She glanced back. The Volvo sat on the road, lit up by the police cruiser. Freezing rain slaked her face and soaked her. Her lungs felt about to burst. She panted with exertion. She tried to think through her panic. What was happening? Was he coming after her? There were no houses around. Her cell was in the car. She kept running.
A loud neighing cut through the rain, a sound so piercing she felt it in her chest. Suddenly horses were galloping around her, massive shadows speeding in the dark. They snorted and blew, their hooves crunching through ice and sucking mud. Nat stood stock still, too terrified to move, screaming as they stampeded past. A heavy haunch bumped her in the shoulder, spinning her around, and she fell down in the muck. Hooves pounded around her, spraying mud. She got up as soon as she could, checking behind her.
The two parked cars were far away now, their lights like dots. The herd of horses passed, their hooves pounding ahead of her. She couldn't stop to catch her breath. She kept going, wiping mud and rain from her face. Then she saw it. A large building with a tiny light on.
"HELP!" she hollered, hurling herself forward toward the building. She ran to a three-rail fence and half flung herself, half fell over the top, landing on her butt in the freezing snow. She scrambled to her feet and ran to the building, feeling her boots strike something hard. Gravel. A driveway. She spotted a metal handle. A door. She found the handle, yanked with all her might, and the door rolled aside. She bolted out of the rain and into the dark building.
"HELP ME!" she yelled, and her own terror echoed in the darkness.
Chapter 24
Nat felt beside the door for a switch, then stopped herself. If she turned on a light, he would know where she was. Rain thundered on the metal roof, louder than outside. She spun around, wiping her face clear of rain and muck. She was in a cavernous, dark space. She smelled sawdust and rubber, then spotted white poles lying on the ground. It was an indoor riding ring.
She went around the perimeter, feeling the walls, looking for a phone. She found the outline of a doorway and hurried inside, her hands outstretched. She was in a small office. She almost fell into a desk chair while she felt around on the desk, scattering papers and a stapler. A phone would be on the right; most people were right-handed. It was, one of those big multi-line phones. She grabbed the receiver and punched in 911.
No dial tone. She tried again. Still nothing. She hit buttons until she realized what was wrong. The electricity must be out because of the storm. The phone didn't work without the power. She looked around for a cell phone. Maybe someone had left one behind. She felt around the desk. Were there keys to a car? A truck? She knocked over a mug of office supplies, grabbed a pair of scissors, and shoved them in her coat pocket. She ran out of the office, tore across the riding ring like a thoroughbred, and bolted for the door. Then she stopped, panting. Rain poured from a black sky. There were no lights anywhere. Now she knew why. No power. No moon. No nothing. She squinted, trying vainly to see anything. Back toward the road stood the dark outline of another structure, hidden behind a line of trees.
She took off, barreling through the field. Maybe it was a barn. All these horses had to live somewhere. Maybe there would be a barn manager. A cell phone. A car. Rain thundered down. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Where was the shooter? Why had he told her to run? Was he coming after her? She ran closer to the structure. The roof had a peak like a star. A barn, Amish-built. New hope drove her forward, half sprinting and half falling. There had to be a house, didn't there?
She ran across the field, reached the barn, and caught her breath under the overhang. She hurried through an empty horse stall, rolled aside the door, and hurried into a center aisle. She looked right, then left. Rain pounded on the roof. She darted down the aisle, looking for civilization. She opened a closed door. A line of trash cans glimmered in the faintest light. She ran out, found another door, and flung it open. It felt warm inside. The smell of old leather filled the room. Saddles sat on racks on the wall. How could one family have so many saddles? Then she realized. It was a riding school. That's why no one was here. There would be no house. She almost burst into tears.
She bolted out of the room, down the concrete center aisle, and round no more doors. She went back to the last stall because its window overlooked the dark pasture. She'd have a clear view if the killer had run after her. In the corner of the stall, a large horse lay still in a bed of hay, its gray white coat glowing softly in the dark. "Ho fella," Nat said softly, surprised that the horse didn't move.
She entered the stall. She could see the Volvo through the window, not far from here. The horse nickered, and she heard congestion in its breathing. No wonder it hadn't moved. She stroked its muzzle, and it leaned against her hand like a big dog, begging to be scratched.
"Are we gonna be okay?" Nat scratched the hard bone between its dark eyes, feeling herself begin to calm down and think more clearly. The killer wasn't coming after her or he would never have let her go. It could be a while before anybody drove along and found the trooper. Getting back to her car was her only hope. She gave the horse a final pat, then let herself out of the stall.
She plunged back into the storm, racing for the Volvo. She pounded through mud and slush, her heart pumping hard against her chest. There was no noise but rain. She ran until she couldn't run another step, up the hill to the road. The Volvo was parked, its engine still running. She could see the murdered trooper, his arms lying askew in the street. She intentionally didn't look at his head. She darted across the street to her car, flung open the door, jumped inside, and hit the locks, shaking and dripping.
She floored the gas and reached for her purse at the same time, digging for her cell phone as she tore down the road. She found the phone and pressed speed dial for 911, but in the next minute, the Volvo interior was bathed in headlights. Police sirens erupted behind her, and she almost cried for joy. She slowed to a stop, parked, and threw open her door.
"Help! Police!" Nat practically popped out of the car.
"Hands in the air! Get your hands in the air!" Two troopers jumped from the police cruiser, one from each door. Suddenly, a second cruiser careened around the corner and sprayed to a stop in front or the Volvo, sandwiching her in between. Sirens screamed. High beams blinded her. Two more troopers jumped out of the second cruiser.
"Hands in the air!" they shouted, advancing toward her with guns drawn.
"Don't shoot!" Nat shouted back, raising her arms. "I was calling you—"
"Against the car!" a trooper bellowed, and two others grabbed her by her forearms and threw her facedown against the Volvo, wrenching her wrists behind her back.
"No, wait!" Nat yelped in pain. Steel handcuffs were clapped onto her wrists. Hands ran up her legs to her crotch, then down her hips and waist. She tried not to panic. "This is crazy! I was just calling you! This man came out of nowhere—"
"What's this, a knife?" The trooper bumped her against her car and shoved a hand in her coat pocket.
"Scissors. What are—"
"We're taking you in for questioning in connection with the murder of Trooper Shorney."
"The trooper?" Nat felt her heart beginning to pound. "No, wait, I saw the guy who shot him. I can tell you—"
"And for the attempted murder of Barbara Saunders."
"What?" Nat felt stricken. Rain thundered down. She couldn't believe she'd heard him right. "Did you say, Barb? What happened to Barb?"
"Do we have your permission to search your car?"
"Go ahead, just tell me what happened to Barb."
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of—"
"Wait, why are you Mirandizing me? I didn't do anything!" Nat shouted. "I saw the man who killed the trooper! I would never—"
"—law. You have the right to a lawyer and to have a lawyer present during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you."
"I didn't do it! I didn't do anything!
" Nat shouted louder, as the other troopers searched the front and backseats of her car.
"Let's go!" Two troopers flanked her and hustled her to the patrol car. Two others were searching her backseat, shining their flashlights inside.
"You're making a mistake! I'm a law professor!" Nat howled against the rain, and she didn't stop until they shoved her into the backseat of a cruiser.
And sped off into the dark, drenched night.
Chapter 25
An hour later, Nat found herself at the Avondale barracks of the Pennsylvania State Police, chained to a wall. It was unreal. She was in a small, windowless room that looked like a normal office—except that one entire wall was covered with stainless steel from floor to ceiling. She sat on a stainless steel bench built into the steel wall, with her wrists handcuffed to a steel rail at arm height, and her legs, in boots, manacled to each other and looped through another steel rail, at ankle height. She was filthy, wet, and exhausted, and could barely process that the trooper had been killed before her eyes, and that Barb had been shot.
Be good for your aunt. One candy apiece, and that's it.
Nat couldn't get her thoughts together. She felt tears come to her eyes and didn't try to wipe them away, even if she could. Barbara was a mother of three. Her boys could be orphaned. Who would have done that? Why? Was it connected to the burglary? To the prison riot? It had to be, but Nat was too stunned to piece it together. Water soaked her coat, mud covered her boots. Her hair dripped filthy water, and the warmth that she'd felt spatter her face was the trooper's blood.
Please, step outside the car, Ms. Greco.
Nat tried to think. This would turn out all right. The troopers would come in and unlock her cuffs and leg irons, understanding that she'd had nothing to do with either of these crimes. They couldn't seriously suspect her of murdering a cop. They would realize their mistake in bringing her in. She would go home to Hank. She closed her eyes but his wasn't the first face that came to mind.
Natalie, listen.
Suddenly the main door opened, and a heavy-set man in a brown suit jacket, brown print tie, and khakis came in, smiling at her in a professional way and pulling over a metal chair. "Hello, Ms. Greco," he said warmly. "I'm Trooper David Brian Mundy." He sat down and gestured to the manacles. "Sorry the patrol officers had to lock you up like this. I know it's uncomfortable."
Nat felt her temper flare. "Trooper, new shoes are uncomfortable. Handcuffs and leg irons are another thing entirely."
"Fair enough." Mundy nodded. "Sorry about that, but it's procedure. Security." His voice was unusually soft for such a large man, and he had shoulders as wide as a defensive lineman's. His face was open and honest, with the heavy cheekbones of a Native American, and his eyes were brown, his nose short and wide, and his complexion uneven. He asked, "Would you like some coffee?"
"No, thanks." Nat had no idea how she'd hold it anyway.
"You're not missing anything. It tastes like motor oil." Mundy chuckled and eased back into the chair, his heavy thighs spreading in his slacks. He was about forty-five, judging from the lines around his eyes. He took a minute to appraise Nat, with evident empathy. "You re quite a sight. My wife would say it's a bad hair day."
"Can I just ask, how is Barb Saunders?"
"The last I heard, she was still unconscious and in intensive care. She took two bullets to the chest."
No. Nat regretted not asking for coffee. She needed something. $he felt like crying but knew she had to watch her step. She didn't know this was an interview or a custodial interrogation, but the leg manacles were a tip-off. If it went south, shed invoke her right to counsel.
"Would you like some water, or anything from the vending machines? Bag of chips?"
"No, thanks," Nat answered, as another man entered the room. He was as tall as Mundy but leaner, in a dark gray suit and striped tie. A strip of graying blond hair ringed his bald head, and he had narrow blue eyes and thin lips. He didn't smile, but nodded in Nat’s direction.
"I'm Trooper Edward Duffy. We're both detectives here."
"Nat Greco," she said, as Duffy sat down in a far chair and put a steno pad and pen in his lap. He didn't even look up. You didn't have to be a professor to know who was the good cop and who the bad.
"So how do you know Barbara Saunders, Ms. Greco?" Mundy asked.
"She's the widow of a prison guard, a CO." Nat straightened up on the slippery bench. "Why don't you tell me why I'm locked up?"
Mundy nodded again. "Okay, well, it wasn't long after Barbara Saunders was shot that Trooper Matt Shorney was shot dead, not far from her house. We have reason to believe you may know something about his death. He stopped you and called in your plate, so we can place that time, exactly." Trooper Mundy paused. "Look, we saw the ID in your wallet, so you're obviously an educated person. You have no criminal record. You teach at a law school. Penn, right?"
"Yes. I teach law. I study law. Do you really think I would kill a state trooper?" It was so absurd that Nat could barely control her tone.
"Nobody's saying that yet."
"Then why am I chained to a wall?"
"Like I said, it's standard procedure." Mundy glanced in Duffy's direction, but the other trooper was taking notes. "I gotta tell you, I can't figure you out. You don't fit the profile. Not in the least."
"Of course I don't. It's unthinkable."
"But if you have information for me, you can help us both by talking to me. Come on, meet me halfway." Mundy's eyes softened. "Tell me what you know about Trooper Shorney's death. I'm here to listen. You said something to the troopers about a man you saw shoot him."
Nat wanted to trust him, but couldn't. Red flags were waving from all quarters. "So I'm not a suspect?"
"Professor, let's not play games. You're smart enough to know that you'd be making it easier on yourself if you talked to me. If your story about the man is true, you're a material witness. Tell me what happened."
"So I'm not a suspect," Nat said, and Duffy, on the other chair, sat staring, stone-faced.
"You're a person of interest," he interjected, his tone cold.
Wrong answer. "Then I want to make my phone call," Nat said evenly.
They unshackled Nat, led her down to the basement of the barracks, and deposited her in a small white interview room with a few black chairs on either side of a fake-wood table, a stained gray rug, and a Panasonic videocamera in the corner, which was turned off. A phone sat on the table. She punched in Hank's cell number again. She didn’t know any criminal lawyers, but they could find one together, and she wanted him to know what was going on. If the trooper's murder had made the TV news already, he could have recognized the red Volvo, with its Penn Law parking sticker. She waited four rings, then he picked up.
"Hello?" Hank said, and Nat felt a warm rush at his voice.
"Babe, it's me."
"Nat? I can't hear you too well. We're in the middle of a game here. Lemme call you back."
"No, wait—"
"Call you later. Love you."
Great. The dial tone came back on. Nat tried again, but no answer. She checked her watch. Almost eleven o'clock. She had to get a lawyer, tonight. She thought of Angus. He'd been in the back of her mind anyway, taking up permanent residence. She called information for the hospital again, dialed his room, and he picked up. "Angus?"
"That you, Natalie? I've been calling your cell for the past hour. What happened with Barb?"
"How long you got?" Nat collected her thoughts and told him the story tersely. He listened in shocked silence. Then she got to the point: "I think I need a criminal lawyer."
"Of course you do! Jesus, God. Listen, don't worry. I know everybody in criminal defense. I wish I could be there myself." Angus cursed in frustration. "You know the drill, though. Don't say a thing.”
“Of course."
"Not a thing! Don't try to convince them, because you can't.”
“I won't."
"God knows what's going on out there. I can't believe
this.”
“And Barb? Can you imagine?" Nat felt sick inside, but she'd had time to think. "Somebody must want whatever it is she has. Did they try to kill her to get it? Or did she find it after I left, and they took it and shot her?"
We'll sort it out later. In the meantime, focus on yourself. I'll have one of the best criminal lawyers in town there in an hour. Sit tight.”
“I don't have much choice."
Natalie, everything's going to be all right," Angus said softly, which was exactly what she needed to hear.
An hour later, back in the interview room, the initial shock had worn off, and Nat was wrapping her mind around her own predicament. They couldn't connect her to the murder, simply because there would be no evidence. She hadn't done it, so she had nothing to worry about. Reason reigned, even in Chester County. The next time the door to the interview room opened, Trooper Mundy stuck his head inside, then admitted someone else.
Daddy's Girl Page 17