I'll Never Let You Go (Morgans of Nashville 3)

“When I asked you about the scars, you said it was an accident.”

“My past is no one’s business.”

“And neither are the details of my job. Keeping secrets is a necessity.”

Her hand rested on the door handle. “You’re right about that.” She yanked open the door, disappointment chasing her, as she vanished inside, letting the door slam hard on Alex.

Inside, she leaned against the cold metal door, tense and waiting. She half-expected Alex to bang on the door or circle around and enter through the clinic’s front door to say something else to her. He didn’t knock or call her name, and that fostered an odd and very troubling sense of loss.

He was a man who liked to win. And she was a piece on the chessboard. Stupid to get attached.

Inside the clinic, a phone rang and a dog barked, but she stayed close to the door until she heard what she thought was the crunch of his footsteps against the gravel. Her breath burning in her chest, she waited longer and then, finally, when she heard the engine, exhaled slowly and carefully.

She wanted Deidre’s killer to be found. She wanted the questions about Philip silenced and, God help her, she’d wanted a relationship with Alex.

Life had taught her that wanting didn’t always coincide with receiving.

Chapter Sixteen

Friday, January 20, 4 P.M.

Disappointed with himself, Alex closed the car door and jammed his keys into the ignition. That wasn’t the way he’d envisioned this conversation with Leah. He’d known his theories would upset her, but he’d hoped they’d find a way to work together. And he found the pain etched in her features troubling.

Damn. He started the car. He hadn’t spun this damn web of lies. That had been Deidre and, perhaps, Philip’s doing. His job was to untangle it all.

Alex gripped the wheel. If his theories were correct, he needed to stay on point to protect Leah. Philip Latimer had attacked her, and if he were alive, he would do so again, of that Alex was certain.

God knows, Leah had no reason to trust him, but he wanted her trust. He was on her side. And when he picked a side, like it or not, he was all in.

Leah didn’t realize that. She considered talk cheap. Words carried little weight with her. One way or another, he would show her that he was on her side.

He drove to the Nashville Police Department to meet with Georgia and Deke. The three were to discuss the findings from Deidre’s crime scene.

He found Georgia in her lab, her red hair twisted into a topknot as she leaned over a black cotton shirt laid out on a light table. She peered through a magnifying lens suspended over the table with an adjustable arm. With a pair of tweezers, she plucked a hair sample from the shirt’s collar and carefully placed it in an evidence bag.

“Is this a bad time?” Alex asked.

Georgia glanced up and smiled. “No. Your timing is perfect, as always. I was just wrapping up with this piece.” She carefully refolded the shirt and placed it back in a large evidence bag.

“What’s that from?”

“A homicide on the East Side. Looks like a drug buy gone bad. This shirt is from the shooter.”

When it came to everyday life, his sister could be scattered, but when it came to work, her focus was laser sharp. “Got time to talk about Deidre’s crime scene?”

She pulled off rubber gloves. “I do. We worked that crime scene for two full days, dusting and collecting in the kitchen as well as the entire house.”

“So give me what you have.” He hitched his hip on the corner of a metal desk.

“As the blood splatter suggested, it all went down in the kitchen.” She reviewed the details of the killing.

“So this guy must have been covered in blood.”

“Yes. There were bloody footsteps that led to the back door and down the three back porch stairs, but they ended at the grass. Like I said at the crime scene, I’m guessing he was wearing some kind of protective gear.”

“This wasn’t a random attack.”

“Not in my professional opinion. No other signs of blood or disturbance anywhere else in the area. Though I did find traces of hair on her body, which I’ve sent off for DNA testing. I can’t imagine our killer would go to so much trouble to hide trace evidence and then drop hair, but you never know. I also found semen on her bedsheets that were less than twenty-four hours old. Again, testing for DNA.”

“The medical examiner’s final report said she had consensual sex within twenty-four hours of dying.”

“Fits.”

“When will you have the DNA?”

Her cheeks puffed and she blew out a breath. “Couple of weeks, and that’s putting a rush on the tests. Then we’ve got to run it through the databases and see if there’s a match.”

“Can you test the DNA against one particular individual?”

“The boyfriend or husband?”

“Both. And I’d also like it tested against a guy by the name of Philip Latimer. He was a cop in Nashville who worked with Deidre.”

“Where’d you come up with that name?”

“He was Leah Carson’s husband.” Though they might be legally married, he considered Latimer an ex-husband in every sense of the word when it came to Leah.

Georgia raised an index finger. “I remember that case. He nearly killed his wife. Stabbed her. Many were shocked because he was a decorated officer.”

Alex nodded. “Latimer stabbed Leah twenty-three times.”

“Like Deidre.”

“So it would appear.”

Absently, she tugged on a loose strand of hair. “I thought he was dead.”

“Supposedly, he died four years ago. And he might very well be dead. I could be wrong.”

That coaxed a smile. “I should get that on tape.”

He stared at her.

“Brother, you’re not wrong. You figure stuff the rest of us don’t.”

“DNA will move this theory to fact.”

“I’ll see what can be rushed.” She glanced at her case file. “I also found a footprint by the back door in the grass. He must have stopped to remove his protective suit and booties. Shifting weight to one leg left the imprint.”

“What kind of shoe?”

“A sports shoe. Judging by the tread, a cross trainer. Men’s size thirteen.”

“A big guy.” Like Philip. But also like Tyler and David.

Deke entered the room, his face darkened by a scowl.

“Georgia was just getting me up to speed on the evidence in Deidre’s case,” Alex said.

“Have you heard our brother’s crazy theory?” Georgia asked.

Deke sighed. “Which one?”

Georgia gave him the rundown.

Deke shook his head, but he didn’t laugh off the explanation. “Deidre’s connection to Philip would explain the missing money. Back from the dead, he no doubt needed money, and what better source than Deidre. Might also explain Deidre’s old business card, which we found near the John Doe.”

Alex held up a hand. “Let Georgia run

her DNA, then we’ll get into how crazy this sounds. Leah has also signed a consent form so I can open Latimer’s grave.”

“That’s going to take time.”

“I know. But I filed the papers.”

“Fair enough.” He opened the manila folder in his hand.

“I just received Deidre’s cell and home phone information. It came in late last night, and instead of sending it over, I decided to just go through it.”

Alex struggled with a jab of annoyance. Big brother taking command again. It had been an argument they’d had before, but now wasn’t the time to revive it. “And what did you find?”

“Deidre’s burner phone received a dozen calls from three different numbers that lasted anywhere from three to five minutes. The calls started about six weeks ago. All from burners.”

“Three different people?”

“Maybe. Maybe it was one person who didn’t want to be traced.”

“Like a dead guy.”

“That would fit.”

The skin on the back of Alex’s neck tingled. DNA or no, he was right about Latimer. “What about her official cell phone? Any calls on that show up as unusual?”

“An interesting calling pattern there as well. Over the last months, she received two dozen calls from pay phones. All at random times. No patterns. None of the calls lasted more than a few seconds.”

“Someone was harassing her or keeping tabs on her?”

“One or the other. The calls stopped abruptly about four weeks ago.”

“What about Radcliff’s number? I caught him harassing Leah Carson today. Stands to reason he’d be harassing a soon-to-be ex-wife. Did his number show up on her records?”

“Several times, but all the calls were made during normal business hours. Any attorney could argue they were reasonable.”

“Radcliff’s smart enough not to leave an electronic trail. He’s got that reelection campaign this year, and he doesn’t want to screw it up with stalking charges.”

Deke closed his file, his scowl darkening. “Why the hell would Radcliff go after Leah?”

“Leah knew Deidre from the running group, and the two had a budding friendship. Radcliff thinks Leah knows more about Deidre’s personal life than she’s letting on.”

“Does she?”