were going to take care of yourself while I was gone, Katherine Ann.”
Kate had thought she had things pretty much under control, but seeing her best friend standing there, knowing where he’d been and that he’d returned without Jay, shattered her fragile composure.
He held her and rocked her as she sobbed, his own tears running into her hair. Eventually, they both quieted, and he moved away from her enough to take her hands and lead her to the sofa.
“I’m sorry. I thought I was past that.” She smiled weakly. “I guess not, huh?”
Lynn Ames
“That’s okay, I think we both needed a good cry.” Peter leaned over to pet Fred, who was insistently throwing Peter’s hand up in the air in an effort to gain attention. “Yeah, you spoiled beast, I missed you, too.”
Fred sat down on Peter’s foot as soon as Peter began scratching him behind the ears. “I hate when he does that, you know. He’s got a bony butt.”
“Tell me about it.” Kate rolled her eyes, then focused on her friend.
“What did you find? You said you had news.” Her tone was guarded.
“Remember I told you I found a small piece of metal under some dirt and rocks at the crash site?”
“Yes.”
“It was a piece of a tie rod.” At her blank look, he explained further, in simple terms. “It’s connected to the steering mechanism. If a tie rod is worn or damaged, it can cause erratic steering or loss of control of the wheels.”
“Okay.”
“I gave the piece to the FBI for testing; I heard back from them yesterday. There’s evidence to indicate that someone tampered with the tie rods on Jay’s car.”
Kate’s heart constricted. “But it was a rental. How would they know which car to fix?”
“Good question. My guess is they were close enough to overhear which car she was assigned, then created a distraction to delay her for a few minutes. It looks like they used a blow torch or a grinder on the rod to weaken it, so it wouldn’t have taken long for them to accomplish their goal.”
Kate’s face turned ashen. There it was—Jay had been murdered in cold blood. “So Jay couldn’t steer the car?”
He reached for her hand, wanting in some way to soothe her. “She probably could for a while, until the steering was stressed.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means they likely followed her until she got to that canyon, then chased her hard into a curve, knowing the steering would give way and she wouldn’t be able to control the car.”
Kate’s throat was tight, and she was finding it difficult to breathe.
“They forced her over the edge.”
“In a fashion, yes.”
“God.” Kate covered her eyes with her free hand. “Poor Jay,” she whispered, trying to imagine her lover’s terror when she realized what was happening.
“Kate,” Peter wanted to bring her back from that awful place. “I’ve gotten the FBI to reopen the investigation. Not only that, but I’m going to The Value of Valor
be spearheading it with a guy named Dave Darasio. I met with him earlier today. He’s a good man and he’ll do a good job.”
Kate simply nodded, unable to say anything.
“I need you to think, honey. Who knew Jay was going to Arizona?
Who was familiar with her itinerary?”
“Nobody. It came up at the last second. Even I didn’t know until we were on our way to the Inaugural Ball the night before she was leaving.”
“Her editor knew, right?”
Kate’s eyes snapped back from staring off into space. “Trish would never…”
“I agree,” Peter said, before she could even finish her sentence. “Did Jay talk to anyone else about her trip from the time she found out about it until the time she left?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think, Kate. This is important.”
“I know it is.”
“Did she make her own travel arrangements?”
“Yes. She always complained about the number of layovers on flights booked by Time’s travel agency.” Kate ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation. “I think
Kate had thought she had things pretty much under control, but seeing her best friend standing there, knowing where he’d been and that he’d returned without Jay, shattered her fragile composure.
He held her and rocked her as she sobbed, his own tears running into her hair. Eventually, they both quieted, and he moved away from her enough to take her hands and lead her to the sofa.
“I’m sorry. I thought I was past that.” She smiled weakly. “I guess not, huh?”
Lynn Ames
“That’s okay, I think we both needed a good cry.” Peter leaned over to pet Fred, who was insistently throwing Peter’s hand up in the air in an effort to gain attention. “Yeah, you spoiled beast, I missed you, too.”
Fred sat down on Peter’s foot as soon as Peter began scratching him behind the ears. “I hate when he does that, you know. He’s got a bony butt.”
“Tell me about it.” Kate rolled her eyes, then focused on her friend.
“What did you find? You said you had news.” Her tone was guarded.
“Remember I told you I found a small piece of metal under some dirt and rocks at the crash site?”
“Yes.”
“It was a piece of a tie rod.” At her blank look, he explained further, in simple terms. “It’s connected to the steering mechanism. If a tie rod is worn or damaged, it can cause erratic steering or loss of control of the wheels.”
“Okay.”
“I gave the piece to the FBI for testing; I heard back from them yesterday. There’s evidence to indicate that someone tampered with the tie rods on Jay’s car.”
Kate’s heart constricted. “But it was a rental. How would they know which car to fix?”
“Good question. My guess is they were close enough to overhear which car she was assigned, then created a distraction to delay her for a few minutes. It looks like they used a blow torch or a grinder on the rod to weaken it, so it wouldn’t have taken long for them to accomplish their goal.”
Kate’s face turned ashen. There it was—Jay had been murdered in cold blood. “So Jay couldn’t steer the car?”
He reached for her hand, wanting in some way to soothe her. “She probably could for a while, until the steering was stressed.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means they likely followed her until she got to that canyon, then chased her hard into a curve, knowing the steering would give way and she wouldn’t be able to control the car.”
Kate’s throat was tight, and she was finding it difficult to breathe.
“They forced her over the edge.”
“In a fashion, yes.”
“God.” Kate covered her eyes with her free hand. “Poor Jay,” she whispered, trying to imagine her lover’s terror when she realized what was happening.
“Kate,” Peter wanted to bring her back from that awful place. “I’ve gotten the FBI to reopen the investigation. Not only that, but I’m going to The Value of Valor
be spearheading it with a guy named Dave Darasio. I met with him earlier today. He’s a good man and he’ll do a good job.”
Kate simply nodded, unable to say anything.
“I need you to think, honey. Who knew Jay was going to Arizona?
Who was familiar with her itinerary?”
“Nobody. It came up at the last second. Even I didn’t know until we were on our way to the Inaugural Ball the night before she was leaving.”
“Her editor knew, right?”
Kate’s eyes snapped back from staring off into space. “Trish would never…”
“I agree,” Peter said, before she could even finish her sentence. “Did Jay talk to anyone else about her trip from the time she found out about it until the time she left?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think, Kate. This is important.”
“I know it is.”
“Did she make her own travel arrangements?”
“Yes. She always complained about the number of layovers on flights booked by Time’s travel agency.” Kate ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation. “I think
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