“No,” she moaned, and rubbed her forehead. “I... I can’t believe—”
“Shh.” His hand stroked her shoulder. “Relax for a few minutes. There’ll be time to talk later.”
Time to talk when he hauled her back to Fort Rickman. Tears burned her eyes and a huge lump filled her throat. Even drawing a shallow breath took effort.
The swirl of confusion played havoc with her emotions. She should have moved back to Detroit. The inner-city blight would have been easier to handle than what was happening in Georgia.
All she wanted was to get a job in education and earn enough to live life without drawing attention to herself or her past. The warmth of a small town, Freemont, with its strong sense of community and welcoming arms, had seemed an ideal location in which to sink roots and perhaps, someday, find someone special and raise a family.
That dream for her future was out of the question now. The way things looked, she didn’t even have a future.
A person of interest in the deaths of two women?
She groaned.
“It’s okay, Natalie.”
Special Agent Kohl was either terribly confused or too much of an optimist. Nothing was okay. All she saw was darkness and heartache.
Somehow she had to clear her name, but so much was stacked against her. Everett was a special agent on the hunt for a killer. A bull’s-eye was painted on her back, and in spite of his seeming concern for her present well-being, he couldn’t change the mind-set of the powers that be at Fort Rickman.
With Mason spouting lies about what had happened in Germany, the CID would come to the wrong conclusion. She didn’t have a chance, unless she could uncover evidence that proved Mason’s guilt and convince Everett of her innocence. Would the special agent be a help or a hindrance?
* * *
Everett hated being the bearer of bad news, and Natalie appeared to have had her quota today. He’d never seen anyone blanch so quickly or look so fragile.
Criminals were habitually good actors, but the total shock Natalie seemed to be experiencing was hard to feign. Still, he needed to be cautious.
He placed the baby in the crib. By the time he had retraced his steps, Natalie’s breathing was more even, and her deathly pallor had changed to a healthier hue.
He filled a glass with water and added ice.
“How ’bout a drink?” he offered.
“Thanks.” She reached for the glass. “I... I can’t believe—”
Her voice caught. She turned away from his gaze and shook her head. “Denise? It can’t be true.”
“How long had you known her?”
“Almost a year. She needed a roommate and placed an ad in the Freemont paper. I responded and moved in the following day.”
“You were good friends?”
Natalie took a sip of water and shrugged. “We shared an apartment. Denise worked nights, and I was gone most days to my classes. On the weekends, we each went our separate way.”
“Was there anyone who wanted to do her harm?”
“Not that I know of, although she’d been dating a guy for about two months. Their relationship was questionable in my mind.”
“In what way?”
“He wanted everything kept private. She wouldn’t even tell me his name.” Natalie glanced up, her expression open and unassuming. “I thought that was strange and not what I would want in a relationship.”
“Did she know how you felt?”
“I’d mentioned the importance of trust. She wasn’t one to take advice.”
“So you knew nothing about him?”
“Only that they met outside of town, and he never came to our apartment.”
“Any chance he could have been married?”
“That’s what I thought, which upset me. Denise was a good person. She came from a great family. I couldn’t understand why she would keep the guy’s identity secret.”
Natalie took another sip of water before continuing. “Whatever was going on affected Denise. She had changed over the last few weeks. She used to be upbeat and happy. Recently, she’d seemed on edge.”
“Did she reveal anything about the boyfriend?”
“Only that he drove fast cars.”
“More than one?”
“She mentioned a sports car and a sedan.” Natalie’s eyes widened. “How many cars does Mason drive?”
Everett didn’t see that coming. “Why do you think he might be the boyfriend?”
“I’m just searching for a common thread between the two deaths.”
A common thread that didn’t involve her.
Everett pulled his cell from his pocket. “I’ll call post and pass the information on to Frank.”
Natalie grabbed his hand. “Please don’t. The CID will want me to return to post. I’m afraid of what Mason might do.”
“I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
She bit her lip. “Mason’s opinion will carry weight. He could make up all sorts of stories about our time in Vilseck, all of which would paint me in a bad light. I don’t trust him, and the CID will be more prone to believe one of their own than anything I have to say.”
Natalie was right about Mason’s statements carrying weight. She was an unknown. He was an established investigator.
Her mention of Germany raised another red flag. “Mason was your supervisor in Vilseck. Did he threaten you?”
Her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. “He...he had a wandering eye.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
Everett fisted his hands in respond to the flash of anger that swept over him. “Did anything happen?”
“I was careful to keep my distance.”
“Did you issue a sexual harassment complaint?”
“That would have made the situation worse.”
Natalie should have issued a complaint that would have been investigated. Instead, she’d reacted like too many women and remained silent for fear of retribution. Everett didn’t understand her logic, but then he’d never been in such a situation.
“Do you have any proof of his inappropriate actions?”
She
