He turned around to look at her, his face a mask of agony. “Of course I loved him, I loved you. Do you think I wanted to stay away? I didn’t even know about the accident until five days later.”
The words torn from his soul stunned her.
“No one called you?” she asked. “How could that happen?”
“It’s a long story,” he answered, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
“I’ve got nothing but time.” She cocked her head to the side. “Did you tell me this before?”
He shook his head. “I tried to explain,” he admitted, his eyes filled with sorrow, “but you didn’t want to listen.”
“I do now,” she answered softly, deeply ashamed of both her angry outburst and the way she’d obviously mistreated him four years ago.
He nodded, grabbed the chair Julia must’ve put back against the wall, flipped it around and sat next to the bed.
“Back then, we had a mole in the marshals’ office who was selling information to the Mancuso family, among others. A young cabby witnessed an execution in Harlem and fingered Mancuso’s gun-for-hire, a man the police had been trying to nail for years. Todd and I were assigned to look after the cabby’s family while someone else stayed with him until the trial was over. The marshals brought Hector to the safe house where we were keeping Luella and their son Josh for a visit the day before he was expected to testify. They hadn’t been there more than half an hour when the place was attacked.”
Nancy gasped and covered her mouth. “Oh my God! Was anyone hurt?”
Neil nodded. “One marshal was killed and another seriously wounded. They kept the gunmen occupied while we escaped with the family. We went to an alternate location. The prosecution brought the judge to the house, and they recorded Hector’s testimony. Once that was done, the five of us went dark.”
“Dark? What does that mean?”
“It means going off the grid, like you have to do. Our only contact with the office was through a pre-arranged drop box. I broke the rules by calling you and letting you know I couldn’t come home for a while. You were furious. A few days later, the day of the accident, I called again. It was our anniversary, and you were upset with me because I wasn’t home. You seemed more emotional than ever with the pregnancy. I’d applied for the desk job we’d discussed once we were expecting, but it hadn’t come through yet, and I couldn’t leave at that point even if I wanted to. We argued and you hung up on me. I tried to call back, but it was a pay phone, and I was out of coins.”
Nancy shook her head. “It probably doesn’t matter now, but I’m sorry. I do have a hair-trigger temper, don’t I?”
“You did, and I guess that hasn’t changed.” He chuckled. “But you had every right to be angry with me. You needed me and I wasn’t there.” He stared straight ahead, lost in the memories.
“Neil?” she asked. Judging by the sorrow on his face, wherever he was, wasn’t a good place.
He blinked and stared down at the bed. “Sorry. Long story short, we were staying at a farm on a small island off the coast of Alaska at the time and before I could find the change I needed, we got word there was a bad storm moving in. I’d seen snowstorms in Vermont, but nothing like that one. Powerlines came down ... There had to be six feet of snow. Luella went into labor, and there was no way we could get out or that help could come to us. Todd and I delivered her twin girls and did everything we could to keep them warm. I don’t think I ever chopped so much firewood. As soon as the power and phones were restored, we called for help, and they sent a helicopter to get us all. By then the trial was over and it was safe to return to civilization. That’s when Anderson told me about the accident. I couldn’t get a plane out until the next day. Todd and I made it to Crystal Beach in time for the funeral.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she whimpered.
Neil looked up. “Damn, I didn’t mean to make you cry again. Listen, I’ll get Julia and get away from you before I do any more damage.”
“Don’t be silly. You didn’t make me cry.”
“You aren’t laughing that’s for sure.” He used the pad of his thumb to brush away one of the tears.
“You saved five lives that week,” she said. “I don’t think I ever really understood what your job involved. I had some crazy idea you’d be sitting in a hotel room playing cards. Not fighting to save women and children, delivering babies. I’m sorry I wouldn’t listen to you.”
“At the time, I couldn’t have told you all of that, most of it maybe, but it was several weeks after that before they caught the mole. I took a leave of absence to be with you until you could walk again, but you didn’t want me around. Meredith took time off to look after you, and at your insistence, I buried myself in my job again. I couldn’t stand hurting you any more than I had.”
The door opened, and Julia came in with a tray.
“You’re awake,” she said, depositing the tray on the foot of the bed. “Neil, Todd needs you. He says it’s important.”
He nodded and stood. “It looks like duty calls again.”
“You’ll come back?” she asked, hoping he would want to.
He smiled. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.” He winked.
“Take good care of her.” He looked at the tray and laughed. “Grits for breakfast. You lucky girl.”
She made a face. “I’m positive I don’t like them.”
Neil waved and left the room. Nancy sighed. He hadn’t kissed her, and she was sorry he hadn’t.
Chapter Thirteen
“Todd?” Neil called, entering the deserted kitchen. “Where are you?”
“Coming.”
His partner emerged from the pantry, reached into the oven, and brought out the two platters warming there. Placing bacon and pancakes on the table, he sat down.
Neil grabbed two mugs and filled them with coffee before joining him. “Looks good. Julia said you wanted me. I didn’t think it was just for breakfast.”
“It isn’t. There’s been a change in plans. Mac and Meredith will be leaving this afternoon.”
“That’s too bad. I’d hoped she could talk to Nancy, fill in some details for her. Going home or to another safe house?” Neil reached for his coffee.
“Another location. Anderson’s rethinking his whole eggs in one basket approach to this, but they aren’t leaving until midafternoon, so that might still work. How is Nancy this morning?” He helped himself to some of the food.
“She seems fine—still sad of course, upset about not recalling the accident. Her speech is almost back to normal. Dan mentioned anti-depressants, but I don’t know if he’s given her any.”
He reached for the plate of bacon, and helped himself to several rashers and then grabbed a couple of pancakes, drowning them in syrup.
“Has she remembered anything about the restaurant?” Todd looked up from his plate, fork stopped halfway to his mouth.
“No, although I did tell her everything we knew last night, but she’s asking other questions.” He paused, still astonished by the way things had happened. “Wanted to know about our marriage.”
“What did you say?”
“I told her things weren’t good the last few years, but didn’t mention the divorce. No point now. She lost her temper with me over not being there after the accident, insisted on knowing why. Once I explained, everything seemed fine.” He cut into his pancakes.
“She wouldn’t listen to anyone about it four years ago,” Todd said, nodding. “It’s definitely a good sign, and we can use all of those we can get. Have you mentioned WITSEC to her yet? Anderson’s plan is to get you guys away from here sooner than we’d anticipated.”
Neil frowned, stopping the forkful of pancake from reaching his mouth. “Why? What’s happened?”
“Mahoney and Anderson are at loggerheads. He’s pissed because he’s been told to back off where Nancy is concerned, so he’s doling out information as if each kernel was a hundred dollar bill, and Anderson’s about to lose it if he doesn’t start
cooperating. Do you remember my theory that Fred was on the hit list?”
Neil nodded and finished the mouthful he’d taken. “But we couldn’t prove it. Fred said it was just a meal with an old friend.”
“Yeah. Well, guess what? The son of a bitch lied again. I’m beginning to wonder if he isn’t some kind of pathological liar. The woman who runs the little jewelry store directly across from the restaurant has been in Europe. She got back three days ago and brought the surveillance footage into BPD last night. One of our guys happened to be there on another matter and offered to go through it. There was three months’ worth—including some of the day of the shooting.” He pointed at Neil with his fork. “Fred Russell’s on there like clockwork, every Tuesday, escorting a dark-haired woman into the restaurant.”
“That doesn’t mean he was on the hit list, just that he ate there on a regular basis with his girlfriend, and didn’t want us asking about her. Being involved in this doesn’t seem to be conducive to your health.” He continued eating.
“It gets better, or worse, depending on how you look at it.”
“You’re talking in riddles,” Neil snapped, not in the mood for one of Todd’s long, drawn-out briefings. “Just spit it out.”
“Fine.” He pouted. “Take all the fun out of it. The tech ran the woman through facial recognition and flipped when he got a match. She’s Catarina Cornikov, Ramirez’s sister-in-law.”
“What’s so exciting about that? We know he was rolling over on Ramirez’s money laundering. Maybe he was stealing from him and using her as a way in? You did say the IRS had found irregularities in his accounts, right?”
“Right, but Anderson’s met the lady.”
Neil frowned and put down his fork. “When would Anderson have met a mob princess?”
“A few days ago when he interviewed Mrs. Ashman. Catarina Cornikov is Katrina Ashman.”
Neil stared at his partner as if the man had grown a second head. “Get out of here.”
“Cross my heart.” He mimed the action.
“I thought you said Fred denied knowing her?”
“He did, quite forcefully, too, but as we’ve learned he has a rather loose relationship with the truth.”
Neil shook his head. “What the hell’s going on here?”
Todd shrugged. “I don’t know, but you can bet your ass Anderson’s not happy about it. She sucked him in good. He took Katrina Ashman at face value. I mean, come on. You can’t blame the guy. He meets a widow whom he considers a total airhead ... Would you wonder if she could be a mob princess?”
“I guess not,” Neil admitted grudgingly, the pancake in his mouth turning to sawdust. “But nothing about this case is what it seems.”
“That’s for sure. The body language in the video doesn’t suggest there was anything romantic between them, and they weren’t always alone.” Todd put down his fork and captured Neil’s attention. “Last month, another man joined them, a man who arrived in a limo identical to the one that brought your wife to the restaurant that day. Sadly, we can’t make out the plates. The only thing we know for sure was that, on both occasions, the driver was a large black man.”
“How do you know the guy joined them?” Neil asked, beginning to eat again.
“They came out together, and Catarina got in the limo, while Fred walked away alone,” he answered, looking smug.
“Have you seen the video?”
“No,” he admitted, picking up his coffee and taking a sip. “I asked Anderson the same question.”
“Who is he?” Neil’s heart pounded. This could be a real lead at last.
“We don’t know.”
Neil felt like someone had shoved a pin in his balloon and the air was seeping out of it. “What the hell do you mean you don’t know? If the guy was on the tape and you identified Fred and the woman...”
“We can’t make out his face. The son of a bitch was cagey enough to wear a broad-brimmed hat and keep his head averted as if he knew the cameras were there, just like the driver. Right now, they’ve got people checking out every limo in the DC-Baltimore area. That driver won’t be hard to find. It could just be a car service, but either way, it should give us something, and that something may increase the danger for both Fred and Nancy.” Todd took a few more mouthfuls before continuing. “When the feds took a good look at the dead men, they saw they all had similar coloring, builds, and wore glasses, but this video convinced them. Each of the men killed was with a dark-haired woman, although none of the women were injured.”
Neil chuckled bitterly, the maple syrup acid on his tongue. “Whoever’s behind this knew her real identity and didn’t want to piss off the mob by killing one of its own. Could the man have been Ramirez?” He pushed away his plate, his appetite gone.
“Nope. Would’ve been too easy if it had been. They’ve done body size approximation, but the height and build don’t fit, nor do they fit any of Ramirez’s top men.” Todd stood and brought over the coffee pot, refilling their cups. “They’ve gone one step further with the theory and believe the staff was targeted specifically because they could ID this Mister X.”
“What the hell has Mahoney been smoking? It was a restaurant. No one in his right mind orders that many people killed on the off-chance one of them might remember he’d eaten there a few times. And if by some chance they’re right, what’s Fred gotten himself into, and how on Earth is my wife implicated?”
“That’s the million dollar question they were hoping she could answer. I’ll let Anderson know her memory isn’t back yet.”
Neil picked up the mug and heartily wished it was.
“Either way, Katrina Ashman or Catarina Cornikov seems to be right in the thick of things,” Todd continued. “This is like one of those wooden 3D puzzles. Fred launders drug money for Ramirez through Claymore Investments. On the side, he’s meeting with Paxton’s payroll clerk who just happens to be related to Ramirez and a Russian mob kingpin, so maybe her job was to keep Fred honest. But, the IRS can prove that in addition to laundering money, Fred was lining his pockets at Ramirez’s expense and possibly other clients, too. Maybe the man in the limo is one of them? Whoever he is, he’s doing everything he can not to be recognized. I’m waiting for Anderson to send me the footage of Fred and Catarina, and then I’ll talk to him again. Other than the former Mrs. Ashman, he’s the only one who can identify the guy in the hat, and as you pointed out, being able to do so won’t be good for his health.”
Neil pursed his lips and stood. “When that video comes through, I wouldn’t mind sitting down with him myself.” He clenched his fist, wishing he had it around Fred’s throat. “I wish he was the one leaving here instead of Meredith.” He reached for the dishtowel to help Todd with the breakfast dishes.
“When I first met him, I felt sorry for him. Now, I think he’s playing us all. Before I forget, Anderson has made the funeral arrangements. Everything’s scheduled for a week Monday. Meredith won’t be there, but it’ll give us a chance to see if anyone asks about her.” Todd added more hot water to the sink and reached for the frying pan.
“When do I leave for Crystal Beach?” Neil asked, grabbing a handful of cutlery.
“If everything stays as it is, next Sunday. You’ll just be gone overnight. That gives you a few days to get Nancy up to speed on the last six years. I hope something will jar her memory. We really need to know who’s after her.”
Neil finished wiping the last cup and put down the dishtowel. “Dan said not to go back to see Nancy until after lunch.”
“Excellent. I need you to have a really good look around the area. Once the FBI start looking for that car, things could heat up.”
“You’ve got it.” It wouldn’t be the first time a new lead made things difficult. “I’ll be back.”
Walking along the white crushed stone driveway, Neil scanned the area. Palm trees lined the laneway, flanked on each side by immaculate lawns. Automated sprinklers were at work supplying the water needed to keep the grass golf-course gr
een. He came to the end of the six hundred foot drive and stared at the ten-foot stone wall and iron gates insuring Nancy and anyone else staying here all the privacy they needed.
Stepping up to the gates, he peered out at the private country road leading to the estate. Since the house was at the end of the road, there was no reason for anyone who wasn’t part of the operation to be anywhere near here. He looked across at the jungle-like greenery and frowned. Kudzu seemed to have taken over. Once that plant invaded an area, it was almost impossible to destroy. As thick as it was, it would provide an ideal place for someone to sit and watch the house. He would have Todd mention it to Anderson. Better yet, he would look around for pruning shears and do it himself.
Retracing his steps, he wandered down to the edge of the lake. According to Todd, the property on the opposite side was part of the estate, and fenced as well. There was probably another way to access it. So maybe this place wasn’t as secure as it seemed. He’d learned the hard way that if someone wanted something badly enough they’d find a way to get it. He went back up to the deck and entered the house through the kitchen. Todd was standing by the stove.
“Smells good. What is it?”
“Chicken soup. It’ll be ready for lunch. How do things look out there?”
“Okay, but I think they should cut back the brush across from the gates.”
“I mentioned that to Anderson. He said he would have them send a crew as soon as possible.”
“If I can find the tools, I can do it myself.”
“Excuse me? What if someone sees you?” Todd asked, brandishing the ladle as if it was a pointer.
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