“Yes, he was at a conference,” Weston said.
“Correct, but I wanted to dig deeper to see if he could think of any possible suspects or leads. Jeffrey claims the reason he and Avery broke up was because she cheated on him. Avery had an impermissible relationship with a subordinate officer. Jeffrey says there was an Internal Affairs investigation.”
Weston frowned. “That doesn’t sound like Avery. At all.” His gaze shot to Luke. “Did you know anything about this?”
He shook his head. “No. And I agree with you. That doesn’t sound like Avery.”
Grady leaned forward. “I could request the Internal Affairs record, Weston, but that’ll take time. This may have nothing to do with the murders, but considering the circumstances, I think you need to question her again.”
Weston’s jaw tightened. “I intend to.”
Nine
Morning sunshine filtered through Nana’s lace curtains and splayed patterns on the kitchen tile. Avery stifled a yawn and poured herself another cup of coffee. Her eyelids felt gritty from a lack of sleep. The table was littered with the remnants from their breakfast. A plate had been set aside for Weston. Avery had heard him come in last night from his meeting with Luke and Grady around two in the morning, but they hadn’t talked yet.
Packing a bag and spending the night at Nana’s house had been the right thing to do. Avery was especially glad to have Weston staying in the guest bedroom and a trooper stationed outside the house. But she worried about the killer’s next move. Did the Chessmaster have a new victim already selected? What had happened to make him target Avery? It had to be something connected to her father, but what?
The back door opened and Savannah walked in. She’d taken the dog for a walk and was dressed for the cold weather in boots and a heavy jacket. A coffee mug was in her hand. Cooper raced in behind her. The dog’s nose twitched and he bounced on his front feet. Avery laughed, snagging a small piece of bacon and tossing it to him. “Nana’s spoiled you.”
“He’s the only great grandbaby she has at the moment. Spoiling is in order.” Savannah shed her jacket, placed it on the back of a chair, and added coffee to her mug. “Nana ready yet?”
“Not yet.” Their grandmother was going with Savannah to work today. Nana volunteered at the crisis center on a regular basis. “Weston has arranged for a trooper to follow you to and from work. Someone else will be stationed outside the crisis center. Still, I wish you would reconsider and stay home from work today.”
The threats had, so far, been focused on Avery. But if her father was the catalyst for the killer’s actions, the entire family was at risk. Avery wanted to ship them off to Siberia until this whole thing was over, but Savannah and Nana refused to go.
Savannah took a sip of coffee. “I can’t leave the crisis center shorthanded. Especially not at this time of the year, when so many don’t have heat. Volunteers are coming in to deliver blankets to vulnerable households. We have the elderly citizens’ lunch meals. Plus the food drive in a few days. The items on my to-do list aren’t something I can put off. People rely on the outreach.”
“Why do you have to be such a do-gooder?” Avery grumbled. “Why can’t you hide out like a normal person?”
Her sister laughed. “Blame Dad. It’s all his fault.”
“I dare say, I also had a thing or two to do with it, young lady.” Nana bustled into the kitchen on soft-soled shoes. She was dressed in a beautiful lilac sweater that made her blue eyes appear purple. “The women in my family are made of steel and faith.”
Avery wrapped an arm around her grandmother. “True, but it would be nice if you were a little less gutsy sometimes.”
Nana patted her cheek. “Pot meet kettle.”
They all laughed. Nana and Savannah were shrugging on their jackets when Weston stepped into the kitchen. His hair was still damp from the shower and a button-down shirt molded over his broad shoulders. The scent of his aftershave drifted across the room. Avery’s heart skipped a beat. It was ridiculous. He wasn’t the first handsome man she’d ever worked with. Or been friends with. But the more time she spent with Weston, the more she liked him. It was a notion she didn’t want to ponder too much.
“There you are, Weston. Did you sleep well?” Nana asked. “I hope the mattress was comfortable.”
“Yes, ma’am. Very comfortable. Before you go—” He reached into his pocket and took out two business cards, handing one to Savannah and then Nana. “Written on the back is my cell, along with my colleague's, Grady West. If you need anything, call one of us. The troopers have been ordered to keep watch over you, but it doesn’t hurt to have another means of communication.”
“Absolutely.” Savannah tucked the card in her purse. “I’ll add your numbers to my speed-dial as well as Nana’s.”
The women left. Avery pulled down a mug and poured Weston some coffee. She jutted her chin at the plate on the stove. A mountain of scrambled eggs was buffeted by bacon and slices of toast. “We saved you some breakfast.”
“Thanks.” Weston patted Cooper on the head before bringing the plate to the table. “Join me, Avery. We need to talk.”
The chair scraped against the tile as she sat down. “Did investigators find something during the search of Marianne’s house?”
“That’s not what I want to discuss. At least, not yet.” He poked at the eggs with his fork before setting it down and pushing the plate away. “We need to talk about Jeffrey.”
She reared back. “My ex? Why?”
“Grady contacted him for a follow-up interview. Jeffrey said you cheated on him with a subordinate officer and there was an Internal Affairs investigation conducted. I’m sorry, Avery, but I need to ask you some questions.”
Personal questions.
