Page 63 of A Deeper Darkness
“Here it is. He’s crushed by the news of a close friend’s death. He’s talking about them. About the day the five of them met. They were all in the same unit on his last tour. He was confident they’d work well together. When I first read it I thought it said that he was shaky about remembering the details, but I misinterpreted. He’s talking about his memories of Shakes, and how much Billy Shakes’s death upset him. And the section starts with ‘Mutant in touch.’”
“Mutant in touch?” Fletcher asked.
“That was Xander’s nickname,” Susan replied.
“Yes, I know. And he lives somewhere near the Savage River?” Fletcher asked.
“Yes,” Susan answered. “But there’s no way he’d be involved in this.”
Fletcher’s eyes grew bright. “I need everything you know about this man, Mrs. Donovan. Everything. I’m afraid he’s our last viable option.”
“Option for what?” Susan asked.
“Mrs. Donovan, sometimes logic trumps everything else in a murder case. It’s becoming rather clear that Alexander Whitfield is involved in your husband’s death.”
“There’s no way. Xander is a good man. The way Eddie talked about him… No. I can’t believe that.”
Susan hated this. Jesus God, she hated this. All of Eddie’s friends dead, and the one left was the one Eddie had the utmost respect for.
“Mrs. Donovan, I’m sorry. I’m not accusing him of anything, not yet. I just need to know what his connection is to the past few weeks of your husband’s life. So if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to start at the beginning. Let’s go over it all again. Tell me about that phone call he received, the one that came on the day he was murdered.”
Susan thought back, as painful as it was. Admitting to Sam that she’d been upset with Donovan, that their last words had been slung in anger, made her feel better temporarily, but the guilt was crawling back in. Having to share this with the detective, and Eddie’s mother, was making it even worse.
“I thought it was work calling. He answered, said, ‘Now?’ then hung up and said he had to go.”
“Who from work? Did he say? The last call to his cell was from a blocked number. Everyone I talked to at the Raptor offices said they hadn’t been in touch. They all check out—no call was made to your husband’s phone from their offices. So why did you think it was work related?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t say. I…I was upset with him, asked him to blow it off, and he just shut down. He did that sometimes. Especially when we talked about work. Just got cold and turned off. ”
“So the call could have been from anyone. You just assumed it was from work.”
“Yes, but…I’m so confused. He was killed near his office, right? Where else would he have been going?”
“These are all valid questions, Mrs. Donovan, and I’m doing my best to find out the answers. Did your husband like his job?”
“I think so. He seemed to. I wanted him to quit, but I already told you that.”
“Tell me again,” Fletcher said.
Susan leaned against the granite counter. She wasn’t terribly proud of how she felt, but she was trying to do what was best for her family.
“He’d done his time. Three tours. And he was finally out. But then he went to work for Raptor, with a bunch of his ex-Army buddies. I felt like Raptor was too close to the military, and I wanted him all the way out. But working there, that kept his hand in the game. They send contractors over to the war zones to manage transitional training for the Iraqi and Afghan governments. Even if the war was over tomorrow and all the troops came home, Raptor’s operators would still be there to help train people, rebuild the infrastructure, all of that.”
“But he didn’t travel overseas.”
“Not to the Middle East, no. Eddie was responsible for security for the people who came over here. Allan Culpepper kept him jumping all the time. He’s the heart of Raptor. That’s who I’d assumed called. It would take a lot for Eddie to be pulled away. He’d promised us the afternoon. It had been arranged for weeks.”
“I spoke with Allan Culpepper. He thought the world of your husband.” Fletcher was getting a little red in the face, frustration setting in.
“I know. He came by as soon as he got back from Iraq. He’s crushed. He’s the man who brought Eddie into Raptor in the first place. He doesn’t work for him directly, his boss is Rod Deter. But Allan’s been his mentor for a while. They were together in Afghanistan.”
Susan felt the wheels spinning in her head as something clicked. “They all served with Allan. Xander, William, Hal, King—Perry Fisher—and Eddie. He was their commander. He took care of them.”
Fletcher was taking notes, and Susan shook her head. “I’m sorry I didn’t mention this before. Does this help?”
Fletcher looked eager to be away. “I don’t know yet, Mrs. Donovan. But I’ve got a few more places to look, thanks to you. Just one more thing. Did he say he had to go to work? Or that he had to meet someone? Be as specific as you can.”
Susan thought about it, mind tuned to that morning. “Honestly, he didn’t say. He got the call, and I just assumed they’d called him in. He wasn’t specific.”
