The Final Secret

by Cassie Miles

  If he’d shot the camera, he had to be armed. They should have used metal detectors at the entrance. Slocum was to blame for allowing the guests to carry weapons. Even if the feds confiscated all the guns and ran ballistics, they wouldn’t have Warrick’s piece, damn him.

  Munching on a second cookie, she listened while Anna Rose and Noah constructed a timeline for the murder. When Noah received the phone call, Slocum must have already been in the library. The lights in the room were on and, most likely, the murderer was with him.

  Gennie piped up, “That means he knew the killer.”

  They all three nodded. Slocum had been fastidious, snarky and smug—not the sort of person who inspired sympathy. But she couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. He’d been killed by someone he trusted. When had Slocum guessed what was about to happen? Had he seen death coming?

  “I think he was killed before the lights went out,” Noah said. “There might have been an accomplice in the room.”

  Anna Rose widened her eyes behind her colorful frames. “Two people in the room? That’s very interesting, dear. And it would explain how so much was accomplished in the few minutes between when Noah got the call and when he opened the door. They incapacitated Slocum, opened the window, shot the camera, turned out the light and prepared to ambush Noah with a stun gun. Yes, indeed, I like the two-man concept.”

  Noah nodded toward Gennie. “You’ve been looking at the images. Have you seen Warrick?”

  “I’m afraid not. I wish I’d had the presence of mind to snap a picture of him, but he was moving fast, dodging between the French doors at the library corridor.”

  “An area without a camera.” Anna Rose shook her head and made a tsk sound. “We really should talk to the general about updating his security systems. That is, if he ever speaks to us again.”

  “Let’s get back to the timeline.” Noah stood, stretched and winced. The aftereffects of a stun gun assault had to be painful. When he paced between the sofa and the monitor, she noticed a hitch in his stride. “Gennie, what time did you see Warrick?”

  “Easy enough to check.” She took out her cell phone and viewed the history. “I sent an alert to the rest of the team at 7:34, which was after the camera went dead and before you entered the library. Is it possible that you went into the library before Warrick?”

  “There are too many alternatives.” Anna Rose exhaled a sigh and sank into her zebra chair. “We can’t break this down minute by minute, not without the facts. All we know for sure is that Noah and one or two other people were in the room with Slocum when he died. Someone locked the door. The camera went dead. And Gennie picked the lock.”

  “Here’s another fact,” Noah said. “I didn’t do it.”

  “Of course not, dear. That goes without saying.”

  The hopeful atmosphere in the office was deflating like a slow leak in a tire, and Gennie was reminded of how she’d felt during the investigation of Warrick in Afghanistan. That couldn’t, wouldn’t happen again. “My instincts tell me that Kenneth Warrick is the killer. We have to find evidence. We can’t let him get away.”

  Anna Rose spoke in the tone of a grandma making crafts. “Let’s start with the obvious question, shall we? How did Mr. Warrick get into the house without appearing on a camera?”

  “He might have been inside earlier,” Noah said. “Maybe he was hiding?”

  “Or using a complicated disguise,” Gennie said. “He might have known how to avoid the cameras.”

  “You knew him well,” Anna Rose said. “What sort of man is he?”

  Pushing aside her anger, she tried to come up with an accurate portrait. “He’s smart but not as clever as he thinks he is. And he’s confident, thinks of himself as an alpha. Most of all, he hates criticism and always needs to be right, even if he has to cheat and lie to win.”

  “And when he loses?”

  “He’s a vengeful bastard.”

  Anna Rose asked, “How does he feel about you?”

  She leaned back against the sofa, closed her eyes and cast her mind into another lifetime when she’d been stationed in Afghanistan working in the Army Corps of Engineers. After the bomb, she’d hated Warrick. According to people who were close to the investigation, he blamed her for losing his position as a private contractor. “He doesn’t much like me.”

  “Revenge is a terrible thing.” Anna Rose looked toward Noah. “As we proceed, we need to be mindful of the potential danger, both to Gennie and to you.”

  “Me?” He sounded surprised.

  “This killer has gone to a great deal of trouble to frame you, dear. And, I must say, he or she has done a rather good job of implicating you in this murder.” Bouncing to her feet, she swept toward the door to her office and opened it wide. “Go home, get some sleep and we’ll start fresh in the morning.”

  “Wait,” Gennie said. “I know how he got to the library without being picked up by a camera.”

  * * *

  WHEN SHE AND Noah entered the underground parking area, Gennie was still patting herself on the back. She’d figured out a piece of this complicated murder, starting with the premise that Warrick was part of the twosome that killed Slocum. This led to the logical question: why plan an escape on horseback?

  The answer: because the killer arrived on horseback in order to avoid being seen by cameras or security personnel. In the early part of the evening, ARC had concentrated on the front entrance. The killer had taken advantage by riding to the rear of the house, leaving his horse out of range, shooting out the camera and entering through the window. He escaped the same way.

  Noah walked her to her car. “If Warrick got into and out of the house the way you think he did, why did he leave the library? Why parade around in the ballroom where you could see him.”

  “Didn’t I already tell you that he’s a vengeful bastard?” He’d shown himself to her, only to her. “His disappearing act and the poisonous flowers made me look like a lunatic. The FBI won’t believe anything I say.”

  “He could have been meeting someone else,” Noah said.

  “It’s possible.” She clicked open the lock on her Land Rover. “That would mean three people were involved in the murder. It’s practically a conspiracy.”

  “Slocum made a lot of people angry.” He held her door as she climbed inside. “I’m thinking about what Anna Rose said. There’s danger attached to this murder. What kind of security do you have at your house?”

  Her parents’ house was in a quiet neighborhood in north Denver. They’d never felt a need for surveillance cameras. “I lock the doors when I leave.”

  “Windows?”

  “I think I left a couple open. The weather has been nice and—”

  “Would you like to spend the night at my condo?”

  She eyed him curiously. The sandwiches and cookies had revived them both, but Noah still looked tired. If anybody needed backup protection, it was him. “I’ll be okay.”

  “If you change your mind, call me.” He closed her car door and stepped back, watching as she pulled out of the slot and drove to the exit.

  His offer of help was hugely unnecessary and a little bit insulting. Would Noah have made the same offer if she were a man? She had the training and the qualifications to take care of herself in almost any circumstance.

  But her parents’ brick house—two stories, three bedrooms, a huge study and a giant spruce tree in the front yard—wasn’t a fortress. She should be alert to possible danger. Though she wasn’t looking for a fight, she hoped Warrick would try something as stupid as breaking into her home. She welcomed a confrontation with him. He could choose the weapon, and she would win the battle.

  Her Land Rover merged easily onto the I-25 highway. At this time of night, there wasn’t much traffic, and she was making good time. Not as tired as she thought she’d be but grungy. She was looking forward to a long hot shower
. Tomorrow would be a difficult day, not so much for her but for Noah. The FBI guys hadn’t been subtle about naming him as a suspect, especially since he had a motive.

  There had to be others who had hated Slocum. He wasn’t a charming person. But hate was different from murder. Why had Warrick wanted the captain dead? Was the attack personal? Maybe Warrick was a contract killer, paid to kill Slocum by Murano.

  Contemplating the many possibilities, she pulled into the driveway to the left of her parents’ house and parked. Because she hadn’t yet picked up the mail today, she went around to the wide front porch where her mom and dad often sat in their rocking chairs. They claimed to be happy in Phoenix but she heard a longing in their voices when they talked about Denver.

  When she reached into the mailbox, she heard a creaking sound. It came from inside the house. Gennie dropped the mail and drew her Beretta.

  Chapter Nine

  Parked at the curb halfway up the street from Gennie’s house, Noah peered through his windshield. Following her home might have been an overreaction on his part, but he hadn’t wanted to take any chances. Anna Rose had given them a clear warning, and she was usually right. Slocum’s murder could lead to danger for Gennie.

  Noah would make sure she got safely inside her house, and then he’d leave. No harm done.

  With the streetlights and the glow from some of her neighbors’ houses, his field of vision would have been excellent if it hadn’t been for the towering spruce tree in her front yard. He’d seen her park in the driveway and walk toward her porch and then she disappeared in the shadow of the tree that was as tall as the roof of her two-story house. Had she gone inside? If so, why hadn’t she turned on the lights? That damn tree made it impossible to see what was going on. He turned off the interior light in his SUV, slipped through the door and carefully approached her house.

  When he was close enough to see the porch, he noticed that the front door was open.

  He heard two gunshots, rapid fire.

  Dashing across her lawn, he passed a row of daffodils at the edge of her porch.

  From inside the house, a female voice cried out. “Don’t shoot! I’m unarmed.”

  Gennie responded. “You’ve got three seconds to show yourself. One...two...”

  “It’s me, Ruby.”

  Noah halted on the porch. Through the open door, he saw Gennie crouched behind an overstuffed chair. She reacted to his presence with an angry growl, and then she snapped an order. “Cover her.”

  He stepped through the front door. With his Glock braced in both hands, he focused on Ruby Haymarket who stood in the middle of the room with her hands raised above her head. What the hell was she doing here?

  Gennie turned on a floor lamp beside a bulky tweed sofa. All the furniture in her parents’ house seemed thick and solid as though rooted in this room with hardwood floors and oak bookshelves. Nearly every flat surface held a big healthy potted plant. Gennie flicked a switch to turn on the overhead light in the adjoining dining room, came back to Ruby and started frisking her.

  “Hey!” The general’s wife slapped at Gennie’s hands. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Searching you for weapons. You broke into my house.”

  “It’s not like I breached some kind of sophisticated security. A window in the back bedroom was open. I pulled over a lawn chair, popped off the screen and climbed through.”

  “Why?” Gennie demanded.

  “I need your help.”

  Clearly annoyed, Gennie glared at him. “What are you doing here?”

  Since he didn’t have a good excuse, he tried the truth. “I was worried about you.”

  “Without cause, as you can plainly see.” She gestured to the wide-bodied chairs. “Let’s all sit down. Ruby, you can tell us why you need our help.”

  “Not both of you.”

  “Whatever you say to me, you can say to Noah.”

  “Fine.” When Ruby sank into the chair, the bulky arms nearly smothered her. “I need you, Gennie. I want you to come home with me and be my bodyguard.”

  “That’s not how things work at ARC,” Noah said. “You make a request, and I make the assignment.”

  “This isn’t an ARC project,” she said archly. “It’s not likely that my husband will ever hire your company again, Noah. He’s so mad at you that he almost believes the FBI theory that you killed Slocum. Everybody knows that you two hated each other.”

  Noah held his anger in check. No point in arguing with Ruby—he didn’t owe her an explanation. “Gennie works for me.”

  “I want to hire her for a private assignment.”

  “Why?” Gennie sank onto the sofa. The soft glimmer from the lamp burnished her blond curls and highlighted her cheekbones. Looking at her made him feel better. Though her day had been long and complicated, she didn’t show the signs of exhaustion. Her eyes were bright and alert. She was alive, vivacious.

  “I’m afraid,” Ruby said in a small voice. She sounded like a child, which either meant she was really alarmed or she was a clever actress, playing on Gennie’s kind nature to get her way. Knowing Ruby, he leaned toward the latter.

  “I’ve known you for a long time,” Gennie said. “You’re not the type who scares easily.”

  “Please, will you help me?”

  “I need more information.”

  “It’s the next of kin,” she said. “Slocum’s brother, Buddy, and his wife are coming here to take care of things, and I’m afraid they’re going to cause trouble. There’s no need for them to be here. Slocum wanted a military funeral, and Roger will arrange for the honor guard and the twenty-one-gun salute.”

  In his work with other wealthy clients who were often as self-absorbed as Ruby, Noah had developed a numbing sense of patience. Though it seemed impossible that the general’s wife would be frightened by the family of a recently murdered man, he didn’t comment. Instead, he nodded and murmured, “Uh-huh.”

  “They’re his only living survivors,” she said. “They’re from Nashville.”

  Not scary. “Uh-huh.”

  “I talked to the wife on the phone,” Ruby said. “She threatened me.”

  Still not scary but interesting. Noah sat up straighter. “Uh-huh.”

  “This woman, Dean Slocum’s sister-in-law, said that Dean had told her everything.”

  “Everything?” Noah felt himself being drawn in to Ruby’s story. He was almost hooked. “What did she know?”

  “She said if I didn’t play along...”

  Ruby’s voice faded. She covered her face with her hands, and her shoulders trembled. Too much! She’d overplayed her hand with the weeping and moaning. He’d seen fake tears too many times before.

  Obviously, Gennie didn’t share his cynicism. She left the sofa and went to Ruby. Stroking her back, she whispered assurances. He really hoped she wouldn’t be drawn into this scheme by Ruby’s Oscar-winning performance.

  The best way to get at the truth would be for him to talk to Ruby alone. “Gennie, maybe we could all use a cup of tea.”

  “Good idea. I have an herbal blend with chamomile that’s really soothing.” She gave Ruby a final pat and spoke gently to her. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back in a sec.”

  He noticed Ruby frowning at Gennie’s back as she crossed the dining room and entered the kitchen. Though fairly certain that the tears were an act, he wanted to find out if she had a real cause for fear. Under the guise of handing her a tissue, he went to the chair where she was sitting. While she dabbed at her eyes, he pulled an ottoman close and sat facing her. Their knees were almost touching.

  “I don’t know what you’re really after, Ruby, but it’s not fair to play on Gennie’s sympathy. I won’t let you use her.”

  “That’s not your call.”

  “Oh, but it is,” he said. “Gennie was trained in the army.”


  “Don’t you think I know that?”

  “One of the first and strongest lessons learned by a new recruit is loyalty. Ask your husband. Loyalty counts for a lot.”

  “So what?”

  “Gennie works for me now. In a way, I’m her commanding officer.” Never would he say that to her face. “She’s obliged to follow my orders. If I tell her not to work for you, she won’t.”

  “You think you’re clever, but her first loyalty goes to my husband.”

  Not the way he’d heard the story. The general had brought Gennie’s military career to a screeching halt, and she wasn’t inclined to forgive him. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Even if she doesn’t like Roger, he trusts her and respects her opinion.” Her eyes narrowed to dark slits as she glared. “You’re right about one thing. I plan to use Gennie but not for any cruel or devious reason. I need her support. If she’s on my team, Roger will pay attention.”

  And that sounded more like the truth. “What does the sister-in-law have on you?”

  “It’s ridiculous.” She massaged her temples and raked her fingers through her dark blond hair. “Loretta—that’s her name—claims to have proof that I was intimate with Dean Slocum.”

  Noah hadn’t seen that one coming. His impression was that Ruby and Slocum barely tolerated each other. “An affair?”

  “She called me a gold digger and said I was after her brother-in-law’s money. Unbelievable! I live in a mansion, drive a Jag, have three horses and jewelry appraised in the millions of dollars. Roger has provided me with a fantastic lifestyle.” This time, the tear that trickled down her cheek was real. “And I love him.”

  In spite of her crazy behavior and her fake weeping, Noah believed that she was honestly worried about the threat to her marriage. Not because of the money. Ruby was scared of losing her life partner.