Beautiful Storm (Lightning Strikes Book 1)

by Barbara Freethy

  She'd broken that habit last night though. Liliana's disappearance hadn't just changed Michael's life; it had also changed hers.

  "You're not Connie," Michael said. "You have to keep some emotional distance here, Alicia."

  "I know that. It just struck me for a moment, that's all. Anyway, no one seemed to have any idea that Connie was sleeping with Bryer. Everyone who worked with her expressed surprise that she'd been found in his bed."

  "Not everyone was surprised," Michael said, glancing down at his notes. "Bryer's housekeeper stated that she'd seen Connie at the professor's house two days earlier. And a teaching assistant at the university—not TJ—said that he'd seen Thomas and Connie having drinks at a bar called the Flight Deck. I didn't see TJ interviewed about the case at all."

  "I noticed that. The Flight Deck did come up a few times in the material I read. Bryer met Connie there at least four times in the month preceding their deaths. They also went to Burger Bob's, which is apparently one of Bryer's favorite places. We were just there yesterday." It felt a little unsettling to think they'd inadvertently gone to one of the couple's meeting places without knowing it.

  "Just because they ate together or had drinks together doesn't mean they were more than friends and colleagues," Michael said.

  "Don't forget the text messages and emails exchanged between the two of them. Those indicated they were having a personal relationship of some nature."

  "I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I read the texts provided in court." He flipped through the pages. "Here they are: It's important we speak tonight. I need to see you. When can we get together? Are you working late again? When is your wife coming back to town?" He lifted his gaze to hers. "You could spin those texts but if you just look at them objectively, they don't sound that damning. It's not like they were sexting or sending naked photos to each other.

  He had a point. "Well that would support Cheryl's claim that they weren't involved in an affair. But I did read that a bartender at the Flight Deck reported overhearing a loud fight between Professor Bryer and his wife a couple of days before the murder. What were they fighting about?"

  "Could have been anything. That same witness—Kayla Robbins—said she'd personally served Connie and the professor at least twice in the weeks preceding the murder and that she wasn't surprised that they'd been found in bed together."

  She groaned. "We're going around in circles, Michael. Were they or weren't they? How will we ever know?"

  "Good question. I will say that the manner of death felt very cold-blooded and somewhat deliberate. Both were killed with one bullet. Bryer took it in the head; Connie got it in the heart. It felt like a message was being delivered."

  "Which played into the prosecutor's case that the scorned wife, who was an excellent marksman, killed them both. But I don't get why she'd kill them in her house or stick around, call 911, and cooperate with the police. She was questioned for an hour before she requested an attorney," Alicia said.

  "She could have been trying to prove how innocent she was. She could have thought she was smart enough to beat them. Did you find anyone else with a motive?"

  "I wondered about the housekeeper's son, Joey Martinez." She riffled through some papers and pulled out the one with his statement. "He went to the house with his mother the morning after the two were killed. He said he was just dropping her off for work as usual, and they hadn't heard the news until they arrived and saw the crime scene tape."

  She paused, turning to the next page. "He told the police his mother had worked for the family for two years and that they hadn't treated her all that well. They often asked her to work late to accommodate their schedules but didn't pay her much." She glanced over at Michael. "That matches what Liliana had in her notes that the son said the professor was cheap. Do you still have Liliana's notes?"

  "Yeah, but they're in the pocket of the jeans I wore last night, which are in the car. Should I get them now?"

  "We can look at them again later. Was there anything else in your batch of papers that jumped out at you?"

  "Yes. Paul Sandbury, Connie Randolph's coworker."

  "I read his testimony. What bothered you about it?"

  Michael thought for a moment. "It seemed incomplete, as if Sandbury had something to say, but no one was asking him the right questions. He mentioned that Connie and Thomas argued in the office, but he didn't think it was of a personal nature. He thought it was about work. Unfortunately, he didn't hear the conversation, just the tone. He also mentioned that Connie's ex-husband also had an altercation with Connie several months earlier. It got so heated that the ex-husband was escorted out of the building."

  "Yes, but Brian Randolph had an airtight alibi. He was giving a seminar at a conference attended by hundreds of people."

  "That doesn't mean he couldn't have set up the murder," Michael said. "We need more information, Alicia. We need to get it from someone who knew the professor well."

  "Or Connie. I think we need to put together a list, start at the top and work our way down. Speculation isn't getting us anywhere."

  "All right. Let's do it."

  As she put the papers back into her file, her phone rang. The flashing number surprised her. "It's TJ."

  "Great," Michael said with excitement. "Put it on speaker so I can hear."

  "Hello? TJ?"

  "Alicia Monroe?"

  "Yes, thanks for calling me back. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Jake's youngest sister."

  "Sure, I remember you. If this is about my mother, then I know what you're going to say, the house is a disaster. You have to understand that I have someone coming in once a week to clean, but I can't afford to make it more frequent, and my mother makes a mess ten minutes after the housekeeper leaves. My mother has trouble staying focused on whatever task she's doing. She had a mini-stroke several months ago. She's getting better, and I'm checking on her as often as I can, but I have to work, and she absolutely refuses to have anyone else come into the house."

  She heard the frustration and anger in his voice. "What about the neighbors? Or other family members?"

  "Katherine is busy at the hospital and is never around. The neighbors haven't been helpful."

  "Well, I spoke to my mother. She's going to check in on Debbie today. She said she'd try to pull some people together."

  "Really? That would be amazingly helpful," he said with relief.

  "Good. I hope your mother gets better quickly. But it wasn't just your mom's situation that I was calling about. I need to talk to you about Professor Bryer's murder. Did you work in his department at the time that he was killed?"

  Silence followed her words.

  "TJ?" she prodded.

  "Why are you asking me about that? I thought you were a photographer living in Miami."

  "I am, but I'm also involved in this case."

  "I told that lawyer everything I knew. I can't go through it again."

  "What lawyer?"

  "Lieutenant Valdez. She asked me a bunch of questions a few months ago."

  Her breath caught in her chest. "What did you tell her?"

  "That I didn't think Professor Bryer was banging that woman who was killed. She wasn't into him at all."

  "Are you sure? Several witnesses saw them together at a bar in town and also at his house."

  "Everyone at MDT and the university has had a drink at the Flight Deck. It's a hugely popular bar. I don't think it was unusual that they were there."

  "So you don't think his wife killed him because he was cheating on her?"

  "I don't know what happened exactly, but I think you should leave it alone, and I know I should stay out of it. I work at MDT now. I don't need to get into the middle of anything."

  "I understand, but Lieutenant Valdez is missing, TJ. It's been two months since anyone saw her. We think her disappearance has to do with the murders, so if you can tell me anything else, I would really appreciate it."

  Silence followed her words and then TJ said,
"Lieutenant Valdez seemed to think that someone else killed Professor Bryer and the woman he was with, that there might be a link between his death and someone at MDT."

  "Someone like who?"

  "She didn't say. She just asked a lot of questions, which was something she and Professor Bryer had in common. He asked a lot of questions, too. I'm beginning to think one of those questions got him killed."

  "What kinds of questions would the professor have been asking?"

  "Probably something about the technology he was helping them with, and, no, I don't know what he was working on exactly. It's a big company and they have at least a dozen product lines. I'm working on GPS trackers. Professor Bryer was doing something with aeronautical engineering, but everything is highly classified. I don't know what the person in the cubicle next to me is working on.

  "Can you give me the name of someone else at MDT I can talk to?"

  "The only person I know who worked with Professor Bryer was Reid Packer, one of the co-owners of MDT. Reid and his older brother Alan run the company, but Reid is more hands-on with the technology. I know he testified at the trial, but he's way above my pay grade, so I can't give you any more than that."

  "If something else comes to you that might help us follow the same path that Lieutenant Valdez took, will you call me?"

  "Sure, I guess. If you're trying to follow her trail, then you should also go to the Flight Deck. A lot of MDT employees go there. The owner used to work for the company, so he gives everyone with an MDT badge half off their drinks."

  "We'll definitely go there. Thanks, TJ."

  "You're welcome, and if you can get your mom to help my mom, I'd appreciate that."

  "I know she'll help," she said confidently. "Bye." She ended the call and looked at Michael. "Reid Packer could be the name that Liliana referred to in her notes when she wrote MDT-RP. What did he say in his testimony? Do you remember? I have to admit some of it got so tedious, I started to skim."

  "He didn't say much of anything. He couldn't disclose what Connie or the professor was working on because of national security. I believe he played that card several times. And I don't think it's going to be easy for us to get the owner of MDT on the phone. I doubt Liliana would have been able to get to him, either."

  "Unless she had someone to give her an introduction."

  "Like who?"

  "Like your grandfather. Maybe he knows him. His name was in Liliana's notes right next to MDT-RP. I think you should try him again."

  Michael frowned. "It's a little odd that he hasn't called me back. He's usually good about that." He pulled out his phone and made the call. He listened for a moment and then hung up. "He's not answering."

  "You don't want to leave another message?"

  "I already left one. I'll try him again tonight. I think we should go talk to Melissa's sister and then hit the bar up later this afternoon or evening. There will be more people there later in the day."

  "Good idea. There might be more information here than we've realized but it's a lot to take in at one time."

  "I agree. My eyes started glazing over with the legal language."

  "Exactly. I'd rather follow the same trail Liliana was following. If we talk to the same people, maybe we'll figure out what she discovered. Let's start with Cheryl."

  * * *

  Cheryl Alton was a busty, loud redhead, whose voice could be heard clearly above the chatter in the hair salon. After the receptionist told Cheryl that some people wanted to talk to her about her sister, she'd asked them to wait for five minutes, then left her client sitting in a chair with foil-stripped hair and joined them in the lobby.

  "Who are you again?" she asked suspiciously.

  "I'm Alicia Monroe and this is Michael Cordero," Alicia said. "We're friends with the attorney who was looking into your sister's appeal."

  "Which one?" Cheryl asked. "It's been musical chairs where lawyers are concerned. No one seems to care that every time the music stops, my sister's case loses ground."

  "Lieutenant Liliana Valdez," Michael said. "She went missing two months ago, and the police believe there was foul play."

  "I heard about that, but I don't know what I can tell you. I only spoke to her once. I thought she was going to help me. She actually listened to me, not like the other lawyers who could barely give Melissa the time of day."

  "What did you talk about with Lieutenant Valdez?" Alicia asked.

  "My sister's innocence." She waved them toward the couch. "Sit down. I've got a few minutes while my client's color sets." After they were seated, she added, "I told Lieutenant Valdez that my sister could have never shot her husband, no matter what she thought he might be doing, and I don't believe for a second he was having an affair."

  "What do you think happened?" Michael asked. "If your sister is innocent, who is guilty?"

  "I wish I knew, but I think it was someone at MDT. Thomas was working long hours there. He was only supposed to be consulting, but he was there every night in the weeks before he died."

  "Are you sure he was there for work and not to be with Connie?" Alicia asked, thinking that those long hours might back up the affair.

  "That's what the prosecutor asked me. No matter what I said, he twisted it to support his theory, but that doesn't make his theory the truth," she said hotly. "He didn't know Thomas; I did. The man was obsessed with work, whether it was teaching or consulting. He was an intellectual. His whole focus was on what he could learn and what he could teach. He barely noticed women on a sexual level. My sister said they'd go months without having sex because Thomas just wasn’t that into it. Does that sound like a man who would try to juggle another woman on the side?"

  "Maybe he wasn't into sex with your sister," Michael suggested. "That's why he got another woman on the side."

  Cheryl shook her head, annoyance in her eyes. "I don't believe that. They were together for fifteen years. They met when they were teenagers. They loved each other. My sister came home and found Thomas dead. She's not lying about that. And she's been in prison for over a year for a crime she didn't commit. Her first attorney quit. Her second attorney had barely graduated when he got into the middle of the case, and now the attorney who was reviewing her appeal is missing. Doesn't that sound odd to you?"

  "It does," Michael agreed. "But the problem is that there isn't any evidence pointing to anyone else but your sister, unless you know something we don't."

  "Someone set her up really well," Cheryl said. "But I can't believe whoever did it committed the perfect crime. There had to be a mistake somewhere. I think that Lieutenant Valdez got close to finding that mistake and now she's gone."

  Alicia thought the same thing. "Do you know anything about Thomas's work at MDT?"

  "I know MDT is a defense contractor, and that they work on systems for the military. Thomas wasn't allowed to speak to my sister about what projects he was working on, but I know there were weapons involved. I believe that whatever Thomas was working on is tied to his death. I told the police that, but they never seemed interested in questioning anyone at MDT. I suspect that's because the company brings a ton of money into the community. I wouldn't be surprised if they bought off the local police." Cheryl paused. "I've tried to get in there and ask questions, but I can't get past the front gate. It's a huge compound with several buildings, an airplane hangar and even a runway for small planes. It's like a small city."

  Which would probably make it impossible for them to get in there, either, Alicia thought.

  "The other person I thought should have been investigated more thoroughly was Brian Randolph, Connie's ex-husband," Cheryl continued. "Just because he had an alibi doesn't mean he didn't send someone to kill her. I also told Lieutenant Valdez that she should speak to Paul Sandbury. He was one of Connie's coworkers at MDT. I watched him testify, and I thought he was fidgety as hell. I told that to the defense attorney, and he said he thought Mr. Sandbury was nervous because the head of MDT was sitting in the audience watching his testimony."
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br />   "The owner?" Alicia queried.

  "Reid Packer. He testified, too, but he didn't say much. Every answer was classified for national security." She paused, glancing back at her client. "I have to go. Take my card," she said, getting up to retrieve a business card from the reception desk. "Call me if you have more questions about anything. I don't know what is happening with the appeal now that Lieutenant Valdez is missing. Last I heard a few weeks ago, they were going to get another attorney. I think her name is Erin Hodges. I called her last week, but she hasn't gotten back to me yet."

  After Cheryl returned to her client, Alicia and Michael walked out of the salon, pausing on the sidewalk.

  "We need to find an in at MDT," Alicia said.

  "We already have an in—your friend TJ. He works there. Maybe he can get us to Paul Sandbury."

  "I'll call TJ back," she said, pulling out her phone.

  "Alicia, I don't know anything else," TJ said before she had a chance to ask a question.

  She cut right to the chase. "I need information on Paul Sandbury. He works at MDT and was in Connie Randolph's department. Do you think you could give me his phone extension?"

  "Hang on."

  She let out a breath as she looked at Michael. "He's checking."

  TJ came on the phone a moment later. "Paul Sandbury doesn't work at the company anymore."

  Her heart sped up at that piece of information. "When did he leave?"

  "About two months ago."

  The same amount of time since Liliana had disappeared.

  "Where did he go?"

  "Texas A&M. He teaches in the engineering department."

  Her nerves jangled at that piece of news.

  "I've got to go, Alicia. Don't call me back. I can't get any more involved. I need to keep my job so I can take care of my mother."

  "All right." She hadn't even finished speaking when TJ hung up.