Person of Interest (5 page)

“The police checked your apartment to determine if you had anything to do with Tammy Yates’s death.”

Natalie slumped back in the chair. Color drained from her face. “They had no right.”

“They had every right. Your roommate, Denise Lang, was found by the police.”

She grimaced. “What?”

“Denise Lang was found dead. Two women died today, Tammy Yates and your roommate.”

Natalie gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth, and her face twisted with grief.

“The police are searching for the killer.” Everett pursed his lips, hoping she understood the seriousness of what he was about to say.

“The police are searching for you, Natalie. You’re a person of interest.”

Her blue eyes widened. “What’s that mean?”

“It means they think you may have killed both women.”

FOUR

A
roar filled Natalie’s ears. She grabbed the edge of the chair as the room shifted out of control, then hung her head to fend off the swell of nausea and light-headedness.

What she’d just heard couldn’t be true.

“Are you okay?”

Everett’s voice sounded garbled and distant, as if she were swimming underwater and couldn’t make her way to the surface.

Denise? Gone?

His hand gripped her shoulder. “Take deep breaths. Keep your head down.”

She gasped for air.

“You’re pale as death, Natalie.”

Bad choice of words. Her heart pounded even more. How could Denise be dead?

“Hold on.” He left her side and hurried to the kitchen, where he ran water from the faucet and returned with a damp cloth that he placed on the back of her neck.

She fought to bring the world back into perspective and drew in a lungful of fresh air. Rubbing a hand over her still-queasy stomach, Natalie tried to make sense of what had happened, but nothing made sense. Not the fact that Mason Yates lived next to Wanda Davis or that his wife had been pushed to her death as Natalie listened to her scream for help.

She shivered, unable to wipe the horrific scene from her mind. The vision shifted, and, instead of Tammy lying dead at the foot of the stairs, she saw Denise.

“No,” she moaned, and rubbed her forehead. “I... I can’t believe—”

“Shh.” His hand stroked her shoulder. “Relax for a few minutes. There’ll be time to talk later.”

Time to talk when he hauled her back to Fort Rickman. Tears burned her eyes and a huge lump filled her throat. Even drawing a shallow breath took effort.

The swirl of confusion played havoc with her emotions. She should have moved back to Detroit. The inner-city blight would have been easier to handle than what was happening in Georgia.

All she wanted was to get a job in education and earn enough to live life without drawing attention to herself or her past. The warmth of a small town, Freemont, with its strong sense of community and welcoming arms, had seemed an ideal location in which to sink roots and perhaps, someday, find someone special and raise a family.

That dream for her future was out of the question now. The way things looked, she didn’t even have a future.

A person of interest in the deaths of two women?

She groaned.

“It’s okay, Natalie.”

Special Agent Kohl was either terribly confused or too much of an optimist. Nothing was okay. All she saw was darkness and heartache.

Somehow she had to clear her name, but so much was stacked against her. Everett was a special agent on the hunt for a killer. A bull’s-eye was painted on her back, and in spite of his seeming concern for her present well-being, he couldn’t change the mind-set of the powers that be at Fort Rickman.

With Mason spouting lies about what had happened in Germany, the CID would come to the wrong conclusion. She didn’t have a chance, unless she could uncover evidence that proved Mason’s guilt and convince Everett of her innocence. Would the special agent be a help or a hindrance?

* * *

Everett hated being the bearer of bad news, and Natalie appeared to have had her quota today. He’d never seen anyone blanch so quickly or look so fragile.

Criminals were habitually good actors, but the total shock Natalie seemed to be experiencing was hard to feign. Still, he needed to be cautious.

He placed the baby in the crib. By the time he had retraced his steps, Natalie’s breathing was more even, and her deathly pallor had changed to a healthier hue.

He filled a glass with water and added ice.

“How ’bout a drink?” he offered.

“Thanks.” She reached for the glass. “I... I can’t believe—”

Her voice caught. She turned away from his gaze and shook her head. “Denise? It can’t be true.”

“How long had you known her?”

“Almost a year. She needed a roommate and placed an ad in the Freemont paper. I responded and moved in the following day.”

“You were good friends?”

Natalie took a sip of water and shrugged. “We shared an apartment. Denise worked nights, and I was gone most days to my classes. On the weekends, we each went our separate way.”

“Was there anyone who wanted to do her harm?”

“Not that I know of, although she’d been dating a guy for about two months. Their relationship was questionable in my mind.”

“In what way?”

“He wanted everything kept private. She wouldn’t even tell me his name.” Natalie glanced up, her expression open and unassuming. “I thought that was strange and not what I would want in a relationship.”

“Did she know how you felt?”

“I’d mentioned the importance of trust. She wasn’t one to take advice.”

“So you knew nothing about him?”

“Only that they met outside of town, and he never came to our apartment.”

“Any chance he could have been married?”

“That’s what I thought, which upset me. Denise was a good person. She came from a great family. I couldn’t understand why she would keep the guy’s identity secret.”

Natalie took another sip of water before continuing. “Whatever was going on affected Denise. She had changed over the last few weeks. She used to be upbeat and happy. Recently, she’d seemed on edge.”

“Did she reveal anything about the boyfriend?”

“Only that he drove fast cars.”

“More than one?”

“She mentioned a sports car and a sedan.” Natalie’s eyes widened. “How many cars does Mason drive?”

Everett didn’t see that coming. “Why do you think he might be the boyfriend?”

“I’m just searching for a common thread between the two deaths.”

A common thread that didn’t involve her.

Everett pulled his cell from his pocket. “I’ll call post and pass the information on to Frank.”

Natalie grabbed his hand. “Please don’t. The CID will want me to return to post. I’m afraid of what Mason might do.”

“I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

She bit her lip. “Mason’s opinion will carry weight. He could make up all sorts of stories about our time in Vilseck, all of which would paint me in a bad light. I don’t trust him, and the CID will be more prone to believe one of their own than anything I have to say.”

Natalie was right about Mason’s statements carrying weight. She was an unknown. He was an established investigator.

Her mention of Germany raised another red flag. “Mason was your supervisor in Vilseck. Did he threaten you?”

Her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. “He...he had a wandering eye.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Everett fisted his hands in respond to the flash of anger that swept over him. “Did anything happen?”

“I was careful to keep my distance.”

“Did you issue a sexual harassment complaint?”

“That would have made the situation worse.”

Natalie should have issued a complaint that would have been investigated. Instead, she’d reacted like too many women and remained silent for fear of retribution. Everett didn’t understand her logic, but then he’d never been in such a situation.

“Do you have any proof of his inappropriate actions?”

She shook her head. “He was careful to insure no one heard his comments.”

Everett let out a stiff breath. “So you didn’t issue a complaint because it would have been your word against his.”

“Exactly. I was due to return to the States and decided not to reenlist. Freemont is a nice town. I thought I could start fresh there, never thinking I’d see Mason again. That’s why I can’t go back to Fort Rickman. He’ll bring up Germany, only he’ll twist what happened and make it seem that I was the one at fault.”

“You’re jumping to the wrong conclusion.”

“Am I?” She tugged at her hair. “After I left, rumors circulated to that effect. One of the other personnel clerks emailed me and told me what she had heard.”

“Did she know where the rumors had originated?”

“She didn’t need to tell me. I knew. Mason spread lies about me to make sure his name wasn’t sullied.”

The sincerity in her voice and the strength of her conviction brought back memories of another woman who had been threatened by a superior. Everett hadn’t looked deep enough into that case, and the results had been catastrophic. He couldn’t make the same mistake again.

The lines of fatigue around Natalie’s eyes were telling. She was exhausted and needed rest.

“Let’s wait until morning,” he suggested. “Then we can decide what to do next.”

She flicked her gaze around the cabin and nervously tugged at the sleeve of her sweater. “I’m not going back to Fort Rickman.”

“We’ll decide in the morning.”

“You don’t believe me, that’s why you’re determined to take me in.”

“I have a job to do, Natalie.”

“You have a job to find out the truth. That’s what you told me earlier. I didn’t kill Denise, and I had nothing to do with Tammy Yates’s death.”

“Two deaths in one day are more than a coincidence. You seem to be the common denominator.”

“That doesn’t make me a killer.”

She was right, but it did make her a possible suspect. Everett should be in his car driving her back to the CID Headquarters at Fort Rickman or to the Freemont police. Both law enforcement agencies considered her a person of interest. Everett did, as well, but ever since Specialist Carolyn Rogers had stepped into his cubicle seven years ago, he’d been overly cautious about jumping to the wrong conclusions, which is why he was hesitant to take Natalie back to post, at least not tonight.

Eventually she would need to be questioned by law enforcement, but right now, he was concerned about Mason Yates and the strings he might pull to wrap the investigation up too quickly. Getting to the truth was the bottom line. Natalie wasn’t a threat or a flight risk tonight. By morning, the CID might have more information that would shed light on both crimes.

Hopefully, Natalie’s innocence would be established. If not, Everett would have to admit his mistake. The delay might cost him his career, but he had to trust himself and everything inside him told him to be cautious.

How could he look at himself in the mirror, even if his career advanced, if an innocent woman’s life was ruined in the process? He had to follow his gut on this one.

Was she guilty or innocent? A hard question he couldn’t answer. At least not yet.

FIVE

O
nce Natalie had turned in, Everett stepped outside and slowly walked around the cabin. He had followed Natalie here from Fort Rickman, which meant someone else could have, as well. Like the killer who had thrown Tammy Yates to her death or whoever had shot Denise Lang.

The moon broke through the dark cloud cover. In the distance, he could see a lake and boat dock. The scene looked peaceful, but anything—or anyone—could be lurking in the shadows.

Slowly, he approached Natalie’s car and spied the keys in the ignition. Opening the door, he hesitated for a long moment as a floral scent, like the gardenias his mom grew in her garden, wafted past him. He had noticed the scent earlier when he’d stood close to Natalie, but now it brought thoughts of a determined woman who wanted to keep baby Sofia safe. Natalie tried to appear tough, yet the totally feminine scent she wore and her concern for the infant revealed something about the real person beneath the facade.

Everett admired her spunk and focus. She was pretty with her black hair and big eyes that stirred an awareness deep within him. The intensity of her gaze haunted him. She seemed to plead for help yet refused to ask, as if any sign of weakness should be kept hidden.

Checking his watch, he did the math with the six-hour time difference between Georgia and Germany, then punched in a number and waited until Special Agent Tyler Zimmerman answered.

“Hey, buddy, it’s Everett. I heard you were in Vilseck.”

“Good to hear your voice, Rett. Last I knew you were at Fort Sill.”

“And transferred to Rickman some months ago.”

“A good assignment,” Tyler said, “if you’re working for Craig Wilson.”

Surprised by the comment, Everett asked, “You know Wilson?”

“Only by reputation. Do me a favor, and put in a plug for me.”

“How long before you PCS back to the States?”

“I spent two-and-a-half years at Heidelberg, and the last eight months here in Vilseck. I could ask for a transfer in a couple more months, especially if Wilson requests me. Tell the chief that I’m an outstanding special agent with exceptional investigative skills.”

Everett chuckled. “I’ll let him know.”

“Appreciate the support, but you didn’t call to talk about my career goals. What’s up?”

Everett cut to the chase. “Special Agent Mason Yates’s wife died a few hours ago. She either fell or was pushed down the stars in their quarters.”

Tyler let out a stiff breath. “That’s tough. How’s Mason?”

“Grieving, of course. He wasn’t home at the time of death. Right now we don’t have any leads.” At least none Everett wanted to reveal. “A personnel clerk, Specialist Natalie Frazier, worked with the CID and left Vilseck about a year ago. I need information on her and any involvement she might have had with Mason.”

“Involvement? You mean a relationship?”

“Supposedly not, but let me know if any scuttlebutt is floating around. I don’t put stock in rumors, although sometimes they hold a hint of truth.”