“When did Lund admit the connection?”
“Right before he shot himself.” Madison sighed. “They talked in his office. He admitted to Ian and Maggie that he knew Beth had been murdered and he feared for his family so he’d kept his mouth shut. When nothing happened to him and three years passed, Lund thought it was safe to check out the case, so he pulled the records and assigned David Pace.”
“So then, like Beth, Pace goes to the commander for confirmation on the Nest, and shortly thereafter, he’s killed.”
“Right,” Madison said. “Minutes after Ian left the meeting, Lund got a phone call—the records have been scrubbed so we don’t know from whom—and then shot himself.”
He’d made the connection, all right, and he’d sacrificed David Pace for the story. And that’s why Madison was so invested in this case. “Pace didn’t know about Beth, did he?”
“According to his wife, no.”
“And what happened to his records on the case?”
“Detective Cray took a look at them. He saw nothing to indicate Pace knew Beth even existed.”
This must have nearly knocked Ian to his knees. He’d looked for his wife’s murderer for three years, and then to discover this? Poor guy.
“Grant? Did you hear me?”
“What? Sorry. I was thinking about how hard learning this had to have been on Ian.”
“Very.”
Neither he nor Maggie had said much about Crawford or the security breach, for that matter. “What did you say that I missed?”
“I said,” Madison repeated, “something seems different. What’s happened to you?”
No way could he answer that question. He wished he could tell her the truth, but he didn’t have that luxury. All he could do was play dumb and stick as close to the truth as possible. But inside the battle raged between truth and lies, right and wrong, his head and heart, and betrayal and loyalty. He could follow the dictates of his faith, be loyal to his country, or be loyal to her. He couldn’t be all three, and that grated at him on so many levels it’d take a lifetime to list them all. And he feared she’d hate him forever for deceiving her. “What do you mean?”
“You sound almost as if you’re hearing what I’m saying for the first time.”
He grunted. Maybe he was. His perspective had changed. He was now entertaining the possibility she could be right.
“Are you coming around to my way of thinking?”
“I’m keeping an open mind.” The woman was astute. He’d be foolish to forget it. “Take a nap. I’ll pick you up at eight.”
“Sorry. I won’t be here.”
Surprise rippled up his back. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “What?”
“I have a date.”
“I know. It’s with me.”
“I don’t think so. My date is with the man who sent me chocolates, a white stuffed teddy bear and a lovely card asking me to be his valentine.”
“It arrived.”
A lilt in her voice turned even more playful. “Oh, was that from you?”
“You know it was.”
“Well, it all arrived just before I left the office to pick up my dress, but I couldn’t tell who sent it because the card, while lovely, wasn’t signed.”
He’d agonized over how to sign it. Gone back and forth in his head and had nearly driven himself over the edge. Finally he’d just written her name on the envelope and at the top of the card and left it unsigned. He sipped at his coffee. “I was being mysterious to charm you.”
“Well, you succeeded.” A smile sounded in her voice. “I guess my date is with you, then. See you at eight—but meet me at the club. We have a little issue with the florist to resolve, so I need to be there early.”
After ending the call, he set the phone down on the console and wondered what had gotten into her. Madison? Being playful? With him?
He liked her playful. He liked her regardless, but playful was...captivating.
Maybe he should keep her sleep deprived....
It could be his one shot to not lose her.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.