Silent Witness by Lindsay McKenna Page B

on her jacket is polished to perfection. All of her medals are straight and perfectly aligned to the left breast pocket. There’s no lint on her black-and-gold shoulder boards. I looked at the white heels she wore, and there aren’t even any smudges on the backs of them. Everything is too tidied up.”
    â€œToo perfect?”
    He gazed around and frowned. “Yes. I’ve got law briefs scattered from my kitchen table to my coffee table in the living room. I’ve got socks lying on the deck of the head.”
    â€œIn other words, your apartment has a lived-in look?”
    He gave her a sour smile. “In my place someone could die and not be located for a week. This place seems to be too clean for even death to visit.”
    â€œI can smell a faint odor of Pine-Sol,” Ellen confirmed. “So maybe she washed the walls?” Her stomach was settling. Jim’s warm, engaging teaching style was helping her deal with her memories.
    â€œReckon she got everything spotless, as if ready for one final inspection. Was she expecting someone to come over? Did they? If so, who? Did this other person or persons push Kane into taking those pills? Was it the 911 caller? If so, was this a lover’s spat? What the heck were Kane’s actions telling us?”
    Ellen followed him back to the couch and sat down, her voice low with emotion. “I don’t see how anyone wouldn’t be touched by seeing Susan clutching that teddy bear to her breast. I had this feeling she was more a little girl rather than a grown, mature pilot with a multitude of impressive degrees.”
    â€œThere’s such a split here. Kane was obviously on the fast track in the Navy, yet she’s got this doggone teddy bear.” Cochrane scratched his head. “In some ways, she reminds me of my daughter, Merry.”
    â€œWhat a pretty name. How old is she?” Ellen saw the tension in his face melt instantly, and his gray eyes grow warm. Clearly, there was love for his daughter shining in them. How she ached to see such a look for her on a man’s face. But Ellen had realized that a great love came only once in one’s life, if ever. And she’d had hers. Still, she absorbed that look on Cochrane’s face, feeling like a thief.
    â€œSix years old.” Jim smiled and rocked back on his heels. “I’ve loved that kid from the day I laid eyes on her. I couldn’t be with Jodi, my ex-wife, when Merry was born—I was on temporary assignment to Washington. I arrived home two days later.” He pursed his mouth and revisited the pain of missing his daughter’s birth.
    Ellen said quietly, “I’ve found from my study that being a military wife is at times an awful burden. The man of the house is away more than he’s at home. It builds a lot of tension, and a lot of anger by the wife toward the husband.” She could see the devastation in Cochrane’s eyes. To miss your child’s arrival, one of life’s most precious moments, would be awful. She saw the angst in the set of his mouth, the tension returning to his features.
    Rubbing his palms on his slacks, Cochrane nodded. “No need to tell me, Ellen.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Jodi pulled the plug on our marriage two years ago. We split the blanket. I can only see my daughter on visits. She doesn’t live with me and it sucks.”
    Ellen sat very still. “Divorce is like going through a death.” Shrugging, she whispered haltingly, “My husband…Mark…died of a heart attack two years ago. I was at work at the time. I came home and he…” Ellen shut her eyes and whispered, “He was lying dead in the living room floor. At first, I thought he was playing a game with me. He was always such a tease. I bent down to shake his shoulder and…It was such a shock.”
    Jim scratched his head and shifted uneasily. “I didn’t know that.”