Chapter 6
Six
H ot coffee seared Max’s tongue. Wincing, he blew on the fragrant brew as he leaned against the wall in the hotel’s breakfast area, waiting on Margot. He’d been up for nearly two hours. So far, he’d been for a run in the hotel’s fitness center and had a shower. He probably should have slept longer, but after being stationary so long yesterday because of all the traveling, he’d needed the physical movement. He wanted to swim, but that would have to wait until he returned home. The hotel’s small pool wasn’t open at the hours he wanted to exercise, and when it was, it was filled with children. There was nothing wrong with that, but he had no desire to dodge kids doing cannonballs while he swam laps.
His stomach growled. Margot needed to hurry up. If she took much longer, he was going to eat without her.
Crossing his ankles, Max took another sip of his coffee and wrinkled his nose. It needed cream.
Movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention, and he glanced up to see Margot rounding the corner into the dining area. He pushed away from the wall, smiling as he studied her face. She looked perkier, and her expression was no longer pinched or sad. Apparently, the rest had done her some good.
“Good morning.” She returned his smile with a sunny one of her own.
“Morning.” He raised his coffee cup in greeting. “You look like you got some rest.”
“I did. I washed off the travel grunge, then went right to sleep. But I could still use some of that.” She pointed at his cup.
Max nodded toward the large coffee urn. “Make sure you leave room for cream. It’s pretty bitter.”
“Good to know. Ooo, waffles.” She bypassed the coffee for the waffle maker.
His chuckle was low as he followed her into the buffet area. She was much more herself this morning. Whether that was due to the rest or she’d just shored up her walls, he didn’t know. Probably a bit of both. Hopefully, whatever it was, it would get her through their meeting with the detective.
Breakfast was a quick affair, neither of them wanting to linger. Max, too, had a waffle, which was surprisingly good, though he wished they had real syrup instead of the pre-packaged, artificially flavored stuff. Along with eggs and some bacon, he had a full belly and was ready for the day.
Except he needed better coffee. Grimacing, he tossed his cup in the trash, along with his napkin, then turned to Margot. “We need to get real coffee before we meet with the police.”
“Agreed. Even with cream, this isn’t very good. It tastes burned.” Her cup landed next to his in the bin. “Let’s go.”
Leaving the dining area, they walked through the lobby and exited the front door. Ice cold air and a fine snow sandblasted Max’s face. He hunched his shoulders, trying to shield his ears. Man, it was cold here.
Beside him, Margot shivered. “I definitely need a better coat.”
“If we have to stay very long, or spend a lot of time outside, we’ll get you one. For now, I think you’ll be okay. Although, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get better gloves. I didn’t bring the right ones, either.” He held up a glove-covered hand and flexed his fingers. They were meant for a normal, run-of-the-mill chill. Not the deep freeze.
“Let’s see what the detective has to say, then we’ll figure it out. Unlock the doors before I turn into a popsicle.” She sped up, heading for their car.
Max pressed the button on the fob in his pocket. The car locks clicked open as she reached the vehicle. In one smooth movement, she opened the door and slid inside. Max wasn’t far behind her.
Cranking the engine, he let it heat up for a minute, steeling himself to go out and scrape the frost off the windows. For a moment, he debated letting the defrost do the work, but that would take several minutes. And he really did want better coffee.
Gritting his teeth, he hopped out. After finding the ice scraper in the rear cargo area, he set to work, stopping every so often to flex his fingers. The wind just cut right through his thin gloves.
Once he had the windows clear enough he could see, he practically dove into the car.
Handing Margot the ice scraper, he rubbed his hands together for warmth, then buckled up. “Ready?”
She set the bit of plastic at her feet. “Yes.”
“Let’s go, then.” Putting the car in gear, he pulled out of his parking spot and they were on their way.
One quick stop at a coffee kiosk later for two small coffees, they turned into the sheriff’s department.
“Maybe we should have gotten the coffee after our meeting.” Margot set her cup in the cup holder. “I can’t drink all this now. It’s too hot. It’ll be cold when we come back out. Or should we take it in?”
“Let’s leave it here. Even cold, it’ll be better than the swill at the hotel.” He took one last sip of his coffee, then set it next to hers.
They headed inside, giving their names to the deputy manning the desk and telling him who they were there to see. He gave them visitor’s badges and led them down a hallway to a small conference room.
“Detective Sorenson will be in soon,” the deputy said. Backing out of the room, he closed the door.
Max pulled out a chair for Margot, then sat next to her. She folded her hands in her lap and stared out the window. A moment later, she crossed her legs and arms, only to uncross them and fold her hands in her lap again. Her knee bounced.
Hoping to still the thoughts he could practically hear racing through her mind, Max covered her hands. Immediately, she flipped one over and laced their fingers. The knee bouncing stopped.
They sat in silence for several minutes, the tick… tick… tick… of the clock on the wall the only sound. Five minutes after they sat down, the door opened again, and two men stepped in.
The smile of greeting on the first man’s face took on a slight curiousness as his gaze landed on Max. “Hello. I’m Detective Sorenson. This is Agent Gallagher from the FBI.”
Max’s gaze sharpened.
FBI?
He’d been right to come with Margot. It seemed her ex-husband’s case was more serious than they thought.
“Max Carson.” He stood and held out a hand. “I’m a friend of Margot’s.”
“Nice to meet you.” Sorenson shook his hand, then turned to Margot. “Mrs. Gaultier.”
“It’s Dr. Gaultier. And it’s nice to meet you too.” She rose halfway from her chair and shook his hand, then the agent’s, before sitting down.
Max nodded to the agent, then reclaimed his seat. He pinned a look on Detective Sorenson. “Unless Margot forgot to mention it, she didn’t say anything about meeting with a federal agent, in addition to you.”
“Professional courtesy. I decided to include him in this interview since the vehicle that led us to Dr. Gaultier was found on federal land. She didn’t mention she was bringing you along, either.” Sorenson took a seat and scooted closer to the table. He set down the file folder he carried and flipped it open as he looked at Margot. “First, I would like to say thank you for coming all this way. It’s not lost on us that you took an international flight for a man you’re no longer married to.”
“Thank you,” Margot said.
She’d folded her hands in her lap again and was alternating which one was on top. Max once more wrapped a hand over hers. Her fingers stilled beneath his, and she sent him a small smile.
“These are the items we found in the car that we’d like you to identify.” Sorenson spread several pictures over the table.
Margot leaned forward to get a closer look. So did Max.
In the first picture, a basic watch sat open inside an evidence bag on a table. What made it notable was the Texas A&M cloth watchband. The second picture was of a hat emblazoned with the name of a medical system. The third picture made Max’s heart stutter. It was a picture of Emily and Lily when they were about a year old.
“These are your daughters, yes?” Sorenson tapped the picture of the twins.
Margot rolled her lips inward, pressing them together so tightly the skin around them turned white. She clutched Max’s fingers and nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.
“And what about the items in the other pictures? Do you recognize anything there?”
Again, she nodded. “He got that watch when we were in residency. Same with the hat. That’s the hospital we worked at.”
“Can you tell us what happened?” Max asked.
Sorenson and Agent Gallagher shared a quick glance, then the latter spoke.
“Dr. Gaultier, when was the last time you spoke to your husband?”
Max ground his back teeth together. He should have brought his attorney along. They’d dodged the question.
Margot’s brow furrowed. “Before work the day he left us. And he’s my ex-husband. We’re divorced.”
“You haven’t spoken to him since he left you? How did you divorce, then?” Gallagher asked.
“He left divorce papers on the counter with a note, asking me to tell the girls he loved them. I tried contacting him through the attorney’s office listed on the documents, but he never responded. He’d already signed them, giving up everything he didn’t take with him, including custody of the twins. The only thing I really wanted him to take possession of was his car, but once it became apparent even his attorneys couldn’t contact him, I dropped that and just signed on the dotted line.”
Sorenson frowned. “So, the car we found isn’t his?”
“It might be, but it’s not the one he had when we were married. I sold it and paid off the loan. How did you know to contact me?”
“We found fingerprints in the car that came back to his name. A quick background check revealed his marriage to you and your daughters. With your confirmation of those items”—he pointed to the photos—“we’re fairly certain the man we found is your ex. The DNA sample you submitted from one of your daughters should give us a positive ID.” Sorenson twirled his pen between his hands.
Max’s frown deepened. “You know, I understand why you wanted her to look at the photographs and confirm that those things belong to Tad, but with the DNA sample from Lily, why did you need us to come here? We could have done all of this over Zoom.”
Again, Sorenson and Gallagher exchanged a look.
A hollow pit formed in Max’s stomach, and suddenly, he knew his previous suspicions were correct. “You think Tad was murdered, don’t you?”