Beneath the Badge

“Yes. I fought him, but he kept choking me, then pushed me underwater and held me down.”

He made a low sound with his teeth. “That’s probably the reason he turned on the water hose, to wash away his prints. But I’ll have the pool dragged for trace.” He paused. “You said you were a swimmer?”

“Yes, high-school swim team. I set the record for holding my breath the longest on my team.”

“That’s probably what saved you.”

“No, Sergeant Keller, you saved me,” she said with a tentative smile. “If you hadn’t shown up when you had…”

He glanced away for the first time, his jaw clenched tight, then shrugged. “Just doing my job, ma’am.”

She didn’t like the way he said ma’am, as if it was an insult. “Well, thank you anyway.”

His eyes darkened, narrowed to slits as if he was issuing some kind of silent warning. “You don’t owe me thanks. Just answer the questions.”

She tensed at his brusque tone. Just when she thought he was human, he turned back into a growling lion. “What else do you want to know?”

The bite to her voice echoed in the silence for a moment before he replied. “You didn’t see the man’s face?”

“No. He was wearing a mask.”

“Like a ski mask?”

“Yes. And gloves. Latex gloves.”

His brows pinched together with his frown. “Maybe those will turn up or we’ll lift some trace off of your fingernails.”

She nodded, glad she’d fought back.

“Anything else you remember about your attacker? A particular odor? His height, size?”

“No, it’s all so foggy.”

His dark gaze met hers. “Tell me about your day, what happened earlier, before the attack.”

She scrunched her nose in thought. “I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“Just do it, Taylor. Retrace your steps.”

“All right, but you don’t have to be so ornery.” She tried to think back. “I spent the morning handling routine business matters for the foundation. Had lunch there. Then a business meeting with the City Board at five that ran till about seven. After that, I met a friend for dinner in San Antonio.”

“Did you notice anyone following you during the day? Or when you left the restaurant?”

She rubbed her temple where a headache pulsed. “No.”

He folded his arms. “Who attended the board meeting?”

“All of the board members. Sarah DeMarco, Devon Goldenrod—”

“Kenneth Sutton?”

“Yes.”

“I was told that he and Kimberly McQuade had an argument before she died. Do you know what their disagreement was about?”

She frowned. “No. Kimberly was looking over the campaign budget, and she’d also reviewed the other finances for the board. Maybe there was a problem.”

“So they might have argued about money?”

“I really don’t know. Why is that important?”

“I’m just tying up loose ends. Sometimes small details can offer clues.”

She conceded his point. After all, he was the cop. The chip-on-the-shoulder one, but it looked as if she was stuck with him.

“So, did anything unusual happen at the meeting?”

She hesitated, hated to impugn Kenneth unnecessarily.

“Taylor, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me the truth.”

“Kenneth seemed excited about planning ahead for the gubernatorial election, but we did have a tense moment.”

He leaned forward. “About what?”

“The bid for the new city library and to extend the tourist area by the Riverwalk. There’s talk that the bid was tampered with.”

“And that Kenneth was involved?”

“That’s what I’ve heard, but he denied it and I believe him.”

Silence met her statement, making her wonder what he was thinking. “You don’t like Kenneth Sutton, do you?”

“He’s a politician. No, I don’t trust him.

“And after the meeting? Who did you have dinner with?”

She hesitated.

“Taylor?”

She twisted her hands together. “Margaret Hathaway.”

His jaw tightened again. “You two are friends?”

“Yes. We met at our favorite restaurant and sushi bar, Bluefish. Margaret’s wedding to Devon Goldenrod is around the corner, and we were finalizing wedding plans.”

“Did anything unusual happen while you were there?”