to find out.” Dani patted Alyssa’s knee.
“It was, but then tonight I overheard his former partner, Nolan Saunders, basically admit to killing Todd and framing him with the drugs.” Her tone was cool again, like the freezing rain that had pelted them on the beach, and she calmly recited the events. As if his death was of no consequence to her. But he saw the tremble of her hands and the pain in her eyes that she was trying desperately to hide.
“His partner?” Dani asked, a compassionate look on his younger sister’s face. “Had you suspected him before?”
Alyssa wearily shook her head. Dani squeezed Alyssa’s hand again.
Cole was grateful Dani was here. She was such a comforter, always ready to help others, and she was making this easier on Alyssa while he had to ask the hard questions. “How long has it been since your husband was killed?”
“Two years.” Alyssa clasped her trembling hands together. “That’s when Nolan really got involved in our lives. He said he’d promised Todd he’d look after me and the kids.”
“So you have children,” Dani said.
Alyssa’s smile softened, her expression melting with love. She wasn’t at all the detached woman she’d tried so hard to portray tonight. “Twins. A boy and girl. They’re seven. They’re at home with my friend Paula.” Alyssa shifted on the sofa. “I really should call her to tell her I’m running late.”
Dani grabbed a notepad. “Give me her number, and I’ll let her know you’re with us so you can keep telling Cole about what happened.”
Alyssa rattled off the number, and Dani stepped a few feet away to call.
“You were saying that Saunders helped you and the twins out,” Cole said, hating the thought of a killer anywhere near this woman.
She nodded. “I only worked part time when Todd was alive. When he died, he left behind a mountain of debts, and after the investigation his death benefits were denied. We weren’t left with much, but we had enough for me to renew my real-estate license.” Her back went up again as if she needed to prove she could be strong. “We lived in one side of Nolan’s duplex, and after Todd died Nolan let us stay there rent free. He also helps with the kids. He picks them up from school and watches them when I have to show properties outside school hours.” She looked up and tears glistened in her eyes. “Now I don’t know what I’ll do.”
Cole fisted his hands. He couldn’t wait to investigate this Nolan guy and see that he paid for his crimes and for the way he’d hurt Alyssa. “So you believe Saunders is involved in the drug trade?”
“Yes. He was arguing with another officer, Frank Gibson, who wanted out of their operation. Nolan said if Frank bailed on them, he’d end up a homicide statistic like Todd.” She shivered under the blanket and tugged it tighter.
It wasn’t hard to see how afraid Alyssa was of Saunders, but this statement by the officer wasn’t proof that Saunders had killed her husband. Saunders could simply be using the homicide to build his street cred.
“But he didn’t actually say he killed Todd,” Cole clarified.
“No. It was implied. As much as I don’t want to believe he killed Todd, I think he did. Plus Frank sounded upset. Like he was worried they’d kill him, too, if he tried to bail on them.”
“So how did they end up chasing you?” Dani asked as she rejoined them.
Alyssa looked at Dani. “Is Paula okay with me being late?”
Dani nodded. “She’ll stay as long as you need.”
“So about the men, how’d you see them?” Cole asked, bringing them back.
“I’m a runner. I don’t usually run in the evenings, but I overslept this morning. I had a stressful day and I called Paula to watch the kids so I could run it off. I decided to take the scenic trail overlooking the beach to tire myself out before bed. That’s when I heard them arguing on the path below me. After I heard what they’d said, I tried not to make any noise as I headed for my car. But I fell and that alerted them that I was there. When they came after me, I ran.”
Cole thought about the men at the beach and their conversation. They never mentioned specifically looking for Alyssa. Not even looking for a woman. They’d just used the words “person” and “anyone.” “And did they know it was you?”
“When Nolan told the other men to chase me, he said get him, so I don’t think he knows it was me.” She shivered. “Now I don’t know what’s going to happen to us. I mean, what do I do? I can’t report what I heard to the police department. Nolan’s father is the police chief. The whole department could be involved in this for all I know.” Her teeth started chattering.
Police chief? Well, that raised the stakes and made this even more complicated. Cole wanted to keep questioning her, but he had enough information to begin a preliminary investigation, and she should get home to her kids and out of her wet clothes.
“You don’t need to do anything, Alyssa.” Cole made eye contact with her, making sure she knew they were here for her. “We’ll investigate both Todd’s murder and Saunders’s connection to any drug activities. As a bonus, we might even be able to clear Todd’s name and get his death benefits reinstated.”
“That would be great,” she said.
“The best thing now is for one of us to take you home. You’ll have to act like everything is normal and pretend nothing happened.”
“I need to get my car first.” Alyssa suddenly looked exhausted. “It’s in a public lot downtown.”
An alarm bell rang in Cole’s head. “Any chance that could lead them to you?”
“I suppose it’s possible, but if Nolan asks, I can always say I was meeting a client to show a house.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Cole offered. “We’ll get your car on the way to your house. And on the drive we can talk about what to say in case Saunders asks any questions about tonight. Okay?”
Alyssa simply answered with a resigned nod.
“We can’t have you going home looking like that and claiming you were showing houses.” Dani stood and pulled Alyssa to her feet. “Let’s get you into some dry clothes first.” Dani gave Cole a pointed look and tugged on his shirt. “You might want to clean up, too.”
As they left the room, he realized how cold he was. When he’d given his coat to Alyssa, the rain had soaked him through, yet he’d never really felt the chill. Not until now. Until she’d left the room, giving him time to think about what had occurred tonight.
If he hadn’t been on the beach searching for the way out of his funk, these men might’ve found her. Or she could’ve died from exposure. Either way there was a potential killer out there who had law enforcement training and skills. Skills that could help him figure out he’d been tracking Alyssa tonight. And skills that would allow him to take her life just as he had her husband’s.
THREE
Cole sat at the kitchen counter and waited for Alyssa and Dani to return. When he’d
