They hurried up the porch stairs, Aiden coming behind them. Erik stood to her right side, the wall to her left, and Aiden remained behind. She might be exposed to potential gunshots, but these guys would take the hit first, and she figured their vests were up to the task.
Erik pounded on the door, and footsteps sounded on the other side.
Kennedy took a breath to prepare herself as Nora opened the door and ran her gaze over them. Her eyes hooded, her sagging lids narrowing even more. Thankfully, they’d all hidden their vests under shirts, but the bulkiness probably gave them away.
“Kennedy?” Nora pinned her focus on her. “What’s going on?”
Kennedy smiled to try to relax the older woman. “These are my friends, Erik and Aiden Byrd. We’re looking into my mom’s death and wanted to ask you a few questions.”
“Me?” Nora clutched the front of a flowery blouse she’d paired with dressy black slacks. “But what can I tell you?”
“Why don’t we come in, and we can talk about it?” Kennedy didn’t give Nora time to think but stepped over the threshold. The small room she entered had formal furnishings and held the thick floral scent of Nora’s cloying perfume.
Nora held the door handle while Erik entered.
“I’ll be staying out here, ma’am,” Aiden said, taking Kennedy’s attention. “Go ahead and leave the door cracked open.”
Nora eyed him for a very long time then left the door ajar. “Go ahead and have a seat. Would you like some coffee? I just brewed some. I have fresh raspberry Danishes.”
“Nothing for me, but thank you,” Kennedy said.
Erik leaned against the wall. “I’m good.”
“Your hand. What happened?” Nora asked, sounding concerned.
“A turtle bit me while I was diving.” Kennedy smiled to play it down and spotted a family photo on the sofa table. She lifted it and studied it. “Are these your children?”
Nora perched on the edge of a stiff, mauve high-backed chair. “It’s nearly five years old now, but yes. It was taken the year before my husband passed.”
“Do they live in the area?” Erik asked.
Nora swung her head to look at him. “All but my youngest daughter. She’s in Denver. And all are married now with children of their own. I have six grandchildren.” She smiled and smoothed her gray hair that she’d pulled back in a severe bun.
“What do they do for a living?”
Nora’s eyebrow went up. “Are you here to talk about my family or your mother?”
“Both, I guess,” Kennedy said, but Erik made a brief slashing motion across his neck. Okay. He didn’t want her to talk about Nora’s sons. “Mostly my mom, I guess.”
Kennedy returned the frame to the table and sat on the beige-and-blue camelback sofa across from Nora.
Erik dropped down next to Kennedy and focused on Nora. “Did you believe the ME’s findings that Wanda either took her own life or accidentally took too many blood pressure pills?”
Nora laced her fingers together in her lap. “Not really, but it was the only logical explanation.” She looked at Kennedy. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I also don’t think Wanda was murdered. I just don’t see any reason for that.”
“What about the counterfeit pharmaceutical dealers?” Kennedy asked. “They would have wanted her to end her project without completion.”
“Sure, yes, I suppose, and they probably have access to drugs that could be used. Still, she didn’t get any threats or odd contacts. At least not that I knew about, and we were friends. She shared se—she would’ve told me.”
“What were you going to say?” Erik asked.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” Nora clamped her hands on her bony knees. “It’s just…how would they give the pills to her? They would’ve had to force them down her throat, but there was no sign of struggle.”
“Perhaps they had help from someone close to Wanda?” Erik pinned Nora with such an intense gaze that she flinched.
“Me?” She lifted her hand to her chest again. “Are you thinking I did it? Why would I want to hurt Wanda?”
“Money,” Erik said.
“I don’t need money.”
“Then why work at your age?” Erik asked.
Anger flashed in Nora’s eyes. “I enjoy the challenge and stimulation. Not that it’s easy to find a job. Age discrimination is prevalent. I can’t prove it. Everyone’s too careful for that. Still, God willing, I plan to work until I drop dead.” She ran her gaze over them. “Something you young things wouldn’t understand, but feeling useful is what makes me tick.”
“How long have you lived here?” Kennedy asked.
“Moved in after my husband passed. I liked it because it was all updated.” Nora jutted out her pointy chin and crossed her arms. “Why is that relevant?”
“Just curious.”
“Do you or any of your sons own a gun?” Erik asked.
“My sons?” She tightened her arms. “Why is that any of your business?”
Kennedy leaned forward and cast a sympathetic look her way. “I’m sorry that we have to ask. But someone broke into my mom’s house and threatened me with a gun.”
“Oh, my dear.” Nora reached out but dropped her hand before touching Kennedy. “I’m so sorry.”
Kennedy tried to smile, but she couldn’t dredge one up. “If you’re involved in my mother’s death, you might’ve asked one of your sons to break into the house.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake.” Nora rolled her eyes. “They know nothing about this except that your mom died and my job ended.”
“What about your last job?” Erik asked. “Why did that one end?”
“Sounds like you already know. And so did Wanda.” Nora pulled her shoulders into a hard line and cast Erik a disgusted look. “Petty cash that I was in charge of went missing. They couldn’t prove who stole it, but they fired me for negligence. Let me tell you, it was obvious they thought I was guilty. But why would I risk being arrested for five hundred dollars when I don’t need money? Fools. That’s what they are, and good riddance, I say. I don’t want to work for anyone who would think I was a thief.”
Erik nodded as if he believed her, but Kennedy knew Nora was holding something back and it was making Kennedy mad. What could Nora be hiding and why was she hiding something?
“Do you know what Wanda did outside of work?” Erik asked.
“When did she have time to do anything but sleep?” Nora stood and glared down on them. “I think we’re done here.”
Interesting. What about Erik’s question set Nora off?
Erik didn’t stand, just leaned back as if getting comfortable. “One more question. Did you do anything with Wanda’s phone when you found her in the lab?”
She didn’t answer right away but stared down at Erik. “Like I said. We’re done here.”
“We’ve fingerprinted Wanda’s phone. Will we find your prints on it?”
“I helped Wanda manage her phone, but she kept it clean, so probably not.”
“Would you come in to the Veritas lab to be fingerprinted?”
“If the police request it. Such an invasion of my privacy.” Nora eyed him. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a job interview I need to get to.”
Kennedy stood. “I’m sorry we had to ask these questions.”
Nora offered a sad smile. “I was friends with your mother, and she would be so disappointed to hear I’m being treated as a suspect.”
“Please don’t take it personally.” Erik got up but he didn’t take his penetrating focus from Nora. “The person who finds a body is always suspected of involvement in a homicide until ruled out.”
Nora sniffed. “The police didn’t think I had anything to do with Wanda’s death.”
“Because they didn’t think she was murdered.” Kennedy widened her stance and didn’t bother hiding her frustration. “But I’m going to prove that she was, so if you did have anything to do with it and you’re not telling us everything, you should know I’m coming f
or you.”
Nora blanched, but guilt flooded her face.
“We are.” Erik stepped up beside Kennedy, his stance firm and unmoving. “If you’re involved, we are coming for you.”
Erik got Kennedy safely ensconced in the SUV, and Aiden merged into traffic. He’d pulled the older brother card to drive them home, but all he’d had to do was ask, since Erik wanted to be free to protect Kennedy if the need arose.
Erik glanced at his brother. “Do you have time to look into Nora’s sons and get those alibis?”
“Sure thing.”
They both let their gazes rove over the area close to the city made up of older buildings with retail on the ground floor and apartments above. They had a job to do, even if the vehicle had full bulletproof protection. No one could hurt Kennedy right now unless they planted a bomb or rammed a vehicle into the side where she sat. The first was unlikely. The second was possible. Once they turned the corner ahead and merged into traffic Erik would relax. A bit anyway. He wouldn’t fully relax until they walked into his condo again.
And then he had a whole new threat to deal with—his growing attraction to Kennedy. That might not be dangerous to her, but it was to him.
“Did you notice how Nora clammed up when you asked her what my mom did outside of work?” Kennedy asked.
“I did.” Erik glanced over the seat at her. “Do you think your mom could’ve been dating?”
Kennedy gaped at him. “I can’t imagine it. But then I’ve never considered it. She lived for work.”
“We have to remember the money in the safe.” Aiden peered at her in the rearview mirror. “Maybe Nora’s behavior was more about your mother being involved in something illegal. I could hear everything you guys said, and it seemed like she was evading answering about the phone.”
“She could’ve deleted the files,” Erik stated. “But what would she have deleted?”
They fell silent as they pondered the questions, and Erik continued watching out the window, looking for anything unusual.
At the corner, a shimmer of light coming from a two-story building caught Erik’s eye. He grabbed his binoculars and searched out the window as Aiden approached the intersection to prepare for a left turn.
The shimmer moved. “Something fishy at three o’clock. Above the drug store. Don’t know what. Sunglasses, maybe, but I don’t like it.”
Aiden shifted to look. “Building has an apartment For Rent sign.”
“Could be a shooter hunkered down in a vacant building,” Erik said.
“Let’s not hang around to find out.” Aiden couldn’t barrel into incoming traffic but he eased into the intersection against the light, horns honking at them.
Erik spotted a rifle being lifted into the open window.
“Gun. Get down.” He tossed the binoculars to the floor as bullets peppered his and Kennedy’s side of the SUV. Each round sounded like underwater explosions as the glass splintered but held fast.
“Get us out of here.” Erik plunged over the seat, scooped Kennedy into his arms, and hit the floor with his shoulder to sustain the brunt of the impact. His shoulder wrenched, but it would take far more than that little bit of pain to make him let go of the woman he’d once loved.
“Truck blocking the intersection.” Aiden laid on the horn. “I have to maneuver around him.”
The vehicle swerved to the right. Metal pinged. Glass popped. Exploded. But the SUV held tight—the safety features doing their thing to protect them, as Aiden moved them through traffic.
“What’s happening?” she cried out.
“Assault rifle trained on our SUV. The bulletproofing should hold.”
“Then why tackle me?”
Why indeed? “I’m not taking any chances.”
The barrage continued, bullets flying. They suddenly stopped. The silence deafening. The shooter likely emptied his magazine and was reloading. Took only seconds before the pop-pop-pop started again, their vehicle feeling like a tin can downrange at rifle practice.
“Finally!” Aiden snapped then floored the gas, and Kennedy trembled under Erik’s body. She was scared and in danger. His fury exploded inside him with the same force as the bullets trying to pierce the SUV.
Aiden wound in and out of traffic. He must’ve managed to dial 911, because suddenly Erik heard the emergency dispatcher through the speakers. Aiden reported the shooting while Erik’s only job right now was to use his body as a human shield.
The spray of bullets stopped. The windows were marked with spidery webs of broken glass, and he couldn’t see through them.
“We should be out of range now,” Aiden said. “Dispatch is sending units to the area. They’ll come to the office to take our statements.”
“Don’t you want to turn around and stop whoever did this?” Kennedy’s high and stressed tone sounded shrill. “He killed my mom!”
“Of course we do.” Erik adjusted his position to take his weight off her. “But our number one goal is to make sure our protectee remains unharmed.”
“And that’s me? I mean, what you think of me?” She squirmed around to look at him, her eyes wide and dark with terror. “A protectee?”
He brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek, keeping his emotions in check and tamping down the desire to kiss away her fear. “You know that’s not all. And if you keep looking at me like that, I’ll do something that might take my focus off the job.”
She blinked a few times. “How am I looking at you?”
“Like you’re one step from losing it.” Like she needed him to hold her close. Which he could easily do considering his position. Just because he could, didn’t mean he should.
“I’ve never had anyone shoot at me before. And I’ve never even heard a machine gun.” She shuddered.
His control evaporated, and he drew her close, holding her as if her life depended on it. Erik would need to thank Aiden later for insisting on adding the armor to their SUV.
Erik had never been shot at before either. Not once as a police officer. And certainly never in a hail of bullets like today’s attack. This guy was serious. Dead serious. Did he believe Kennedy or Erik could identify him? He must.
The situation gave Erik a new appreciation for the second chance at life he’d just been given. Thank You!
He was going to take a long look at himself. Was he living his best life? Living the life God wanted for him. Or was he shutting out the woman who’d been the best part? Had God brought them back together for a reason? Erik never wanted to live outside of God’s will. So a great deal of soul searching was in order. Until then, he needed to release Kennedy and keep his hands to himself.
14
In the Veritas parking structure, Kennedy’s legs wobbled like a newborn colt trying to get up for the first time, and she wasn’t sure she could continue to stand. She would, for Erik. The tension oozed from him as he and Aiden assessed their vehicle, and she didn’t want to add to his unease.
She rested her good hand on the vehicle for support. Weakness invaded her muscles while adrenaline consumed her body, but she held firm, even when taking in the spidery circles of crushed glass on the windows. The sharp holes in the vehicle’s body—too many to count. Yet not one of the bullets had penetrated the vehicle.
Thank You for protecting us!
“Let’s get inside.” Erik sounded strong and in control, but his shoulders were tight, his eyes narrowed and piercing.
Aiden gave a sharp nod, putting up a good front as well, but Kennedy could see in the rigid set of his jaw that the attack had shaken him too. And he, like Erik, felt responsible for the bystanders who’d been shot. They would recover, but still had the pain to endure now, and then there was a tremendous amount of property damage. None of it was the fault of anyone in this garage, but guilt ate at them all.
They took the hallway to the Nighthawk Security office, and Kennedy didn’t even notice the view from the skybridge. Inside the office, they marched straight through the reception area to the conf
erence room.
She’d barely made it and feared she might crumple to the floor, but she wasn’t going to ask for any help from Erik. Not after the hug. She couldn’t have him touch her while she was so vulnerable. Not now that she knew her feelings for him ran deep. Deeper than she wanted. If they didn’t find the intruder-turned-attacker soon, she was going to fall hopelessly in love with this fine man.
And maybe that was supposed to happen. Maybe that was what God wanted for her. For Erik. Or not. She didn’t know how to interpret the shooting. Should she even do so? She was so confused.
Please. If I’m to learn something from this, make the lesson clear.
Until she had clarity, avoiding close contact with Erik would be best. She turned to Aiden instead. “What now?”
“Go ahead and have a seat.” His words were tight, clipped. “I’ll get the others.”
Erik pulled out a chair for her, his gaze locked on her.
“Thanks.” She dropped onto the chair.
Aiden strode to the far side of the room where his brothers were working in cubicles. She remained close enough to reach out and touch Erik, whose focus was riveted to her, but she would keep her gaze pinned to the whiteboard on the wall ahead of her until all the brothers dropped into chairs at the table. Including Erik, who sat down next to her.
She scooted her chair away, earning her a raise of his eyebrows. She looked away before he asked what was going on.
“FYI,” Drake said as he approached the table with his brothers, and Erik looked happy to have him back. “Waldron’s ex confirmed his story. No question. She really does hate the guy.”
Erik went to the whiteboard and slashed an angry line through Waldron’s name and spun to run down the attack with them. “How in the world did the shooter know where we were?”
“I might be able to shed some light on that,” Brendan said.
Everyone’s focus swiveled to him.
“Spit it out,” Erik demanded.
“Let me put this picture up on the screen.” He tapped his phone a few times, and a photo appeared of a small square gray plastic piece that read “Tile” on it.
Night Watch Page 14
