Page 49 of Night Moves
“We need to determine if any of your connections could lead to this location and leave us vulnerable,” Drake said. “Starting with Malone.”
“But they don’t,” Natalie’s voice rose, her panic raising Drake’s concern. “Malone said her burner phone was secure.”
“It’s not likely traceable, but all phones can be traced with the right information,” Erik said. “And Gentry is proving he has the right skills and resources to gain that information. If he connects you to Malone, it’s not unreasonable to believe that that connection could lead to us and this location.”
Natalie should be fearing for her life, but, at the moment, she only cared about the list Erik wrote on the board of the women’s names. Women. Four of them. But Natalie could hardly focus on anyone but Gina. Her sister. The girl Natalie had protected all those years from her mother’s depression, had mothered, had practically raised. Gina, her only true friend.
And now, here she was on a list on the whiteboard. A statistic to these men. Not a real person. None of the women were. Sure, the guys were upset over their murders, but they didn’t know them. Didn’t know that Gina liked honey not jelly on her toast. That she only ate eggs if they were scrambled. That she had a nervous habit of picking at her cuticles until they bled when she was uneasy. Or that she was terrified of the dentist but had no fear of going to a doctor or getting a shot.
Natalie looked around the table at the men staring at her. Could she trust these guys? Tell them the truth?
They were going to do a background check on her, and they would find out about Gina anyway. Wouldn’t it be better for her to tell them before they discovered it and didn’t know her reason for keeping it from them? Especially from Drake.
Help me, Father. Please help me do this.
She stood and cleared her throat. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
As one, their eyes narrowed, and the force of four pairs of eyes locking on her almost had her bolting from the room. But she swallowed instead and moved to the whiteboard where she tapped Gina’s name.
“Gina Green was my sister.” She let her statement hang out there and watched the men.
Mouths fell open, but she only cared about Drake’s reaction. He was watching her with a quiet intensity that speared her with guilt and insecurity.
Hand-Me-Dunntried to make an appearance. Tried hard. But Natalie wouldn’t let her. She raised her shoulders and mentally prepared for the first comment.
“Way to bury the lead,” Erik said, but she couldn’t pull her focus from Drake.
He stared at her, his lips pressed tight, putting an ache in her heart. She had to explain. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was worried you would ignore me or think my lead was made up.”
“Why?” He continued to eye her.
“Because the police did before.” She forced herself to look at the others too. “When Gina’s investigation went cold, I couldn’t let it go. So I did some digging and went to the police with my findings. Many times. Each time Detective Archibald discounted me because I was Gina’s sister. I mean, he was polite, but like I said, I’m good at reading body language, and I could tell he was just patronizing me. I doubt he took anything I said seriously.”
“And what does that have to do with not telling me…us?” Drake asked.
“I thought as former law enforcement that you all might think the same thing. That maybe I fabricated the evidence to make Kirk look guilty.”
“You have to admit it’s quite a coincidence that you were in the home of the man you searched years for but didn’t know it,” Drake said.
“See. That’s just what I expected you to say and why I didn’t tell you everything.” And her first sign of Drake playing the devil’s advocate, as he’d said he was so good at doing.
A knock sounded on the door before it opened.
Good.Whoever it was, Natalie was thankful for the interruption.
Russ stepped in carrying a pot of coffee. He took one look at the guys and frowned. “Seems like I interrupted at the wrong time, but you know your mother. She says bring you guys more coffee, and I jump.” He chuckled, but nobody laughed with him.
“It’s okay,” Natalie said. “I need to check on the children anyway.”
She finally gave in to her instincts to protect herself and fled out the door. She stood outside gulping in the cooler air and wondering if admitting to lying to the Byrd guys might be the end of the investigation. She knew they would still keep her and the children safe. They were fine men and wouldn’t bail on her or the children. Of that she was certain, but might they leave finding Kirk to the task force?
No matter what they did, she wouldn’t stop looking for Kirk. He killed Gina, and he needed to pay. But it would be sheer foolishness to go after him on her own. From what the guys said, Kirk’s military training and IT skills made him a very worthy foe, and she was no match for him.
So what should she do? Just what?
She looked up at the downy white clouds in the sky, pleading for an answer. Hearing nothing. Finding no answers.
Carrying an empty coffee pot, Russ stepped outside and paused next to her. “I found some clothing that the woman at the store assured me would fit you. Put them in the bedroom.”
