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Marcy hadnotmentioned that the first time, but Kara just nodded, as if she knew. “Yeah. Okay, Cal didn’t have much information to help us, but he mentioned that he swapped shifts with Kyle Richards because he and his fiancée had a fight over his ex-girlfriend.”
“Shit, I feel awful about that.”
“He didn’t say much, just mentioned your name, and I meant to follow up last night but...” She shrugged and waved her hand, implying the conversation they’d just had cleared it all up.
“I didn’t know Cal hadn’t told Jamie that we used to date. I said something, she freaked, and I felt like shit.”
“That fits.” Sort of. Kara asked, “What did you say that set her off? Or is she just one of those clingy types?”
“I wouldn’t sayclingy. More insecure, you know?”
Kara shook her head. “Honestly, I’ve never been so into a guy that I worried about his exes. My job has always come first.”
“I get that.” Marcy nodded. “Cal and I dated, and I should have told you from the beginning that we were engaged. Briefly—kind of a spur-of-the-moment proposal, and then a couple weeks later we realized it was lust, not love. If you understand what I mean.”
“Lust? Yeah, I definitely understand that,” she said, laughed.
Marcy grinned. “So, we were really good in bed—I mean, so good I thought it was love—but out of bed? Not so much. We ended it. Color me surprised when I saw him here. I was so surprised I pulled him over—stupid on my part.”
Kara raised an eyebrow. “You pulled him over?”
“I was on a stupid speed-trap detail—River Road has the highest fatality rate on the island, so I get it, but I still hated it. I was new, I was stuck with it. And I saw him—he was only going five miles over. I never would have nailed him, except that I was stunned it was Cal, still driving that same old blue truck with a red panel gate in the back. Didn’t give him a ticket, it would have been too weird, we talked, and that was it. But Friday Harbor is small, and I saw him with his girlfriend all over the place. I was jogging through the park last week and went over to her when I saw Jamie with their little girl. I was trying to be nice, and I thought for sure he would have told her that we’d dated... I feel like such a bitch for saying anything.”
“Honesty is always best. That’s on him, not you.”
“Yeah. Well, water under the bridge. You ready?”
Kara smiled and started running.
Something didn’t sound right. Cal hadn’t mentioned they were engaged. She definitely needed to find the truth. If Cal had omitted a key detail when he seemed so forthcoming, that was suspicious.
Whenever something was supposed to be a simple truth and it seemed more complex than it should be? That’s where you found the lies.
Matt was dressed and down in the kitchen at six fifteen that morning. Ryder sat at the dining room table, drinking an awful-looking green smoothie and eating nuts and granola. He also had his laptop out and was working.
“You’re entitled to eat in peace,” Matt said, sitting down at the table with his coffee.
“I’m just looking through a copy of Agent Devereaux’s files again in preparation for my meeting with Jessica Mott.”
“Do you think that Neil was the target?”
“I don’t have a firm opinion, but I can’t rule it out. He had extensive information about the Mott/Stevens death investigation, but the FBI and park ranger files don’t make it any clearer why he thought they were murdered. I’m hoping Ms. Mott can shed light on his thought process. Then when Ms. Mott mentioned another case Agent Devereaux was looking into, another accidental death, it made me wonder why there’s nothing about that in his computer or among his files.”
It was slightly suspicious. “The gas company cleared the house, but if you go back bring Kara or Michael with you.”
“The sheriff told me the heater was old, but they couldn’t rule on whether the leak was intentional or accidental.”
“True. They’re investigating further, sent all the components to the mainland for a more detailed forensic analysis,” Matt said. “Speaking of Kara, I thought I heard her earlier.”
“She left to meet Deputy Anderson.”
“Right. They went running.” Matt wished he could have had backup on her, in case her questioning of Anderson went south.
“Do you think that there’s anything to what Kara said?” Ryder asked.
“About Officer Anderson?”
“I was in the conference room when Kara and Catherine were, um, discussing it.”
