Trial by Fire (26 page)

Unwilling to give Laura any credit, Nate disagreed. “You don’t know Laura, Doug. She always holds the cards, or thinks she does. And I’ve never known her to think half of anything is as good as the whole.”

Nate squeezed Erin’s hand, then stood and began pacing.

“Excellent work, both of you. As always, you have found in a couple of days what would have taken a ‘legitimate’ operation weeks, if not months. I appreciate the hell out of you! Thank you both.”

He nodded to Sam. “Commander Carter is about to interview Mrs. Peterson. Your information will help him immensely. You wanna have as many of your facts lined up as possible when tussling with Laura. I’m looking forward to the show. For once, I’ll be on the other side of the one-way glass.”

He winked at Sam.

“But don’t fret, hotshot. Only advice I have is to wear a cup. Laura always goes for the family jewels first. She takes your skin off next.”

Glancing down at his phone, he looked up and met Sam’s questioning gaze with a confirming nod.

“Hmm, this is a text from Eric. For those of you who don’t know Eric, there isn’t an illegal activity he isn’t aware of or a ‘kink’ he hasn’t tried or at least knows someone who has. His message says that there is no sign of Mike anywhere in the BDSM scene, but he’s meeting with a guy tonight who may have some dirt on Sherman.”

Nate ran his hands through his hair, a frown tugging at his brows.

“I’m thinking we need to start playing the second fiddle in the Peterson Lumber Company a hell of a lot harder than we have. The guy lost $10 mil in options, and interestingly enough, the offshore accounts hold at least that amount. Looks as though someone may have been recouping his losses. Sam, when you’re finished with Laura—or more likely, when she’s finished with you—we’re gonna drop in unannounced on Mr. Klein. I’d say he has some explaining to do.”

Chapter 25

“Will Nate be joining us?”

“No. Detective Stryker is busy. I will be interviewing you and Ms. Burk will be transcribing the interview. You met Ms. Burk when Detective Stryker interviewed you at your home the day after the murder.”

Laura glanced at the woman who was sitting at the end of the table and didn’t bother to speak to her. Nate gave a small snort. Of course, Laura wouldn’t acknowledge Maggie. She was a non-person to her. As Naomi had said, Laura looked at most women as though they were dog shit. He exchanged a knowing look with Dan. The two of them were observing the interview. As he’d requested, Sam had positioned Laura so that Nate could read her facial expressions.

“Ya notice, Dan, we almost don’t have to hear what she’s saying to know exactly what’s on her mind. In fact, it’s almost better to shut out the sound.”

He couldn’t hold back a deep frustrated sigh.

“What’s up, big guy?”

“How could I have been so stupid, Dan? Was I really that naïve, that shallow, that I didn’t see who Laura was when I asked her to marry me?”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Nate. You were what, twenty-five? Twenty-six? Back from your second overseas tour? First time in Special Forces? And damn, Nate, look at her. Physically, she’s gorgeous.”

“She is that, and of course it doesn’t help that the whole time I was with her, I thought with my little head and never listened to the one with a brain. ‘Dick Brain’ is an oxymoron if I ever heard one. There’s no such thing.” Nate sighed again. “I know this might sound corny, Dan, but Erin glows. She really does. It’s like there is a flame inside of her that lights up when she sees me. I never understood what true beauty was. I mean, Erin is every bit as physically beautiful as Laura. But she is so much more.”

Dan chuckled and clapped him on the back. “You’ve got the best and worst disease in the world, Nate. You’re lovesick. And I couldn’t be happier for you. Erin’s an amazing woman. Those of us who care about you are convinced you got a guardian angel perched on your shoulder. Somethin’s there, Nate. Something got rid of that evil woman, and brought Erin into your life.”

Nate frowned and nodded. “You’re right, Dan. It’s a fucking miracle. Must be a goddamn guardian angel, becuz sure as hell, that woman sitting in there is the devil incarnate.”

He reached over and turned up the sound.

“May as well hear what she’s saying verbally. Non-verbally, Commander Carter better’ve put on that cup I warned him about. Christ, she may as well just crawl up on the table, lay on her back, stick her feet up in the air and shove an apple in her mouth. She’s literally serving herself up to him.”

Nate squashed his disgust and began watching Laura’s body language. It was one of the best insights to how her devious mind worked. She was doing what she always did. First she sized up her prey like the consummate predator she was and then she chose her facade. Who she was going to be for that particular audience—at that particular moment in time. To Sam’s credit, she must’ve been getting negative vibes from him because she’d dropped the simpering little girl mask ten minutes ago, and just now discarded the bereaved widow guise. If you watched carefully, you could see her eyes moving from side to side. As if she were clicking through her rolodex of the “Lauras” stored in her brain—deciding which one she should bring out next.

Sam’s question broke through her internal machinations.

“What was your relationship with Sherman Klein?”

Laura folded her hands her lap and gave a small shrug.

“He was Mike’s partner. Mike’s second in command. Or he was supposed to be.”

Sam’s voice was pleasant. “We can discuss Mr. Klein’s relationship with Mike in a minute. My question was, what is
your relationship
with Mr. Klein?”

Laura startled slightly. “I… I didn’t have a relationship. If you mean, were we more than friends?”

When Sam didn’t respond, Laura hurried to explain. “We… we had dinner occasionally. Sherm and Mike were having trouble, and Sherm appealed to me to help him. I told him from the beginning there wasn’t much I could do. Mike wasn’t interested in my opinions regarding his business.” She added with a dismissive laugh, “Or my opinions in general.”

Nate was impressed. By forcing her to answer his question, Sam got her to amplify not only her relationship with Sherm but also with Mike. Two points for the home team.

Nate was glad when Sam pressed his advantage. “What caused the problems between Mike and Sherm?”

Laura gave a coquettish giggle. “In my experience, the only thing that comes between men is money or women.”

Sam smiled in return. “And in this case?”

Laura shrugged as if daring him. “Both.”

Sam took the dare. “I understand that Mike reneged on a $10 million stock option deal he had with Sherm.”

Another point for the home team. Sam’s flat assertion worked. Nate could almost see Laura’s decision-making process at work. Clearly Sam already knew more than he should. But rather than being alarmed, Laura just reached into her personal file drawer and became the concerned confidant, relieved that she had a colleague she could confide in.

“I… I’m glad you know about that, Commander. I was concerned that perhaps you didn’t… know about the problems between Mike and Sherm, and I didn’t want to be the one to get Sherm in trouble. By the way, would you object to me calling you Sam?”

At the non sequitur, Sam’s lip tipped up at the corner. “Commander will do.”

Laura backed up in her chair, not quite able to hide her surprise. One
half
point for the home team. It was a good move on Sam’s part but what he didn’t know was that he’d thrown down a marker in Laura’s sweet spot. Nate could have told him, no one including the charming debonair police commander could beat Laura at sexual one-upmanship. Except Nate, who was as skilled at the game as Laura was. Not a fact he was proud of.

She crossed her long legs and leaned forward, her forearms on the table—which had the effect of pushing her breasts closer together and upward. She graced Sam with a saucy smile and a wink. “Of course, Commander. I assumed that you would want to be in charge.”

A flush rose on Sam’s face. Nate chuckled. Laura’d earned that one.

Naturally, Laura took her advantage and rubbed it in Sam’s face.

“
Why
did you say that Nate wasn’t going to interview me?”

It was a conscious tactic to undermine Sam’s confidence. They both knew that Nate was watching the interview, and Laura was making the point that she might not have been able to grab that small psychological advantage from Nate.

When Sam didn’t answer, she persisted, bordering on the aggressive fighter that she was, but usually kept hidden.

“Is Nate angry with me?”

“Does he have a reason to be?”

She sat up straight. “Absolutely not. I care about Nate and he cares about me. Even though he is angry with me now, in the long run he will admit that I was right.”

“What are you right about, Laura?”
“That even though we’re not together, we have a connection that no one can break.”

Sam glanced down at his notes. “Is that why you sent him 103 email messages asking him to ‘reignite’ that connection?”

Rather than being offended, Laura nodded in agreement. “Yes it is. I’ve found that bull-headed men often require over-the-top tactics.”

“And you continued to send the messages even when Detective Stryker didn’t respond?”

She sniffed. “I knew he would.”

“But he hasn’t yet?”

Her eyes hardened, a frozen cliff of blue shale.

“He will, eventually.”

Nate hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until she admitted that he had not responded to her overtures. Even though he knew it wasn’t necessary, a heavy burden lifted when she vindicated him. She’d sent over a hundred messages and he hadn’t responded once. It underscored the extent of her delusion. Not in a way that absolved her. Rather, in a way that made her more dangerous.

“How did Sherman respond to Mike’s reneging on the stock options?”

Sam’s quick left turn didn’t throw her. Laura was in execution mode. Nate didn’t know precisely how much she knew about the anger between Mike and Sherm. Or what Laura’s relationship with Sherm included. Friends with benefits? A fuckbuddie? But whatever it was, it was obvious she could see that her friend Sherm was going under. Rather than helping him, she simply got out of the way. While giving him a shove or two further under the proverbial bus.

Her indignation was apparent. “How would you respond, Commander? Sherm worked for Mike for over thirty years, doing everything but wipe his ass. Then when it came time to reap some rewards, get recognition for being Mike’s obeisant little puppy dog, Mike didn’t so much as toss him a bone.”

“Sherman was angry?”

“I believe a more appropriate adjective is enraged.”

Sam leaned back in his chair and studied Laura thoughtfully.

“Was Mike a vindictive man?”

“How do you mean?”

“Was he being capricious, careless? Taking Sherman’s options just because he could?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Or because he believed Mike wronged him?” Her smirk said it all.

“I take it, that it was the latter? Your husband believed Sherman had wronged him?”

Laura gave a bored sigh. “Yes. And at the risk of repeating myself—”

“Ah yes. I believe that you said in this case it was
both
money and women that came between your husband and your ‘friend’.”

At Laura’s dismissive shrug, Sam changed course.

“Was Mike involved in the BDSM scene?”

Laura’s eyes widened. If he didn’t know her better, Nate would have read her expression as shock. But Nate did know her. Her relaxed crossing of one leg over the other, slightly hiking her miniscule skirt several inches higher, gave her away. The fact that the table stood between her and Sam proved the point that the only people who could have seen her provocative move were those standing at the observation window.

Consummate master of the stage that she was, Laura managed to play the shocked innocent with her face and upper body, while edging into a mild strip tease with her lower half. Nate had to give her credit. She knew how to play her audience. All of them.

She stammered, “Do you mean whips… and chains? Awful painful things like that?”

Sam’s gaze was steady, not reacting to her shocked litany of what BDSM might include.

“You know, Laura. Things like the cross that Mike was hung on. The fact that he was whipped. That he was dismembered, which like rape, is a violent act with sexual overtones.”

“Oh my God! You think that someone who knew how to do those kinds of things killed Mike?”

“We haven’t determined a profile of the killer… as of yet.”

Once again, Laura became the earnest confidant. “Believe me. Mike wasn’t sexually… adventurous. He considered it outrageous to keep the lights on during sex. I don’t know about your sexual habits, Commander, but older Scandinavian men tend to be… repressed. Overt sexuality disgusted Mike. Trust me, I would know if Mike was into such… unusual acts.”

“And Sherman Klein? Would you know if he was?”

“For Sherm’s sake, I can only pray not. If Mike had ever found out something like that, there is no telling what he would do. He would fire him, of course. And knowing Mike, he would use it to take away every bit of dignity that Sherm had.”

She stopped, a range of emotions playing over her expressive face. Then, as though realizing that she may have said too much, she shook her head and held up her hands, indicating she would say no more. She didn’t have to. The damage was done.

Sam let the silence stand for a long moment.

“I understand you had an unusual prenuptial agreement.”

She threw him an interested glance. “Unusual? In what way?”

“Most pre-nups that I’ve seen protect the wealthier of the partners. In your case, the agreement was in your favor.”

She sniffed. “Why would I agree to something that was not in my favor, Commander?”

Sam lifted a hand conceding the point.

Laura couldn’t let the insinuation pass. “I’m not sure you are aware of precisely what Mike was getting access to, Commander.”

With a slight smile acknowledging her point, Sam continued. “Were you concerned that at some point in time, Mike would divorce you?”