Chapter Fifteen #2
“Sure, I love seeing a woman who recently gave birth to a child she’s wanted all her life, according to her parents, naked and strangled in her bed when she’d planned to be home for her child’s next feeding. The power of that goes straight to my head.”
He paled somewhat at hearing the details of Tara’s death, which was good news for him. That he hadn’t seemed to know those things could support his claim that he’d had nothing to do with it.
“She didn’t deserve that,” he said softly. “She was a good person, even if she made a mistake getting involved with Nelson.”
“Why do you see it as a mistake?”
He looked at her like she was crazy. She got that look a lot. “The guy is married, he’s the freaking president and he’s old. What the hell did she want with him?”
“When she could’ve had you, you mean?”
“She could’ve had anyone. What did she want with him?”
“Who knows? Maybe she was seduced by the power.”
“Whatever. She made a lot of questionable decisions after we broke up.”
“Funny, you didn’t mention those questionable decisions yesterday.”
“I wanted to protect her reputation.”
“She’s dead, Mr. Massey. The most important thing now is finding the person who took her life, not preserving her reputation. What questionable decisions did she make?”
“She went out with a lot of guys.”
“How do you know that?”
“I kept tabs on her. I was concerned.”
“Did she know you kept tabs on her?”
“I don’t think she did.”
“And how exactly did you keep these so-called tabs?”
“I kept in touch with her friends, who were also concerned.”
“Did you keep the tabs because she was dating again and you were jealous or because you honestly felt concerned for her safety?”
“I said I was concerned.”
“It sounds to me like you didn’t want her, but you didn’t want anyone else to have her either.”
“That’s not true! I wanted her to be happy.” His shoulders slumped. “The money situation was the main reason I ended it with her. I didn’t want to drag her into my mess right when her business was starting to take off. It wouldn’t have been fair.”
“Why didn’t you mention that last night when we asked why your relationship with her ended?”
“It’s embarrassing. A guy my age with my education and a good job shouldn’t be struggling financially. It’s not something I talk about.”
“Here’s a tip for you—when cops ask you questions, it’s a good idea to tell the truth, even if it’s embarrassing.”
He glared at her. “I don’t have a lot of experience with cops.”
“I’ll give you a pass this time. But I’d encourage you to be honest with us going forward. Who were her closest friends?”
“Carly Sargant and Suzanne King. They go back to high school.”
“Where would I find them?”
Massey withdrew his phone from his pocket and wrote down phone numbers he found in his contacts.
“Put your number on there, too.”
After glancing at her, he wrote it down and handed her the piece of paper. “Carly owns a flower shop in Georgetown. Suzanne is a stay-at-home mom in Alexandria. If you’ve talked to one, you’ve pretty much talked to them both. The three of them were tight.”
“Stay available.”
“That’s it?”
“Unless you have something else to add, which if you do, now is the time. If I find out you’re stonewalling us, I’ll come for you, and I won’t be as friendly next time.”
“I have nothing else except I hope you find whoever did this to Tara.”
“We’ll show ourselves out.” Sam headed for the door, stopping at the desk of the older woman outside, who glared at her.
“Are you his assistant, Janice?”
“I am.”
“You told our officers that he never left the office yesterday?”
“That’s correct. He was in meetings all day until he got the news about his former girlfriend and left.”
“Were you here all day?”
“I never left the building.”
Sam handed her notebook over to the woman. “Write down your full name and phone number.”
She took the notebook, her hostility toward Sam coming through loud and clear, which told Sam that Janice was protective of her boss.
Sam took the notebook back from Janice. “Thank you.” She took off toward the exit, and as she went past Ashley’s desk, she stopped to address her.
“I gave your boss a tip, so now I’ve got one for you, too.
When cops show up wanting to talk to someone you work with, get the person.
Don’t go have a romantic snuggle with them, because that wastes our time.
We don’t like having our time wasted, got me? ”
The woman’s big eyes got bigger, which left Sam feeling satisfied she’d put a scare into her. Good. People who wasted her time infuriated her. “Our work here is finished, Detective Cruz. Let’s go.”
In the elevator, he glanced at her. “Mean and scary.”
“Thank you for the review. I hate people.”
“Often with good reason.”
“Tara is lucky that guy dumped her. He’s a scumbag pretending to be a successful professional.”
“And he’s a cliché, fooling around with his much-younger assistant.”
“Right?”
“What’s next?”
“We’re going to find her friend Carly in Georgetown.
When we get outside, call Carly to get the address of her shop and let her know we’re coming by.
Also get Suzanne’s address in Alexandria.
” She hoped they didn’t have to make a trip to Northern Virginia.
In addition to hating people, she also hated having to leave the District for any reason.
They retrieved their weapons at the security checkpoint. Sam returned hers to the holster she wore on her hip with a feeling of relief. She hated being unarmed on the job.
Freddie made the call to Carly as they walked to the car and wrapped up the conversation as they got in.
“Petals on M Street.”
Sam directed the car toward Georgetown. “That Massey guy seriously gives me the creeps.”
“I can see why.”
“I want to like him for this, but as creepy as he is, I believe him when he says he wanted the best for her. I think he did love her, and he’s been a disaster since he lost her.”
“Maybe so. The friends will know the deal.”
“I hope so.”
“Parking in Georgetown ought to be an Olympic sport,” Sam said as they arrived in one of the swankier parts of town.
“Seriously. Just double-park over there.” He pointed. “The flower shop is in the next block.”
Sam pulled up to the spot he’d identified and put on her hazards.
They got out of the car and walked the short distance to their destination.
Everyone she passed on the sidewalk did a double take when they realized who she was.
Sam hated that almost as much as she hated people who wasted her time.
But she kept that to herself since the reason for her higher profile was her much-beloved husband the vice president.
For him, she’d put up with almost anything.