Chapter 11

The sun's glare bounced off the window of the three-story office building. Noelle held the glass door open for Decia, then strode to the elevator on the opposite side of the lobby. Once inside, she pushed the button for the second floor, which housed Congressman Clifton Sanford's office. Noelle's mind reeled from the information they'd uncovered on Saturday. How was Sanford involved? Or was it a case of coincidence?

Noelle leaned against the back of the elevator. "Thanks for coming with me."

"It's not a problem. I'm sorry I couldn't be there this weekend." Decia stood with her hands on her hips, watching the lighted floor numbers change above the metal door.

"Don't worry about it. Your kiddos deserve to have their mom home on the weekend. Speaking of, how'd the baseball games go?"

Her friend smiled. "Three wins."

"Tell the boys congrats for me."

"Will do."

The elevator came to a halt and dinged. The door slid open.

"Suite 202 is to the left." Noelle led the way. "Since you're the law around here, take the lead. I'll jump in if I have any questions."

"That works for me." Decia approached the receptionist's desk. "Hello, I'm Detective Ladecia Slaton, and this is my colleague, Noelle Burton. We'd like to speak with Mr. Sanford."

Noelle had to admit, her friend was smooth, sliding in her name without referencing EGA.

"The congressman has several meetings today. May I ask what this is about?" The middle-aged receptionist peered over the top of her glasses.

"I understand. We only have a few questions for him. I'm sure he'll want to assist local law enforcement." Decia raised a brow at the woman.

Noelle smothered a chuckle.

"I'll take it from here, Cindy." A young man in his early thirties approached. "My name's Royce Dwight. I'm the congressman's aide. How may I help you?"

Decia nodded at the aide while Noelle scanned the reception area. "Mr. Dwight, nice to meet you. We need a moment with Mr. Sanford. It shouldn't take long."

Head down, Royce tapped on his tablet. "Let me see if he can spare a few minutes."

"Thank you. We appreciate it."

Noelle shifted her gaze to him. She had a great view of the top of the man's head.

"He has five minutes before his next conference call. If you'll follow me." He spun and waved for them to follow.

She and Decia kept pace with the congressman's aide.

He gestured for them to enter Sanford's office, but remained at the doorway.

The congressman rose, his large oak desk a barrier between himself and anyone who visited. A young man with the congressman's same genetic features stood near a beverage station in the corner of the room. "Good morning, ladies. You've met my aide. I'd like to introduce you to the company's attorney and my son, Lincoln. Please, have a seat." He swept his hand out, indicating the two chairs facing his desk.

Noelle lowered herself onto the edge of the seat. "Thank you for seeing us."

"I wish I had more time, but unfortunately, I don't. So, let's get down to business. How can I help Savannah's finest?"

Decia took the lead. "As you wish. Your name came up during a homicide investigation. We'd like to know what you can tell us about a couple of young ladies that you spent time with."

"Are you implying that my father had something to do with murder?" Lincoln moved to his father's side. "Because if you are, that's the most preposterous thing I've ever heard."

"Now, son. Let them talk." Sanford rested his elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers. "Go ahead."

Decia eyed the son, then focused her attention on the congressman. "We have three young women in their twenties that were murdered. According to witnesses, their bodies were found a week after being seen in your company."

"As your legal counsel, I advise you not to say another word, Dad." Lincoln glared at Decia. "I don't trust them."

"Calm down, son. They're only doing their job. Please continue, Detective."

"Thank you." Decia pulled her phone from her pocket. "What can you tell me about Kami Zimmer?"

"The name doesn't sound familiar. Royce?" the congressman asked his aide.

"Do you have a picture?"

"Yes." Noelle had saved the photos of all the women for reference. She opened the image of Kami on her phone and shared it with the aide.

Royce stared at the floor and tapped his chin. "I think I remember her. She had dinner with the congressman at Twilight Serenade. If I remember correctly, it was a thank-you for helping with his campaign."

Noelle shifted the phone to Sanford. "Congressman, does the woman look familiar?"

The man flinched so imperceptibly that most people would miss it. But Noelle wasn't most people. And neither was Decia.

"Sorry. I don't recall her. But if Royce said we had dinner, then we must have."

"That's quite a thank-you." She flipped to the next photo. "How about Sophia Mendez? She was also seen having dinner with you."

Sanford glanced at the picture and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Detective. I don't know anything about either woman. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to join."

She and Decia thanked the men and strode from the office. Neither said a word until they exited the building. Noelle blew out a breath. "Did you see Congressman Sanford's reaction to Kami?"

Decia nodded. "He recognized her. The question now is, why didn't he admit it?"

"An affair, maybe?" Noelle replayed the conversation over in her mind. "The aide seemed helpful, albeit a bit shy."

"Yeah, but the son was a piece of work. Like he had a chip on his shoulder or something. You saw the way he towered over his father, watching our every move."

"I did." Noelle rolled her eyes. Way to make yourself look guilty, dude. "I'll have Raven do a deep dive into Lincoln Sanford and see what she digs up."

"Good. I'll head to the station and see if Matt made it back from the morgue yet."

"I'd like to check on Jonah." Noelle retrieved her car keys from her pocket. "I'll keep you posted on anything we find."

"Sounds good. See you later." Decia waved and headed for her department-issued vehicle.

Noelle slipped into the driver's seat of her car. The visit with Sanford hadn't gone as expected, but it had been interesting nonetheless.

However, at the moment, she had an odd urge to visit Jonah. One she couldn't shake.

* * *

Jonah drew the curtains closed on the new window in Ken's office and moved to unlock the file cabinet. Call him paranoid, but he refused to take a chance on the shooter using him for target practice. He honestly had no idea if he'd find what he was looking for. He only hoped that Ken hadn't been too stealthy.

Between his friend's unethical actions and Noelle's story, the nerves in Jonah's skin mimicked a thousand bugs crawling on him. He hated what Ken had done. And from the little he'd discovered, money had driven the man's choices. If only Ken had taken the time to ask him for financial support instead of selling out his integrity, Jonah would have given it to him willingly. Between his career as a doctor and wise investments, he had money to spare.

Matt sat in the office chair, searching through the desk drawers. "I don't think Ken left evidence in his desk. All I'm finding are notepads and basic miscellaneous items."

"I figured as much." Jonah opened the cabinet and walked his fingers through the files. "I'm hoping he hid the information among the other autopsy reports."

"It'd be a great place to put it. Who'd look for an extra autopsy report there?" Matt shut the bottom drawer and stood. "I'll check the bookcase next." His friend strode across the room. Hands on his hips, he scratched his jaw, then started on the top shelf.

"I can't believe Ken did this." Jonah opened a file, took a long look, and slipped it back into place.

"I guess you never know what you'll do when faced with a tough decision. It couldn't have been easy for him with his wife's life at stake."

"I suppose that's true." Jonah closed the first drawer and glanced over his shoulder. "I just wish he'd said something."

"Me too." Matt removed a thick medical book and thumbed through the pages. "Speaking of saying something…Noelle dropped a huge bombshell about her abduction."

Jonah's thoughts drifted to the past year. The signs had all been there. The long-sleeve shirts in the summer. The top-of-the-line security system in the house. Her murder wall in her office. Even her OCD tendencies probably stemmed from her time in the hands of a killer. "I should have realized something wasn't right."

"We all saw the same things, and no one had a clue." Matt shifted to face him. "Except for that insanely organized murder board that you didn't tell us about."

"There is that." Jonah shrugged. "But I think back to last summer. I spent a lot of time at her house. The clues were there."

"Don't take the guilt on yourself. She hid it well from all of us."

"Maybe." The next tab caught Jonah's eye. "Well, what do you know?"

"Got something?" Matt moved to his side.

"I'd say. The little sneak labeled the file M.S. Takes"

"I don't get it."

"And you call yourself a detective. M.S. Takes as in mistakes."

"You have got to be kidding me. What does it say?"

Jonah opened the file. "Ken might have handed us evidence on the flash drive, but there are two Jane Does in the large cold storage here at the morgue that he never released."

Matt dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling. "Thank you, Ken."

"I'll go pull the bodies and do a visual on them." Jonah handed Matt the files. "Here, take those."

"I'll add them to the other evidence. We'll pull the documents when we have time to review them." Matt's phone rang. He held up a finger. "Williams…Okay." He checked his watch. "I'll be there in twenty minutes." Then hung up. "Sorry. I've got to go. Let me know what you find."

"You know I will." Jonah followed Matt into the hall and spotted Noelle.

"Later, kids." Matt waved.

"See ya, Matt." Noelle tilted her head and watched him hurry toward the lobby. "What's up with him?"

Jonah lifted his hands, palms up. "Who knows? How'd your visit with the congressman go?"

"Interesting. I'm not sure what's going on, but the whole conversation felt…off. Did you and Matt discover anything?"

"I think so. I'm getting ready to examine two bodies that Ken left as a gift." Jonah smiled.

"I can't wait to hear the explanation behind that statement."

"It's a good one. You're welcome to join me."

"That's an offer I can't refuse."

"I need to change first." He motioned for her to walk with him. Their footfalls echoed along the light-gray hallway. "I'll head into the men's locker room, then we can take a look."

Noelle nodded and kept pace with him. "I'd like to see if there are brandings that match my tattoo."

Jonah placed his hand on the door to the locker room. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Hold on a second. I want to clear the room." Noelle drew her gun and held it close to her leg. "Wait here." She pushed the door open and disappeared inside.

He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and waited for her to return. When had his life become a TV criminal drama?

A few moments later, she exited and reholstered her weapon. "It's clear. Lock the door while you're in there. I'm going to use the ladies' room. I'll meet you out here when you're done."

He entered and strode to shelves that contained the county-issued scrubs. After choosing a pair his size, he changed and tossed his street clothes in his locker, then headed to the exit. He flipped the lock and pulled on the handle, but it didn't move. He tried again. The hair on the back of his neck prickled. His heart rate increased. Claustrophobia hadn't bothered him before, but since his time in the cold storage drawer, even this room seemed a bit small.

Jonah fiddled with the cell phone in his pocket, debating whether to call Noelle. Or maybe security to get the custodian to fix the door. Anything to get out of the locker room. He took a step toward the door. A splat had him glancing at the floor.

Liquid puddled at his feet. The odor of ammonia mixed with bleach. Jonah's stomach twisted, and his pulse skyrocketed. The combination could be deadly.

He pounded on the door. "Help!" He coughed at the noxious fumes. "Noelle! Help!" If no one found him, he'd be dead in a matter of minutes.

The puddle oozed farther into the space. His brain had frozen, and all intelligent thoughts had escaped. "Think." He moved to the back of the room, hoping the distance gave him more time.

The door was flung open. "Jonah!" Noelle coughed.

"Over here." He staggered toward her.

She grabbed his arm and hauled him out of the room. Once in the hall, she slammed the door shut. Arm wrapped around his waist, she led him away from the toxic air. "Stay here." She sprinted toward the main hall.

Jonah rested his head on the wall and sucked in the clean air. How many times could he evade death before the person trying to kill him succeeded?

A couple minutes later, Noelle reappeared. "I saw the janitor hurrying away when I came out of the women's locker room. He disappeared before I made visual contact. I didn't want to leave you alone and search for him."

"This is getting ridiculous. I don't know anything."

"Not yet."

"True." He inhaled three slow, deep breaths.

"Do you need medical?"

He shook his head. "No. Only a few minutes to gather my sanity and a bit of clean air."

"You got it. I'll call Decia to send a crime scene tech and someone to take our statements. And let Bonnie know and have her get someone to clean that mess once the techs finish collecting evidence."

"Tell Bonnie it's bleach and ammonia. Toxic." The adrenaline faded, and his legs could pass for jelly.

"I'm on it." She placed the calls, but her eyes never stopped scanning the area.

Noelle finished her tasks and slid to the ground next to him. "Hey, cowboy. Come here often?"

He rested his head against the wall and chuckled.

Once they gave their statements and the officers released them to leave, Noelle raised a questioning eyebrow and jutted her chin in the direction of autopsy.

"Yeah, I'm ready. If I have to." One corner of his mouth lifted.

She chuckled. "You have to. Come on. Let's examine those girls." She helped him stand.

Whoever had trapped him hadn't wanted to scare him. With that combination of chemicals, the guy had planned to kill him. Now Jonah was even more determined to find out who had murdered his friend and wanted him dead.