Chapter Nineteen

The Next Day Interrogation and Explanation

T hree days in a row, Luna was awake before the light of day. She wasn't sure if she'd slept at all. Reality and her whirling thoughts were intermingled, as if she were in a fugue state. At least she wasn't nervous about confronting Brendan again. Now she could be nervous about confronting the U.S. Marshal's Service. In her heart, she knew she hadn't done anything illegal. Perhaps misguided, but it wasn't due to any malice. She had all the best intentions—but as they said, the road to hell was paved with them.

She showered and decided on the cropped pants and tunic. The outfit was polished without looking as if she were going out on a date. Some date!

Luna skipped her morning coffee. She didn't need any more jitters than she already had. Gail offered to make her some toast, but Luna declined. Her stomach was doing somersaults.

She checked her makeup and decided to wear her contact lenses. For some reason, they felt more natural. Gail gave her a big hug before Luna walked out the door. "Good luck, sweetcakes. I know everything is going to be alright."

Luna forced a smile. "It has to be."

At eight, Chris had a briefing with Buck and Desmond. "I was able to locate the woman in the photo. Luna Bodman."

"Impressive," Buck noted. "How did you manage that?"

Chris was trying valiantly to avoid any personal details. "I phoned the rental agency in Phoenix and got her phone number." He was half telling the truth. "That's something someone should have thought of when they identified her as the person who rented the vehicle." He looked directly at Buck.

"Good work, man," Buck snorted, ignoring Chris's offhand accusation. "You're going to make an excellent WITSEC agent."

Chris had already come to the conclusion that he was probably a better agent than Buck. Just a feeling he had. A gut feeling, as opposed to some kind of woo-woo stuff.

"I also checked with Jack, who asked the witness if he could identify her and her reason for being at the farm. According to Jack, the two went to college together, and our man had not had contact with her since the incident. He said she showed up out of nowhere, and he told her to leave and forget she ever saw him." Chris paused. "I also had her phone records dumped, and all the calls were verified to her brother and some friends. I also had the cell towers checked in this area. No unusual burner phone activity."

"So you're trying to tell us she just stumbled upon an old college pal?" Buck looked suspicious.

"I'm telling you what I know. She's meeting us in the parking lot in an hour."

"What?" Buck looked shocked. "How did you manage that?"

"I called her. Said it was of the utmost importance she meet with U.S. Marshals regarding an accident on the highway yesterday."

"And she just agreed to come here?"

"She knew about the accident. She said she had been in the area and was willing to come in and answer any questions."

Desmond put his hand on Chris's shoulder. "You are one impressive dude."

Chris grunted. "Just doing my job." If they only knew, and I hope they never find out.

It took ten minutes for Luna to reach the hotel. Chris and two other men were waiting in the parking lot.

"Good morning, Ms. Bodman. I'm Charles Gannon. These are my colleagues, Agent Cunningham and Agent Lamont." All three had their badges attached to their belts. "Would you mind stepping inside the SUV?"

Luna maintained a stoic demeanor. "Not at all." Desmond opened the back door, and Luna stepped up into the vehicle while the three men stood close together outside, blocking her from escaping. As if .

Leaving the car door open, Buck took the lead, which annoyed the heck out of Chris. "So, Ms. Bodman. Can you tell us why you went out to Canyon Farms yesterday morning?"

Luna was admirably composed. "I thought I recognized someone from college when I was at Whole Foods—or was it Safeway? Anyway, I saw him drive off in a truck with a sign for the farm. I looked up the address and drove out to see if it was him."

"How long had it been since you'd been in contact with your so-called friend?" Buck asked, with a bit of an unpleasant tone.

"It had been months. We were emailing, and then it stopped. I assumed it was because his wife was jealous." She shrugged. "Anyway, it wasn't him."

"Are you sure?" Buck peered at her intently.

She looked at Chris for a sign.

Tell the truth . He was sending telepathic thoughts to her.

She hesitated. "He told me to go away." That was the truth.

"And you said it wasn't him," Buck pushed.

"I really don't know what's going on." Another half-truth. "I don't want to get anyone in trouble, including myself."

"We already know you spoke to him."

Luna swallowed hard. "What did he tell you?"

"He said he told you to go away."

"That is correct." Luna nodded.

Chris looked at the other agents. They seemed to be inclined to believe her. There was no evidence to the contrary.

"How long are you planning on staying here?" Buck asked.

"I was going to return home the day after tomorrow." But at this point, she wanted to jump on a plane and get the heck out of Dodge, or whatever nightmare town she was in.

"You live in North Carolina?" Buck asked as he was looking at his notes.

"Yes. Just outside Asheville."

"Alright, then. Agent Gannon lives in Charlotte. If he needs any further information from you, we expect you to cooperate."

"Absolutely," Luna said convincingly. Anything for my U.S. Marshal. If he's still my U.S. Marshal , she thought.

Buck closed his notepad. "Thank you for your time, Ms. Bodman. If we need anything else, we will be in touch."

The three men separated, making room for her to remove herself from the car and the interrogation.

"Thank you," she replied, and walked over to her car.

"What do you think?" Gaines asked Buck.

"Everything lines up. We can cross her off the list for now," Buck said. "You all agree?"

"I got no problem," Desmond responded.

"Neither do I." Chris was more relieved than he'd thought possible. Perhaps this nightmare was over.

Luna was shaking as she put her car in drive. It appeared she'd satisfied their queries. At least she wasn't in handcuffs. She went to reach for her phone and realized she no longer had one.

Gail was pacing the floor when Luna returned. "How did it go? What did they ask you?"

"It went okay, I think. Well, I'm not in jail, so I suppose that's a good sign." Luna flopped down on the sofa.

"What can I get you?"

"How about a Bloody Mary?" Luna chuckled. "It's five o'clock somewhere."