Chapter 4
At her rented hotel room that night, Noelle stewed over Eli’s dogged insistence not to share case information with her. She knew she had skills that could prove useful to the investigation if she could just convince Eli.
She meditated on what her next steps should be.
She’d come all this way to Alaska and didn’t want to waste her time here.
She couldn’t schedule the funeral for Allison until the medical examiner and forensic specialists had finished gathering all the information they could and released her remains.
She’d cleared her work schedule before leaving Seattle, so she had a few days, maybe even as much as a couple weeks to devote her time to another project.
She wanted that project to be finding Allison’s killer.
She knew she wasn’t magically going to come up with an answer that Eli and all the law enforcement professionals, with their training, databases and specialized equipment, hadn’t found.
But deep in her bones, she believed she could offer a fresh perspective on the information they’d gathered that might be of use to the investigators. Or…she hoped.
The killer had to be caught. Not just to save the lives of any potential new victims, but to give his previous victims justice.
Noelle punched her flat pillow in the too-soft bed and tried to get some sleep. The snippets she knew about the case taunted her. Fake engagement rings. Three years of killing. An intelligent and patient killer.
Intelligent and patient. Those words could be used to describe Eli.
She’d admired his sharp mind when they were students together at the University of Washington.
And when she’d seen the writing on the wall, when she’d begun to pull away from him, he’d been infinitely patient with her mercurial moods.
Her swings between the deep passion she felt for him and the indifference she had to muster in order to leave him behind would have driven most men away.
But Eli’s devotion to her and patience with her hadn’t faltered.
Noelle’s heart, which she’d believed healed, stung.
Seeing him today had been a blessing and a curse.
While she’d been happy to see him doing so well, in a lead position in his chosen field, the intimate lunch had opened old wounds.
Looking into his beautiful blue eyes, hearing the mellow baritone of his voice, feeling the warmth from his smile…
Dang it. She’d had to fight not to tumble right back into his arms. She’d have to do a better job of steeling herself if she were to survive the next several days.
She knew her quest to learn more about Allison’s death and the investigation meant she’d run into Eli. Repeatedly.
The next morning, after a strong cup of coffee and thirty minutes of yoga to prepare herself, Noelle went to the ABI office and asked to speak to the forensic specialist in charge of the Fiancée Killer case.
She was somewhat used to the winter darkness clinging to the night in Seattle, but here in Shelby, even at 8:15 in the morning, the sun had yet to rise.
The lingering night added to her sense of disorientation and surrealism.
Allison was dead. Having not seen or spoken to her sister for so long, the loss was difficult to wrap her head around. Her absence wouldn’t be significantly felt, yet the tragic nature of her death was unsettling.
When Noelle finally muddled her way into the state troopers’ offices, the woman working the front desk seemed prepared to deny her request to meet with the forensic specialist or, at a minimum, grill her about her purpose for being there.
But, as luck would have it, a tall, blond man was filling a mug at the coffeepot in the lobby and heard her request.
Grinning broadly, his green eyes bright, the handsome man strode over to Noelle and extended his hand. “I’m the ME on the Fiancée Killer case. Scott Montgomery at your service. How can I help, Ms.—?” He let the title draw out, asking her to fill in the blank with a lift of his brow.
She took his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Harris. Noelle Harris. And I’m interested in learning more about the case.”
His expression grew skeptical, the way Eli’s had yesterday, and her stomach sank. She braced herself for being turned away, mentally calculating the best argument to be allowed access.
“Are you a journalist, Ms. Harris?” Montgomery asked.
“No. I’m a family member of one of the victims. I’m just trying to get a better idea of what happened to my sister and where the case stands.”
“Of course. I can understand that.” Montgomery paused a moment, his expression belatedly shifting to one of sympathy. “And my condolences on your loss.”
She smiled politely. “Thank you.”
He offered her coffee, which she declined. “What exactly is it you wish to know about your sister?”
“Anything and everything you can tell me. Reports in the media have been—”
“Noelle?”
Her words died on her lips as she pivoted to find Eli and another woman standing just inside the front door.
The woman’s gaze flicked to Scott, and a smile lit her face. “Good morning, Scott. Stealing the visitors’ coffee again, I see.”
The forensic specialist’s face glowed as he greeted the woman. “Kansas! Hi.” He lifted his mug to her in a sort of salute. “You have to admit, it’s far better than the witch’s brew back in the office.”
Eli stepped forward, his attention fully focused on Noelle. “What’s going on here?”
“This is Noelle Harris,” Scott said, brandishing another handsome smile. “She’s—”
“I know who she is,” Eli said, not unkindly. His mouth twitched in a lopsided grin.
The woman Scott had called Kansas gasped. “You’re Noelle? The Noelle?”
Noelle blinked and divided a look between Kansas and Eli. “I’m a Noelle. I’m not sure if that makes me the Noelle.”
Eli cleared his throat and glanced at Kansas. “Yes, she’s the Noelle.” He sighed, adding, “And unfortunately, Allison Harris, the second body found, was her sister.” He turned to Noelle. “What brings you by this morning?”
“She wanted to talk to me about the case, get some details,” Montgomery said before Noelle could answer. “What do you mean, the Noelle? I’m missing something.”
Eli shook his head and flicked a brief glance at his colleague. “Never mind. I’ll explain later. Suffice to say, I’ve told her everything we can divulge on the case already. So…” He spread his hands. “Your trip this morning was in vain.”
Kansas scoffed. “Eli, don’t be rude! It’s not in vain as far as I’m concerned, because it meant I got to meet you—finally! I’m Eli’s cousin, Kansas Colton. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Noelle gave Eli a querying look. “You have? Recently?”
“Well, not so much recently, but we all knew about you, heard all the stories, back when you were dating.” Kansas shot her cousin a side glance as if realizing how awkward this meeting, years later, must be for Eli.
“Um…” She hitched a thumb over her shoulder.
“I better get going. I’m with the search and rescue team, and I’m just checking up on a few things before…
the task force meeting. And I have to…report…
” She let her excuse trail off, her cheeks flushing.
“Well, it was nice to meet you, despite the sad circumstances.”
Scott’s eyes followed Kansas as she disappeared down the corridor, his expression clearly saying he wished he could escape the awkwardness himself but knew Noelle’s wish to speak to him pinned him down.
Shifting her attention back to Eli, Noelle angled her head in query. “You told your family about me?”
Her question seemed to startle him. “Of course, I did. We were—” His gaze flicked to Scott before returning to her. After the briefest hesitation where he seemed to be choosing his words, he said, “Dating. Didn’t you tell your family about me?”
Noelle, unwilling to get into their personal history or her family dynamic, especially with Scott listening, dodged the subject with a shrug. “Well, I don’t want to keep you. I came to see Mr. Montgomery.”
Eli squared his shoulders and divided a look between the two. “And I, as the lead on the Fiancée Killer case, am saying Scott is not at liberty to share any details I haven’t already given you.”
Noelle sputtered. “Wha—you haven’t told me jack-diddly!”
“Exactly. Because we don’t want anything to jeopardize the case.” Eli directed a loaded look to Scott. “Isn’t that right, Scott?”
The forensic expert raised both hands. “I’m sorry. My hands are tied.”
Noelle gritted her teeth. She’d been sure Scott was ready to spill more details to her if Eli hadn’t shown up. “Thank you anyway, Mr. Montgomery.”
“Scott, please. Any friend of Eli’s need not stand on ceremony with me.”
She gave him a half smile as he retreated into the office.
Facing Eli, she propped her hands on her hips, her gaze clashing with his.
“I can’t believe you’re being so stubborn about this!
I’m not a threat to the investigation. I can add value!
I have software that can give you a deeper analysis of your data.
I have a vested interest in seeing the case solved. I am trustworthy and honest and—”
“All right! All right!” Eli raised a palm, signaling defeat.
He took her by the arm and led her to a corner of the lobby, out of the path of pedestrian traffic and away from the listening ears of the receptionist. “I have a meeting with the task force in a little while and interviews set up for this afternoon, but I can meet with you this evening. Where are you staying while you’re in town? ”