Zero Day (John Puller, #1)(100)
“You swim?” she asked.
“Not unless someone I’m after jumps in the water. Wanted to talk to you.”
She walked over to a teak chaise longue with a blue cushion with white piping set against one wall. A terrycloth robe was there. She slipped it on and sat down on the chaise.
“What about? Did lunch not agree with you? You seem out of sorts.”
He perched on a chair next to her. “I was actually wondering whether I should arrest you.”
She appeared startled. “What? Why?”
“Attempted murder of a federal officer.”
She sat forward. “And how exactly do you figure that?”
“When I got back from lunch with you there was a bomb under my car. I’m getting tired of people trying to turn me into little pieces of flesh.”
“I know nothing about that. And since I was with you at lunch I could hardly have planted a bomb in your car.”
“You could have paid someone to do it.”
“And why would I do that?”
“That’s what I’m here to find out.”
“I need to get dressed. I have a dinner to go to tonight. If you want to continue this conversation, we’ll have to do it at another time.”
“Actually, we’ll do it right now.”
She stood. “I want you out of my house. Now!”
“And I want some answers. I’m here with the blessing of the police department.”
Jean’s lips parted but she said nothing.
“In other words, your sister knows I’m here.”
“I didn’t put a bomb in your car.”
“Under my car.”
“I didn’t do that either. What reason would I have to kill you?”
“That’s an easy one. I’m here to investigate a series of murders. If you or someone you’re connected to is involved in those crimes you’d naturally want me out of the way. So you invite me to lunch. You insist on driving. We come back and I almost go boom. You can see why I’m suspicious.”
She sat back down; her confidence seemed to drain away. “I… I can’t explain that. I don’t know what is going on.” When she looked back up there were tears in her eyes. “I’m telling you the truth, Puller.”
He watched her, debating the authenticity of those tears. He’d watched lots of suspects cry, from iron-hard soldiers to expectant moms to teenagers who’d lost their way as military brats.
“Just because you say it’s the truth doesn’t mean anything to me,” he said. “So until I find out otherwise, you’re officially a suspect. Do you understand that?”
She nodded dumbly.
“And if you have any information that would help me in my investigation, now would be a really good time to share it.”
“Information like what?”
“Like why is your husband so nervous. And don’t tell me it’s about death threats. I’ve come to the conclusion that that’s just bullshit. It happened before, with your brother, and I think he’s just using that as a convenient cover.”
“Cover for what?”
“He’s upgraded his security, Jean. The driver of his Escalade? He’s a former Marine.”
“How do you know that?”
“Army can sniff Marines out from a hundred miles away. The guy is a pro and he’s armed. And he’s new, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“It was a good choice. He’s light-years ahead of the old fart outside.”
“But his security here hasn’t really been increased. We still just have the same retired cop outside.”
“That’s because Roger isn’t here right now. So I guess he’s less concerned about your personal safety, or that of your daughter. His pro travels with him only.”
“What would he be afraid of?” she asked.
“You said he has lots of enemies. But they’re just the same old ones, right? How about something or someone new? That would justify the new muscle.”
“I can’t think of what that might be. As I said, I don’t get involved in Roger’s business.”
“If you keep lying to me, Jean, I will cuff you and haul your ass right out of here.”
More tears spilled from her eyes. “I don’t want to go to jail.”
“Then tell me the truth. You picked everything out at your B-and-B. Right down to the coffee cups. You know about business management. I’m betting you supervised the construction of this house, because judging from the interior decorating at Trent Exploration, that’s not Roger’s strong suit. So are you telling me you’ve ceded all knowledge of his business to him? Because I’m not buying it.”
They sat in silence for a couple of minutes. The humidity weighed down on Puller. At least the desert had been a dry heat. He watched Jean. He was not going to break the silence. He was not going to get up and leave. He was just going to wait for her to finally crack.
“There are some problems at Trent Exploration.”
“Like what?”
“Like missing money. Diverted accounts. Offshore phantom banking relationships. Things that shouldn’t be there are. Things that should be there aren’t.”
“And Roger is aware of this?”