Silent Witness (19 page)

“Consarnit, I'm going to be late picking up Merry. Hold on while I make a phone call. Don't
touch
that photo anymore. Maybe we can still get a partial print from it.”

Ellen straightened. “Darn, I forgot to put on my latex gloves. I'm so sorry. You taught me to always put them on before touching evidence.” She withdrew her hands, feeling guilty over her mistake.

Cochrane dashed out of the room, leaving the door ajar.

Ellen got up and shut the door to keep out prying
eyes. When Cochrane returned ten minutes later, he looked thoroughly agitated.

“What's wrong?”

“Jodi wasn't too happy about adjusting plans. I tried to explain to her—oh, hell, never mind.” He closed the door and hurriedly moved to his side of the desk, the photo between them. “I've been thinking. Look at what's holding her wrists to that bed. White web belts. Military gear.”

“Yes, I saw that, too. But look closely at her right wrist.”

Leaning over the photo, Jim squinted. “It's pretty red and raw looking.”

“Precisely. Just like Jillson told us earlier today. When she visited Susan in her hotel room, she saw these marks. This was no ‘flu' episode. Maybe Jillson accepted Susan's explanation, but I sure don't know. My hunch is that this photo was taken sometime on May 16th, at the Ares Conference.”

Sitting down, Cochrane nodded. “But were the red marks on her wrist from struggling to get free or just part of the normal bondage lovemaking she took part in?”

“That's a disgusting suggestion.”

“Ellen, from a professional standpoint this photo neither confirms or denies Susan Kane's participation in this. For all we know, she did this kind of thing on a regular basis.”

“Or Susan was coerced,” Ellen said flatly, anger in her tone.

“But how do we know?”

She stared at him. “We probably know more about Susan than anyone, and you can sit there and say that she'd willingly do that kind of thing?” Ellen just couldn't believe it of the dead aviator.

Holding up his hands, Cochrane said, “Whoa, Ellen. From an investigative point of view we
can't
deduce one way or another, because we don't have any corroborating evidence. If there is a fingerprint on this photo that hasn't been destroyed by us, it might give us a lead.”

“I just
can't
believe Susan would do this kind of stuff.”

“Kinky sex. How about that?” Jim shook his head. “That would sure as hell blow her role model image right out of the water if it were made known.”

Frowning, Ellen muttered, “That crossed my mind, too. What if Susan got drunk and did do it? Did someone take this photo to embarrass her maybe?”

“Blackmail would be more like it.”

Ellen wrinkled her nose. “Ugh, what dirty little secrets are held by the Navy if that's so, huh?”

Grimly, Cochrane said, “The military is comprised of human beings who, just like the civilian population, are capable of things I reckon I'd never even think of. Or could be a civilian episode and have nothing to do with the military. We just don't know yet.”

“I can see why your work would be such a downer. I'm feeling horrible about this photo, what it will do to Susan's wonderful career, her reputation.”

“First things first,” Cochrane cautioned. “I reckon we're going to have to thoroughly search Kane's office again. NCIS dropped the ball. They should have found this during their search. We'll take everything we find down to the JAG lab for fingerprint analysis.”

“Maybe NCIS thought that since Susan's death took place off the naval station, they didn't have to do a thorough job?”

“I'd hope not. All of us were sloppy, pure and simple.” He retrieved a latex glove from his briefcase and slipped it on his right hand. “When the JAG lab does a complete analysis of this photo, I'd sure as hell like to find a set of prints of someone other than ours or Susan's on it.”

“We needed a break on this investigation, but I'm not sure I like this one,” Ellen agreed wearily.

Jim reached out and squeezed her hand. He saw the stress in her green eyes. Knowing she was on Susan's side, he said, “Take it easy, gal. This is your first investigation and you're getting too personally involved.” Releasing her hand, he added, “So am I, but I'm trying to stay impartial.”

“Thanks for telling me that,” she whispered, feeling deflated. Pushing her hair off her forehead again, she gave Jim a hopeful look. “Do you think JAG forensics will find fingerprints on the photo other than mine?”

“I don't know. On the way to the office tomorrow morning, I'll drop this off at the lab. After that, it's hurry up and wait.”

July 12

E
LLEN WAS RUNNING LATE
on Thursday morning. She arrived at the office at 0915, a frothy mocha latte in one hand and a large paper evidence bag containing Susan Kane's bear in the other. She set the bag on top of the file cabinet and turned to Jim. His eyes were bloodshot. Fatigue shadowed his features. And yet he'd taken the time to shave, since he still had a small piece of tissue lodged against a cut.

“You look like something the cat dragged in,” she said as she sat next to him and placed the latte aside. “Sorry I'm late.” Ellen wondered if he was still tossing and turning because of their kiss. Last night she'd slept deeply, then dreamed of making love with Jim. That had awakened her too early, her body aching for him. Her heart, as well.

“Hmm? Reckon I do.”

“Matter of fact,” Ellen said, putting her knapsack on the desk, “you still have some evidence of your shaving left behind.”

Cochrane lifted his head. “What?”

“Hold still for a moment.” She gently pulled the paper away. “There.” She got up and dropped the tissue in the wastebasket.

Rubbing his throat, Cochrane said, “Thanks.” Ellen's contact electrified him. Made him want her so badly his body was twisted into a knot. The woman had a caress that magically awakened him. Lately, he was thinking more about her than the case.

“I can't take you anywhere, Mr. Cochrane,” Ellen teased. She sat back down and rearranged her dark green cotton skirt. “What did you do? Work at the JAG office last night, after I left?”

He glanced down at his uniform. “Does it show?” He grinned tiredly.

“I'm afraid it does.”

“Consarnit.” He gathered up a bunch of papers next to the printer. “That photo really broke loose a lot of questions in my mind. I decided to take it over to the JAG lab after you left. Everyone was gone except for the skeleton night crew. After that, I drove over and apologized to Jodi for not picking up Merry when it was my turn. Then I went home. I'd no sooner stepped into my apartment than I got another call from that captain who works with the CNO. He told me in no uncertain terms they're watching Kane's case very carefully.” Cochrane picked up his coffee and took a sip. “I got the message to stick on this case like glue. I'm sure now that Susan Kane had a sponsor. Probably the CNO him
self, if I'm not mistaken. The captain never would have said so, and I wouldn't ask, either. It was implied.” He frowned. “It shows how important this case is to the Navy. So I thought I'd spend more time on it here in the office.” He grimaced. “At about 0500, I went back to the apartment, took a shower, shaved and came back over.”

Ellen gave him a sympathetic look. “It's tough balancing a job like this against a family's needs.”

“I'm trying to be a better father to Merry. See her more often, not less.” Jim brightened a little. “At least Jodi didn't light into me this time. She forgave me, and that's good.”

“A juggling act, for sure, Jim,” Ellen murmured understandingly. She saw how he fiercely loved his daughter. And maybe that was why the Kane case was so important to him. “What's your take on Susan Kane now that you've had a chance to think about it overnight?” Ellen herself felt protective of the female aviator.

“Just because Kane was having kinky sex with someone at the Barstow Hotel during the convention doesn't mean we enter the details into the computer and have it open conversation throughout the Navy. And I made no mention of it to that CNO assistant captain, either.”

“For Susan's sake, I'm glad.” Ellen breathed a sigh of relief. “Can we keep that photo out of the investigation?”

“We're the caretakers of that picture and only we will decide who gets to see it. There's not a snowball's chance in hell I'll enter it into any records unless, of course, it has something to do directly with the investigation. Chief Hazzard called me before you arrived, by the way. Besides our prints, he found only a partial print of Susan Kane and another one that's too smeared to identify. And don't worry, the chief can be trusted to keep quiet. He's from the hills, like me, and we have an honor code we don't break.”

“That's sad about the fingerprints. Darn it,” Ellen muttered.

“On a more positive note, I called Lieutenant Morgan again by satellite phone last night. He has informally identified Susan Kane as the woman in the elevator with our unknown man.”

“That's great!”

“Informally identified.” Jim smiled a little. “Baby steps. There are still some puzzle pieces missing.”

“Right now, I'll settle for
any
step forward.” Ellen saw him give her a wink. Oh, how she wanted to reach out and touch his hand. Hug him, maybe. Decorum was the order of the day, however, so she stifled her wild urges once again.

Cochrane scratched his head. “That opens up a lot of questions or possibilities to us now.”

“Such as what?”

Picking up a pencil, Cochrane twirled it absently. “Such as where did Susan go when she left Jillson and
Hawkins at approximately 1930? She was next seen at 2230 on the patio, then at 2300 on the elevator, by Morgan. Bassett places her drunk on that patio at 2200, and he's probably lying. Susan was seen by her two friends in her hotel room at 0900 the next morning. Somewhere in between, the photo incident took place.”

“And if this was a forced act, why didn't Susan go to the authorities or the police? Where else could she have gone to lodge her protest?”

He snapped his fingers and sat up in the chair. “Gem of a question, Ellen. That may be the clue we're poking around for.”

She felt heat climb into her face and noticed the dancing light in his eyes. There was a clear intensity in his gaze and she enjoyed seeing it. “Okay, out with it. What clue did I just uncover?”

“Chain of command. That's where Susan went.”

“Captain Warren Oliver! The C.O. of Giddings?”

“No, no.” Cochrane shook his head. “Who was the senior officer of the three conspirators? Her boss—Lieutenant Commander Hodges.”

Ellen sat there, considering the information. “So if she was coerced, Susan might have gone to Hodges instead of reporting it to the hotel police?”

“Why not? It's the military mind-set. What do you do when there's trouble? You go to the next person in COC.”

“And we haven't interviewed Hodges yet,” Ellen said thoughtfully.

“He was scheduled for today, until I canceled the interviews because of my brainstorming here at the office. Right now I'm too whipped mentally to do much of anything.”

“Don't you feel Susan Kane is innocent? That she got caught up in something at Ares?”

“Not yet,” Jim said softly, holding Ellen's fiery gaze. “I'm being an attorney looking at this like a court of law would view the photo. You aren't. You have personal buttons being pushed. I know you want to think Susan Kane was an honorable woman caught in a nasty little scenario, but we're still piecing things together.” Cochrane took a quick peek out the door. When he saw no one in the passageway, he squeezed her hand as if to soothe her flustered state. Ellen's eyes were filled with frustration. Instantly, he saw the tumultuous feelings ebb as he ran his fingertips across the back of her hand. How he wanted to hold her! He didn't like to see her this upset; it triggered something deep and protective within him.

She turned her hand over and quickly squeezed his fingers in return. “Don't you think Susan was honorable?”

“Personally? Yes. But professionally, I get paid to look at
all
the angles. If I don't, I guarantee it will bite me in the ass in the courtroom. And secondly, I don't want the photo to become the center ring in a three-ringcircus act.”

“I see….” Ellen nodded.

“I wonder why Susan was seen on the arms of three different men within one hour of each sighting. Kane was allegedly drunk, so drunk her knees were buckling beneath her. How do you explain that? Everyone from her skipper on down says she never touched alcohol. And if she was drinking heavily, isn't it conceivable she may have had sex with whomever? She wouldn't be the first inebriated female to fall prey to a guy in that context.”

Ellen rolled her eyes. “Yes, it appears she was drunk. And yes, everyone has said she was a teetotaler. But darn it, Jim, it just doesn't
fit
Susan's psychological profile as we know her. It doesn't.”

“And yet it happened. We have to try and find out why.”

“What also bothers me,” Ellen said irritably, “is the fact that the photo was taped to the inside of that book jacket, facedown, so no one could see it.”

“Obviously, Susan was hiding it,” Jim said. “It's not something you put in the family photo album, is it? Especially with her family.”

“I
wish
I hadn't smudged that print!”

“Let it go. I've got Chief Hazzard from the lab working on the photo some more to see if he can divide the fingerprint layers. We should know sometime tomorrow if he can or not.”

Ellen said, “That would sure simplify our task, wouldn't it?” There was nothing she wanted more right now than to identify that other fingerprint.

“Yes, but cases don't normally break clean like that. They open up because of basic hard work and not overlooking any details.”

“My gut hunch is that her commander, Hodges, is involved in this somehow.”

Jim gave her a proud look. “You're getting good, Ellen. We'll make an investigator out of you yet.” He eyed the mysterious paper sack sitting in the corner. “Did you catch any other new fish this morning? You were late. That's not like you.”

“I had a couple of stops to make,” she answered. “I drove over to Giddings and showed Ann Hawkins and Becky Jillson a document copy of the photo of Susan on the bed. They promised to keep it a secret, and I believe they will. They were her best friends,” Ellen said. “Both held the same belief—that Susan would never willingly do anything like what the photo suggested. Ann still wouldn't name any of the people at Top Gun who may have been pressuring Susan.”

Cochrane nodded and pushed himself out of his squeaky chair. “I'm not surprised. Dead-end leads. We'll interview Hodges tomorrow. Let's get to work.”

Ellen glanced up at him as he took a few files from the cabinet and handed them to her. “Jim, do you miss being married?”

He raised a brow. “The fighting? No.”

“I meant…” She shrugged. “Having a home, I guess.”

“Oh, that. Reckon I miss the hell out of that.” With
a chuckle, Cochrane said, “My apartment looks like a major disaster area. Hazmat will have to be called in shortly to clean it up. Or maybe the Environmental Protection Agency will have to take over.”

Ellen laughed and began opening the files on her desk. Her heart beat a little harder as she saw him consider her softly spoken question.

He glanced over at her as he sat down again. “Why do you ask?”

“Single life isn't all it's cracked up to be. I find myself very lonely in that new apartment of mine.”

“Missing marriage, are you?” He sure did. And it was obvious that Ellen did, too. He watched her slender fingers skillfully sort the files. She had such grace. What would it be like to have her fingers grazing his flesh? Groaning to himself, Jim realized he was physically aching for her again.

“I guess I am.” Ellen sat back in her chair.

“If we didn't have to work our tails off on this investigation,” Cochrane stated as he stuffed several papers into his briefcase, “we might be able to enjoy one another's company more.” And then he said in a gritty tone, “I wish things were different, Ellen, but they aren't.”

“You're a mind reader.”

“We can be miserable together, can't we?”

“Yes, misery loves company,” Ellen said. She rested her elbows on the desk. “I keep wondering why Susan put that photo in a book from her childhood, and left it in her office. She could have put it anywhere.”

“Reckon if it was for blackmail purposes, I think I'd have burned it a long time ago. Whoever took the photo must have had the negative or others, that's for sure. So, why would she leave it lying around?”

“It wasn't exactly lying around,” Ellen reminded him archly.

“I try and look at it from both perspectives,” Jim said. “If Susan did do this kind of thing routinely, why shouldn't she keep the photo around? But the curious question is why at the office instead of at her condo?”

“Remember? We looked through her books at home as well as every other place we could find. We never found anything except the marked-up volume of
Don Quixote
. Not so much as a bookmark in any of the others.”

“Well, that photo isn't exactly bookmark material.”

Ellen gave him a frown of disapproval.