Silent Witness (11 page)

She smiled. “Even if I roused you out of a dead sleep?”

“You did the right thing.” He tapped the pencil against the pad. “‘Something horrible happened at Ares. I can't let it be found out.'” He glanced at Ellen. “Mighty interesting statements, aren't they?”

Heaving a sigh of relief, Ellen said, “Yes. I was so excited by this information that I had a hard time driving over here. I must have gotten lost five times before I found your place.”

Chuckling, Cochrane got up and poured himself a glass of water and drank. When he put the glass on the counter, he said, “Well, all the evidence was pointing to a suicide. What we were missing was a suicide note.”
He tapped the cassette tape. “This clears up that missing link. Now I reckon we should aim our investigation at what Susan was hiding regarding the Ares Conference. And that makes the file we found at her condo very valuable.”

“Something terrible must have happened. What else could make Susan take her own life?”

“Good question,” Jim said as he sat back down. He fingered the tape recorder. “She sounded desperate, felt as if she was a failure.”

“I know.”

“I found out off-the-record from my JAG friend Hillyer that a hell of a lot went on at Ares. Hillyer spends a lot of time with the Top Guns over at the O Club at Giddings. He's a good resource for me.” Jim shook his head. “But I can't believe a leg shaving, butt pinching or being groped in a passageway would make Susan Kane want to die. That doesn't make a pile of sense.”

“Jim, don't jump to that conclusion. One person's depth of shame might not be someone else's. Susan was walking a tightrope, especially here at the station. Even Ann said that Susan's most important duty was to serve as a perfect role model for other women. What meant more to Susan than anything—her image?”

Jim heaved a sigh. “There's a list of possibilities. Could Susan have gotten drunk? Slept with another aviator? Was the aviator a male or female? And was she being pressured by that partner? The scenarios and motives are endless. One thing I've learned in my years as
an investigator is not to guess. We need facts.” Cochrane rubbed his unshaved jaw and continued to think out loud. “No, it might not be so obvious. Maybe something else…”

Eagerly, Ellen stood up and brought her briefcase into the kitchen. She set it on the table and opened it. “When I left Hawkins's place, I dug through Susan's Ares file, and look what else I found.” She pulled out another packet of photos. “These are the other pictures Susan was referring to in her letter to Tommy. The ones she'd been collecting and hadn't sent him yet. Cameras supposedly weren't allowed at the conference. It's obvious that Susan had collected the pictures from many sources. And they are incriminating, from what I can see. But you'd be a better judge.”

Jim scowled. Silence settled in the kitchen as he studied each photo carefully. His mouth tightened and he glanced up at Ellen. “Yeah, you're right on all accounts. These are damning photos.”

“If my memory serves, didn't the Tailhook scandal happen because aviators and others came forward with photos to identify the guilty parties?” She pulled out a chair and sat down next to him.

“Yes, ma'am. There's a central computer back in the Pentagon at BUPERS, the Bureau of Naval Personnel, that has pictures of every person in the military. They scanned the photos, sent them to BUPERS. When they got a match, they had a name to put with a face. Then these
individuals were questioned as to what they saw and so on.”

“Why couldn't we use that computer system now?” Ellen asked.

Jim rubbed his eyes, then spread out the photos. “I'm sure we'd be able to, and it's a good idea. Since Tailhook, there's been a genuine effort to make the Navy gender neutral. Judging by some of these photos, sexism isn't dead, after all.”

Turning several over, Ellen said, “I already checked the backs of these photos, and there are no names on any of them. No source or date, either. I haven't really studied the pictures too closely. I was hoping Susan might be in one of them.” Her heart picked up in beat as they sat side by side. Jim was so close, so agonizingly close. Perhaps she was too tired, or maybe too excited about her coup, but all Ellen wanted to do was turn and throw her arms around his shoulders, squeeze the hell out of him and celebrate their victory. How long had it been that she wanted to share anything, good or bad, with a man?

“You don't know my luck, Ellen. That would be too good to be true,” Cochrane drawled as he sifted through the photos. “That'd be as unlikely as a fifth ace showing up in a poker game.”

“I'd say having these photos is a fifth ace that just came our way. We can examine the ones that Tommy gave us, too.” Ellen slowly sorted through them. “You're right. From the looks of some of these shots, not everyone was on their best behavior, were they?”

“Wait! That's another tie!” Cochrane said, straightening. A lopsided grin spread across his features. “The good-conduct medal was missing from Susan's uniform! I'll be damned! Something
did
happen at Ares! Something that made her take off that medal before she died. In her own way, she was clueing us in. I was just too darn stupid to note that it was missing.”

Ellen's eyes widened considerably. She placed her hands on her hips and stretched her back as she straightened. “Okay, but what happened? Who was involved?”

“We probably won't find out until we begin interviewing the jocks over at Top Gun. Most all of them were at that conference, according to my info.” Cochrane looked with disgust at some of the photos. “Wednesday is the earliest we'll be able to interview them. I'll make a call to BUPERS and get us hooked into the main computer for identification purposes tomorrow morning. We'll scan these photos and send them by e-mail to the Pentagon. As soon as we get names, we can compile a list for interviewing.”

“What if some of the people are on a carrier? Or at an overseas station?”

“No problem.” Cochrane shrugged. “We make a phone call via satellite hookup to their ship or station. We've got an Iridium sat phone at JAG.”

“That sounds like a plan, Jim.” Ellen saw the glint in his eyes, like a dog on a scent. There was no ques
tion he loved this detective work, and she did, too. Even more, she liked being in his company. Feeling happy, yet unsettled, Ellen realized that she was now ready to move on. She could keep Mark in her heart but she had to focus on her present and future. And with one heated look, Jim awakened her dormant sexuality and longing. She wanted a special man in her life. Her emotions felt out of control just then, so she tucked them away for later, in the quiet of her hotel room.

“I'll start making calls tomorrow, Ellen. In the meantime, you can leave the two packets with me. I want to look at our information a little more closely.” Jim gathered the photos and pushed them to the side of the table.

“No problem. I'll see you at 0800 tomorrow?” A part of her didn't want to leave. She was alone here with Jim. Her heart clamored for closeness with him. What should she do? Jim would not initiate any serious intimacy. He was an officer and a gentleman. Yet he seemed to feel the same attraction. Had she read the intent in his eyes correctly? Ellen gulped, feeling unsure of herself.

“Zero eight hundred is fine.” Then he added, with a note both of teasing and sarcasm, “I didn't think you civilians started before 0900.”

“Just try and keep me away from the office, Mr. Cochrane.” Ellen gave him a dazzling smile when she saw the burning look in his eyes—toward her.

“Well, I reckon I just discovered my first-ever ded
icated government employee. A civilian at that. My tax dollars are finally being well spent.”

“Jim, you can be a real pain in the butt. You know that?” Ellen returned his silly grin.

“You hurt my feelings,” he drawled. Putting his hand dramatically over his heart, he said, “Me? A pain in the posterior?”

“I'm not going to feel sorry for you, if that's what you're trying to weasel out of me,” Ellen said. “And no apologies either for my opinion.”

He brightened considerably. “My ma always said I was meaner than a copperhead snake throwed into a hot skillet.”

“I think that picture fits you perfectly on your bad days.”

He sighed and tried to get serious. “I probably had that coming.”

“Wow, I'm too excited to go to sleep,” Ellen stated. “Getting the tape and photos from Ann Hawkins was a real high.”

Cochrane scowled. The words damn near flew out of his mouth:
Stay here with me. Spend the night.
Shocked by his thoughts, by his yearning, he muttered, “You still need rest, Ellen. Go home and get some.” He stared at the packets. “We'll start going over these pieces of evidence later. Tomorrow is soon enough.”

Ellen nodded. “Good night.” Before she could head toward the door, she saw his hand reach out. It settled on her shoulder and brought her to a halt. Her eyes wid
ened. Something new burned in his stormy gray gaze as he studied her.

Automatically, her lips parted. His fingers tightened slightly on her shoulder. He wanted to kiss her! Panic tore through Ellen. The grieving widow in her shied away, but the woman emerging from darkness wanted what he was offering. Torn, she saw him move closer, until his body was scant inches from hers.

“You have the darnedest effect on me, Ellen Tanner.”

Her breathing ragged, she saw a teasing light in his eyes, along with desire. Her skin tingled beneath his masculine touch, and her heart seemed like a freight train chugging so loudly he had to hear it. Ellen lifted her lashes and met his burning look.

“Jim, I'm scared.”

The words were so softly spoken Ellen could barely hear them herself. Yet they had an impact on Jim. Instantly, his fingers slid from her shoulder, and he took a step back. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his Levi's, a contrite, little-boy expression on his face. At that moment, he looked completely vulnerable.

“I mean…” Ellen stepped forward and lifted her hand. Following her instincts, she slid her palm up to his strong, uncompromising jaw. She felt the beard stubble beneath her fingertips, that dark shadow that made him seem so dangerous and mesmerizing. To hell with it. She couldn't live her life always being scared. Standing up on her tiptoes, she placed her lips softly against his other cheek. “Good night, Jim. I'll see you tomorrow morning.”

June 30, Sunday

A
FTER DROPPING OFF
M
ERRY
at Sunday school, Cochrane arrived at work fifteen minutes early. Jodi would pick her up afterward.

He stifled a yawn as he trudged up the stairs to his office. Ellen and he had worked until midnight the night before. They had gotten everything done, including the Pentagon hookup to the computer. Normally, no one worked the weekends, but the pressure to solve Susan Kane's case made it an exception.

He shortened his stride when he noticed his office door was already open. When he spotted Ellen working hard at her desk, he immediately relaxed. His heart raced as he remembered her soft hand sliding across his jaw, that tender kiss on his cheek. Hell, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Rubbing his recently shaved chin, he slowed his pace, giddy teenage feelings roiling in his chest. He'd wanted to kiss Ellen that night. Looking back, he wondered if he wasn't tetched in the head or something. After swearing never to fall for another woman, Jim found himself in a helluva dilemma. Ellen's wild red hair, that soft mass of curls framing her face, those guileless green eyes, had all conspired against him that night. He'd seen the uncertainty mixed with yearning in her eyes. Well, he'd felt similarly. It was a stalemate of sorts, and he'd backed off. They'd worked like the good team they were becoming, both very careful not to touch one another.

Why had Ellen kissed his cheek? Was it out of platonic affection or something more? Or was she simply celebrating finding Susan's tape? Women did crazy things, and he couldn't begin to understand their behavior.

As he stepped through the open door, he realized she was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. When she looked up, he saw telltale dark circles under her eyes.

“I thought you were going to head for home right after I left,” he muttered, placing his briefcase beside the desk. The sudden thought entered his mind that she could have come to his apartment, to his bed. She was like the mythical mermaids along the coast of Scandinavia, singing her siren song and leading him to uncharted territory. All Ellen had to do was look at him, and Cochrane felt himself melting like ice cream on a blistering hot summer day. His lower body felt especially scalded and needy. Did she realize how much she affected him?

Pushing her curly hair away from her face, Ellen sat up and rubbed her neck. “I was going to go home, but I was too excited about sending the photos to the Pentagon. I wanted to see if we'd get any identification.” She yawned. “It was worth it, Jim. Come and look at what the computer found.”

He walked over to her desk as Ellen spread several items in front of him. With all the paper cups strewn about the desk, he figured she'd fought to stay awake all night by drinking a hell of a lot of machine coffee.