you like more water?”
She shook her head and rubbed her hands over her arms. “Thank you, no.”
“If you’re cold, I could raise the thermostat?”
“I… I’m just tired.”
“Of course.” He pulled up a chair. “Could you tell me what happened tonight?”
When she didn’t answer, he scooted closer. “I know it’s difficult.”
She nodded. “Dani called me. She was upset…almost hysterical. She had told her husband she wanted a divorce.”
Nate removed the notebook and pen from his pocket. He needed to put aside the fact that this woman ignited a spark of interest deep within him and focus instead on the questions he had to ask and she, hopefully, would be able to answer.
“Graham…” Maggie hesitated. “My sister’s husband wanted them to reconcile.”
“Go on.” Painfully aware of the heat that continued to warm his gut, Nate swallowed hard and concentrated on the information Maggie began to recount.
“They…they had argued. Graham was upset. But then so was my sister. Dani told him to leave. Obviously, he…he came back later and—”
When she failed to complete the statement, Nate asked, “When did your sister and Mr. Hughes marry?”
“Dani ran into him shortly after she transferred here to Rickman. That was two years ago. They dated a few months. She sent me a wedding announcement after they were married.”
“You attended the ceremony?”
“I wasn’t invited.”
Could Maggie’s dislike of her brother-in-law stem from being excluded from their wedding? Nate drew a question mark on his tablet before asking, “Did you know Graham?”
“Yes.”
“Had infidelity been an issue?”
She wiped her hand over her cheek and sniffed. “Not that Dani mentioned. But when we met for lunch last week, she told me that their marriage was over.”
Nate nodded as he continued writing. “When you entered the house, did anything indicate Graham had been here?”
“A bottle of wine on the kitchen counter. Dani never drank red wine.”
“What about her husband?”
“I… I don’t know. When I was upstairs, I heard footsteps on the first floor.” Maggie bit her lip and shook her head ever so slightly, her eyes widening with realization. “Graham must have been in the house the whole time I was searching for my sister.”
“Did you see Graham Hughes?”
“No, but it had to be him.”
Had to was supposition. Maggie seemed eager to place blame on her brother-in-law’s shoulders. Too eager? No matter how unlikely, if Major Bennett’s death were ruled a homicide, the beautiful woman sitting next to Nate could end up being a person of interest, as well.
“Was the front door locked when you arrived?”
Maggie nodded. “I knocked. Dani had mentioned being tired. I thought she might be sleeping. When she didn’t answer the door, I used the key she had given me when we met for lunch.”
“Did your sister say why she wanted you to have a key to her house when you lived so far apart?”
“No, and I didn’t ask for an explanation. Dani and I had been estranged for a few years. I was relieved that we were trying to patch up our differences.”
“What type of differences?”
She lowered her gaze and uncrossed her legs. Nate watched her body language. Her refusal to make eye contact was telling.
Finally she shrugged and tried to smile. “Two women going their separate ways. Dani went into the military. I pursued a career in family counseling.”
Nate was sure there had been more to the differences than Maggie was willing to admit. “Did Major Bennett invite you to visit this weekend?”
With a quick shake of her head, she said, “Dani was independent. She had a hard time accepting help.”
“Yet—” Nate glanced at the small suitcase in the foyer “—you packed a bag and drove here to be with her.”
“I told Dani she shouldn’t be alone, that I was worried Graham might come back.”
“And Major Bennett shared your concern about her husband?”
“She was more upset about something that had happened in Afghanistan. But she didn’t go into the problem. Only that it was serious.”
Nate raised his brow. “Serious enough to cause her to take her own life?”
Maggie bristled. “My sister didn’t take her life.”
Nate wouldn’t state the obvious, which was that, at this early stage in the investigation, nothing indicated foul play.
“How long ago did you and your sister reconnect?”
“Dani called last week and asked if we could meet for lunch, which we did, in Alabama.”
“Not here on post?”
“That’s right. We met just over the state line in a little town called Hope. There’s a ladies’ tearoom on the square.”
Nate would have someone check out the tearoom. Not that he thought Maggie was lying, but he wanted to ensure the information was accurate before he passed it up the chain of command.
“How did your sister seem? Happy? Sad?”
“She was concerned about her marriage, but she wasn’t depressed, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“What did you talk about?”
Maggie shrugged. “Her deployment. Being back in the States.”
“Her marriage?”
“Yes, of course. She said marrying Graham had been a mistake.”
“Did she give a reason?”
Maggie shook her head.
“What about growing up? Did you reminisce about the good times?”
“Sure. We were always close as kids.”
“But that changed?” he asked.
“We…we grew apart, as I mentioned.”
“Looking back to your childhood, what thoughts come to mind?”
A
