"Reed might still live," Cooper stated rashly, knowing that it was unwise to taunt a woman who held a gun and had already committed murder with no signs of remorse.
Cindi shrugged. "Lucky him. He'll have to take the fall for the whole dang scam. Vance has got everything laid out all nice and tidy for the finger to point right at Reed. He's left a paper trail even you two could follow." She laughed, delighted by this notion. "That ole bat Hazel and that dumb accountant don't know how lucky
they
are. We're not gonna waste any more time tryin' to find them. Once you two are taken care of, Vance and I are outta the country. Ah," she breathed zealously, "here's my ticket to the good life now."
A dark-colored SUV pulled to an abrupt stop in front of them and a sound indicating that the doors were automatically being unlocked made Cooper feel weak in the knees. She darted a desperate look at Nathan, whose face was grim and fearful. "If we get in that car, we're going to die," she whispered urgently to him.
Overhearing, Cindi laughed with mirth and then opened the back door of the SUV. She pulled the gun from her bag and her finger moved to the trigger. Smiling crookedly, her dark eyes flashed. "You're gonna die anyway." She trained the gun on Cooper, but stared at Nathan, her expression filled with a crazed elation. "Get in, copy boy, or I shoot her right here and now."
Nathan hesitated, looking around for anything that would serve as a weapon, but there was nothing. With a defeated slump to his shoulders, he got into the SUV.
"You with the freaky eyes," Cindi came so close that Cooper could feel Cindi's breath on her face. "Your turn. Since you and Brooke went to church together, then you must be a
good
Christian girl. So let's see if all your
songs
and your
faith
and your
Bible thumpin'
can save you now. Go on," she commanded viciously. "Start prayin'."
Cooper closed her eyes and felt her knees buckling as she began to do just as Cindi ordered. Eyes squeezed shut, she heard voices shouting all around the garage. There were men's voices and then Cindi was yelling--her high-pitched screams filled with surprised rage. The exchanged shouts escalated until the boom of a gunshot eclipsed all other sound.
19
The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love.
Psalm 33:5 (NIV)
"Do you need a drink of water?" Investigator McNamara asked patiently as he waited for Cooper to finish her statement.
She sat up straighter in bed, wincing at the pain that flared along the length of her left arm. "I'm okay, but I don't have much more to add. After Cindi told me to pray, that's exactly what I did." She raised her eyes and looked at the police officer. "I heard you yell 'put your hands in the air' to Cindi and then, I think you shouted 'get down' to me."
"That's exactly was I said. I was trying to get you out of the line of fire." His steely eyes softened. "But you were already falling to your knees when I yelled."
From where she sat in the corner of the hospital room, Trish clamped her hand on Quinton's fore arm. "This whole things sounds just like a movie scene!"
"Yeah, 'cept in the movies the cops are decked out in bulletproof vests and get to shoot people without fair warnin'. The real good guys gotta practically recite the Gettysburg Address before they're allowed to take down a wacko like Cindi Rolfing," Jake scoffed and bit into a Butterfinger. "I've gotta quit eatin' this junk. May as well go back to smoking. Least I was skinnier."
Looking tired but amused, McNamara turned his attention to Nathan, who had seated himself in a chair directly next to Cooper's bed. "At what point did Vance Maynard pull a gun on you?"
"Right after Cindi fired her pistol at you and your men. One of the bullets from the return fire grazed cooper just below the shoulder. That's when Maynard decided to bolt." His eyes fell on Cooper's bandaged arm. "I wish I was the one standing in that spot," he said mournfully.
"What was Mr. Maynard's reaction?" the lawman prompted. "Would you mind telling me again, for the record?"
Nathan nodded, his face etched with shame. "He pointed a gun right at my forehead and told me to get out of the car. As soon as I did, he sped away." He glanced at Cooper again. "He could have run you over!"
"I'm fine," Cooper assured him as she smoothed the wrinkles in her blanket. "In fact, I'm not going to stay here overnight. There's nothing wrong with me except for a little cut."
"You're as bruised and stitched as a prize-fighter," Savannah pointed out gently. "Hit your head on that cement ground too. It would be best to take it easy, dear."
McNamara flipped through his note pad and cleared his throat. "Ms. Lee, you mentioned that Cindi Rolfing claimed that she didn't have time to track down Hazel Wharton and Jed Weeks. What do you think she meant by that?"
"I think she was getting ready to leave the country," Cooper answered. "She had two suitcases open on her bed and she mentioned making enough money to buy an island."
"And Vance had two duffel bags on the front seat of the SUV," Nathan added.
"Well, she won't be going anywhere fast," McNamara said, rising. "And I hope you all have learned your lesson about snooping. As you can see,"--he gestured at Cooper's arm--"those on the wrong side of the law can inflict
real
injuries. It's not a game out there. If me and my men hadn't come along, we might be pulling you and your boyfriend out of the James River right now instead of taking your statements."
"Yessir," Cooper muttered, her face burning because of the reprimand, not to mention McNamara's use of the term
boyfriend
.
"What brought the police out to Cindi's place, if you don't mind me asking?" Quinton inquired. "Something about her must have raised some red flags."
"Financial red flags," McNamara answered. "In murder cases, we always look at the financial angle. The fact that Brooke Hughes was in charge of the Fraud department, with full access to the inner workings of the entire Capital City system, kept nagging at me as being significant. Despite the evidence, what most folks saw as Wesley's motive for killing her was weak from the get-go."
He threw out his arms as if to embrace everyone in the room. "All couples argue, but very few of those arguments end violently, so what would cause a man to shoot his wife in cold blood? Another woman? Drug or alcohol abuse? Sometimes folks just go plumb crazy, but most of the time, murder is about money. Wesley Hughes wasn't interested in money. He was perfectly content with his life and
that
interested me. I was lookin' for someone with a financial motive."
"You thought Wesley was innocent all along?" Savannah spluttered.
"I felt he might be, yes, Mrs. Knapp." The officer was solemn. "But what I think doesn't matter without evidence to back it up. Luckily, Ms. Lee stumbled across Jed Weeks and the information he provided allowed us to crack the case." He eyed the Sunrise Bible Study members one at a time. "We were at Ms. Rolfing's apartment to question her about Brooke's murder. One of the Hugheses' neighbors recently remembered seeing a silver Honda sedan parked down the street from their house the morning the murder occurred. This woman was also able to recall two of the letters in the license plate, both of which appear on the plate of Ms. Rolf ng's car."
"Will she live?" Cooper whispered. "Is Cindi going to stand trial?"
McNamara closed his eyes and finally, issued the slightest of nods. "She's still in surgery, but the doctors are confident she'll pull through. On a more positive note, Mr. Newcombe's condition has improved remarkably and he's been completely cooperative with us." He lowered his voice and winked. "I think he'd do anything to please the missus at this juncture, but she says she's going to stick by him no matter what happens."
"We'll have to pray for their marriage, my friends," Savannah said to her friends.
Glancing at her in approval, McNamara placed his hands on his hips. "Mr. Newcombe's agreed to see a counselor with Mrs. Newcombe, so between the prayers and the professional, they might just pull through." He paused and seemed to lose himself in thought for a moment. "I'll see to the release of your friend Wesley personally, folks. Perhaps Ms. Rolfing will provide us with a confession and make things all nice and tidy."
"I doubt it. And what about that rat, Maynard?" Jake demanded, balling his hands into fists so that the cross tattoo on his arm rippled. "How'd he get away with his part in all this?"
The officer sighed. "Unfortunately, Mr. Maynard had been seen at public events during the time period that Mrs. Hughes was killed and again when Mr. Newcombe was pushed from the bridge. During the afternoon Mrs. Hughes was murdered, Mr. Maynard was playing in a charity tennis match and when Mr. Newcombe was injured, Mr. Maynard was attending a charity ball until close to two in the morning."
"But what if he gets away?" Cooper whispered.
McNamara put his warm palm over Cooper's right hand and stared sternly into her eyes, making it clear that the possibility for further discussion on the subject of Vance Maynard was now closed. "I'll be in touch, Ms. Lee. Please take care and listen to the doctors' advice. I'm posting a man outside your door, so don't you lose sleep thinkin' anyone's comin' in here that you don't want to see."
"Thank you, Investigator." Cooper gave the lawman a grateful smile. Nathan stood, shook the police officer's hand and they all watched as he left the room, his posture firm and his mouth set in a thin line. He was a man with a purpose.
"I can't believe that Vance character! Leaving his own girlfriend behind to face the firing squad. What a coward." Trish gazed at Cooper in remorse. "I know she's committed horrible, evil deeds, but she must be a tormented soul to have done the things she's done."
Jake smirked. "She's gonna be real mad at that Vance guy for a long time. And it sounds like she'll have a few decades in prison to think about that island they bought."
Nathan slumped in his chair. "That's what I worry about. What if Vance got away and is headed for that locale as we speak?"
The friends exchanged anxious glances. Cooper agreed with Nathan. Vance Maynard was crafty enough to come up with the entire Capital City scam, so it was likely that he had an escape plan in place from the moment Brooke Hughes began to suspect that someone in her company was involved in criminal pursuits.
"Hey, where's Bryant?" Quinton asked in an attempt to lift the gloom that had descended upon the group.
"Fending off the news crews," Nathan replied.
Trish shot out of her chair. "He's going to get all the prime camera time! Where are they? Outside?" She was practically salivating as she feverishly dug in her purse for business cards.
Cooper smiled as she gazed at her friends. Her family had been by earlier and between her mother's anxiety and the investigator's pointed questions, Cooper was suddenly feeling tired. In fact, the idea of spending the night in the hospital didn't seem so bad. The nurse on duty had informed her that macaroni and cheese with green beans and garlic bread was on the menu for dinner and that she could check out first thing in the morning after the doctor assigned to her case completed his rounds.
Taking a drink from her plastic cup, Cooper thought about how the media would be trying to contact her at home, demanding to have their questions answered and their curiosity sated. Instead of unplugging her phone and asking her parents to deal with visitors to the house, she could simply stay here, spending a blessedly uneventful evening watching a rerun of
Extreme Make over Home Edition.
Then she could return home in the morning, feeling completely refreshed. She'd still refuse to talk to the press, but at least she'd feel strong enough to turn them away.
"Why don't you help Bryant make a statement on behalf of me and Nathan," Cooper suggested wearily to Trish.
Savannah lifted her nose in the air as if tracking a scent. "Your voice sounds tired, Cooper. I think it's time for us to get going."
"Call me if you need anything!" Trish trilled and was out the door in a frantic clicking of heels.
"Oh, before I forget," Nathan said to Cooper as Savannah accepted Jake's arm. "Your boss called. He says to take the rest of the week off."
For some reason, Cooper found Mr. Farmer's offer extremely touching. He already had too much work for his current employees to handle and yet he was willing to put off some of their clients in order to give Cooper an entire week of rest. She closed her eyes and struggled to keep from crying, but as soon as she shut out the light, the sounds of gunfire echoed through her mind. Trembling, she tried to block out the shouting, the roar of Cindi's gun being discharged above her, and the searing pain of the bullet lacerating the soft flesh of her arm.
Cooper felt a hand covering her own and she opened her eyes again. "Do you want me to stay awhile?" Nathan asked tenderly, though his face pinched with fatigue.
"You've been through a shock as well," Savannah spoke from the doorway. "You both need rest."
"Come on, my friend," Quinton took Nathan's elbow. "I'll give you a lift home."
Nathan cast one last look over his wide shoulders at Coo -per. She gave him a weak smile and for a moment, his face became effused with its customary animation. "I'm glad you're okay," he whispered, his voice breaking slightly. "If something had happened to you because I got in the car ..." He trailed off, miserable with guilt once again.
"We're
both
okay," Cooper assured him warmly. "Good night, Nathan."
