LITMIR.BIZ

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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,

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