Page 82 of A Deeper Darkness
“Eddie did kill Perry,” she said. “And I have the files to prove it.”
Susan held her breath. Karen was mumbling to herself, the gun wavering in her hand. Susan’s thoughts raced. Could this be true? Could this be what got Eddie killed? Is this what was on his papers? Susan tossed all of that away and went into survival mode. She’d taken self-defense classes, and spent the past thirteen years married to a Ranger. If she could just distract Karen, maybe she could get the gun out of her hands. Or better yet, persuade her to set the damn thing down. Susan had her own weapon, stashed on top of the breakfront…but that was two rooms away, and with Karen in her path, she’d have to fight by hand.
“Karen, put the gun down. We can’t talk like this. I’ve never heard anything—”
“Shut up! Just shut up. I’ve seen the proof. Eddie is the reason Perry died.”
Against every instinct, Susan took a step closer to Karen.
“I’ve never heard anything about this, Karen. You have to believe me. Eddie never said anything about it. And you know how they were. Confession was the only thing that kept them sane, both he and Perry. Whether they did it with God or with us, late at night, they told us everything that mattered. And Eddie never told me this.”
“Ha. You think he was so perfect. He wasn’t. He was just as bad as the rest of them. Just as bad as you.”
Susan felt something in her shift. Everything crashed into place, and a calm came over her. She must get out of this situation. She may not have Eddie anymore, but she had her girls. And she couldn’t, wouldn’t, leave them.
“Karen, put the gun down, now, so we can talk about this.”
“No. It’s your fault. If he’d just told you, you would have warned me. I wouldn’t have had to find out from Billy Shakes.”
“Karen, honey, you’re distraught. Let’s just make some tea and sit at the table, talk this out.”
The gun wavered, then Karen got a firmer grip on it. “No. You want to know the story? You want to find out what really happened in that godforsaken desert? Then you’re going to listen to what I have to say and stop talking.”
“Then talk, Karen. But may I make myself some tea? It’s been a very long day.” Karen didn’t say anything, so Susan turned on the burner. She estimated she had three minutes before the water started to boil.
She swallowed down her fear and turned back to face the gun. “Now, Karen. Please, talk to me. Tell me what you’ve heard.”
Karen shook her head, her mouth in a tight grimace. A normally pretty woman, she looked fierce and frightening, and ugly. “You can deny it all you want. I’ve seen the checks. I’ve seen the videos.”
“But I haven’t, Karen. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Susan was trying very hard not to lose her temper, but having a gun waved in your face makes you think crazy things.
The gleam in Karen’s eyes bordered on insane.
“Eddie fathered a child in Afghanistan. And when Perry found out, Eddie killed him.”
Chapter Forty
Washington, D.C.
Dr. Samantha Owens
Sam rode to George Washington University Hospital with Captain Roosevelt. Fletcher had been transported separately, and Hart was taken directly into surgery, so Sam was left with trying to explain to their boss what was going on.
She started with the phone call Donovan received, detailed the postmortem, the granulomas, then Croswell’s murder and post, the link to Savage River, the funeral, Taranto, Whitfield, everything. She knew she didn’t have all the pieces of the story: Fletcher had held several things back from her. Not that she blamed him. She was along for the ride, and he didn’t owe her anything.
Until now. Now, she’d saved his partner’s life, and she could use that as leverage to get all the way in.
Roosevelt got quieter and quieter as she spoke. He’d harrumphed a few times, at the beginning, but the more words spilled from her mouth, the tighter his grew. He pulled in front of the hospital and slammed the car into Park.
“Lady, I don’t know whether to arrest you or commend you. Guess I’m going to have to wait on both. Get out.”
Sam didn’t waste time arguing, just unlocked her safety belt and opened the door. She stepped out, for the first time realizing the air had cooled tremendously. She shivered.
“By the way.” Roosevelt leaned over, his bulk taking up the whole front seat. “Thanks for saving my guys.”
“My pleasure,” Sam said, then turned and walked directly toward the emergency room entrance without looking back. She knew she’d been treading on thin ice playing with the boys on this case. She was damn lucky Roosevelt didn’t cite her on the spot for interfering in an official investigation.
She wasn’t an investigator. She knew that. She wasn’t trying to play cop. She wasn’t trying to be careless. Just the opposite, she was being incredibly cautious. But her curiosity was getting the better of her, and damn it, she had a stake in this, too.
