Page 24 of Nowhere to Hide
Goosebumps rose on Cindy’s arms. The closed-off and guarded body language spoke for Mary. She was diverting, even possibly afraid to admit her friend spoke of him. If Cindyattacked this deception head on, Mary would most certainly close off, maybe even show her the door. Cindy would pace herself. “Revisiting what you asked me a moment ago, I will tell you that Ryan Crawford has found himself in some trouble.” Revealing this tidbit might help open Mary up further.
“Tell me he’s okay.”
“For now. When was the last time you spoke to Ryan?”
“The day after Teresa’s funeral. He showed up here wanting to talk about his mother. He had questions about her death.”
Cindy cautioned herself.No rushing ahead…If she were to continue to draw Mary out, she needed to ask the right questions and wield them with the skill and tact of a detective. Recognizing when there was a need for that balance was an art. “You mentioned that Teresa was talking a lot before she died, like a deathbed confessional. Did Ryan coming here have anything to do with that?”
Mary traced her fingertip along the table. “Yes. She left him a letter to open after she had passed, telling him who his father was and to watch out for him. He wanted me to confirm what his aunt told him.”
“And Timothy Hanson is the father. Am I right?” She set that out there with grace. No accusation that Mary had lied earlier. The woman knew what she had done.
Mary slowly nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t just come out and say as much a minute ago. It’s just that I clearly remember Teresa talking about how dangerous he was. I didn’t want to…”
“Put yourself in harm’s way?” Now it clicked. This fear could explain why Mary was cagey when Cindy showed up wanting to speak about Teresa. How Mary had looked up and down the hall as if expecting she was being watched.
“That’s right. Timothy might be dead, but people like that live on. You don’t think, though, thathe was involved with Susan’s accident? That’s what you’re investigating?”
It didn’t take long for Mary to piece it together. But personal opinion aside, Cindy said, “It’s unclear. But this letter you mentioned, did you read it for yourself or get a copy?”
“No. All I know is what Ryan shared, which wasn’t much.”
Just enough to scare Mary…Cindy closed up her notepad and stood. “I appreciate your time, ma’am.”
“Really? You can’t leave me now. Be honest. Did Timothy Hanson kill my friend’s sister?”
“I’ve told you all I can.” Cindy left Mary to fill in the blanks.That the accident is being reviewed and it’s calling Timothy Hanson into question…
After Cindy left the apartment, she pulled out her phone. She couldn’t wait to hear Lieutenant Coleman’s response to all she’d discovered.
FOURTEEN
1:10 PM
All Sandra wanted to do was get back on the phone with Ryan, listen to him and try to reason with him. Ideally, she’d love to get a better handle on the situation inside. But calling without a strategy was risky. Just as she was considering one, a knock on the vehicle’s door stopped her from moving ahead.
Kreiger answered and took two bags and a small box from a uniformed officer and turned around. “I’ve got food.”
Sandra’s stomach was on the verge of rumbling its approval. Making sure everyone was fed must have been one role Kreiger liked to take on. He’d done the same during the standoff at Founders. That day it had been pulled-pork sandwiches and mumbo sauce. Today, she could only guess at half of the puzzle. One bag had the logo for Georgetown Cupcakes. Whatever was inside was bound to go over well.
“All right, I’ve got us burgers and fries. I figured no one was going to say no to that. And because I was feeling generous, I also got us a variety pack of cupcakes,” Kreiger announced, pulling out the bakery’s signature pink box. “Sodas and waters too.”
Generous or feeling the need for comfort food to ease his stress?Sandra wouldn’t blame him if it was the latter. Who hadn’t been there?
“Oh, I don’t mind if I do.” Donny stood and beelined straight for the sweets. He pulled out a peanut butter chocolate chip twist and bit into it. Mouth still slightly full, he spoke around the food. “I’ll never turn sugar down.”
Kreiger laughed, and so did Neal and Monica.
Gibson was too absorbed in his work to even acknowledge the arrival of food. “All right, so I’ve got a thread to tug.” He spoke while facing his computer. “Susan Crawford used to work for Hanson Property Development.”
“When was this?” Neal grabbed a burger and dug in, eating it right out of the box. Not even sacrificing any time to add condiments.
The food smelled heavenly, and Sandra couldn’t hold off any longer. She sat at the table, added some relish and mayo to the bun of one cheeseburger and sunk her teeth in.Heaven.She’d push herself extra hard on her next run along the Potomac.
Monica came over and helped herself to one of everything, including a soda, and sat next to Sandra.
“It looks like Susan worked there for a couple of years, but she left six years before the accident. So around the time she would have gotten pregnant with—” Gibson stopped talking and spun, sniffing the air. “Damn. Burgers.” He got up and helped himself to one, which he took back to his workstation with a packet of mustard.
