by Linda Howard
“He might’ve killed John.”
“Why do you say that?” Sam asked.
Nick noticed that she’d slipped into her cop mode, all signs of her earlier dismay over Peter gone.
“He’s been acting funny, leaving at odd hours, long silences. He seems very angry, but he won’t tell me why.”
“When I talked to you earlier in the investigation, you didn’t mention any of this.”
“I hadn’t put two and two together yet.”
“Tell me what you think you’ve put together.”
“That night,” Natalie said haltingly, “the night John was killed, we went to bed together, but I woke up in the middle of the night and he was gone.”
“You never mentioned that before.”
“He’s my husband, Detective.” Natalie’s eyes flooded with new tears. “I couldn’t believe it was even possible. I didn’t want to believe it’s possible.”
“So what changed?” Nick asked. “Why did you come here?”
“You were John’s friend,” Natalie said to Nick. “I thought you’d want to help find the person who did this to him.”
“Of course I do! But I want the truth!”
“So do I! I loved him! You know I did. Noel was jealous of him. I couldn’t even mention John’s name without setting him off.”
“What do you think set him off enough to want to kill him?” Sam asked.
“We saw John a couple of weeks before he died. It was at a cocktail party the Virginia Democrats had at Richard Manning’s house.” Natalie wiped new tears from her cheeks. “John came over to me, gave me a friendly hug and kiss. We talked for a long time, just catching up on each other’s lives. It was nothing. But I looked over at one point and saw Noel watching us. He looked like he could kill us both on the spot.”
“Why didn’t you mention any of this to us the other day?” Sam asked.
“I didn’t want to believe it.”
“You still haven’t said what changed your mind.”
“I asked him.” She ran a trembling hand through her disheveled hair. “Straight out. ‘Did you kill John?’ He denied it of course, but I don’t believe him.” To Nick, she said, “I didn’t know what to do, so I came over here, hoping you’d put me in touch with Detective Holland.”
“Do you have somewhere you can go where you’ll be safe?” Sam asked.
Natalie nodded. “My parents’ home in Springfield.”
“Give me some time to look into this,” Sam said.
“He’s powerful,” Natalie said. “You’ll never be able to pin this on him.”
“If he did it, I’ll pin it on him,” Sam assured her.
Natalie stood up to leave. “I’m sorry to barge in on you. I heard about what happened earlier. I’m glad you weren’t seriously hurt.”
They walked her to the door. “Tomorrow, I’ll want to get all of this on the record.” Sam pulled her ever-present notebook from her back pocket. “Write down your parents’ address and a phone number where I can reach you.”
Natalie did as she asked. “Thank you for listening.” To Nick, she added, “I know I was never your favorite person—”
“That’s neither here nor there.”
“Anyway, thank you.”
They watched her walk to her car.
“She’s full of shit,” Nick said, his eyes intensely focused on Natalie’s car as it drove away. “I don’t believe her for one minute.”
“What don’t you believe? That her jealous husband could’ve killed the man his wife never stopped loving? That’s as good a motive as I’ve heard yet.”
“I know Noel Jordan. He’s not made of that kind of stuff. If you ask me, she is, though. I could very easily see her losing her shit with John and killing him for not loving her enough. After what we heard earlier about her ex-boyfriend dying in a suspicious fire, you believe it’s possible, too.”
“Why would she come here, seeking out the lead detective on the case, if she was the one who did it? Think about that, Nick.”
“Why didn’t you ask her about what happened to her boyfriend in Hawaii?”
“I didn’t want to tip my hand on that just yet. As long as she thinks we don’t know about it, she might be more forthcoming.”
“I don’t like her. I’ve never liked her, and I don’t care what you say, she’s lying. She’ll do anything it takes to advance her agenda, even if it means tossing her husband under the bus.”
Sam checked her watch. “I wonder what time Noel goes to bed.”
“You’re actually going to do something with that pile of bullshit she just fed you?”
“Of course I am. This could be the break we’ve been waiting for.”
He ushered her out of the house and locked the door behind them. “You’re wasting your time.”
“It’s my time to waste.”
“It’s almost midnight.”
“I know what time it is. If you’d rather stay here, I can go by myself.”
“You’re not going anywhere by yourself as long as your ex-husband is out there waiting for another chance to kill you.”
“I don’t need you to protect me, Nick. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”
Silently, he ushered her into the car and a few minutes later took the exit for the George Washington Parkway, heading toward Alexandria. “You really think I could go home and go to bed and actually sleep, knowing you’re out here by yourself confronting a potential killer while your ex waits for his next opportunity?”
“I’ve been in tighter spots.”
“That was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before me.”
“I’m not one of those women who finds this whole alpha-male act sexy. In fact, it’s a major turn-off.”
“Whatever.”
They rode to Belle Haven in stony silence. Sam didn’t speak until she had to direct him to the dark house. She retrieved her gun and badge from her purse and tucked them into her coat pockets. “Wait here.”
As if she hadn’t spoken, Nick emerged from the car and followed her up the walk.
“I told you to wait!”
“You’re not going in there alone, Sam. It’s either me, or I call 911.” He held up his cell phone defiantly. “What’s it going to be?”
They engaged in a silent battle of wills until Sam finally said, “Don’t say a word. Do you hear me? Not one freaking word.” She spun around and marched up the front stairs to ring the bell. It echoed in the big house. They waited a couple of minutes before a light went on upstairs. Through the beveled windows next to the door, Sam watched Noel come down the stairs.
He peeked through the window before he opened the door. “Sergeant Holland?” Blinking, he glanced at Nick.
“Yes,” Sam said. “I’m sorry to call on you so late.” Begrudgingly, she added, “I believe you know Nick Cappuano.”
“Of course. Come in.” Noel’s blond hair stood on end. He wore a T-shirt from a road race with flannel pajama pants and hardly resembled the second-ranking attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice she had met the other day.
Nick and Noel shook hands as he ushered them into the house.
“What can I do for you?”
“Is Natalie here?” Sam asked, feeling him out.
Noel’s genial expression faded. “She flew out of here in a rage after we had a fight earlier. She must be at her parents’ house.”
“Is that something that happens often?” Sam asked. “The rages?”
“It’s not the first time, but I think it’s going to be the last. I can’t believe what she accused me of! She thinks I could actually kill John O’Connor. Can you even imagine?”
“People have killed over jealousy before.”
“I see that she’s voiced her suspicions to you.” Noel ran his hands through his hair. “What do you want, Detective?”
“Why did you tell me that you attended the Big Brother/Big Sister event the night John was killed?”
“Your date book was off by a week.”
Noel seemed startled to hear that. “My secretary keeps it up for me.” He thought for a moment. “You know, you’re right. It was two weeks ago. I’m really sorry about that. Things have been insane at work lately, and at home…”
“What’s been going on at home?” Nick asked.
Sam glowered at him. “I’ll ask the questions.” Turning back to Noel, she said, “Things have been tense between you and Natalie?”
“More so than usual since we saw John at a fundraiser a couple of weeks ago. She knows how I feel about her talking and flirting with him in public, so what does she do? Flaunts her ‘friendship’ with him right in front of my face—and everyone in the room is talking about the two of them. How do you think that makes me feel?”
“Disrespected?” Nick said.
“I said to be quiet!” Sam hissed.
Noel directed an ironic chuckle at Nick that infuriated Sam.
“I guess you can relate, huh?” Noel said to Nick.
They followed Noel into the living room where he poured himself a drink from a crystal decanter.
Sam shook her head when he offered them one.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Nick said, earning another glare from Sam.
“Were you jealous of John?” Sam asked, anxious to wrestle the interview back from the old boy’s club.
Noel handed Nick a drink and took a seat on the sofa. “I was sick of him. I was sick of hearing about him, sick of running into him. Mostly, I was sick of being her consolation prize.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this the other day?” Sam asked.
Swirling the amber liquor around his glass, Noel glanced at her. “Because I love her.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Pathetic, huh? She has almost no regard for me or my feelings, yet I love her anyway.”
“Were you sick enough of John O’Connor to kill him, Mr. Jordan?”
“No! Of course not. I didn’t kill him.”
“I’d like to give you a polygraph in the morning,” Sam said.
“Fine. I have nothing to hide.”
“Natalie said she woke up in the middle of the night John was killed and you were gone?”
“I was out running. I do that when I can’t sleep.”
“Do you think Natalie continued to see John after you were married?”
“We ran into him quite frequently. I’ve told you that.”
“I don’t mean in public.”
Sam watched as her meaning dawned on him.
“You’re not suggesting…”
“I’m not suggesting anything. I’m just asking.”
“If she’d been seeing him, it’s certainly without my knowledge.” He took a long sip of whiskey, and Sam noticed a slight tremble in his hand.
“Do you think there’s any way she killed him?”
“I’d like to say no way, but I honestly don’t know anymore what she’s capable of. I used to think I knew her. All I can say is she’s been genuinely distraught since we heard he was dead. No doubt she’s more upset than she would’ve been if it had been me who’d been murdered. And I’m the one who actually married her.”
“Do you know about her ex-boyfriend who died in Hawaii?”
He nodded. “Brad. She’s had more than her share of heartbreak, that’s for sure.”
Sam stood up. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you, but I appreciate your candor. I’ll have someone contact you in the morning about the polygraph.”
At the door, Noel said, “I didn’t kill him, Sergeant. But it doesn’t break my heart that someone else did.”
*
“I know you’re dying to tell me what you think,” Sam said as they crossed the 14th Street Bridge on the way back to Capitol Hill.
“I was told to be quiet.”
“I don’t want to fight with you, Nick. That’s the last thing I need right now.”
“I don’t want that, either. But you’re asking a lot expecting me not to worry about you. He tried to blow you up.”
“We’re both kind of raw today,” she said, reaching for his hand. “I really do want your impression of Noel.”
“So you value my opinion?”
“Yes!”
Laughing, he curled his fingers around hers.
Right away, Sam felt better.
“He didn’t do it,” Nick said, “but he’s not a hundred percent certain that she didn’t.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“I still say she’s the one. She wanted John, he rejected her and she’s never gotten over that.”
“So why now? What sent her over the edge?”
“Maybe she didn’t want to see him get the big win with the immigration bill.”
“Why would she care about that? I keep coming back to that, to the timing of it all on the eve of that vote. Why then?”
“I can’t see how the bill would have any impact whatsoever on Natalie,” Nick said.
“Maybe the bill has nothing at all to do with his murder.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Yeah,” Sam said, staring out the window. “Me, too.”
CHAPTER 28
Sam tossed and turned. She dreamed about Peter, Quentin Johnson and Natalie Jordan, and for once she actually remembered the dreams when she awoke with a start, her heart racing. Glancing at the bedside clock, she saw it was just after three and realized Nick wasn’t in bed with her. Her eyes darted around the dark room and found him standing at the window, the glow of a street light illuminating his tall frame.
Taking a moment to appreciate his muscular back, she remembered him telling her he loved her and was filled with a warm feeling of contentment and safety that was all new to her. Then she remembered arguing with him over Noel and Natalie, and her stomach took a sickening dip. The soaring highs and crushing lows were just one reason why she’d stayed away from men since she broke up with Peter, who never would’ve been as civil as Nick had been during a fight. Even though they’d disagreed, Sam didn’t doubt for a minute that he loved her. That made him as different from Peter as a man could get.
She got up and went to Nick. Slipping her arms around him from behind, she pressed her lips to his back. “What’re you doing up?”
He rested his hands over hers. “Couldn’t sleep.”
“He’s not stupid enough to come back here. By now he knows we’re looking for him.”
“I think I could kill him if I got my hands on him. I really think I could. Not just because of the bombs, but all those years ago, too. All the years we could’ve had.”
“He’s not worth losing sleep over, Nick.” She turned him so he faced her and shivered with desire when he ran his hands over her while looking down at her with hot, needy eyes. Looping her arms around his neck, she gasped when he lifted her and carried her back to bed. “I thought you were mad with me.”
“I am,” he said in an unconvincing tone as he snuggled her against him and pulled the comforter up around them. “Try to get some sleep.”
She dragged a lazy finger from his chest to his belly and smiled when he trembled under her touch.
“Sleep, Samantha.”
“What if I don’t want to, Nick?” she asked, curling her hand around his erection.
“I’m sleeping,” he said with an exaggerated yawn. “And I’m mad with you.”
Laughing, she clamped her teeth down on his nipple.
“Ow! That hurt!”
“But you’re not asleep anymore,” she said with a victorious smile as she raised herself up to plant wet kisses on his belly while continuing to stroke him.
His fingers combed through her hair. “You’re going to be tired again tomorrow.”
“Then I’d better make it count.” She straddled him and teased him by sliding her wet heat over his hard length, her nails lightly scoring his chest.
He arched his back, seeking her.
&nb
sp; “Maybe you’re right,” she said, stopping. “We should get some sleep.”
Growling, he surged up and entered her with a hard thrust that took her breath away.
“Mmm,” she sighed, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back in bliss. “All right, if you insist.”
“I insist. Sleep is highly overrated.” He brought her down to him and fused his lips to hers, his tongue flirting and enticing.
When she needed to breathe, Sam broke the kiss and moved with painstaking slowness, rising up until they were barely connected, and then taking him deep again. If his sharp intake of air was any indication, he liked it. A lot. So she stopped. “Are you still mad at me?”
“Yes.” With his hands on her hips, he tried to control the pace, but she wouldn’t be controlled. “Sam…” He moaned, his eyes closed, his jaw tight with tension. “Babe…” Overpowering her, he held her in place and pumped into her. “Come for me. Now.”
She rolled her hips, but the orgasm hovered just out of reach. “I can’t,” she whimpered.
Without losing their connection, he turned them over and gave it to her hard and fast, the way she’d told him she liked it, as he sucked her nipple into his mouth and flicked his tongue back and forth.
She cried out when she reached the climax that had eluded her.
Calling out her name, he went with her.
Her fingers danced through the dampness on his back. “You didn’t have to do that.”
He raised his head and found her eyes in the milky darkness. “Do what?”
“Wait for me.” Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she was grateful for the dark.
He kissed her. “I’ll always wait for you.”
“It doesn’t always happen.”
“It has with me unless you’ve been faking.”
She smacked his shoulder. “I haven’t!”
“I know,” he said, laughing as he rolled to his side and brought her with him.
“It’s been an issue…in the past.”
“It’s not an issue now.”
Reaching up to caress his face, she pressed her lips to his neck and breathed in the warm spicy scent she was quickly coming to crave. “I guess the right partner makes all the difference, even when he’s mad with you.”
