FOUR
Nate’s first impression of Graham Hughes wasn’t good. He smelled like day-old sweat and stale beer, and from the looks of his bloodshot eyes, he had evidently tied one on last night.
The husband of the deceased stood at least six-two and appeared to know his way around a weight room. All that muscle could easily overpower a woman, yet any use of force would leave telltale marks on the victim.
While Major Bennett’s exposed limbs had been free of bruises, the autopsy might reveal something hidden by her clothing. Nate would know soon enough.
“You went to the bar at 2300 hours?”
“Eleven o’clock? That’s right.” Graham nodded to Nate from across the table. “Wanda and I were together from then on. The bartender can tell you. We stayed at the bar and grill until it closed at 2:00 a.m. Then we went back to her apartment. I was still there when Mr. Steele knocked on her door this morning.”
Wanda had confirmed Graham’s alibi, which had been corroborated by the apartment security guard. He said Graham’s red Mustang convertible had remained parked next to Wanda’s Highlander from 2:00 a.m. on. Unless Graham had snuck out of the bar, gone to post and gotten back before heading to Wanda’s apartment, his alibi seemed tight.
Nate threw out a number of questions in rapid succession, but Graham’s answers never varied from the initial responses he had given Jamison. Eventually, Nate mentioned burial arrangements.
“Whatever Maggie wants is fine with me.”
One less problem for Maggie to worry about, for which Nate was grateful.
“How is she?” Graham asked. His eyes were soulful as he stared at Nate. “Maggie’s a good person. She doesn’t need more pain in her life.”
“No one does, Mr. Hughes.”
“You got that right.”
Graham glanced down at his clasped hands resting on the tabletop and shook his head. “I should have known it wouldn’t work out for Dani and me.”
“How’s that?”
“It might sound strange, but I sometimes wondered if Dani married me just to qualify for quarters on post. She lived in the Hunter Housing Area as a kid. The nice brick homes are usually reserved for lieutenant colonels, but a number of units were vacant when we started dating and it was common knowledge the post housing office planned to open the quarters to married majors just to get the vacancies filled.”
“So she got the house. What did you gain from the marriage?”
“Validation. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Dani made me feel like I’d finally turned my life around.”
Nate understood about making mistakes, but what mistakes did Graham have in his past? Had they caused his marriage to fall apart—or was that the result of other mistakes, ones he was making now? “When did you and Wanda start seeing each other?”
“I kept my distance until last night after my wife made it clear our marriage was over.”
Nate scooted his chair away from the table. “I’m sorry for your loss, Mr. Hughes. Don’t leave the area in case we need to get in touch with you.”
He met up with Jamison in the hallway. The fashionably dressed agent held up a manila folder. “I’ve got an address for Kendra Adams. A street of older row houses located in an area of town known for crime.”
“Let’s go.”
“No can do. The boss wants an update. I contacted the local authorities and filled them in.”
“That’s a help. Thanks.” Nate glanced at his watch. He had told Maggie he would drive her to the funeral home at 1300. One o’clock. That gave him more than an hour to talk to Kendra.
As he drove across town, Nate tried to keep his mind on the case instead of the struggle he’d seen play over Maggie’s pretty face and troubled eyes this morning. Last night, she’d pointed a finger at Graham, yet the man’s alibi was tight as an ammo canister. No matter how fetching Maggie seemed, she was undeniably fragile, as well. Was the stress of the situation making her irrational? It seemed so obvious that the major had committed suicide. Why did Maggie refuse to see it?
Approaching the street Jamison had mentioned, Nate signaled before he turned left. Halfway down the block, he spied a woman with mocha skin, wearing a colorful caftan and a matching scarf around her head. She stepped away from a second woman whose back was to the street. The wind teased auburn hair around the second woman’s slender shoulders as she waved her hands in the air.
Maggie?
Nate pulled to the curb and threw open the door. Slamming it closed behind him, he double-timed across the street.
The woman in the caftan raised her voice. “Get outta here. Leave me alone.” She turned on her heel.
Maggie caught her arm. “You can’t walk away from this, Kendra.”
The anger written across the face of the woman Maggie had called Kendra was evident even to Nate. He had to do something before the discussion got out of hand.
“Maggie,” he called.
She let go of Kendra’s arm and turned. “What are you doing here, Nate?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
Maggie glanced back at the other woman. “I was talking to Kendra Adams.”
The woman put her hands on her hips and stared at Nate. “Who are you?”
He held out his identification. “U.S. Army CID. I need to talk to you, Ms. Adams.” Nate glanced at the row of homes on the street. “Might be a good idea to move our conversation inside.”
Narrowing her eyes, Kendra looked over her shoulder. An elderly woman pulled back an upstairs curtain in the next-door dwelling and stared down at where Nate and the two women stood on the cracked sidewalk.
Expelling a deep sigh, Kendra turned and stomped up her steps. “You two had best come inside then.”
The house was modestly furnished, but clean and neat. Kendra pointed Nate and Maggie toward a flowered couch and sat across from them on an overstuffed chair decorated in the same floral print.
“Like I told you outside, I don’t know anything about Dani anymore.” Kendra looked first at Maggie and then switched her gaze to Nate. “If she’s in trouble, it has nothing to do with me.”
“Your name along with an address for a post office box in Manning, Georgia, were uncovered in her quarters,” Nate said. “Do you have any idea why?”
“Maybe she planned to write to me.” Kendra’s voice was spiked with attitude.
“For what reason?”
The woman pointed a finger back at her own chest. “Like I should know? Ask Dani.”
Nate ignored Kendra’s sarcastic reply. “Have you and Major Bennett kept in touch since high school?”
“She moved away in our junior year. That was the last I saw her.”
“What about when she came back to post?”
She shrugged. “I ran into Dani downtown once about two years ago. We said hello, talked for a few minutes. That was it.”
“You’re sure that’s the only time you’ve talked?” he pressed.
Kendra lifted her brow. “I’m very sure. You can ask Dani.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t. Major Bennett died last night.”
Kendra’s eyes widened. “She’s dead?”
Maggie nodded. “Murdered.”
Nate didn’t confirm or deny the comment. He’d let the mention of murder add to the anxiety pulling at Kendra’s face. He still believed the major’s death was suicide, but if she and Kendra had gotten mixed up in something dangerous—maybe something involving shipments into the U.S.—it might explain why she’d taken her own life.
Kendra rolled her eyes upward, and then covered her cheeks with her hands and moaned. “Oh, my God in heaven.”
Nate softened his tone. “Tell us what you and Dani were doing with that Manning P.O. box.”
Kendra dropped her hands and straightened her shoulders. Fear flashed in her eyes, but her jaw steeled with determination. “I don’t know anything about a P.O. box.”
At that moment, a rustle sounded from the hallway. Glancing over his shoulder, Nate saw a
small child, probably four or five years old, peering into the living room.
“Mama?”
“Baby cakes, you scoot on into the kitchen. Mama left a sandwich for you on the table. Be a good girl now and eat your lunch.”
Wide-eyed, the child raced through a swinging door at the end of the dining area and disappeared from sight.
Nate turned his focus back to Kendra. “Let me repeat my earlier question. What do you know about a post office box in Manning, Georgia?”
“Absolutely nothing.” She stared back at him for a long moment and then dropped her gaze.
Reaching into his pocket, Nate pulled out his cell phone. “I’m sworn to defend and protect the Constitution, ma’am. Part of my responsibilities involves protecting children who might be in danger. Excuse me while I contact Child Services. They’ll want to talk to you about any illegal activities with which you might be associated.”
He tapped in a series of digits, his eyes on the phone. From the tension in the room, Nate knew Kendra was weighing her options. If she were the dutiful mother she appeared to be, he expected the woman’s memory to improve within the next few seconds.
As he entered the seventh digit and placed the phone to his ear, Kendra held up her hand. “Wait.”
He glanced up.
“I’ll tell you what I know.” She sighed and slumped back in the chair.
He hit the disconnect button and lowered the phone. “I’m listening.”
“A man contacted me one night. I was in a bad way, struggling to make ends meet.” She shrugged. “He said I could earn a little extra. Buy some nice things for my child. So I asked the man what I had to do. He told me to rent a box at the post office in Manning. He said his friend would call me when a special package arrived addressed to me.”
“Did he tell you what the package would contain?”
“No. And I didn’t ask. About three weeks later, I got a phone call, telling me a box had arrived.”
“What else?”
“That’s all he said. I drove to Manning and picked up the package. The caller said I was to deliver it to Wally’s Pawn.”
“On Military Drive?” Nate asked.
“That’s it. A man by the name of LeShawn took the package and paid me for my trouble.”
“Did he open the box while you were there?”
“No. He put it in a back room. Then he gave me seventy-five dollars and told me someone would call if they needed me again.”
“How many packages have you received?”
“Hmm?” She looked at the ceiling. “At least five. No, six boxes in the last year.”
“Do you remember the return address or the name of the sender?”
“They were all different names from different military APOs. I can’t remember anything specific.”
“Who contacted you, Kendra?”
“He never told me his name.”
“And you have no idea what the boxes contained?”
She shook her head.
Maggie scooted forward on the couch. “What if they’re smuggling something illegal into the United States? If Dani was looking into it then maybe she was killed because of what she had learned.”
A low, guttural sound crept up from deep within Kendra. She glanced furtively toward the kitchen. The look on her face revealed the gravity of the mistake she had made.
“I never would have gotten involved, except my daughter has medical problems, which means specialists and medication. Money’s always tight.”
“Did you recognize the voice of the men who called you?” Maggie asked.
Kendra shook her head.
“Could one of them have been Graham?”
“Graham Hughes?” She thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. Maybe. I heard he and Dani were together again.” Kendra’s eyes widened. “You think he’s involved?”
“We’re not sure of anything at this point,” Nate said. “But should this turn into a criminal investigation, Ms. Adams, the authorities will look more leniently on you if you continue to provide information.” He gave her his card. “I don’t have to tell you, you may be in danger. Feel free to call me at any time.”
Maggie dug in her purse and pulled out her own business card. She hastily wrote down Kelly’s landline phone number, too. Handing it to Kendra, she said, “Call me if you need to talk. My cell is listed on the front of the card. The number of where I’m staying is on the back.”
Leaving the house, Nate sensed Maggie’s concern about Kendra’s safety. “I’ll alert the local police to increase surveillance in this area. The FBI and Postal Inspectors need to be brought onboard, as well.”
“Do you think it is a smuggling operation?”
“More than likely, based on her description. It’s a classic setup. When we get to the other people on your sister’s list, I’m sure we’ll hear a lot of similar stories.”
Maggie glanced back at Kendra’s house. “She must have been desperate.”
“Which is when people often make mistakes. I want you to drive back to post while I stop at the pawnshop. I’ll let you know if I learn anything new.”
Maggie shook her head. “If this involves Dani, I’m going with you. Besides…” She gave him a quick once-over. “Dressed in that coat and tie, you hardly look like the typical pawnshop clientele.”
“You don’t fit the bill, either, Ms. Bennett.”
“No, but together we might be able to pull it off. We’ll say I’m interested in pawned jewelry.”
“What am I, your jewelry consultant? I don’t like it, Maggie.”
“Do you have another option?”
“I’ll change clothes and come back undercover.”
“Which will waste time.”
“Go back to post, Maggie. I want to keep you safe.”
Her brow raised. “Then you can play the role of my protective boyfriend.” She turned and headed to her silver Saturn, leaving him to stare after her. Protective boyfriend?
As Maggie slipped behind the wheel, Nate opened the door to his own car and then turned to look over his shoulder. A dark-colored sedan sat parked at the end of the block. Although the windows were tinted, someone appeared to be hunkered down behind the wheel.
The person could have pulled off the road to talk on his cell phone or he could be waiting for someone. Neither option seemed to fit. Was the driver there because of them, because of the talk they’d had with Kendra?
Nate’s gut tightened as he thought of Kendra’s adorable daughter, knowing what could happen because her mother had gotten involved with people working outside the law.
Then he thought of Major Bennett’s body hanging from a noose. If she had been involved with a smuggling operation and didn’t know how to untangle herself, suicide could have provided a way out. But if she hadn’t been involved and instead had stumbled onto something illegal, that knowledge may have led to her murder.
Nate glanced at Maggie, who was adjusting the rearview mirror in her car. In jest, she had mentioned a protective boyfriend. If her sister had been murdered, Maggie would need more than a boyfriend to protect her. She would need a special agent to keep her alive.
FIVE
Maggie turned her Saturn into the pawnshop parking lot and braked to a stop next to Nate just before a sedan drove past. She had spied the car in her rearview mirror shortly after leaving Kendra’s neighborhood. Now, seeing the vehicle zip out of sight, her uneasiness grew. Why would anyone have tailed her to the pawnshop?
“Follow my lead,” Nate said, as she stepped onto the pavement. “Don’t give anything away. And don’t mention Kendra or the list of names.”
Did the man think she had no sense? She let out an exasperated sigh. “I may not be involved with law enforcement, but I do know how to keep a secret.”
He raised his brow.
“What?” she asked, nonplussed by his expression.
He continued to stare at her, causing a nervous tingle along the side of her neck.
“I’m n
ot saying that I have any secrets, if that’s the reason for that silly expression on your face. Besides, we were talking about not tipping our hands to the pawnshop owner. You’re becoming paranoid. Probably too much focus on your job. Aren’t all military guys overachievers?”
His lips formed a smile. “That’s debatable. Besides, you’re the one who keeps mentioning secrets. I’m trying to learn what’s being mailed to the people on the list we found in your sister’s quarters.”
“Then we’re working toward the same goal.”
His smile faded. “Are we, Maggie?”
“Why the verbal cat-and-mouse game, Nate? Do you think I’m not interested in the truth?”
“I’m just wondering what’s making you uptight.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Uptight?”
Maggie straightened her shoulders and tried to still the sporadic pounding of her heart, which—no matter what he thought—was not brought on by any lack of truthfulness on her part.
Rather, that dizzying feeling came from the way his eyes seemed to see beneath her skin to the very essence of who she really was, as if Nate had the ability to strip away the layers she wrapped protectively around her heart. She’d always been the shy wallflower next to her outgoing sister. It was disconcerting to have someone look that closely at her.
Needing to set him straight without delay, she widened her eyes and pursed her lips for emphasis. “The last thing I am is uptight or nervous.”
Nate reached for a strand of hair that had blown across her cheek. His finger skimmed her flesh, causing a streak of lightning to zip along her spine. Gooseflesh rose on her arms, which she rubbed, hoping to halt her body’s unexpected reaction to his touch.
In an attempt to cover her own confusion, Maggie returned the look Nate had given her with a levelheaded stare punctuated with a firm set of her jaw and narrowed eyes. “Let’s get this done. Remember you’re helping me find jewelry.”
“And we’re dating, right?”
Another jolt to her midsection. She needed to get her emotions under control lest Nate read more into the relationship than two people working to uncover the truth.
The Officer's Secret Page 5
