no threat.
She didn’t move her hand.
“Coffee?”
She looked up to see Kelby standing in front of her with a styrofoam cup in his hand. “Thanks.” She accepted the cup and took a sip of the hot liquid. “You’re done already?”
“It seemed pretty long to me. Halley is thorough. I had nothing to do with your friend apart from asking Wilson to try to see her. There wasn’t much I could tell him.”
“Or maybe he didn’t want to offend you. You have big investments over in the Atlantis complex, don’t you?”
“Yes, but that wouldn’t stop Halley from treating me with the same thoroughness as he did you. Dr. Mulan is evidently very important.” He sat down beside her. “You’ve been here at the station almost six hours and this waiting room isn’t very comfortable. How about letting me take you to a hotel? I’ll stay here and get word to you if there’s any—” She was shaking her head. “I didn’t think so.” He sipped his coffee. “Well, at least the coffee in the machine is decent. I’ve been in a few jails where it’s tasted like mud.”
“You have?”
“You act surprised. That’s right, Wilson kept my checkered past out of the media. It’s one of the only things he was able to keep from them.”
“Why were you in jail?”
“Nothing too terrible. I was sowing a few wild oats after I got out of the SEALs. I was at loose ends and I wasn’t sure what direction I needed to follow. I batted around from country to country trying to decide.”
“And you chose oceanography.”
“It kind of chose me. I loved sailing from the time I was a boy, and it was a natural progression.” He took another swallow of his coffee. “Have you always known what you wanted to do?”
“Yes, since I was twelve years old. I saw the ocean, I saw the dolphins, and I knew I never wanted to leave them. They brought me peace.”
“And that was important to a twelve-year-old?”
“To this twelve-year-old.” She glanced at Halley through the glass partition that separated his office from the waiting room. He was picking up the phone and speaking into it. “Why is it taking so long? Do you think he knows what he’s doing?”
“He seems pretty savvy. And he wants to find her, Melis.”
Then why wasn’t it happening? They hadn’t heard anything in the hours they’d spent here. “It seems impossible that there weren’t any witnesses who saw Maria and Carolyn being taken from their office.”
“I’m sure they haven’t interviewed everyone yet. It’s still possible that— Shit.” His gaze was on Halley, who had just hung up the phone. “I don’t like his body language.”
Melis stiffened. Halley was standing, moving toward the door leading to the waiting room. His shoulders were squared and his expression . . .
“Ms. Nemid. I’m sorry.” His voice was very gentle. “A body has washed ashore near the Castle Hotel. A woman in her fifties, tall, gray hair. We think it may be Carolyn Mulan.”
“Think? Why don’t you know?”
“There was some . . . damage. They’re bringing the body to the morgue for identification.”
“I want to see her. I can tell you if it’s Carolyn.”
“You may not be able to do that. Her face is pretty . . . lacerated.”
Melis’s nails dug into her palms as her hands clenched. “I’ve known her for years. She was closer than a sister to me. I can tell you if it’s her.”
“You don’t want to see this body, Ms. Nemid.”
“The hell I don’t.” Her voice was shaking. “It may not be her. I don’t want you to stop looking while you get DNA or dental records on this woman. I want to see for myself.”
Halley looked at Kelby. “If she believes she can give us a positive ID, I can’t refuse. In a murder case, time is always important. But I sure as hell don’t like it. Can you talk her out of it?”
Kelby shook his head. “I wish I could. No way.”
“It’s probably not her.” Melis moistened her lips. “You don’t know her.
She didn’t move her hand.
“Coffee?”
She looked up to see Kelby standing in front of her with a styrofoam cup in his hand. “Thanks.” She accepted the cup and took a sip of the hot liquid. “You’re done already?”
“It seemed pretty long to me. Halley is thorough. I had nothing to do with your friend apart from asking Wilson to try to see her. There wasn’t much I could tell him.”
“Or maybe he didn’t want to offend you. You have big investments over in the Atlantis complex, don’t you?”
“Yes, but that wouldn’t stop Halley from treating me with the same thoroughness as he did you. Dr. Mulan is evidently very important.” He sat down beside her. “You’ve been here at the station almost six hours and this waiting room isn’t very comfortable. How about letting me take you to a hotel? I’ll stay here and get word to you if there’s any—” She was shaking her head. “I didn’t think so.” He sipped his coffee. “Well, at least the coffee in the machine is decent. I’ve been in a few jails where it’s tasted like mud.”
“You have?”
“You act surprised. That’s right, Wilson kept my checkered past out of the media. It’s one of the only things he was able to keep from them.”
“Why were you in jail?”
“Nothing too terrible. I was sowing a few wild oats after I got out of the SEALs. I was at loose ends and I wasn’t sure what direction I needed to follow. I batted around from country to country trying to decide.”
“And you chose oceanography.”
“It kind of chose me. I loved sailing from the time I was a boy, and it was a natural progression.” He took another swallow of his coffee. “Have you always known what you wanted to do?”
“Yes, since I was twelve years old. I saw the ocean, I saw the dolphins, and I knew I never wanted to leave them. They brought me peace.”
“And that was important to a twelve-year-old?”
“To this twelve-year-old.” She glanced at Halley through the glass partition that separated his office from the waiting room. He was picking up the phone and speaking into it. “Why is it taking so long? Do you think he knows what he’s doing?”
“He seems pretty savvy. And he wants to find her, Melis.”
Then why wasn’t it happening? They hadn’t heard anything in the hours they’d spent here. “It seems impossible that there weren’t any witnesses who saw Maria and Carolyn being taken from their office.”
“I’m sure they haven’t interviewed everyone yet. It’s still possible that— Shit.” His gaze was on Halley, who had just hung up the phone. “I don’t like his body language.”
Melis stiffened. Halley was standing, moving toward the door leading to the waiting room. His shoulders were squared and his expression . . .
“Ms. Nemid. I’m sorry.” His voice was very gentle. “A body has washed ashore near the Castle Hotel. A woman in her fifties, tall, gray hair. We think it may be Carolyn Mulan.”
“Think? Why don’t you know?”
“There was some . . . damage. They’re bringing the body to the morgue for identification.”
“I want to see her. I can tell you if it’s Carolyn.”
“You may not be able to do that. Her face is pretty . . . lacerated.”
Melis’s nails dug into her palms as her hands clenched. “I’ve known her for years. She was closer than a sister to me. I can tell you if it’s her.”
“You don’t want to see this body, Ms. Nemid.”
“The hell I don’t.” Her voice was shaking. “It may not be her. I don’t want you to stop looking while you get DNA or dental records on this woman. I want to see for myself.”
Halley looked at Kelby. “If she believes she can give us a positive ID, I can’t refuse. In a murder case, time is always important. But I sure as hell don’t like it. Can you talk her out of it?”
Kelby shook his head. “I wish I could. No way.”
“It’s probably not her.” Melis moistened her lips. “You don’t know her.
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