Silent Witness

by Lindsay McKenna

  “Like what?”

  “Like was Hodges still with you? Was he still giving testimony about the Ares Conference?’”

  Cochrane grinned. “That set the hook into Michelson, I’ll bet.”

  “Did it ever. I’ve never seen anyone so angry, Jim. Michelson didn’t say a peep. He just kept signing all those papers and then stalked out. He was already at the door when I called to him and asked him why he was so upset.”

  Jim chuckled. “That took gumption. Did he respond?”

  “He turned to me and said people need to respect the traditions of the Navy. It was kind of a strange reply, I thought.”

  “I reckon he thinks Hodges broke the code of silence and told us about their Barstow Hotel fiasco with Susan. That Hodges might resign his commission and the Navy be damned.”

  Frowning, Ellen said, “That’s the least that he deserves.”

  “But even if Michelson or Bassett cracks and comes forth on the record, Hodges will probably walk free. Maybe with what happened today, Michelson is our best chance at getting testimony. I think I’ll pay him a visit in a day or two and see if he’s willing to come clean. Maybe cut a deal with him.”

  “I just can’t believe this will be allowed to happen, Jim.”

  He gave her a wry look. “Maybe we’ve primed the pump enough among that threesome to make Michelson tell the truth under oath. Then we’d have a case that would wobble to court, with no guarantee that these three would be indicted.” Cochrane looked heavenward for a moment. “I don’t know of any way to officially open this can of worms. I’m hesitant, because I don’t want Susan’s good name smeared with a weak court case. It’s one of those damned if you do and damned if you don’t things.”

  A fresh round of tears came to Ellen’s eyes and she wiped them away. “Right now,” she said, “I don’t care about the three of them. I care about Tommy and Susan. Robert and Brad Kane have a lot on their shoulders, too.”

  Cochrane couldn’t stand her tears. He got up, went to the door and locked it. There were no windows, so no one could see the two of them. Ellen gave him a questioning look at he turned toward her.

  “Come here,” he urged roughly, sliding his arms around her shoulders. Right now, Ellen needed a little comfort. Hell, so did he. As he pulled her against him, her soft breasts against his chest, her curly hair tickling his jaw, he felt her arms go around his waist. Cochrane tightened his embrace. Then he felt Ellen sob.

  “It’s okay, gal,” he soothed, kissing her hair, her temple. “Go ahead, let it out. You can cry for Susan, too….” He shut his eyes and rested his chin against her hair. The scent of jasmine drifted up into his nostrils. Ellen was small, but what a package of dynamite she was. A wry smile pulled at his mouth as he began to slowly massage her tense shoulders. Making slow circles with his hands, he absorbed her sobs of grief. Frustration and anger welled up, too. Feeling her tremble, Cochrane continued to gently rock her back and forth. “It’s okay, gal, it’s gonna work out….” Not the way they wanted, though.

  Cochrane eased away a little to dab Ellen’s damp cheek. Everything about her was so natural, and so totally appealing. He slid his hand into her tangled, soft hair. “It’s gonna be okay, gal,” he whispered, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her temple. This time, she raised her face, and her eyes were gleaming with need. Reading the desire in them, Cochrane captured her parted lips. As her mouth hungrily fit against his, he groaned and gripped her more tightly. Her lips were salty tasting. Wet. Slippery. He felt her hands inching up his chest and around his neck. Hungry. She was hungry—for him.

  The last hour of the interview had been filled with such pain. Yet it began to evaporate as Cochrane drowned beneath the assertive onslaught of her mouth tangling with his. They needed reassurance from one another that something good was still left in this world. Drowning in the splendor of her tongue sliding across his lower lip and her hips against his, Cochrane felt the ugly little world of Hodges disappear beneath the pulsing heat of Ellen. She was life. Real life. The goodness in life. He seized her lips in return and let her know how much he wanted and needed her.

  Breathing unevenly, Ellen slowly broke away from Jim’s mouth. Oh, he knew how to kiss. Throughout her body, she felt the sizzle and aching need to have him—have all of him. Searching his stormy gray eyes, she saw his boyish smile. He lifted his hand and ran it gently through the curly strands of her hair. Somehow, he had assuaged her grief and given her love instead. Love? Where had that word come from?

  Jim stroked Ellen’s hair, feeling the fierceness of his feelings for her. How could it be love? It was too soon. Or was he just plain needy and he was calling lust, love? No. He wasn’t built that way. As he gazed down into Ellen’s shimmering green eyes, Jim knew the possibility was there. But how could it happen so fast? Without him seeing it coming? He’d courted Jodi for two years before he realized he was in love.

  Giving himself an internal shake, Jim realized that maybe life was handing him a second chance…with Ellen. She was completely different in temperament from his ex-wife. Yes, she had a way of working with him that made adjustments and compromise painless, not pointed.

  Grazing her hair, he smiled. “Come on, we gotta get moving. Tomorrow is another brutal day for everyone.”

  Nodding, Ellen stepped away. She didn’t want to, but knew they had to. “The Kane family meeting.”

  “You sound like it’s a death sentence, gal.”

  Ellen walked over and picked up her knapsack and briefcase. “It feels like one—for everyone.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  July 17

  COCHRANE TRIED TO GIRD himself emotionally for the forthcoming confrontation with the Kane men. Ellen was like a brilliant beam of sunlight in the late afternoon. He was dreading this interview and she looked like life personified in comparison. Her bright yellow dress and wild hair fueled him with an inner happiness. Cochrane applauded her spirit; it was such a contrast to his by-the-book Navy world. Her eyes gave her away, however. She had as much apprehension over today’s interview as he did. She sat at the opposite end of the long table, facing him. Earlier, she had placed the teddy bear on a file cabinet at the rear of the room.

  Through the door, Cochrane saw Lieutenant Tommy Kane turn the corner and head in their direction, cap in hand. As the man approached, Cochrane could see the smudges beneath his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept well since Susan’s death. His expression was highly readable to Cochrane: anxious, worried and exhausted.

  Tommy entered the room and stopped. “I guess I’m at the right place?”

  “You are,” Ellen said gently, going over and shaking his hand. Tommy returned her smile.

  He placed his cap on the table and headed for the coffee station. As he stood there pouring the steaming liquid into a white cup, he said, “I just got in. My squadron finished a series of night flights just before I left, so I’m dead on my feet.”

  Cochrane nodded sympathetically as he watched the aviator. Tommy was all about sensitivity. His hands trembled when he poured in cream and sugar. His smile was vulnerable. But the pilot’s dark blue gaze turned assessing as he moved back to the table with his coffee.

  “Have you been in touch with your brother or father since the funeral?” Ellen asked.

  Tommy shook his head uneasily. “No, not really. Carrier duty doesn’t leave you much time to talk, think or feel.”

  Cochrane was about to say something when both Brad and Robert Kane rounded the corner, walking with gestapo-like imperiousness toward the conference room. “Here they come,” he said, more in warning to Ellen than to Tommy. Ellen’s face lost its openness and he didn’t blame her. These two were ballbusters of the first order, hardened warriors who took no prisoners. Jim found himself bristling inwardly, wanting to somehow protect Ellen from the inevitable confrontation.

  Robert Kane, dressed impeccably in an expensive suit and tie, entered first. Right behind him, in his summer whites, was Brad. The aviator had a short stub of an unlit c
igar jammed into the left side of his mouth.

  “Come in, gentlemen,” Cochrane invited, as Ellen quietly closed the door. “There’s coffee over there if you’d—”

  “Let’s dispense with formalities, shall we, Lieutenant?” Robert Kane said crisply. He sat down at the table.

  Brad Kane sat at his father’s shoulder. Both were opposite Tommy, who gave them a genuine smile of welcome. Neither man acknowledged the younger Kane.

  Cochrane scowled, pushed the button on the tape recorder and began. “We’re reconvening to ask you more questions in regard to Susan’s death.”

  “Her suicide,” Robert snapped, lifting his chin and glaring at him.

  “Yes,” Cochrane said, “her suicide. We thought you’d like to know why she took her life.”

  “Very well,” Robert snarled.

  “New evidence has come to light,” Cochrane stated.

  Brad Kane’s frosty blue gaze darted to Cochrane and then across the table to Tommy, who sat listening raptly.

  Ellen zeroed in on Brad. “Commander Kane, we know you were at the Ares Conference earlier this year. We thought that it was probable you ran into Susan there. Did you?” she asked, her tone firm and unyielding.

  The cigar shifted in Brad’s mouth. “I did not see her there.”

  “All right,” Cochrane said, giving the man an equally cold look. “You do know a Lieutenant Commander Hodges?”

  “Lieutenant Commander Hodges is a friend of long standing. He’s a fine officer and an excellent pilot.” Brad moved the cigar to the other side of his mouth. “So what?”

  Cochrane cleared his throat. “And you’re very sure you hadn’t seen Susan in person for how long?”

  “Two years.”

  “Did you ever visit her at her La Mesa condo?” Ellen asked softly. She saw his eyes widen and then narrow like a hunter’s upon her. Would he lie, when they had his fingerprints showing he’d been at her condo?

  Brad snapped out his answer. “No. I never went to her condo.”

  Ellen got up and walked over to the file cabinet. Gently, she picked up Susan’s teddy bear and brought it to the table. “Then, Commander, how do you explain that we lifted your fingerprint off this bear’s eye? It’s the same teddy bear Susan was holding when she died.”

  Brad’s lips tightened around the cigar. He stared at the bear and then at Ellen.

  The silence lengthened.

  Cochrane watched the family closely. Tommy’s expression was one of confusion as he looked from the stuffed toy to his brother.

  Robert’s face grew icy.

  Brad’s furrowed brow broke out in a sheen of sweat.

  “Well?” Ellen demanded softly. “Can you tell us how your fingerprint got on this bear’s eye if you never were at Susan’s condo? How could it have gotten there, Commander?”

  “Why should I fall for a stupid ruse like this?” Brad snapped, taking the cigar out of his mouth.

  “Excuse me?” Ellen said, raising her brows.

  “There’s no print on that bear’s eye. This is a setup, a frame.”

  Cochrane produced a document and slid it down the table. “Take a look, Commander. It’s an official copy of the print the JAG lab recently lifted off the eye of the bear. There’s no denying that it’s yours.”

  A fresh layer of sweat formed across Brad’s furrowed brow as he picked up the paper. His hands trembled and he cut a glance to his father.

  “Why would your fingerprint be on Susan’s bear?” Tommy demanded, searching his brother’s face. “She’s had that bear ever since she was born. No one was ever allowed to touch it. Ever.”

  Brad sat very still, his hand flattened on the damning document.

  “Look,” Robert Kane said nastily to Cochrane, “you’re out of line, Lieutenant.”

  “I think that your son knows a great deal more than he’s telling us. Maybe you know all about it, sir.”

  Tommy sat back. “Captain? Brad? What’s going on here?” He pointed to the bear, which Ellen was still holding. “Brad, why would your print be on her bear if you weren’t at her condo? Did you see Susan and not tell me?”

  “Shut up!” Robert hissed, jabbing a finger at Tommy. “Family business is family business. You don’t go around talking to strangers. Understand?”

  “On the contrary,” Cochrane said, strengthening his voice, “I reckon this transcends so-called ‘family business,’ Mr. Kane. Your oldest son’s fingerprint is on the eye of that teddy bear found in Susan’s arms at the death scene. Now, that infers that he was at Susan’s condo.” Cochrane shifted his gaze to Brad, who was chewing hard on the end of his cigar while he stared at the document beneath his sprawled hand. “How about it, Commander? Are you going to come clean now? You were at Susan’s condo, and we know that. Do you want me to tell you when you were there?”

  Brad’s eyes narrowed to slits. He slowly took the cigar out of his mouth and held it tensely between the fingers of his left hand. “I don’t have to answer your goddamn questions.”

  Tommy lurched out of his chair. “Yes, you do, Brad.” He put his hands on his hips, his face flushed a dull red. “Just what the hell is going on here? You told me you hadn’t seen Susan—”

  “Goddammit!” Robert roared as he launched himself to his feet. “I said shut the hell up! Sit down, Tommy!”

  The young aviator trembled as he dropped his hands to his sides. “No, sir, I won’t. What’s going on here? Do you and Brad know something I don’t about Susan dying? Is this another family secret you’re keeping from me?”

  Shaking with rage, the elder Kane whirled on Cochrane. “You have no business doing this! None whatsoever! Susan is dead. Let it be! She’s disgraced us enough.”

  Cochrane eased out of his chair, his fingertips resting on the table, his attention focused on Brad. “Commander, we’re waiting. Or do you want me to tell everyone what happened? It’s your call.”

  The silence lengthened. Tommy suddenly moved, making his way around the table. In one swift motion, he hauled Brad to his feet. Even though Tommy was several inches shorter than his brother, he grasped the collar of his brother’s uniform and jerked him hard. “Okay, Brad, what didn’t you tell me?” he breathed savagely. “What did you do? Dammit, you tell me!”

  Robert cursed and pulled his sons apart. “Sit down,” he ordered. “Right now.”

  Tommy took a couple of steps away from the other two, staring belligerently at them both.

  “Commander?” Cochrane called. “We’re waiting.”

  Brad jerked the chair away from the table and sat down. “Okay, so I saw her.”

  “When?” Ellen demanded, sitting down in turn. Her self-assurance rose as she met Brad Kane’s desperate look. Susan would be vindicated today, and no one would stop it from happening. Not even this severely dysfunctional family.

  “Just before she died,” Brad said finally.

  Tommy gasped. “What? You saw her? Why didn’t you tell me? What did you say to her?”

  With a curse, Brad shoved his brother away. Breathing hard, he said, “All right. All right, I’ll tell you.”

  Tommy was shaking, his fists clenched. “Tell me all of it, Brad. None of this hiding stuff.” He gave his father a look of warning. “You two always hid things from me when I was growing up. Even at Annapolis, you kept things from me. This time isn’t any different, is it?”

  “I got a call from Lieutenant Commander Hodges,” Brad began tightly. “He told me Susan was making trouble—again. She was always a pain in the ass to him at the Top Gun facility. This wasn’t the first time he’d called me about something she’d done to him or one of the other officers there. He asked me to take emergency leave on June 20th and go see her.”

  “About what?” Tommy demanded.

  “Hodges said Susan was going to report him and two other aviators on a minor incident that occurred at the Ares Conference. So I flew in to see her. I got emergency leave and arrived at her condo around 2000, June 22nd. I basically told her that
Hodges was a friend of mine and he’d called me. I told her she had to resign. That she owed us on this one. If she didn’t, she was going to cause us a lot of humiliation. I told her to put it into perspective and let the incident at Ares go. If she didn’t resign, she’d sink our careers along with hers. I’ve worked so hard for so long, and then to hear she was going to squeal on our brother aviators over some stupid high jinks at the conference broke something deep inside me. I walked to the door. She started to cry and I saw her old teddy bear sitting on the couch. I picked it up and gave it to her. I guess to comfort her.”

  Tommy stared at Brad. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?” he asked.

  Brad shrugged wearily. “It was messy and I didn’t want to drag you into the situation. By not telling you, I was protecting you.”

  “You told Father, though, didn’t you?”

  “I had to.”

  “Are you telling me Susan committed suicide because of what you told her, Brad? My God…my God…” Tommy whispered, his voice flooding with emotion.

  “Hold it,” Cochrane said firmly. “There’s one more piece of information you need to have.” He settled his gaze on Brad’s crumpling features. “Why didn’t you come forward and tell us you were at her condo in the first place?”

  “Because I didn’t want to tell you why I was there,” Brad said. He lifted his head and blinked rapidly, fighting back tears. “I had no sooner gotten back to the carrier when I received word Susan was dead.” He touched his brow with a shaking hand. “Christ, I killed her….” Rubbing his face harshly, he confessed to Tommy, “I’m sorry. I’ve had knots in my guts ever since it happened. I thought Susan would resign. I—I had no idea she’d take her life.”

  “Just a minute,” Cochrane warned. “Before you go taking all the blame yourself for what happened, I want you to look at this photo.” He passed to each of them a copy of the photo of Susan lying naked on the hotel bed.