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“All right.” Pam retook her seat, her gaze darting about the space. “But just a couple. I need to get back to work.”
“Thank you,” Harper said. “Okay. Can you run through what you remember about that night?”
“Fine.” Her voice held a chill, but at least they’d gotten her talking. “We were working two murder cases. Miranda took Anne Marlowe’s, and I worked Mr. Woodward’s evidence as it came in.”
“Did you witness Miranda running the trace evidence test?” Harper asked.
“Of course. We were running DNA at side-by-side stations.”
“Any chance you saw her store the DNA sample?” Deckard asked, leaning forward.
Pam looked down and swallowed.
“Did you see her do it correctly?” Harper asked, her questioning gaze pinned on the lady.
Pam hesitated.
“Pam, she lost her job and reputation over this. If you saw her storing the sample correctly, please tell us,” Harper said, her tone and eyes pleading.
Pam’s gaze darted to the closed door, then back to them. “I can’t lose my job too. I’m a single mom, and I have a family to support.”
Harper’s shoulders stiffened. “Are you saying you saw her do it correctly?”
Pam swallowed and nodded.
“All this time you knew, and you lied about it?” Harper asked, disbelief in her wide eyes.
“I didn’tlieabout anything.” Pam’s voice turned short. “No one ever asked me.”
“But you could have spoken up,” Harper said.
“Look, Harper, you don’t have kids. You’re carefree. Traveling all over the place for months at a time on some special leave you arranged with the Bureau, which I still don’t understand. But the fact is, some of us need our jobs, need to support our families. Now.” She stood. “If you’ll excuse me.”
“Just one last question,” Deckard said.
Pam shook her head. “This conversation is over.”
¦¦¦
The trek around the town had turned into nothing but a dead end, as Christian and she had unfortunately expected. But he’d definitely been there, watching them again. The thought of being in a killer’s crosshairs sent a shiver down her spine. But more than the fear trying to erode her peace, she was flat-out mad. She’d lost him again.
“Here we are,” Christian said, pulling her from her thoughts and redirecting her gaze to Brad Melling’s home in Santa Fe. It was, in a word, ostentatious. The only three-story house Andi had ever seen in the area. Large columns held up sprawling balconies across each level. But it was the ornate lawn ornaments and the Greco-Roman columns that gave it that over-the-top feel.
“So this is Tad’s ex-partner’s place?” Andi asked. “Somehow I can see that.” She chuckled.
“Right,” Christian said, raking a hand through his hair.
The warmth of the day sunk into her bones, making her feel like finding a lounge chair poolside and just enjoying the day with Christian. She wondered what things would be like with them when the case was over, which she prayed was soon.
Following him up the winding path, she noted the stone garden.Different shades of rocks mimicked the rippling of waves, with cacti in sections looking like coral. She had to admit, that aspect of the grounds was pretty cool.
Reaching the front door, Christian used the large lion knocker to signal their presence. A few moments later, a woman in her late fifties answered the door.
“Kathlyn,” Christian said. “How are you today?”
“Hi, Mr. Christian. I can’t complain.”
“How many times must I ask you to just call me Christian? By the way,” he said, “I’m digging the new haircut.”
