him so batshit crazy?
She stopped maybe two inches away, close enough for him to feel the heat she was throwing off. “You’re wrong,” she said. “You’re wrong, and I’m going to prove it.”
“Do
“I can take care of myself. As I’ve told you.”
“Is that the deal? Either I knuckle under and drive an investigation in the direction you want, or you put yourself in danger? Is that how you’re going to get your way when we’re married? Forget about talking things out and making compromises, just go straight for the nuclear option?”
Her face went pale. She turned. Opened her office door. Pointed toward the hall.
“Clare. For God’s sake. I don’t want to fight like this.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “Please, love. I don’t understand why this is so important to you.”
Her face wavered. He pulled her toward him. She resisted for a second, then collapsed against him. He wrapped his arms tight around her. “Why can’t you trust me on this? Why can’t you let it go?”
“It’s all wrong.” Her voice was muffled against his chest, but he realized she was crying. “It’s all gone wrong, and I have to make it right.”
He had a sick feeling that she wasn’t talking about Tally McNabb. Not talking about Tally McNabb at all.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13
Hadley’s notes for the morning briefing were about as abbreviated as she could get.
“I’ve been trying to get hold of Colonel Seelye, the Army CID who’s heading up their investigation. I’ve left her a couple of messages on her cell.” The chief squared his boots on the chairs again. “Here’s the deal. The theft from the army isn’t technically in our jurisdiction, as you all know.”
Hadley glanced at Flynn, who looked disappointed. The man was way too invested in policing. He needed a hobby.
“However. Both Wyler McNabb and Quentan Nichols, whom some of you will remember”-he nodded at Hadley and Flynn-“are in town right now. Nichols has admitted to direct involvement with the theft, and it’s a sure bet McNabb has some knowledge of it.”
“Wait a minute.” Lyle MacAuley rousted himself from his usual slumped posture against the whiteboard. “How do we know Nichols is back in town?”
The chief rubbed the back of his neck. “He came to St. Alban’s looking for Clare. Asked her to help him find the money.”
“I’ll be damned. Where is he now?”
The chief shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I faxed his name and description around to area hotels and motels last night before I left. Nothing yet.”
“That guy is better at disappearing than a bowl of shrimp at the all-you-can-eat buffet. You sure he’s not really a Green Beret or something?”
“I’m more worried about him reappearing. In Wyler McNabb’s driveway.” The chief pointed at Hadley. “Knox, I want you and Kevin to go by there and pick him up for questioning. I was willing to wait for Seelye, but she’s dragging her tail. I want to find out what he knows
Hadley felt her face heating up. He knew she had lied. He didn’t trust her to pick up the guy by herself.
“Both of us?” Flynn asked. “I didn’t think he was in any shape to put up a fight.”
“I’m not worried about him resisting arrest. I’m worried about him being alone with an officer and no witness to say what happened or didn’t happen. I don’t want to give McNabb an opportunity to lodge a false complaint on top of the real one he’s got going.” The chief pinched the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses.
“What do we do if Colonel Seelye is already there?” Hadley asked. “She’s going for a warrant to search the place, right?”
“If she’s there, tell her unless she’s immediately placing McNabb under arrest, we’re taking him in for protective custody. She can come over to the station and question him here.” He slid off the table and thudded to the floor. “That’s all. Lyle?”
Kevin drove. She took shotgun. It was the first time they’d been alone together in at least a week. So of course, he led off with “What happened with you and Eric at this guy’s house?”
“You know what happened. The guy swung at Eric, they got into it, eventually the perp was subdued.”
“Right into the hospital. You know, I might have bought that story-
She looked out the window. “It doesn’t matter to me what you believe. I made my statement. It’s on the record. I’m not changing it.”
“Hadley. Jesus. You’re not a coward.”
She turned on him. “Eric McCrea is a red-white-and-blue, yellow-ribbon war hero, Flynn. He’s been on the force for nine years, and everybody knows if MacAuley retires, he’s getting the deputy chief’s slot. I’m the girl. The
“I’d back you up!”
She smiled a little. “I know. I knew. Now tell me who else will.”
“The chief. He suspended Eric on the spot, and he’d stand by you against anyone in the department.”
“Yeah, and what happens when he’s not around? You know MacAuley and Noble and the other guys are Code Blue, all the way. I heard about what happened to the guy who was here before me. He got frozen out because he called the state police in on a murder case. He had to leave town to get another job!”
“Mark Durkee.” Flynn shifted in his seat. “That was different.”
“No, it wasn’t. Let it go, Flynn. I made my choice, and I’ll live with it.”
His hand tightened on the steering wheel. “I just hate to see you forced to compromise yourself.”
She almost whooped. “Compromise myself?” She leaned back into the seat. “Flynn, you’re a world too late to stop that from happening.”
He opened his mouth as they drove into view of the McNabbs’ house. The driveway was empty, both her Navigator and his Escalade gone. Flynn changed whatever he had been about to say into “In the garage?”
“There wasn’t room last time. Let’s check.”
They parked. She peered into the garage. He banged on the door. They both turned up empty.
“Now what?” Hadley said over the hood of the squad car.
“Could he be at work?”
“I don’t think he’d be physically able to after-” She couldn’t say it. “What happened. I’ll check. Do you still have your notes from the interviews we did right after the suspicious death?”
Flynn brandished his pocket-sized notebook.
She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. “Okay. I’ll call BWI while you drive to the closest friend’s house. He’s gotta be around somewhere.” She didn’t have to point out that McNabb wasn’t well enough to take off for another casino vacation.
The BWI Opperman receptionist transferred her to the construction department, where she hung out on hold for two minutes, three, four, while boring classical music tried to lull her into a stupor. “God.” She turned to Flynn. “They must be hauling some poor guy off his bulldozer to talk to me.”
The line went live. “Hi! What can I do you for?” The man was shouting over the sound of machinery grinding in the background. Her guess about the work site must have been correct.
