Cold Pursuit by Carla Neggers Page B

out-of-work ex-soldier or whatever Elijah was these days.
    Ex-lover. He would always be that to her.
    She pushed a flood of memories aside and quickly ducked into the center hall. She didn’t hear anything from upstairs and resisted going up and knocking on Hannah’s door. Only pure nosiness made her want to find out what was going on between Hannah and Elijah.
    Instead, she zipped up her fleece jacket and stepped outside. The village of Black Falls was located in a narrow river valley in the heart of the Green Mountains that ran up the middle of Vermont. Its attractive main street was lined with renovated old houses—clapboard, brick, stone—that were often the subject of Vermont postcards. Most had been converted into shops and businesses.
    Across the street, the midday sun peeked through the naked trees on the sliver of a town green and sparkled on brightly colored fallen leaves. Not a bad place to be, Jo thought, even with Elijah in town. She felt some of the tension of being around him ease. She enjoyed the chance to spend time with her family. They’d all had spaghetti up at her parents’ place last night.
    But she still had an afternoon to kill and wasn’t used to being at a loose end.
    As she reached her car, her cell phone rang. Service was spotty in the nooks and crannies of south-central Vermont, but she had a decent signal.
    “Jo…thank God.”
    She recognized Thomas Asher’s strangled voice. “Thomas? What’s—”
    “There’s been an accident.” He gulped in a breath and rushed forward, his words coming fast. “I don’t know. Maybe it wasn’t an accident. The police…I can’t think…I…”
    “Whoa, Thomas, slow down. Start from the beginning. Who’s hurt?”
    “Alex. Alex Bruni. Jo—he’s dead. I can’t believe it. He was hit by a car outside a hotel across from his office. He…The police say he was killed instantly. It was a hit-and-run. The driver took off.”
    “Does Nora know?”
    “Yes. I called and told her.” He sounded slightly calmer now that he had delivered the news. “I don’t know how much she heard or didn’t hear—we didn’t have a good connection. Jo, could I ask you to check on her? Would you mind? Nora doesn’t know many people up there. I’d feel better if you could—” His voice cracked. “I’m in shock. Alex and I have been…we were friends for more than twenty years.”
    “Thomas, do you have any reason to suspect Nora is in any danger?”
    “No! No, no, she’s not in danger. I’m just worried about her emotional state. She and Alex didn’t get along that well, but she’s close to her mother. Carolyn will get the first flight she can out of Hong Kong, but it’ll take a while.”
    “Have you been in touch with the police?”
    “What?”
    “The police. If Ambassador Bruni was killed in a hit-and-run—”
    “Right, of course.” He seemed to have trouble focusing. “The police are investigating. I don’t know the details, Jo. I was here at my office working on a presentation when I heard.”
    “How did you find out?”
    “Alex’s secretary called me. So that I could tell Nora before she heard it on the news.” He was breathless, obviously shaken. “I didn’t have to tell Carolyn. Thank heaven for that. I think the police told her. I spoke to her, of course—I assured her I’d take care of Nora. Jo…”
    “I’ll check on her right now, Thomas. I’m sorry about Ambassador Bruni.”
    “I knew him longer than Carolyn. People wonder why we stayed friends after they got together, but there was never a question…” He sobbed openly. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
    “How did Nora take the news?” Jo asked, trying to cut through his grief.
    “Hard to tell. She stayed calm, but it’s such a shock. I just want to be sure she’s okay. She’s so young, Jo—she should be at college, with professors and counselors and friends.”
    “Do you want her to make arrangements to get back to Washington?”
    “I don’t know. A