Authors: Elisabeth Naughton
Kate pushed the door open wider. Tingling fingers of dread tiptoed up her spine. “Actually, the name’s Alexander. What’s this about?”
His companion’s eyes narrowed. “I recognize you from the newspaper.”
“That’s right,” Detective Peterson said, recognition flickering over his face. “The press conference. You’re the woman without a past.”
Kate doubted they were here to chat about a picture in the paper. “What can I do for you?”
Detective Peterson flashed a smile. “We have a few questions about your accident the other day.”
The accident. Of course. Silly of her to be on edge so quickly. Stepping back, she gestured inside. “Won’t you come in?”
Shoes clicked behind her on the hardwood floor as the men followed Kate into the living room. Julia sat up from her spot on the couch. “Detectives, this is my daughter, Julia. Julia, these men have a few questions about the accident.”
Detective Peterson stepped closer to the couch. “Cool cast. They didn’t have nifty colors like that when I was a kid. You got lots of signatures on it?”
Julia shrugged. “Not yet.”
“Bet you’ll have it filled up before long.” He studied her battered face. “Looks like you got a little banged up. How are you feeling?”
“Okay.”
Detective Carson flipped open a notebook. “Ms. Alexander, can you tell us where you went on Thursday?”
“I was here in the morning. Ryan, Julia, and I drove into the city. We parked in Ryan’s building garage. He went to work, and Julia and I walked downtown.”
“How long were you away from the vehicle?” he asked, jotting notes.
“I’m not sure. A few hours, maybe.”
“Did Mr. Harrison drive the vehicle after you left it in the garage?”
“I don’t believe so, no.”
He continued making notes. “Did Mr. Harrison know you were driving his car?”
“Yes. He knew I was going to take Julia to her softball practice when we were done, then come back and get him.”
“So he knew you’d be alone in the car?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Yes. What’s this about, Detective?”
Peterson stepped up next to Carson and smiled. “Just following up on some conflicting information. Are you living here, Ms. Alexander?”
Kate’s adrenaline jumped. “Not exactly. You obviously read about me in the paper. We’re taking some time getting to know each other again.”
“Of course you are,” Peterson said. “How would you classify your relationship with Mr. Harrison?”
“I don’t know that I would.” Nervous tension ran through Kate at the vague questions. “What does this have to do with my accident?”
“Are you aware Mr. Harrison’s insurance company is grumbling about his repaying the claim he collected after you supposedly died?” Carson asked.
Kate’s stomach clenched. “No. He didn’t mention it.”
“Probably didn’t want to worry you.” Peterson flashed that smile again. For some reason, it did nothing to calm Kate’s nerves.
“Do you know how much that claim was for, Ms. Alexander?” Carson asked. When she shook her head, he raised his brow. “A million dollars.”
Kate’s eyes widened before she checked the emotion.
“That’s a lot of money. Even for a man like Ryan Harrison. Especially five years ago.”
Bile rose in Kate’s throat. Knowing exactly where this was going, she turned toward Julia. “Honey, go upstairs.”
Julia rose from the couch. “Mom—”
Kate ushered her toward the stairs. “It’s okay. I’ll be up in a minute.” She waited until Julia rounded the corner, then set her jaw and turned back to the detectives. “If you’re trying to imply Ryan had anything to do with my accident—”
“The brake line was punctured,” Carson said.
“What?”
“Three holes. Too evenly spaced to be the result of a rock. We pulled the vehicle from the water this morning. You lucked out. If you’d gone in anywhere else along that highway, you’d have dropped right into the ocean, drown before help got there.”
Kate eased down to the arm of the sofa. Someone had tampered with the car. Someone had intentionally tried to hurt her.
And Julia in the process.
“Would have taken a little while for the brake fluid to drip out, which is probably why the brakes didn’t go out right away,” Peterson added. “Whoever punctured the line knew that.”
“Ms. Alexander,” Carson said, “Did you drive Mr. Harrison’s car Tuesday morning?”
Kate’s brain was a mass of confusing thoughts. “No.”
“Did Mr. Harrison?”
“Um.” Why was she having trouble thinking clearly? Tuesday… She’d spent Monday night here. In the guest bedroom. The next day, they’d gone out to see Janet Kelly. She’d had her CT scan. They’d gone back to her house in Moss Beach and made love. She swallowed. “Yes. He went in to his office for an hour that morning, I think.”
“Was he alone?”
“I think so. I don’t know.”
The detectives exchanged glances.
“Do you know this woman?” Carson asked, handing her a photo.
Kate studied the picture and shook her head shook. “No. Should I?”
“Her name’s Janet Kelly. Her body was found yesterday.”
Kate glanced up sharply.
“A black Jaguar matching the one we pulled from the bay was spotted in front of her house around the estimated time of death Monday morning, roughly nine a.m.”
No. That wasn’t right. They’d gotten a late start. They hadn’t reached Janet Kelly’s houseboat until after noon. She swallowed hard, unsure what to tell them, not wanting to give too much away. “You must be mistaken.”
Carson handed her another photo. “How about this man? Do you recognize him?”
Kate’s eyes grew wide when she looked at the photograph of Jake. Steel-gray eyes gazed back at her. Fear tickled the back of her throat. “Yes. Why?”
“Jacob McKellen was a silent partner in Grayson Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian company Harrison’s conglomerate recently acquired,” Carson said coldly. “We pulled his body from the bay last week.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Kate leaned against the counter in Simone’s kitchen and massaged her scar. Time ticked by silently on the clock above the stove. The only sound was the pounding in Kate’s brain.
She stiffened when Simone swept into the room. “Well?”
Simone set the cordless phone on the table. “Ryan and his lawyer are at the station. So far, they’re cooperating.”
Kate braced both hands on the counter. Her heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds. Everything she’d believed up to this point was turning out to be a lie.
“Richard Burton’s one of the best attorneys in the state, Kate. Their questioning won’t last long. He won’t let it.”
“Oh, God,” Kate muttered, unable to fight back the panic. “Ryan knew Jake didn’t die in that plane crash.”
Simone leaned back against the table and crossed her arms. “That’s yet to be proven. What can be proved is that Ryan’s secretary saw Jake in Ryan’s office the day before that crash here in San Francisco. And that Ryan appears to be the last person to have seen him alive.”
Kate’s eyes slid closed. “Why?” she whispered. “Why wouldn’t he tell me the truth?”
“I don’t know. But there’s more.” When Kate glanced up, Simone shifted. “Jacob McKellen, a.k.a. Jacob Alexander, and Walter Alexander were both silent partners in Grayson Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian company with a specialized drug portfolio. AmCorp recently acquired Grayson for a good chunk of change, alleviating some of their cash-flow problems. With AmCorp’s clout, they were about to push Amatroxin through for FDA approval, based on a series of clinical studies supposedly conducted in Canada.”
“Amatroxin is Tabofren under a different name, isn’t it?” Kate asked, already knowing the answer.
“There’s no proof as of yet, but that would be my guess. The detective in Canada I chatted with mentioned paperwork taken from Walter Alexander’s home referencing both drugs.”
“Ryan knew about the possible link between the two.” Kate drew in a breath to keep the tears of anger back. “He stood in Kari Adams’s living room and pretended like he didn’t know a thing about Amatroxin.”
“Jake disappeared just after the merger went through. Ryan’s secretary said she heard Ryan and Jake arguing that day in his office, although she can’t say what the debate was about.”
Kate dropped her head. “They think Ryan killed Jake. For what? Money?”
“Money’s a huge motivator for some people,” Simone said softly. “Ryan stood to make a killing if Amatroxin was approved. Jake developed it, he had a hand in testing it, but with him out of the way, the wealth floats to the top.”
“You don’t honestly believe that,” Kate said, bile rising in her stomach.
“No, Kate. I don’t. But that’s the way the police are going to paint it.”
“And Janet Kelly? They think he killed her to cover up the research study?”
“They’ll be able to link Janet Kelly to Jake through the nursing home. They’ll try to prove Ryan covered up evidence. If word got out illegal trials had taken place in the States, Amatroxin would never be approved.”
Kate’s eyes slid closed. “And the car?”
Simone sighed. “They’ll try to say he tampered with the brakes, knowing you’d be in it alone. With you out of the way, he double-benefits. He doesn’t have to pay back the life insurance claim, and there’s no one to ask questions about Tabofren. You’re the key to all of this, Kate.”
A few hours ago, her future had looked bright and promising. Now, she wasn’t sure how she’d get through the next hour without losing her slight grasp on reality. She wrapped her arms around herself. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Simone skirted the counter. Bracing both hands on Kate’s arms, she said, “Listen to me. The police can’t charge Ryan with anything at this point because their evidence is all circumstantial. You and I both know Ryan is not capable of any of that. I’m only pointing out what the DA’s going to say if things escalate. Not what’s reality.”
Kate’s eyes locked on Simone’s. Her head and heart were caught in a fierce battle. The man she’d fallen in love with couldn’t possibly be capable of murder, of conspiracy, of cover up. If he were, then it meant he’d known about her disappearance all along. And she couldn’t believe that. Not after the things he’d shared with her, the emotions he’d pulled out of her in such a short amount of time.
But always in the back of her head was that nagging voice saying she didn’t know the
real
Ryan Harrison. The steely businessman who’d built a pharmaceutical empire hadn’t done so by being sweet and loving. There were qualities about Ryan Harrison, CEO, she knew he kept hidden from her. Were they finally emerging?
No matter how she looked at it, the lies that had ruled her life for five long years were once again consuming her.
Kate shook her head. “I don’t know what I believe anymore, Simone. I just know I can’t trust him. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to trust what he tells me again.”
***
Ryan ducked into Mitch’s Land Rover. A handful of reporters closed in on them, trying to get a statement. Cameras were thrust against the windows, microphones held out for any sort of comment.
Dropping his head, Ryan rubbed his temples while Mitch pulled away from the police station. He tugged his cell from his pocket and dialed Hannah’s number.
“Ryan, I’m glad you called. The press is hounding me.”
“No comment, Hannah. Get a memo drafted for the employees. No one talks to the press. And I mean no one. Fax it to me at home before you send it out.”
“The press is staked out on your front lawn, Ryan,” Mitch cut in.
“Shit. Fax it to Mitch’s house, Hannah. I’ll be there for a while.”
“Okay,” she said. “Are you finished downtown?”
“For now.” Disgust pooled in his gut at the accusations the detectives had thrown out. “I need you to get me the surveillance tapes from the building garage. Someone used my car last week without my knowledge.”
“I can do that.”
“And Burton may call with information. If he does, reroute it to me.”
“Will do. Ryan?” she asked hesitantly. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He shrugged off her concern. “Find Ron Grayson for me as well. I need him on this.”
“I’ll find him. Don’t worry, Ryan.”
Don’t worry. Yeah, right
. Like that was possible at this point. He closed the phone. Resting his elbow on the windowsill, he massaged his throbbing head. “Where’s Katie?” he asked without glancing at Mitch.
“Simone’s house.” He hesitated. “Ryan, she knows about McKellen.”
Closing his eyes, he drew in a steadying breath. He could only imagine what was going through that stubborn mind of hers. He should have told her sooner. He shouldn’t have waited.
“What about the kids?” he asked.
“Mom and Dad took them to my place so they wouldn’t have to deal with reporters.”
He nodded. “I need to talk to Katie first.”
“I figured. She’s pissed.”
“Yeah, tell me something I don’t already know.”
“Ryan—”
“Not yet, Mitch. I’ll explain it all after I see Katie.”
When they pulled up in front of Simone’s house, Ryan eased out of the car and jogged up the front steps. Pushing the door open, he saw Simone on the phone. She waved him in. “I’ll have to call you back.” She hung up and glanced from Ryan to Mitch behind him. “I just got off with Hannah Hughes. She’s found Ron Grayson.”
“I’ll call him later.” Ryan glanced around the empty room. “Where’s Katie?”
“Out back.” When he stepped past Simone, she placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. “Ryan, I did the best I could.”
He squeezed her hand. “I know.”
Kate was standing on the edge of the deck, facing away when he eased the door open. One arm was wrapped around her middle; with her other hand, she rubbed that scar on the side of her head, the one she’d gotten when this had all started. Sunlight washed over her, bathing her in shimmering light. His arms ached to hold her; his fingers itched to slide into that mass of chestnut curls and massage away the tension and worry seeping from her body.
He hoped what he wanted and what she needed were the same. Swallowing the fear, he stepped up behind her. “Katie.”