door, then mounted the stairs. She sensed Nicholas watching her from the bottom of the steps, but she wouldn’t look back to check. In the bathroom, she swallowed an over-the-counter pain reliever and some water then stretched out on her bed, hoping the tap dancing inside her head would subside. The only reason she’d agreed to his assistance was because she needed her house put back right as fast as possible. The sight of the chaos made her feel exposed and weak. She’d fought hard these past years not to be either.
*
“Well, Max, it’s just you and me to clean this up as much as possible while she’s sleeping. She’ll probably kick us out once she gets up.” Nicholas started at one end of the large living area, returning books strewn near the bookcase. He might not put them back in the right order, but they would at least be off the floor.
As he began picking up items and the small pieces of furniture that were still turned over, he checked for any sign of the tablet. The fact that it was the only thing missing—at least so far—meant this breakin could be tied to the Jeffries murder somehow. Or tied to Michael Jeffries, anyway. Although he didn’t believe as Selena did in the connection, he’d been taught to investigate every lead. What if it led to the break the team needed?
Although the Capitol K-9 Unit was working other cases, this one was important to their captain, and therefore the team. Congressman Jeffries had helped Captain Gavin McCord as a child. He owed the man a lot. Nicholas wasn’t as fond of Congressman Jeffries, who he suspected might have taken bribes in the past, and Gavin had asked him to withhold judgment until there was evidence that Jeffries was involved in anything shady.
Right now, he had to figure out the connection between Selena’s missing tablet and Michael Jeffries’s murder. Was there something to the Littleton case as Selena hoped? There was the connection to Senator Eagleton, which might be something—or nothing. Selena wanted to prove her cousin was innocent, so she was looking for anything to throw suspicion somewhere else. He wasn’t sure what to think, but he did know that someone out there didn’t like what Selena was doing. She might not appreciate it, but he was going to hang around as much as he could because he couldn’t shake the feeling she could be in danger. What if the person who took the tablet didn’t like what he or she found and decided to stop Selena’s snooping permanently? What if Littleton was innocent and the murderer knew what Selena was doing? That was exactly what Selena thought might have gotten Michael Jeffries killed.
When Nicholas finished the living room and started on the kitchen, the doorbell rang. He looked at the wall clock and realized it was ten to one. He hurried to the front door, checked who it was through the peephole and let the guy from the alarm company into the house.
“Miss Barrow is upstairs. I’ll get her for you.” Nicholas turned to Max next to him and added, “Guard.”
The man’s eyes widened.
“A precaution after what has happened here. Stay right there, and you’ll be fine.”
Nicholas took the stairs two at a time and knocked on Selena’s bedroom door. When she didn’t answer, he rapped louder the second time.
She flung the door open, a drowsy look on her face. “You let me oversleep.”
“Sorry. I was working and lost track of time. The alarm guy is here.”
She rushed into the hallway, finger combing her long, brown hair.
As she descended the staircase, he asked, “How’s your headache?”
“Better.”
He caught up with her at the bottom of the steps. “Good. I can finish in the kitchen while you talk with the man.”
She peered across the room and slanted a glance at Nicholas. “You have Max guarding him?”
He shrugged. “You can’t be too careful.”
“Yes, you can.” She headed toward the man. “Mr. Woods, thank you so much for fitting me in.” She held out her hand, and they shook. “My friend is being overly protective. Call Max off, Nicholas.”
“Come.” After Max trotted to Nicholas’s side, he gave him a treat. “Good boy.”
While Selena talked with Mr. Woods, Nicholas went into the kitchen and worked, but he kept Max at the door lying down facing her and the alarm guy.
When she came into the room minus Mr. Woods, Nicholas asked, “Is he gone?”
“Why don’t you ask Max? He was watching us the whole time.”
“I suspect everyone.”
“I know you do, me included.”
“Not in this.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” she said in a sarcas
tic tone.
“What do you know about this Mr. Woods? Did you just call anyone in the Yellow Pages?”
“He was recommended by the chief of staff and no doubt the reason he has agreed to come back in an hour with his equipment and install the system today. No thanks to you and Max.” She placed her fists on her waist, her lips drawn in a narrow line.
“Okay, I might have been a little overzealous, but I’d rather be that than let anything happen to you.”
Her fierce expression and stance relaxed. “I don’t have the energy to be mad at you right now.”
“Good.” He grinned, liking her spunk. “Tell you what. I’ll go get us something to eat. I saw a hamburger place not too far from here.”
“They have delicious burgers, and I’ll take some fries, too.”
He started for the front door. “Lock the door behind me. And I’m leaving Max to keep you company.”
“We’ll try not to have too much fun while you’re gone.”
Nicholas chuckled as he left the house, waiting to hear the sound of the lock clicking into place. At his SUV he paused and scanned the area. No cars parked along the street and only a couple in driveways. Nothing set off alarm bells.
*
On Thursday afternoon, Nicholas sat next to Selena in an interview room at the prison while they waited for Greg Littleton to be escorted to them.
“I thought after we see Greg we could grab dinner before I take you home,” Nicholas said.
“You haven’t been far from my side much except when you had to go in to work. Surprisingly not a lot. You’d think you had these past few days off.” She shot him a look. “You haven’t been outside my house sleeping like that first night, have you?”
“No, you have a good alarm system and Max for a roommate when I leave.”
Which had only been about eight hours the last two nights. “Okay, spill it. I can take care of myself. I have a gun and that good alarm system you mentioned.”
“I told my captain about what’s going on, and he agrees I need to keep a close eye on you. I can review security tapes from my laptop.”
“What have you found about the fake Miss Chick?”
“Not much other than what we already know. The person knew how to avoid the cameras, which indicates a certain knowledge of the West Wing. A slender, unidentified woman, five-nine or ten with long wavy black hair is the person I suspect assaulted Tara Wilkins in the restroom. We’re going through the video at the entrances, but we haven’t found her.”
Love Inspired Suspense June 2015 #1 Page 5